426: SIX YEARS OLD (3)

SIX YEARS OLD (3)

Ariel's hand froze in mid air, yet her smile was still intact on her lips as she caught the word. "Wolf?"1

Hope hugged Kace's legs, not wanting that teacher to ruin her hair. She liked her braids so much and Kace was not often around to do her hair for her. While Lana had never done it as beautiful as Kace's and Serefina… 

Well, she often went outside and even when she was around, she would be too busy to play with Hope. 

"Hahaha…" Kace let out a dry laugh. It was true his baby girl didn't tell other people about the white wolf, but she didn't change the way she called him either. "It's me… that's my nickname. I am sorry, but she doesn't like people to touch her hair."

Kace smoothened the situation with his charming smile. 

Ariel reciprocated Kace's smile sweetly as she shook her head which made her blonde locks flap against her face softly. 

Her light blue eyes shone with infatuation when she looked at Kace. "It's alright, I can understand, some children dislike certain things. You don't have to be sorry for that."

Well, actually Kace was not…

"I think we will be best friends later, right Hope?" Ariel asked the girl, but she refused to look at her. Awkwardly, Ariel shifted her attention back to Kace. "And you are?"

"I am…" Kace was about to answer her when Hope's voice interrupted them.

"My wolf." She said firmly. 

Kace let out a helpless chuckle and caressed the girl's face tenderly. "Yes, yes… you are right." Because that was what he always told her. Her wolf.

"Hahaha… she is so cute." Ariel didn't think of that seriously. "Are you her brother?" He looked too young to be her father, though it was possible if he had her when he was very young. 

"You can say so." Kace shrugged his shoulders, not giving the curious young woman a definitive answer. 

"Oh." Ariel didn't know how to react to that answer and at the same time, she heard a call from her fellow teacher. "I think I have to go now. See you later in the class Hope and…"

Ariel didn't know Kace's name except the way Hope called him, but the man seemed not to understand her intention or he pretended to not know it. 

"Well, see you later…" Ariel smiled sheepishly and walked back to the person who had called her. 

Once Ariel was gone, Kace dropped to his knees and looked at Hope with raising eyebrows. "Why were you treating her like that? She is your teacher."

Even though the little girl's behavior amused him, but Kace didn't want her to get into trouble with that woman. He wanted her to have a normal life, for as long as he could provide it to her, before everything became a mess.

"I don't like her touching my hair." Hope pouted sullenly as she held Kace's gaze bravely. "I don't like her."

Kace had to admit that he didn't like the teacher either.

============== 

Hope was running toward the only person that she was familiar with despite her surprise, because Serefina was the one who came to pick her up after her first day of school. 

"Where is wolf?" Hope asked while looking behind Serefina, searching for the figure of Kace, but she couldn't find him.

"He is busy." Serefina opened the car door and let the little girl slip into the front seat and strapped herself with the seatbelt. 

"Will he come for dinner?" Kace had promised that she could play with the white wolf when she returned from school. 

"No." Serefina hoped Kace wouldn't appear in front of her door too often. 

"Will he come tomorrow?" Hope kept asking, but Serefina slammed the car door shut and this made the little girl pout her lips. 

"He promised to play with me." Hope's voice reached Serefina's ears the moment she opened the door to her seat.

However, before she could answer the little girl's annoying question, someone had started a 'talk' with her. 

"Good afternoon, are you Hope's family?" Ariel approached Serefina timidly, feeling intimidated by the figure before her eyes.

Serefina looked like a beautiful tycoon and wasn't as easy going as the man this morning, who had dropped Hope. 

"Yes." Serefina answered curtly, she didn't hide the annoyed expression on her face. 

"Oh, my name is Ariel. I am Hope's homeroom teacher." Ariel gave Serefina a perfect smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I just want to discuss something with you about Hope."

At first, Ariel wished to meet the mysterious man, but it was such a pity that it was her other guardian who came to pick her up. 

"What is it?" Serefina asked impatiently.

"Maybe we can discuss this inside." Ariel gestured Serefina to come with her to her office room, because it was quite uncomfortable to stand there and discuss this matter.

Yet, Serefina didn't even move an inch and crossed her slender arms impatiently. "Just say it here."

Ariel was surprised, but she concealed it quickly and tried to persuade Serefina again. "I am sorry ma'am, but I think we need to talk this in private." There was urgency in the way Ariel spoke.

"I don't have too much time." Serefina glanced at her wrist watch and shot her another impatient look. "If you can't say it now, we can discuss about it later."

Serefina would always be her rude self, especially to those who she didn't think worth her attention. 

Ariel looked like she was in trouble to explain the matter at hand, but when she watched Serefina was about to enter the car, she spoke hastily.

"Ma'am, do you know that Hope has imaginary friends?" Ariel talked hesitantly. If it was a normal imaginary friend that children around her age had, she wouldn't mind so much, but Hope's behavior during the class truly bothered her. 

"Imaginary friends?" Serefina raised her eyebrows, though she already knew what this was about. 

"Yes, she said she saw something. I mean, she has more than ten imaginary friends and…"

But, Serefina cut her off. "Maybe it is you who can't see them…" And with that, Serefina drove away from the parking lot, not bothering to talk with the teacher any further. 

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