"Ma--ma, I want ma--ma! Hikkss!"
Daniel starts fussing, and of course, Hannah is confused because she has played with him, and given him milk until it's finished, but the toddler still wants his mother.
"Oh, Valerie is gone for too long. he's getting bored here!"
Hannah confused, gives Daniel the small toys she prepared, but he keeps refusing.
"No ... no!" Daniel shakes her head, squirming and crawling to get off the bed. "Ma-ma!"
Hannah quickly picks him up, then takes him to the window, opens the curtains, and looks outside at the lively party in the adjacent garden. Glittering lights among luxurious nature-themed green and white decorations.
"Nah, look at that! So many twinkling lights!" she says admiringly.
With eyes still teary from the previous crying, Daniel gazes outside, seemingly fascinated by the view.
"Hmm ... Ma-ma!" he says with his cute voice.
"Yes, mama is there. We'll wait here for a moment," replies Hannah, occasionally kissing Daniel's fragrant cheeks
"Ma-ma ... Hikkss!"
Daniel cries again, tapping the window and squirming.
"Oh, why are you so fussy? We can't go there!"
Daniel keeps squirming, and Hannah struggles due to his somewhat chubby body. She decides to take him out of the room, hoping to find Valerie soon. But Valerie is currently catching up with Damian...
Inside the party, guests enjoy performances by a pop music group while indulging in the cuisine. Some stand and dance, while mothers prefer sitting and chatting.
Like a lost soul for not wearing a suitable party-themed dress, Hannah walks around carrying Daniel, who is crying more instead of enjoying the party atmosphere. The loud chatter, MC, and music seem to overwhelm him, causing him to squirm and look around, searching for his mother.
"Hey..!"
Hannah turns as someone taps her shoulder. A middle-aged elegant woman in glamorous attire looks at Daniel with surprise, furrowing her brown brows.
"Why is he crying?" the woman asks.
"Oh, he's looking for his mother," replies Hannah anxiously. "His mom is at the party, but seems to be somewhere else," she continues, scanning the surroundings.
The middle-aged woman looks at Daniel, who is also gazing back, and instantly, his cries stop as if he's intrigued.
"You look like my son when he was a baby," the woman says, reaching out to Daniel. "Come with me... You are so adorable!" she adds with a smile.
"Emm ... Ma-ma!"
"I'm not your ma-ma, but you can call me aunty ... Or grandma," the woman says, taking Daniel from Hannah's arms.
"I'm so sorry; I should be responsible for calming him down," Hannah says anxiously, watching Daniel comfortably held by the woman. "But it seems he likes you," she adds.
"Yeah... he likes me..." The middle-aged woman gazes deep into Daniel's eyes. "he has hair so similar to my son's when he was a baby, but his eyes are slightly different. I mean... Ocean blue eyes, reminiscent of someone..."
"His eyes are like his mother's," Hannah says with a shy smile.
"Oh... His mother must be very beautiful!"
"Yeah... But I don't know where she is now..." Hannah looks around again, leaving Daniel with the middle-aged woman. For her, it's a relief as she can take a break from carrying the toddler; her hands are quite sore.
Samuel reenters the hall and is startled when he sees Daniel with the middle-aged woman he knows is Elena McCourtney, Damian's mother.
"What the... How is he with his grandma? Valerie would freak out if she knew!"
He quickly approaches them in a panic, bewildered by this turn of events.
'How did this happen, where is Valerie?' he thinks, looking around until he stands in front of Elena and Hannah.
"Samuel," greets Elena.
"Mrs. McCourtney." Samuel smiles awkwardly, wanting to take Daniel but hesitating.
"Look at this baby... I don't know why, he looks so much like Damian when he was a baby," Elena says, glancing at Daniel. "he even stopped crying when she saw me, he likes me!"
"Uh, it's just a coincidence... babies sometimes look alike," Samuel says anxiously. "Um, actually, he's my friend's child. I need to take him away because my friend asked me to take him to... to the hotel where they're staying," he continues, lying.
"Oh, that's a shame. I liked him; I wanted to give him a little ice cream..."
"No, Ma'am. Please don't do that!" Hannah exclaims anxiously. "His mother could fire me if I let him have ice cream," she adds.
"Oh, his mother is overprotective." Elena smiles and focuses on Daniel. "If you were my grandson, I would still give you ice cream. You're enough to taste the delicious food around you... It won't upset your stomach!" she continues, rubbing Daniel's chubby belly covered in a black and white shirt set.
Samuel becomes even more uncomfortable seeing Elena seemingly obsessed with Daniel. He quickly takes over carrying him and brings him to the parking lot with Hannah.
"Don't let him near that woman!" he says in frustration.
"But why?" asks Hannah, following Samuel carrying Daniel.
Samuel stops near his car, opens the door, and takes Daniel inside. Hannah quickly follows, looking at Samuel with confusion.
"You don't know; that woman is Mrs. Elena McCourtney, Damian's mother!"
"What the... How is that possible? Where is Valerie?"
"I don't know, I've been in the guest room since earlier. But Daniel was fussy, so I took her out... And coincidentally met... Mrs. Elena," says Hannah, feeling strange and confused. "I didn't expect this coincidence to make him meet his grandmother... Does that mean his father is also around the party?" she asks, widening her eyes.
"I don't know, but Jerry said earlier that the McCourtney family wouldn't come, but Mrs. Mccourtney is here," Samuel replies anxiously, then hands Danielle to Hannah. "We better go back to the apartment. Call Valerie so she doesn't come back here and go straight to the apartment. I'm worried she'll meet Damian, and things will get messy," he adds.
"But our belongings are in the guest room."
"I'll ask one of the assistants to bring them to the apartment," says Samuel, immediately driving his car as if he needs to take Daniel away from there. Hmm, but maybe his efforts are in vain because fate seems to bring them back together slowly. I mean, Valerie and Damian, what are they doing that they haven't returned to the party yet?