Please Take Me Home, Daddy - Chapter 400: Chapter 400

Winnie was taken aback before she resignedly smiled, "Alright, I'll cover for you so no one will know where you've gone, alright?"
Laura nodded. "Okay."
Winnie patted Laura's head and cast a glance towards Spider.
Having just finished her corn and now snacking on a cucumber, Spider noticed their chat had ended. She looked around but couldn't find Favian.
Spider furrowed her brow and thought, 'Could Favian fly? He vanished so fast.'
As Spider continued munching on her cucumber, she approached Winnie. Seeing her muscular, Winnie felt reassured, "Laura needs to go home for a bit. Could you escort her, Ms. Spider?"
Spider nodded affirmatively, taking Laura by the hand to leave.
Favian, lingering in a dark corner, watched Laura's retreating figure and followed her.
Forty minutes later, Spider drove up to the family building where Lilian lived.
The parking spot was cramped, and Spider's G-Wagon was tough to squeeze in. "Lala, wait here for a moment," Spider said.
Laura nodded and alighted from the vehicle, "I'll head over first."
Spider, momentarily stunned, watched as the young girl dashed into the building with no security door and vanished from sight.
Then, a man in a crisp suit followed Laura into the building.
Spider was puzzled and thought, 'Was that Favian? How had he managed to follow like a ghost? As a bodyguard, had I seriously neglected my duty? Or did all the Yale family members have this ability to move undetected?'
Laura pounded up the stairs to the top floor, panting hard, only to discover the door to her home slightly open with light streaming out.
Laura thought, 'Could it be that my mother had returned?'
With her heart pounding with hope, Laura nudged the door open wider and peered inside.
But Laura was met by a man clutching a handful of junk.
Laura was startled. "A thief?"
The man's face twisted as he grasped her arm and pulled her inside.
Laura cried out in horror, scrambling to the floor, "Adults are protecting me. Don't touch me. I have a bodyguard."
The man sneered while dragging her further inside, mocking, "A bodyguard? Who in this rundown place could afford one? You must be dreaming of having a bodyguard."
Suddenly, a shadow swooped in with a punch aimed at the man.
Caught off guard and in agony, the thief dropped to the ground, only to look up into the stormy eyes of Favian. In a midnight blue suit, Favian adjusted his black necktie, menace glinting beneath his silvery gaze, "Are you looking for trouble?"
The thief's pupils shrank as he raised his hand to strike. Favian countered with a punch and added a swift kick for good measure.
The man was sent tumbling across the floor, groaning in pain, "Oh! I'm dying here. Are you trying to kill someone? I need a doctor."
Favian ignored him as Spider, nimble as a monkey, arrived at the doorway, "What happened? I heard screams like a pig being butchered from downstairs."
Favian tugged at his tie, clearly irritated, "This guy's a thief. Take him to the police station."
Spider agreed, flinging the man over her shoulder and cursing, "Damn! You take advantage of the moment I park the car. If I lose my pay because of you, I'm going to neuter you."
Her voice faded into the distance, and tranquility returned to the scene.
Sitting on the floor, startled, Laura looked up at Favian with surprise, "Mr. Yale, I never expected you to have two faces that you can fight."
Favian pushed up his glasses, lifting her with one hand, "Are you hurt?"
Shaking her head, she boasted, "I'm clever—as long as I sit down suddenly, nobody can make me fall."
A smile flickered through Favian's deep eyes, but he still scolded her gently, "Next time, don't stray from your bodyguard, not even half a step."
Laura nodded and pushed past him, moving into the room, "Uncle Favian, just find a place to sit. I'll stay here for a while."
Favian surveyed the place, "Is this the home you share with Lilian?"
Laura nodded, "Right. Mommy Winnie bought this house and nobody can kick me and Mom out now. We can live here without worrying about rent ever again."
Favian frowned slightly with his tall figure which is out of place in the cramped space.
There was a worn sofa and a dingy coffee table.
An electric stove with a small pot on the floor seemed ready just to cook noodles for a child.
He glanced sideways at the ashtray on the coffee table which was filled with cigarette butts piled into a small mountain.
For a moment, he remembered Lilian's look of disgust as she approached him, pinching her nose. "Favian, could you quit smoking? You don't think it looks cool, do you?"
And then, in the blink of an eye, Lilian was the one lying on the sofa, enveloped in smoke, looking like a rose blooming in the mud.
Favian confronted Lilian, "When did you start smoking?" With a cold laugh, she replied, "None of your business."
A heavy mist seemed to spread slowly in Favian's eyes as he watched Laura's retreating.
Was Lilian's fate their making as Winnie had claimed? If they treated Laura the same, would she follow in Lilian's footsteps?
Trembling slightly, Favian envisioned the sweet Laura smoking nonchalantly, threatening him, "Hand over the money, Tyler. I'm going to be the mistress of some bald geezer, and if you don't give me money, I'll slash my wrists."
Favian shivered, a creeping terror filling him, "I know where you can see Lilian."
Laura turned around in surprise with her arms still holding Lilian's pillow.
Favian, with sweat at his brow, spoke with a nervous yet restrained tone, "However, it's only VR. It's genuinely recorded by Lilian, the game's champion. This is something only I know. Do you want to go?"
Laura's eyes widened in shock and she put down the pillow, "Yes, let's go."
Favian swiftly escorted her out and drove directly to a leisure and entertainment building downtown. Arriving at the top-floor arcade area, he said, "This place is where Lilian came when she was seventeen. In one of the VR shooting game's challenge levels, Lilian was the champion, and champions could record their likeness to be featured in the game."
Laura's grip tightened excitedly around his hand, "So can I meet seventeen-year-old Mom?"
Favian nodded solemnly, "Yes."
Favian pushed open the door, and the young lady at the bar lit up at the sight of him, "Sir, can I help you with anything?"
Favian responded, "Call Mr. Wilson here and tell him Favian is here to see him."
Andy, the arcade owner hastened over and, recognizing Favian, extended his hand enthusiastically, "Mr. Yale, my old classmate. Long time no see."
Favian smiled and shook his hand, then gestured to Laura, "Say hello to Mr. Wilson."
Laura greeted sweetly, "Hello, Mr. Wilson."
Andy beamed, "I wondered who it was. It turns out to be our star, Lala. Your presence is a delight, brightening up my humble establishment. Are you here to play?"
Direct to the point, Favian asked, "Yes, do you still have the shooting game Lilian played over a decade ago?"