Chapter 7 Go Shopping

While brushing his teeth, Bruce said with a slight lisp, "You're so funny. Don't be my daddy's girlfriend. You can be mine instead."

Minnie was so amused by the little kid's affection. She patted him on his head and said, "Little kid, let's not talk about nonsense things. I'm not interested in your daddy. Okay now, why don't you follow me?"

Bruce puffed out his small chest and said, "No, I won't. Daddy said that a man who relied on a woman is not a good man."

"He must be talking about those toy boys. You're only just a kid, so don't worry too much about it."

Bruce mulled over Minnie's words for a while before he said, "No. I want to be with Daddy."

He shook his head fervently.

Minnie was both sad and happy to hear him say that. She raked her fingers through his soft hair and said, "Well, you can wash your face yourself. I'm going back to my room now."

And with that, she left the little boy before she took her coat.

Once she was gone, Bruce ran towards the windows and watched Minnie's retreating back.

'I had a good sleep last night. It was as if I was holding my mommy while I slept. I felt warm and happy.'

While he was recalling his sleep last night, he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. But the next second, the smile faded away.

'She said she didn't like my daddy. But what if... What if she takes advantage of me to get closer to my daddy like the other women?'

Bruce bit his fingers. He didn't know whether he should believe Minnie or not.

He wrote on the window glass, 'Daddy' on the left, 'Jessica' on the right and tried to decide what to do.

Annie saw Minnie walking in the corridor and called her from downstairs. "Miss Jessica, you're up so early. Come downstairs and have breakfast."

Minnie nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Annie. I'll come downstairs after washing up."

She quickly finished her morning routine and noticed Annie was setting the table. With nothing else to do, Minnie decided to help Annie with the preparation of breakfast while chatting with her.

"Annie, are you Cantonese? You have the accent sometimes."

Annie nodded. "I was offered shelter by Mr. Michael. Although he usually looks cold, he's actually very kind. I was robbed of my property by some kids. Thanks to Mr. Michael, I now have a place to stay and continue my life."

She placed the cheese and toast on a tray and asked, "Miss Jessica, could you please take them to the table?"

"Okay, sure." Minnie took a piece of toast from the tray and nibbled at it while walking.

Before she got outside the kitchen, she saw someone moving in the corner of the wall. She finished her toast quickly and patted Bruce's head. "Why are you eavesdropping?"

Bruce looked at her with red eyes. "You're lying!"

His voice sounded full of heartache and indignation.

Minnie was stunned at the sudden change of mood within Bruce. "What? What are you talking about? Did I do something?"

"You said you're not interested in my daddy. Then why are you asking Annie about him? You're just the same as those bad women! I don't want to play with you anymore!"

he shouted angrily at Minnie. He stomped his feet, turned around, and ran out.

Minnie put the tray she was holding down and ran after Bruce.

"Bruce! Stop!"

Bruce ran as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hands. He didn't want to admit it but he really felt his mommy's love through that woman. 'It must be a dream! She's different from Mommy! She's just like those women who tried their best to get close to Daddy!'

He tried his best to run but he was just a kid. He had short legs and small strides that Minnie was able to catch up to. And what he didn't know was Minnie was a champion at running.

She caught up with Bruce in no time.

She grabbed Bruce from behind and pulled him into her arms. "Hey, you're going too far. You should listen to my explanation first before you run out. I just wanted to ask Annie if she's Cantonese. She said a few words which you misunderstood."

She squatted down so they were eye level. "Don't be angry, okay? I promise I'm not lying. Stop crying now, okay?"

Bruce continued to pout though. Almost indifferently, he managed to bite out, "Okay."

Minnie searched around her pockets and offered him a handkerchief. She gently wiped his tears away. "Okay, don't cry anymore. Let's go back for breakfast, alright?"

Bruce didn't say anything. After a while, he nodded wordlessly.

"Great," Minnie said.

After a few steps, Minnie felt like Bruce's mood shifted. She looked back at him just in time for him to say, "I only went back with you because I felt sorry for you! I haven't forgiven you yet, humph!"

His antics amused Minnie. "Okay. It's all my fault. Bruce is a sensible and cute boy. He is open-minded and generous, too."

She held Bruce's hand tighter as they walked back to the dining room. There was a small smile on her face.

Bruce snorted proudly.

When they returned to the dining room, her eyes first noticed Michael's cold gaze. The smile on her face slowly disappeared. She led Bruce on his seat before she went back for the tray she put aside earlier. After, she took her seat.

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. "Did I ask you to sit down?"

The morning was already ripe with tension after Bruce's breakdown, so Minnie wasn't in the mood to argue with Michael. "Okay, I'll take my breakfast to my room."

'It's really hard to please him.'

She got up and was about to walk back to her room.

"Wait a minute!"

Before she could leave, Bruce stopped her.

He noticed there was no milk on her tray so he hurriedly went to get a glass of milk and put it in front of her. He was so tiny and adorable, it was just so easy to fall in love with Bruce.

"You look really pitiful so have some milk."

Minnie smiled at Bruce's antics.

"Thank you, Bruce."

She reached out for the glass of milk, but Michael changed his mind. "Forget it. Sit down."

Minnie glanced at Michael before she slowly went back to her seat.

'He's so unpredictable.'

With a small pout, she looked at the strawberry paste on Bruce's tray. She then walked around the table and sat next to Bruce. Without any hint of fear, she said, "Bruce, I want to eat strawberry paste too."

Bruce glared at her but handed her his strawberry paste.

"Here, a reward for you too," he said arrogantly.

She pinched his cheek. "You're such a good boy, aren't you? You're so cute, Bruce."

Minnie went back to her food with her spirits in a better mood. From the corner of her eye, she could see Michael's cold eyes.

"You are much better than someone else."

Then, she added, "Bruce, you're so gentle. You must take after your mommy, not your daddy."

That made Bruce burst into laughter.

His eyes were bright as he laughed.

Michael watched them make fun of him and said, "Jessica, you're allowed to be casual but don't take it too far."

Minnie glanced at him and stopped talking.

They finished their breakfast without any more incident. Looking at the three of them, Annie couldn't help but laugh.

At half past eight, Michael asked the driver to prepare the car. Before he left, he pointed at Minnie as a warning.

"Take good care of Bruce. Don't try to play any tricks."

The corners of Minnie's mouth twitched. "Okay. Can you change your words next time? You keep on repeating the same thing over and over again. I'm getting tired of them."

Michael glared at her before he turned around and left.

When he was already out of the house, he told one of the bodyguards, "Don't stop her but keep an eye on her."

The bodyguard nodded at his order.

After their breakfast, Minnie suggested an idea to Bruce.

"How about we go shopping?"

It was Saturday. Michael didn't have any rest days and worked almost every day. Unlike him, Bruce had a lot of free time.

Bruce pouted. "Why do all women like shopping so much? Can I not go? It's so boring."

Minnie pinched his face and touted one finger at him. "No. You're my hero for today. How can you not go with me?"

She straightened his clothes and said, "See, the clothes your daddy bought you are all black, white, and gray. It's not appropriate for kids like you. They're all boring."

Bruce ignored her criticism though. "No! They're all classic colors. They look good on me."

Minnie reached out to pinch his cheek before shaking her head at him. "No."

Bruce felt like it was a losing fight with Minnie. "Alright, you win. I'll go out with you today."

He turned around to change his clothes.

After a while, he came downstairs in a shirt that looked so much like the one he was wearing earlier. "If I didn't notice the pattern on your collar was different, I wouldn't have thought you already changed your clothes," Minnie teased.

She held out one of her hands for him to hold and said, "Let's go."

Because of Michael's order, the bodyguard didn't stop her. He drove them obediently.

Michael's villa was located on the hillside. There was a small shopping mall near the foot of the mountain, which served a lot of people from the area. Of course, Minnie knew about the shopping mall, so she asked the bodyguard to take them there.

Not long after, they arrived at the mall. Minnie saw a cute boutique and asked Bruce to check out with her.

"Let's go take a look."

Bruce glanced at the mannequins wearing cute clothes with a big monster eye pattern.

"No!" he exclaimed with a pout. "That suit is so childish. I don't want to wear it!"

Minnie knocked on his head playfully. "We're just going to take a look. Anyway, it looks cute and the color is bright. It's perfect for summer. Don't wear dull clothes, okay?"

she said as she towed him towards the store.

Bruce had no choice but to follow her.

The shop assistant came over to help them. Minnie browsed through the racks of clothes, looking at Bruce to see which clothes would suit him. The shop assistant also brought some other stocks for them to try.

Bruce continued to sulk.

Minnie poked at his sulky face gently. "Go and try them on for me." There was a strewn fashion magazine on one of the couches. Minnie picked it up and saw that it was a catalogue of the high-end shop they were in. She made a mental note of the brand name "FENDI" to shop more clothes for Bruce in the future.

Bruce watched as Minnie went through the magazine. She pointed out some sets and asked the shop assistant to bring them out.

Bruce took the clothes from the assistant and stood in front of Minnie. "You don't care about me. You just want to read magazines."

he pouted as he complained.

Minnie couldn't help but laugh at Bruce. She raised her head and said, "Go get changed and come out. Let's see how they look on you. See, these clothes are so bright and beautiful. They're perfect for kids like you. You shouldn't be wearing such dark and sad colors anyway."

She smiled at him and asked him to change his clothes.