Chapter 3 The Play Begins

A man in a black Avanza was following Harry's car and reported, "Hello, Boss. Miss Joanna has returned to her house."

The boss asked coldy, "Who is she with?"

"The man who hit her, boss. There was a little girl too," replied the man in the Avanza.

"Okay, just keep an eye on her and investigate who the man who hit her is," ordered the boss.

"Understood, Boss!" replied the man in the Avanza.

Jack hung up the phone and smiled psychopathically. "Anna, you were mine from the start. I won't let you go, darling," he said.

****

As Harry's car arrived at Anna's house, Amelia asked, "Is this your home, Anna?"

Anna smiled and replied, "No, dear. This is my parents' house."

Amelia asked, "Anna, promise me you'll come to my house tomorrow?" and held out her little finger. Anna linked her little finger to Amelia's and answered, "Okay, but I have to go to the hospital first to see grandma."

"Okay, good night beautiful Joanna," said Amelia as she hugged Anna. "Good night darling, sweet Amelia, cute and smart," Anna responded with a kiss on Amelia's cheek, feeling excited.

Harry couldn't help but notice the closeness between Anna and his daughter. He was surprised they had just met but already seemed to have a genuine connection. In contrast, Elsa, the woman currently trying to get close to Harry, seemed forced and unnatural in her approach.

Anna reminded Harry about their next-day plan: "Don't forget, tomorrow we have to see grandma." Her words brought Harry out of his thoughts, and he responded, "Okay, what time should I pick you up tomorrow?"

Anna replied, "No need to pick me up, I'll bring my own car. We just need to make an appointment at the hospital at ten in the morning."

Amelia interrupted, "Why are you walking alone? If you're dating, you should be together."

"What's next, Mel?" Anna inquired.

"You have to be with Dad. Later, he'll pick you up and open the door for you," Amel explained. "Also, remember that when you're in front of grandma, you have to hold Dad's hand," the child added.

"Mel, do you think we need to hold hands together?" Anna asked. "Yes, Anna. Otherwise, Grandma won't believe that both of you are dating," replied Amelia.

Anna playfully pinched Amelia's cheek. "Oh, is that so, Mel? Well, I'll do what my cute friend says."

Amelia inquired of Anna whether she had ever been in a relationship. Anna smiled awkwardly and shook her head. The child then spoke up and said they had never been in a relationship either. Suddenly, the child looked at Harry and said, "Okay, okay, later, Dad will teach you about dating, okay?"

Anna covered her mouth and let out a chuckle. Harry joined in, amused by his daughter's innocence. "Okay, it's late; you should sleep soon." Harry reminded his daughter.

"Yes, Dad." Amelia nodded.

"Anna, this is your medicine," Harry said. "The doctor instructed you to finish it if you still feel dizzy."

"Thank you, sir," Anna said.

"Why do you call him 'sir', Anna?" the little girl interrupted.

"I made a mistake, didn't I, Mel?" Anna asked. Amelia clarified, "Anna, you should say 'Thank you, Harry' instead."

"Amel!" Harry snapped in annoyance, which made the little girl immediately fall silent and look down sadly. Anna couldn't bear to see her cute friend so upset and instinctively glanced at Harry while shaking her head. Then, she followed Amelia's advice and said, "Okay, thank you, Harry." Anna also smiled, hoping to cheer up her friend.

Anna convinced Amelia, "Tomorrow, I'll come play at your house after leaving the hospital. But first, please smile!" persuaded her. Amelia lifted her face slowly again and asked, "Can you promise me, Anna?" With a smile, Anna said, "I promised you, Amelia."

The adorable girl smiled at Anna. "When you get home, you should go straight to bed, okay?" Anna told Amelia. "Yes, Anna," Amelia replied obediently. "Okay, bye Amelia. See you tomorrow," said Anna.

"Goodbye, Anna. Love you," said Amelia. And Anna responded, "Love you too, Amelia."

Anna smiled as she remembered the cute behavior of the little girl. She quickly entered her house and headed straight to her room. Once there, she sat down on the edge of her bed and immediately reached for her cell phone to call her mother.

"Hello, Mom. I didn't go to the hospital to visit grandma tonight. I still have a dizzy spell. The doctor advised me to rest for a while."

"Well, you should listen to the doctor and take it easy," replied her mother. "But are you really okay, Anna?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Just a little dizzy. I'm at home now. How is grandma doing?"Anna asked.

"The critical period has passed, but she's still not conscious," her mother replied.

"Okay, I'll visit her tomorrow," Anna said before their call ended.

Anna took a shower, changed clothes, and drank Harry's medicine to prepare for the long day ahead.

As promised, Harry picked her up early in the morning, and they went to the hospital where Anna's grandmother was receiving treatment.

"How is Amelia?" Anna asked to start the conversation with Harry. "She's already at school. She said earlier that you wouldn't forget to come," Harry replied. "I haven't forgotten," Anna answered with a smile.

Harry shared a funny message from Amelia; she asked Harry to teach Anna about dating. "Whatever, you might be smarter than me," Harry added, holding back a smile.

"How do you know I'm good at dating?" Anna asked. "Is it true that you have never dated?" Harry asked. "Right, so what?" Anna confirmed. "I'm not sure, okay?" Harry replied. "You're beautiful, and you're not a teenager anymore. Why aren't any boys lining up?" he asked. "There are a lot of boys lining up, but if I don't want to, what can they do?" Anna answered.

"Wow, could it be that you ..." Harry hung his sentence.