"Madam went on a business trip, sir," the housekeeper quickly replied.

Two weeks before, when Grace left with her luggage, the housekeeper hadn't been around. The other house staff mentioned she'd left with a suitcase, presumably for a business trip.

It was strange. Grace had rarely traveled for business before, and when she did, it was usually just for two or three days. This time, she'd been gone for two weeks and still hadn't returned. Alexander made a face but didn't ask anything more.

The next day at noon, just as Grace was finishing her morning's work and about to get lunch, her phone rang. It was her best friend, Lauren Mitchell. When Grace answered, she learned Lauren was drunk and needed a ride home.

Grace found out Lauren had been at a business lunch at a nearby hotel. Why else would she be drunk at noon? She quickly grabbed her car keys and headed over to pick Lauren up, planning to drop her home before returning to the office.

After parking, and as she walked toward the hotel entrance, she saw a little girl coming from the parking lot on the other side of the car park. Seeing the girl's profile, Grace stopped in her tracks. Sophia? Questions ran through her mind. Wasn't she supposed to be in school in Aldovia? Why was she back? And if Sophia was here, did that mean Alexander had returned too?

Even with her position at work, while she couldn't access certain confidential files, she knew Alexander's expansion work in Aldovia wasn't supposed to be complete for some time. Grace didn't know exactly when they'd returned to Silver City, and they hadn't called her about it. Thinking about this, Grace clutched her purse tighter and quietly followed the small figure skipping happily ahead.

At the lobby's corner, Grace saw Claire and several of Alexander's friends appear at the end of the hallway. Not wishing to be seen, Grace ducked away, then heard her daughter's happy cry of "Auntie Claire!" followed by the sound of running feet. She peaked round the corner and saw her daughter throw herself into Claire's arms.

Grace sat down on a nearby sofa with her back to them, using plants and the chair back as cover.

"Soph darling, why are you here too?" She heard Claire ask.

"Because tomorrow is your birthday, Auntie Claire! Daddy's throwing you a birthday party today. I have school tomorrow, but I didn't want to miss your birthday, so Daddy brought me! This necklace - Daddy and I made it ourselves. Happy birthday, Auntie Claire!"

"Wow, this must have taken you ages. You're amazing, Soph! Auntie loves it, thank you!"

"I'm so glad you like it, Auntie Claire!" Sophia cuddled against Claire. "Auntie Claire, I wish you could always be with me. If I couldn't call you every day, I wouldn't even want to go to school..."

Just then, footsteps approached from the side.

Grace froze. Even without seeing him, she could tell just from the sound of his footsteps who it was. Alexander. She could be certain it was him because during their six or seven years of marriage, she'd spent almost every day waiting for him.

So he really had returned.

Alexander's footsteps matched his personality - unhurried, steady, and composed. Even facing the biggest challenges, he remained calm, never showing any change in his expression.

She used to think nothing and no one could disturb his composure. That is, until Claire appeared. But before Grace could dwell on these memories, she heard her daughter call out, "Daddy!"