Mack Daddy: Love Begins Again

Celia Shi was certain she was going to die. Every direction she looked, raging fire would come before her eyes. She knew it was only a matter of time before the fire would consume her, turning her into ashes.

Frightened to the core, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the doom that would befall. But before the fire could get to her, another force came into action. It was an invisible redemption, freeing her from hell.

Her consciousness sank into the abyss with redemption.

Ding!

The alarm clock pulled Celia Shi out of the abyss. She woke up with a start. Her heart rapidly thudded against her chest. And blood began to pound in her ears, almost deafening her.

It was the same nightmare!

Since the night of the rainstorm, she had been seeing this same dream. It was both terrifying and vivid!

With the back of her hand, she cleaned the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Lowering her head, her gaze fell on her slightly bulging belly. She couldn't help but caress it lovingly. There was a hint of bitterness in her eyes.

Once again, she recalled the events of the past. Four months ago, when she learnt she was pregnant, she told Karl Luo the good news. But to her disappointment, he stopped picking up her calls. Even though she had gone to his office, she hadn't managed to see him.

After having known him for seven years, she didn't think he was capable of such cruelty.

'No, my Karl isn't like this.' She couldn't understand why he was abandoning her. She was determined to get to the crux of the matter.

She was in her office, lost in thoughts. Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A man and a woman entered, hand in hand.

When Celia Shi raised her eyes, she was shocked to see who they were.

It was Karl Luo!

The woman whose hand he was holding was Lana Shi, her half-sister. Paying her no heed, he continued to look at Lana, making sure she was alright. With his support, Lana sat on the chair. Then he carefully sorted out the woman's collar with his bony fingers.

'Why is my fiance tidying up some other woman's collar in front of me?' She couldn't wrap her head around that. Seeing this, pain coursed through her heart.

Before she could get over this shock, something else caught her attention. Lana Shi had her hands protectively wrapped around her belly. The little doubt Celia Shi had was cleared when she met Lana's eyes. She passed her a complacent, self-explanatory smile.

"Doctor, the baby's father and I are here for prenatal check-up. Please show us the ultrasound."

Lana Shi referred to Karl Luo as the baby's father with an intention to pierce Celia's heart. And her mission was accomplishment. Celia Shi felt wounded.

The baby's father! 'Is Lana pregnant with Karl's child?'

She looked at Lana Shi in disbelief, and then her gaze shifted to Karl Luo. Even though she was a woman who believed in behaving professionally at her work place, this revelation made her lose her calm. "You got to be kidding me! What is this rubbish? Today is not April Fools' Day. How could Lana be pregnant with your child?" she burst out angrily.

Instead of being ashamed, Karl's handsome face contorted with rage. Without meeting her eyes, he replied, "Yes, you heard it right. I will call of my engagement to you and get engaged to Lana."

Frozen, Celia Shi felt like someone had stabbed her with a knife.

Fear clawed up her throat

"Why are you doing this?" After everything she had heard, she wasn't in a position to speak.

Making use of this opportunity, Lana Shi said, "Why? What do you mean by why? Don't you know how this happened?" After a short pause, she went on, "On the night of your engagement ceremony, Karl was beyond elated. To make the best out of it, he ended up drinking too much. Swaying and stumbling, he went around searching for you. But you were nowhere to be seen. I was the one who took care of him. It was also the night when I got..." Then, she took another break, watching to see the impact her words on Celia Shi. "I hope you get what I am trying to say. I will spare you the details. Anyway, coming back to you, you disappeared the whole night! No wonder you were nowhere to be found at the engagement ceremony. It turned out you had climbed onto someone else's bed."

Lana Shi raised her eyebrows and a trace of viciousness flashed through her eyes.

Celia Shi was in a daze, trying to recall the events of that dreadful night.

From what she remembered, Lana Shi had given her a glass of wine. After gulping it down, she began to lose her consciousness. Lana promised she would take her back to her room.

This was all she remembered.

'If it wasn't Karl with me that night, who could it be?' she thought, filled with trepidation.

"Celia, our relationship is over," Karl Luo said, bringing her back from the reverie. Pain was hidden under his calm exterior.

The truth was, he knew it was all Lana's plot. But in order to protect Celia Shi from further pain, he admitted he had sex with her that night. But he hadn't expected that Lana would get pregnant with his child.

However, Celia Shi refused to accept this as the truth. "No!" she screamed while she shook her head vehemently. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I don't believe this."

Seeing her in this pitiable state, Karl Luo couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Lana Shi noticed his expression and clenched her fists. Leaning against his chest, she feigned pain and screamed, "Karl, I'm not feeling well. My belly hurts."

Karl's agony soon turned to fear. "Celia! Come and take a look," he shouted.

For a second, Celia Shi couldn't understand what was happening. But after coming back to her senses, she realized Karl Luo was worried about Lana Shi. Instead of apologizing for his mistake, he was busy pouring salt on her wounds.

She insisted on not giving Lana Shi a check-up which frustrated him. He resorted to calling the director of the hospital.

"As a gynecologist, if my wife has a stomach ache, it is the doctor's responsibility to take care of the situation. But this doctor, Celia Shi, blatantly refused to help. I think you shouldn't keep such an irresponsible doctor here. In fact, if I see her again, I will take this issue to the court," Karl Luo said, his every word contained a threat.

The director knew too well what kind of person Celia Shi was. She was hardworking and excellent, but Luo Group was powerful. If he kept her here, the hospital would undoubtedly be shut down. A lot of people would lose their jobs in the process.

Celia couldn't believe her ears. How could the man she had loved for seven years turned out to be so vicious?

As she went home, her mind was still reeling from today's events.

In a distressed state, she entered her house.

Her father, who saw her arrival, sprinted towards her. He flung his hand forward and whipped it across her face. "How dare you come back?" he roared.

Celia Shi experienced a stinging pain. His hand print remained etched on her right cheek. Due to the force, she crumbled and fell down. The floor was so cold, every part of her body ached.

Tears blurred her vision.

Wiping it, she looked at her father and said, "Dad..."

"Just shut up!" he cut her off and threw the pregnancy test report at her.

"Don't call me Dad with that filthy mouth!" Tod Shi roared, clenching his fists. "From now on, you are dead!"

"Tod, don't be so angry. What if you get sick?" Her stepmother, Ellie Bai, came forward, trying to comfort her father.

She passed Celia Shi a pitying smile.

Turning back to her husband, she explained, "Celia is still young and can't tell the difference between right and wrong. It is our duty to teach her. As for the child, abortion is not good for Celia's health. I think we should let her keep the baby." On the surface, she feigned kindness. But she was only adding fuel to the fire.

"Keep it? I am humiliated to call myself the father of this girl! From now on, she is not a member of our family. Get out of here!"

His words instantly tore Celia's heart apart.

"Dad!" She cried hysterically, but Tod Shi was too angry to hear her out.

Before the door was closed, she saw the smug smile on Lana's and Ellie's faces.

And at this moment, her life had hit rock bottom!

A bolt of lightning struck the sky and the rain poured down. She made her way back to the hospital.

Standing on the rooftop of the hospital in despair, Celia Shi replayed everything that had happened today. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with despair and helplessness.

In a blink of an eye, she had lost it all.

Everything started with that wine. If she hadn't drunk the wine offered by Lana Shi on the engagement ceremony, none of this would have happened. And to make it all worse, the child she was carrying wasn't Karl's. Disgust consumed her.

Her life had become a big joke.

She felt sorry for herself and the baby in her belly. But there was no one she could turn to. Tired of everything, she found solace in the thought of dying. 'I can finally rest, ' she thought.

Just when she was about to jump, a hand caught her wrist.

This hand took her back from the abyss she had decided to fall into, just like it happened in her dreams.

Four years later

In the gynecology office of J City First Hospital, a little boy wearing an asepsis mask was entertaining himself.

Clad in a red T-shirt, shorts, a Super Mario hat and shiny little shoes, he continued playing hopscotch.

The boy jumped up and down. The nurses who passed by couldn't help but come to a halt and stare at this cute dude.

Some of them entered the office, just to get a glimpse of him.

"Hey, beautiful girls, do you want to join the game?" he asked, seeing their awe-stricken faces. Taking off the mask, he revealed his chubby and charming face. He was a sight to behold! Blinking his big eyes, he looked at the crowd.

Once his face came to the view, their admiration intensified. People had difficulty peeling their eyes off his face.

"What a lovely boy! I wish I could take him away!" a nurse exclaimed.

"Yes, I want to pinch that chubby face!" another nurse declared.

Having heard their conversation, the little guy's face turned crimson red with shyness. Gazing apologetically at them, he replied, "I am sorry but you aren't allowed to touch me. Mommy said there would be bacteria on your hands..." He stopped speaking, as an idea entered his mind.

Gesturing for them to wait for him, he ran and got a hold of his schoolbag. After rummaging through it, he took out a few heart-shaped artworks made of colorful papers. Each one of them had a smiling face messily drawn.

The boy smile, quite pleased with his work. "But you can have them. I made them myself. Give them to the patients who are in a bad mood. They will bring smile to their faces. And the good news is you will only have to pay 9.9 dollars. Don't miss your chance, hurry up. My signature is on each of them!"

His unique sales method made the nurses burst out laughing.

They had never seen such a charming child before.

Of course, it was not his first attempt at making money. Even when he was in a kindergarten abroad, he often sold artworks made by himself. He figured it would be too hard for his mother to make both ends meet. He wanted to take some burden off her shoulders.

After all, he was a man!

A nurse squatted in front of him and teased him with a smile. "What's the use of your signature? I'd rather touch your face," she said and raised her hand to scare him.

The boy frowned, took a step back and puffed out his chest confidently. "What makes you think my signature is useless? I'm a great singer! I will become a star in the coming future. Do you still think my signature bears no value? At some point, you can earn lots of money with my signature!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd burst into laughter again.

"What are you laughing at? Did you all forget you are at the hospital?" a man said in a vigorous voice.

Even though he wasn't loud, it contained a sense of authority.

The nurses stood straight and their smile froze.

It was the director!

There was a rare smile on his usually taut face. And beside him stood a tall and beautiful woman.

This woman's skin was smooth and fair. When she didn't smile, she looked cold and gorgeous. But the second her face cracked into a smile, purity emanated from it.

One could tell that the boy resembled the woman when they smiled.

Leaving everything, the boy ran towards her and squeezed her thighs. "Mommy!" he shouted excitedly.

With tenderness in her eyes, Celia rubbed his hair dotingly and asked in a slightly reproachful tone, "Marvin, are you making trouble again? Didn't I tell you that it is wrong to talk loudly in the hospital? Now look! You got the nurses into trouble as well. The director will punish them because of your mischief."

Listening to his mommy's words, the little guy's heart brimmed with guilt.

He let go of Celia's legs, straightened his collar with his tiny hands, walked up to the director and bowed sincerely.

"Director, I'm sorry for the commotion I have caused. I was engaged in a small business of selling my artworks. I wasn't aware I was disturbing the order of the hospital.

Please don't blame the nurses. I am the one who should be punished..." "Ha-ha!" Someone laughed, interrupting Marvin from finishing his speech.

The director, who had been trying hard to control his laughter, couldn't hold it back any longer. He shook his head and smiled. "What a smart boy! I am impressed with your sincerely. I won't punish you nor will I punish them."

"Thank you for your forgiveness!"

Celia was befuddled by the words that came out of her son's mouth.

'Where did he learn these words?' she thought, astonished.

"Well, we shouldn't be disturbing the nurses anymore. Mommy will take you to a good place, okay?" Celia squatted down and pinched her son's cheek.

He accepted the offer happily.

Celia held his hand and went to rooftop of the hospital. Four years had passed since she had planned on ending her life.

The place was still the same. It overlooked the charming city scenery.

But her mentality had changed. And the baby in her tummy that seemed like a burden at that time had become her entire world.

After four years of training abroad, she was back with a new identity. From an excellent obstetrician in J City, she had turned into one of the top ten doctors in Asia. She had an excellent medical team, as well as countless high-quality medicine merchants, equipment and other resources.

Literally everyone in the medical field knew her. Receiving too many letters from the hospitals to work for them, she was a little overwhelmed.

She chose settle back in J City. After all, she had a few scores to settle.

"Oh, I'm really happy you are here Thank you for helping me," the director said, touching her shoulder.

Turning around, she looked at him with teary eyes. Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream.

She felt nothing but warmth for this man who had saved her life.

If the director hadn't come to rooftop at the right moment, she would have fallen into the abyss, turning into ashes. She wouldn't have received any of these achievements. But most importantly, she wouldn't have experienced motherhood which was the most beautiful relationship

"Director, you saved my life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I don't know how to pay you back for everything you have done for me."

This little boy, Marvin Shi, was her sunshine. As she spent time with him, she became stronger and stronger.

Now she would make sure the ones who had hurt her would suffer.

In order to buy her some time to get settled here, the director had offered her two week's leave.

She had plenty of time to get used to the place. But the first thing she wanted was to find a good kindergarten for her child. In the end, only education would be there to help a person. She had learnt it the hard way.

Once they were out of the hospital, Marvin jumped frantically, pointing his finger to a dumpling shop across the road.

"Mommy! I want to eat gold ingots!" he declared in a sweet voice.

Passers-by couldn't help but turn to look at him.

Celia helplessly squatted down and held him in her arms. She patiently said to him, "Baby, that's called dumplings, not gold ingots. We had eaten them in M Country's Chinatown, remember?"

"Yes!" Marvin nodded seriously. "I like gold ingots very much! They were yummy."

Celia sighed.

'Well, if he wants to call them gold ingots, there isn't much I can do about it. After all, he is a little boy.

With time, he will learn, ' she thought and smiled.

Placing a kiss on his chubby cheek, she said, "Okay, let's go and eat yummy gold ingots!"

The light on the sidewalk turned green. She was about to carry Marvin, but he shrugged off her hands.

"I am a big boy, Mommy. You shouldn't carry me, people will laugh. I promise to catch your hand while crossing the road,"

he promised. Relief flashed through her face. She caught his hand tightly. But as they reached near the restaurant, Marvin became impatient.

Dropping her hand, he rushed towards his destination. At this moment, a Maserati car made its way towards him, not showing any signs of stopping.

"Marvin!" When Celia saw the car rushing out from the corner of her eye, she narrowed her eyes and called out his name.

In an instant, she was with him, holding him in her arms. With her slender body, she stopped the car from harming him.

In the process, she was hurt.

The car screeched to a halt.

Celia's leg was badly wounded. She fell to the ground, letting out a painful hiss. The exposed skin on her arm was pierced by sharp stones, making it worse.

But her concern wasn't her own health. Frantically, she began searching whether Marvin was wounded.

"Are you okay, love? Did you get hurt? Tell me, baby," she coaxed as she inspected his body for wounds. An excruciating pain went through her injured leg. Without the mildest concern for herself, she thanked the lord that he was alright.

"Mommy, I am fine, but you are hurt," he said, flinching at the sight of blood.

Even the license plate had her blood on it. Realizing his mother was in too much pain, his bright eyes turned watery. Celia realized he was about to cry.

"It's okay, love. As long as you are fine, I'm fine," she said in a soothing tone. When Celia tried to get up, she was unable to do so. The more exertion she put, the worse the pain got.

Due to the accident, a crowd had formed. "Miss, are you okay?" someone asked.

"Look at her, she is badly hurt. She can't even get up," someone else said. She was a pitiable sight.

But before she could assure everyone she was fine, a tall man came out of the car. He gave off a strong aura. In an instant, the noisy crowd shut their mouths. The onlookers even made way for the man to walk.

The man came and cast a shadow around her.

When Celia raised her eyes, she happened to see his cold eyes.

Their eyes remained intertwined for a few seconds.

Even though he looked intimating, she couldn't ignore the fact he was handsome. In fact, he was the most handsome guy she had set her eyes on. His features were extremely charming.

But the best part were his eyes. She detected familiarity in them. 'Why do I feel I have seen him before?' she wondered.

"Are you done staring at me? How much do you need as compensation?" he asked, snapping her back to reality.

His thin lips twisted into a sarcastic smile. This man was bereft of any humanity.

He assumed she was feigning injury to extort money from him.

Seeing the little guy beside her, the man continued, "These days, many old people faking accidents to claim for compensation. I didn't expect a young woman like you to do the same. And you even used your son."

This shocking remark ignited fury in Celia's heart.

"Would you stop blabbering rubbish?" she asked at the top of her voice.

Listening to her retort, the onlookers gasped!

She wasn't dealing with an ordinary man. In fact, she was challenging the most powerful man of J City, Richard Ao!

He had it all; wealth, looks and power. He stood at the top of the food chain. With a snap of his fingers, he could make people disappear. Even the mayor spoke to him respectfully.

And this woman had the audacity to publicly shout at him!

Of course, Richard Ao was also stunned for half a second, but he quickly gathered his wits. Once again, he put on an indifferent expression. Glancing at the wound on her leg, he took out a check and passed it to her.

"It's just a minor scrape. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill! You are breaking the traffic order."

'Scrape?

And he thinks I am the one who broke the traffic order?' she thought indignantly.

Looking at the check that he was handing out, Celia sneered at the man. She grabbed it and tore it into pieces.

"Firstly, you broke the traffic order and hit me. Secondly, you are impertinent enough to call my wound a scrape! Look carefully! In which angle does it look like a minor scrape? Aren't you aware that knee bones are vital? I could be handicapped for life! Lastly, but most importantly, where is my apology? Nobody wants your check!"

Her words were fierce and overflowed with arrogance.

Instead of making him angry, his interest was piqued. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he thought, 'Interesting!'

However, the people around them feared for her life. They knew fully well that she had put her head in the lion's mouth.

After everything that had happened in her life, Celia was afraid of nothing.

The man took a step forward. "Then what do you want?" he asked and his face twisted into a roughish smile.