In her previous life, this was exactly how she had envisioned it-watching her

daughter and the child's father sharing a warm embrace.

Lost in thought, Emily Blair barely noticed Benjamin approaching with the little girl in his arms until they stopped right in front of her.

As she snapped back to reality, she heard the girl point at her and announce, "Daddy, this is the Emily who brought me in to find you."

Benjamin looked at her, his gaze deep and searching. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Emily waved him off. "No need. Just be more careful next time, alright? Don't let your kid wander off alone again. It's late-she's lucky nothing happened."

He nodded, his voice grave. "I understand."

She gave a casual wave. "Well, I'll be on my way then."

"Wait," Benjamin called out, stopping her. "What's your name? You helped my daughter-I should remember it."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's not necessary. I was just lending a hand.”

Despite her protest, Benjamin reached into the pocket of his tailored suit and handed her a business card. “This has my contact information. If you ever need anything, reach out. Consider me in your debt."

Not wanting to make a scene, Emily took the card without much thought, her eyes glancing over it absently. Suddenly, her gaze froze on the name printed in bold letters.

Benjamin Gomez.

That's where she'd heard the surname.

There weren't many people named Gomez in her circles.

But Isabella Austin's ex-boyfriend was one of them.

Clutching the card, Emily stared in disbelief. "You're Benjamin Gomez?"

He nodded, noticing the surprise flicker in her eyes. "Do we know each other?" Emily could hardly believe it. What were the odds?

Just a few days ago, she'd heard Isabella mention her ex-boyfriend-Benjamin Gomez. And now, here he was.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or maybe the man in front of her really was Isabella's ex.

She shook her head, trying to play it down. "No, you just have the same name as a friend's ex."

Benjamin didn't seem particularly interested. "Alright. My daughter and I should get going. If you need anything, you know how to reach me."

Her mind still in a whirl, Emily just nodded absently.

Benjamin shifted his daughter in his arms. "Sweetheart, say goodbye to Emily."

The little girl, obedient as ever, was far more polite than earlier. "Goodbye, Emily." Emily managed a wry smile. "Goodbye."

She watched them leave, an odd feeling twisting in her chest as she studied their retreating figures.

If this really was Isabella Austin's ex, then the girl...

She looked to be six or seven years old—the timing matched up perfectly with the period when Isabella and Benjamin had been together.

Emily let out a low whistle.

In the car, Benjamin held his daughter close and asked, “Sweetheart, where did you meet that Emily?"

His daughter's voice was soft and childish. "At the door. I wanted to come in, but she wouldn't let me. She said she had to go in with me or she'd just keep holding me back. She was so annoying."

Benjamin patted her back gently. He understood what the woman was trying to do, and his suspicions faded.

"It's alright, Daddy understands."

He added, “Sweetheart, how about we get you a new nanny? Would that be okay?"

He asked patiently, waiting for her answer.

But even if she said no, he'd already made up his mind. Midnight, and his little girl had managed to slip out of the house and wander all the way to a bar. The nanny hadn't noticed she was gone for ages, hadn't even called him.

Completely unacceptable.

His daughter fiddled with her Rubik's Cube in his arms. "If you want to change nannies, that's fine, Daddy. I don't really care."

He stroked her hair. "Alright."

By the time Emily got home, it was already one in the morning.

She'd scheduled her meeting with Lucas Cox for two days later, in the morning. Plenty of time, no rush.

In the meantime, Emily stopped by Donna Thomas's place. Donna was doing well, and Emily deliberately held back the details about the police investigation, afraid it would only make Donna anxious.

Emily herself hadn't visited the police station in days. She'd left everything in her lawyer's hands.

Ryan Cox certainly had long arms—after all these days, the police were still investigating, but hadn't reached any conclusions. Ryan, of course, was untouched.

Emily knew there was no sense in rushing things, so she threw herself into her work.

Still, at a high-profile charity gala for a well-known entrepreneur, she ran into the little girl again.

The child was dressed even more beautifully than before, in a pale pink princess dress that made her look like a porcelain doll-utterly adorable.

She'd come with Benjamin Gomez, but he was busy networking with the other CEOs, leaving his daughter on a sofa at the edge of the room.

Seeing the little girl sitting all alone, Emily felt a pang of sympathy and walked over. "Hey there, we meet again."

The girl looked up, recognition lighting her eyes, though she still wasn't particularly friendly. "You're that Emily?"

"That's me."

Emily reached out, intending to ruffle her hair, but the girl dodged, making Emily

raise an eyebrow in surprise. "No touching?"

The child covered her head, pouting. "Only Daddy gets to do that.”

Emily stifled a laugh. "So, not even your mom?"

The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

If this really was Isabella Austin's daughter... then she probably hadn't grown up

with her mother.

Saying something like that—she realized―might have just hit a nerve.