Miracle Cutie Chapter 437: Who's Prettier?

She kept saying she wanted her mommy, but she didn't want to go home to find her.

"Mommy come!" Nina demanded, her clever little brain whirring as she thought of a solution.

She wanted Amelia to come out and play.

Benjamin saw her little idea forming but wasn't about to give in.

"Mommy's not coming," he said. "Mommy misses Nina a lot at home. Don't you want to go find her?"

As he spoke, he set Nina down on the ground.

"Nina, if you don't go home, then Daddy is leaving," Benjamin stated calmly. "Daddy is going to find Mommy. You can play here by yourself."

With that, Benjamin turned as if to walk away.

The sight of him actually leaving panicked Nina.

"Daddy, no go!" she cried, seeing him walk away without a backward glance.

Her little mouth trembled, and she ran after him, sobbing, "Wait! Daddy! Wait Nina!"

She caught up and wrapped her arms tightly around his leg. Benjamin stopped, scooped her back into his arms, and this time, they both left.

Nina was still sniffling as she was carried away, too upset to even remember to say goodbye to Lester.

Watching from behind as Nina was successfully led away, Daniel was full of admiration.

That's Benjamin for you. He always knows how to handle her.

After sending off Benjamin with a look of utter admiration, Daniel turned and scoffed at Lester.

"Forget about trying to charm our Nina, Lester," Daniel warned. "Our little girl is tough to win over. And Benjamin isn't someone you want to mess with."

Having delivered his warning, Daniel walked off. He wasn't heading home, though. He was going to find Anthony.

It was Anthony's engagement party, after all. Since he was here, it would be rude not to say hello and give a gift.

Plus, he wanted to ask about why Anthony had been so harsh with Nina.

With Daniel staying behind, Lester was finally left in peace as Benjamin, Nina, and Nelson disappeared from view.

*****

Once settled in the car, Nina had stopped crying.

Benjamin handed her a tablet playing cartoons. She hugged it close, watching intently with Nelson by her side. Both kids were completely absorbed.

Benjamin sat beside Nina, watching her silently. After a moment, he gently pinched her ear.

"Nina Graham," Benjamin said abruptly, using her full name.

Nina protectively covered her ear with one chubby hand while shifting her wary gaze from the screen to her father's handsome face.

"Daddy, Nina no bad," she said defensively. "Nina cry."

She was saying she hadn't done anything wrong and had even shed tears, so Benjamin shouldn't use her full name. She didn't want to get in trouble.

Meeting her cautious look, Benjamin asked in a flat tone, "Do you like Lester a lot?"

Nina blinked her big eyes and nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah! He pwetty!" she declared, the little connoisseur of pretty faces showing her true colors.

She'd thought Lester was good-looking since the first time she saw his photo.

While she did appreciate a nice face, she didn't like or get close to everyone who was attractive. She liked Lester even more for one key reason: he made her feel safe.

Kids couldn't resist that feeling of security. Unfortunately, Nina was too little to express all that. She just said he was pretty.

Hearing her praise Lester's looks, Benjamin's expression remained unchanged.

He just continued calmly, "Who's prettier? Lester or Daddy?"

Nina froze. Benjamin's question completely stumped her.

Even Nelson, who had been watching the cartoon, couldn't help but look up. He seems... a little off.

Seeing Nina didn't answer immediately, Benjamin pressed his lips together, straightened up, and dropped the subject, looking away.

Nina stared at his profile. She clambered up from her seat, her stockinged feet stepping onto his lap.

"Daddy, Nina wuv you," she said, this clever little one sensing his mood.

Holding his face between her chubby hands, she made a big effort to cheer him up.

"Nina wuv you! Wuv you!"

For a moment, her repeated declarations of love seemed to have no effect. Benjamin was being unusually difficult to placate.

She held his face, showered him with "Nina wuv yous," and even planted kiss after kiss on his handsome cheeks, but nothing worked!

Nina was exhausted.

She spent the entire car ride trying to coax Benjamin out of his mood. When the car finally stopped and the driver opened the door, the little girl let out a heavy, almost grown-up sigh.

"Daddy, Nina so tired."

Her declaration of utter fatigue still didn't get a response from him.

Benjamin carried her out of the car, his mood clearly still not improved.