Lily ran toward the parking lot, her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to cause a scene in front of everyone inside the company building, so she hurried away until she reached a quiet corner of the parking lot.
Bending slightly behind one of the parked cars, she finally let the tears fall freely.
She cried profusely.
Deep down, she already knew the truth,she was definitely not getting the job. Once again, her hopes had been crushed.
Still wiping away her tears, her phone suddenly rang.
She quickly pulled it out of her bag.
The caller ID showed it was the hospital where her mother had been admitted.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She immediately answered the call.
"Hello," she managed to say, her voice shaky.
"Miss Lily Cruz," the doctor's voice came from the other end. "I need to see you. It's very urgent."
Lily straightened immediately, panic rising in her chest.
"Uhm… okay, sir. I'll be there in an hour," she said quickly while wiping the tears from her cheeks. "But… I hope everything is fine?"
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"Uh… yes," the doctor replied. "We'll talk when you get here."
The call ended.
Lily stood still for a moment, her heart pounding nervously.
Something didn't feel right.
She quickly wiped the remaining tears from her face with the hem of her shirt and hurried off toward the road.
In her haste, she didn't notice that her old sketchbook had slipped out of her bag and fallen onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Travis walked toward the parking lot after finishing a brief meeting with some of his staff.
He glanced at his watch and frowned slightly.
He had promised Eddy that he would personally pick him up from school today. He was already a few minutes late.
But he knew he had to go himself.
Eddy could be incredibly stubborn. If Travis didn't show up personally, the boy would refuse to go home with anyone else.
As Travis walked toward his car, his foot suddenly caught on something.
He almost stumbled.
"What the—"
He looked down and picked up the object from the ground.
It was a sketchbook.
Travis narrowed his eyes slightly as he examined it.
It looked strangely familiar.
Then he remembered.
It was the same old sketchbook that the girl from the interview had brought earlier.
But how did it end up here?
He frowned slightly.
It must have fallen from her bag when she left.
Travis shrugged carelessly and tossed the sketchbook back onto the ground.
"It's just an old, worn-out book after all," he muttered to himself as he continued walking toward his car.
But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
Something tugged at his thoughts.
With a quiet sigh, he turned around and walked back.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he bent down and picked up the sketchbook again.
Holding it in one hand, he walked toward his car and got inside, placing the sketchbook on the passenger seat before starting the engine.
He drove straight to Eddys school to pick him up.
Eddys school wasn't so far from the company so it took him just less than an hour to get there.
Inside the waiting area, Eddy sat on a chair, sulking quietly. Almost all the students had already left. Only a few children remained, along with a staff member whose duty was to make sure every student left safely with their guardian.
Eddy kicked his feet lightly against the floor, clearly unhappy about the long wait.
But the moment he saw Travis walking toward the entrance from afar, his face immediately lit up.
"My Superman!" Eddy shouted excitedly.
He jumped off his chair and ran straight into Travis's arms, wrapping his little arms tightly around him with a wide smile.
Travis chuckled softly and kissed the top of his head.
"What took you so long?" Eddy asked, pouting his lips sadly.
"Daddy got caught up with work," Travis said gently. "I'm really sorry, my boy."
Eddy shrugged a little.
"I get it. It's fine," he said in a small but understanding voice. "Daddy is very hardworking. I want to be like you when I grow up."
A proud smile spread across Travis's face.
"That's my boy."
He ruffled Eddy's soft blonde hair affectionately before carrying him toward the car.
Once they reached the parking lot, Travis gently placed him in the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt.
Then he walked around to the driver's side, got into the car, and drove off.