Ruby Rowland nodded obediently, answering in a sweet, childlike voice.
"I know. Is Daddy coming back today?"
The butler asked playfully, "Aren't you afraid of the Family Head, Miss Rowland? Many children cry when they see him."
Ruby shook her head quickly and hurried to say in her soft voice, "Daddy isn't scary. He just... just looks fierce, but he's very nice."
The butler chuckled. "That's the first time I've heard anyone say the Family Head is nice."
After leaving this time, Shawn Russell did not return until late that night.
Ruby sat on the sofa. The projector in front of her played the most popular cartoon in the Interstellar, which she loved to watch. Today, however, little Ruby's attention kept drifting outside, as if she were expecting something.
"It's time for bed, Miss Rowland. Staying up late is bad for a child's health."
Ruby nestled obediently into the sofa. Her fair, tender little feet were plump and adorable—especially her toes, which looked exactly like pale pink pearls. She resembled a fragile porcelain doll—exquisitely beautiful, yet seemingly ready to shatter at the slightest touch. Under the lights, the child was so pale she almost glowed. She was unrealistically delicate and effortlessly endearing.
"When is Daddy coming back?" The tiny, snow-white figure tilted her head up, gazing eagerly at the butler with blue eyes as clear as transparent glass.
Even though it was her very first time meeting her father, the child was already inexplicably clinging to him. Perhaps this was the indelible bond brought about by blood.
"The Family Head is very busy. He might not be coming back tonight."
Ruby let out a disappointed "oh." She obediently slipped on her fluffy little slippers, dropped her head, and followed the old butler upstairs. She walked quietly beside him, looking exactly like a pitiful little kitten abandoned by its parents.
The butler sighed inwardly. The child lacked love too much, but in the Russell Family, that might not be a good thing. The Russell Family was notoriously indifferent to family affection.
After bidding the old butler goodnight, Ruby lay obediently in her pretty little bed. She held a pair of gloves she had knitted herself. After asking the butler, she had used fine black yarn. It had taken her several days, and she had only just finished them today. She had originally planned to give them to her father, but it seemed he wasn't coming back.
Lying in the warm blankets, Ruby only left her fluffy little head exposed. Her fair skin still held a hint of sickly pallor, looking overly translucent. However, her curled eyelashes were pitch-black and thick, like delicate little black fans that made her deep-set eyes look incredibly beautiful.
Just as she was about to fall asleep hugging the gloves, she suddenly heard the sound of an engine outside. The noise wasn't loud, but it woke her up. She sat up groggily, rubbed her eyes, and let out a yawn before suddenly freezing. Her eyes lit up instantly. She rubbed her eyes again, threw off the covers, and scrambled out of bed, moving so fast she didn't even put on her shoes.
Shawn returned home radiating a cold aura. He took off his coat and hung it on the rack. Just as he turned on the lights, he heard the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps coming from upstairs. He looked up and met the gaze of a tiny figure standing at the top of the stairs in her pajamas, clutching a pair of gloves.
"D-Daddy." Seeing the man standing downstairs, Ruby timidly called out to him.
The tall, cold, and imposing man furrowed his brows, looking even more fierce. "Why aren't you asleep?"
Ruby quickly replied, "I-I was asleep. I just woke up."
Shawn lowered his eyes, his voice cold. "Go to sleep."
Ruby was still a little frightened, but after looking at the gloves in her hands, she gathered her courage and walked downstairs.
"Daddy, this is for you." She held up the item, her heart pounding with nervous anticipation, yet her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes remained fixed on the man.
The air fell exceptionally quiet, as if time had frozen. Though only a few seconds passed, to Ruby, it felt like an eternity. Just as she disappointedly thought her father wouldn't accept her gift, long, well-defined fingers took the black gloves.
"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Holding the gloves, Shawn looked down at her bare feet.
In this kind of weather, the floor was freezing. The snow-white child looked incredibly fragile; it would be troublesome if she caught a cold. With that thought, he expressionlessly scooped up the tiny little dumpling who wasn't even as tall as his legs.
Holding the unimaginably soft child with one arm, Shawn's muscles grew a bit stiff. This was his first time holding a child. He had never once hugged any of his three sons at home, from the day they were born to the day they grew up.
Ruby's body was also slightly stiff. In her memory—both in her past life and her current one—this was the first time a father had ever picked her up. Although her father gave off a cold vibe, his arm was sturdy and his shoulders were incredibly broad, giving her a profound sense of security. She suddenly felt her nose tingle, and her eyes grew slightly red.
Was this what it felt like to be held by a father? She carefully leaned closer to him, timidly stealing a glance at his chiseled side profile, and then inched a little bit closer. By the time her father silently carried her upstairs in that posture and reached her bedroom door, little Ruby was practically resting against his shoulder.
"Go to sleep by yourself, and don't come out again." The icy, somewhat stiff tone rang in her ears. Ruby was set down, and then the man turned and left without a moment's hesitation.
Little Ruby stood in the doorway, her soft, pale little hands gripping the doorframe as she watched him walk away with longing eyes. Her heart felt both fulfilled and disappointed. She was fulfilled because her father had just hugged her; she was truly so happy. She was disappointed because he had left too quickly. She really, really wanted to spend more time with him.
But mostly, she was happy. Her heart fluttered so much that she couldn't sleep. Little Ruby threw herself onto her soft little bed, a massive, silent smile plastered across her face. She even rolled around excitedly a few times before finally calming down. Her father had accepted her gift and even carried her upstairs! Being held by him for the first time had Ruby overjoyed.
"Go to sleep early, go to sleep early. I have to wake up early tomorrow to eat breakfast with Daddy." Muttering softly, she burrowed into her blankets, leaving only her fluffy, snow-white head exposed, and closed her eyes to sleep.
Whatever she dreamed about later, she was clearly delighted. The smile lifting the corners of her mouth never faded.
Perhaps because she had been fixated on eating breakfast with her father, Ruby woke up very early the next day. Yawning, she consciously climbed out of bed, changed her clothes all by herself, and neatly folded her blankets. The room she lived in now not only had a beautiful little bed and clean blankets and clothes, but also a massive walk-in closet filled entirely with her own apparel.