Charlie held her tightly, as if trying to give her all his strength. His voice was hoarse, “Nan, what happened?”

“Boo hoo hoo…”

Nancy sobbed uncontrollably, “I… I… My mom and I… were abandoned by him… Boo hoo hoo… My mom… really, really, might have died because of giving birth to me.”

Charlie knew everything about Nancy’s situation. His gaze fell on the notebook on the coffee table, understanding the situation.

Gently patting Nancy’s back, he softly comforted her, “Nan, you said it’s possible. Maybe something happened that made your mom leave you, and…”

His voice choked up, “Even if your mom died giving birth to you, it only proves she loved you more than herself. She would want you to live a healthy, happy, and joyful life.”

“Mm!”

Nancy nodded vigorously in his arms, “Mom wrote it. She said she loved me more than she loved that man. Boo hoo hoo…”

Saying this, she started crying again, “That man was so terrible. He left when mom got pregnant. He abandoned her, abandoned us.”

“It’s okay.”

Charlie’s patience was exceptional when dealing with Nancy, “You’re so excellent, so smart, and so beautiful. That’s his loss. I will love you well, and my family is your family.”

“I know.”

Nancy pouted. After crying for a while, she felt much better, especially with Charlie’s low and gentle voice, which seemed to have a magical power to soothe her wounded heart.

She got up from Charlie’s embrace, reached for the notebook on the coffee table, and handed it to Charlie, “Take a look.”

“I…”

Charlie’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected Nancy to trust him this much. Previously, he had felt a bit jealous about Andrew.

Even though Nancy had sharply denied his “malicious” speculation about Andrew, he had been cautious every time the topic came up.

By “cautious,” he meant he felt uncomfortable, didn’t want to talk about it much, and didn’t want to argue with Nancy.

Now, looking at the notebook, he felt a surge of sweetness in his heart.

“Right!”

Nancy pushed the notebook into his hands, “I’ve already read it. You read it too, then we can share our thoughts.”

“Okay.”

Charlie didn’t hesitate and began reading from the first page.

Nancy didn’t disturb him, letting him read quietly and attentively. When he finished the last page, Nancy eagerly asked, “What do you think?”

Charlie closed the notebook and carefully placed it back on the coffee table.

“First, that ‘he’ is definitely your father.”

Nancy nodded, “Yes, and?”

Charlie took a deep breath, “Second, your father, your mother, and Andrew were colleagues.”

Nancy pouted and held his hand, “Keep going, tell me all your thoughts after reading it.”

Charlie lowered his eyelids, chuckling softly, “Nan, why do I feel like I’m your strategist?”