"I knew you wouldn’t know." Adrian Desmond’s voice was full of complaint; he couldn’t understand why Sienna Johnson worked so desperately, nearly dedicating all twenty-four hours of her day to the Eastminster Group. "...I used to think that power and money were more important too, but now I think you and Curly are the most important things. Money is not something you can take with you when you’re born or when you die. You’re too obsessive about it..." Adrian tried to advise. These words were not only said by one person to Sienna. Sienna was indeed passionate about her career, but she had always lived a simple life. All she wanted was to realize her father’s lofty dreams and take the Eastminster Group beyond Agaia and to the rest of the world. Since her father had no sons, he was often ridiculed by others. Her father would always say to others that his Sienna was just as good as a son. Sienna just wanted to show those who had once laughed at her father that she, Sienna Johnson, Dexter Johnson’s daughter, was no worse than those men. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" "Let’s go to the amusement park with Curly tomorrow." "Tomorrow I’m going to try on wedding dresses with Kenneth," Sienna said. This time, Adrian, who had always been talking non-stop, fell silent. "I’ll be back late tomorrow. You can have Curly stay over at your place for the night." "What about you? Who are you staying with? Kenneth Brown?" "No, I’m going to stay with my adoptive mother. She hasn’t been feeling well recently, and my eldest brother is still in Blackwood," Sienna explained. For some reason, she didn’t want Adrian to misunderstand her staying overnight with Kenneth. Adrian laughed again on the other side of the line. "Of course I believe you." "When you finish work tomorrow, I’ll pick you up, and we’ll both go see your adoptive mother." Adrian hung up, leaving a frustrated Sienna. What kind of situation was this, taking a man to meet Rose Collins? Sienna hadn’t even taken Kenneth to meet Collins yet. "What a headache." Sienna ran her hand through her hair, looking deeply troubled. Nike was escorted by Little Ninth to "Flower and Fruit Mountain." Flower and Fruit Mountain was Adrian’s new home, right next door to Sienna’s place. Curly had come up with the quirky name because she loved the Monkey King from *Journey to the West*. The Monkey King lived in a place called "Flower and Fruit Mountain." So when Adrian asked for Curly’s suggestion, she blurted out "Flower and Fruit Mountain," and Adrian just went with it. However, people passing by would look at the plaque that read ’Flower and Fruit Mountain’ and whisper, wondering what on earth it was all about. Seeing the words "Flower and Fruit Mountain" on the plaque, Nike burst into laughter. The other people present, however, were confused, not understanding why the name was funny. Little Ninth coughed lightly to remind Nike not to laugh too excessively. "Nike, what are you laughing at?" "Can you believe a house actually has this name?" "What’s wrong with the name?" "Have you seen *Journey to the West*?" Nike put away his smile and said, "Then it doesn’t matter." They hadn’t seen *Journey to the West*; even if he explained why the name made him laugh, they wouldn’t understand. Curly had dressed up especially for today. Unlike her usual tomboyish self, she looked a lot more demure. Wherever she sat, she looked like an oversized Barbie Doll. Her curly hair added an extra touch of sweetness. "Daddy, why hasn’t Brother Nike arrived yet?" Curly kept urging. Latest content published on nοvelfire.net "Daddy, you’ve said ’soon’ several times already. Are you sure you’ve invited Brother Nike? You wouldn’t just be tricking me, would you?" "If I trick you, then I’m a little dog." George knew that Curly wanted to see Brother Nike, so he had stayed over at Adrian’s place the previous night. Now, Adrian was growing increasingly suspicious of George, who had been eyeing his daughter with ill intentions and harbored wolfish ambitions. "Father-in-law, how could you agree to let Curly see Nike? That Nike guy doesn’t look like a good person at first glance." "I think you’re the one who’s not a good person!" Adrian glanced at George, now suspecting him of harboring ulterior motives. "George, isn’t your dad taking you back to Abyanabad? Why haven’t you left yet?" Because of the terrible first impression, and after her mother had scolded her because of him, Curly had added George to her "blacklist." "When are you going back to Abyanabad?" Curly asked George. If he wasn’t going, George knew he wouldn’t feel at ease leaving either. "Why would I go back to Abyanabad? This is my home." Adrian hadn’t expected his daughter and Sienna to have the same idea, both unwilling to go to Abyanabad. He didn’t want to stay in Sileria City either. "Curly, Abyanabad is very beautiful. Daddy can take you surfing and scuba diving. There are many cute fish in the waters of Abyanabad." "Is Mommy going?" Curly asked. "If you go, Mommy will go." "If Mommy goes, Curly will go." It seemed he still needed to settle things with Sienna first! "Brother Nike..." Curly had been waiting with such anticipation, and finally, Nike arrived. Curly slid off her father’s lap and ran in front of Nike. George also ran over, positioning himself between the two of them. "He’s dressed like that; you can tell he’s not a good person." George knew Curly had a crush on Nike, and Nike did look very handsome, though he looked rather like a girl. It reminded George of transvestites in Cagalanga. Nike was great at winning the hearts of females, from three-year-old girls to eighty-year-old grandmothers. Nike hid his hand behind him, gave it a little wave, and produced a small, white, red-eyed rabbit. Curly’s eyes lit up. "Wow, you’re amazing." "I can do magic too!" George retorted indignantly, but his voice was automatically ignored by Curly. Curly reached out and took Nike’s hand, pulling him into her room. Adrian had bought the house next door to the Johnson family’s. He had also prepared a nursery in Abyanabad. Though originally intended for his daughter, Adrian planned to save it for his "son." His daughter certainly wouldn’t use it, as it was designed entirely according to a boy’s preferences. "Where are you going? Wait for me." Seeing Curly pull Nike into her room, George anxiously followed. However, he was left outside, looking pitiful. "Curly, let me in too." "George, you should go home. Your mom must be missing you." "I don’t want to go home!" "Why are you so annoying? Go away." "Open the door and let me in!" Seeing Curly wouldn’t open the door, George dashed down the stairs, came up to Adrian, and cried out, "Father-in-law..." Adrian frowned. "I’ve told you so many times, don’t call me father-in-law!" "Father-in-law..." George was set on Adrian being his father-in-law, and he wouldn’t change what he called him, no matter how much Adrian protested.