Miracle Cutie Chapter 5: Meeting Daddy

When Nina heard someone say her dad had come home, she didn't even spare him a glance.

Right now, she only wanted her mom.

Daniel still had her in his arms, though his eyes kept flicking nervously toward Benjamin from across the room. Outside these walls, Daniel was the one people bowed to—the youngest son of the Graham family, the guy no one dared cross.

But in front of Benjamin?

He'd been getting his butt kicked since they were kids.

While Daniel hesitated, little Nina—eyes glued to the bodyguards carrying Amelia—called out to them in her soft, babyish voice.

"Sir… be gentle, 'kay?"

She was terrified they'd bump her mom while setting her down.

Under Nina's watchful little gaze, Amelia was carried into the house and taken straight to a private room for treatment.

Then Nina spotted William.

The moment he walked over, he gently lifted her out of Daniel's arms.

"Nina, your mom's getting an IV," he said softly. "Once she finishes and gets some rest, she'll be alright. You don't have to worry anymore."

The doctor soon explained Amelia's condition—years of overworking, her body pushed past its limit, topped off with a fever left untreated. But with the fever stabilized, she just needed rest and good care. She was young; she'd recover quickly.

Nina nestled against William, her tiny fingers exploring his face, curious and tender.

"Gwanpa… you play wif Nina?"

She'd seen grandparents playing with kids at the neighborhood square. Now she wanted her own grandpa to play with her too.

William felt the soft little hand cupping his cheek and instantly melted. His stern expression softened into pure warmth.

"Of course I will," he chuckled. "I'll play with you as much as you want from now on."

"Okay!" Nina beamed, her round cheeks glowing with sweetness.

Unable to resist, William leaned down and kissed her squishy cheek.

Nina didn't dodge. Instead, she puckered her tiny lips and gave him a giggly kiss back.

William almost handed her the entire family fortune on the spot.

Four kids of his own, but not a single one of them wanted to be close to him.

Benjamin, especially—hopelessly obsessed with cleanliness—even as a kid, he hated being touched. If William tried to kiss him, Benjamin would wrinkle his brows, grunt in disgust, and march right out of the house.

Daniel copied him, of course. If Benjamin didn't like kisses, then neither did he.

The eldest and the third? They each had their own brand of weirdness.

Raised four kids, but not one affectionate moment.

Now, with Nina—this little cinnamon roll—he finally knew what joy felt like.

"Gwanpa! Milk!" she suddenly declared.

After kissing William, she patted her tummy and announced seriously, "Nina tummy go grrrr. Nina hungee."

At two and a half, she mostly ate whatever Mommy cooked—but she also loved her milk powder. Honestly, between Mommy's food and milk?

Milk won every time.

The moment William heard she was hungry, he sprang into action.

"Then let's go have dinner right now. The kitchen already prepared food. And if you don't want rice, Grandpa can make you milk instead, alright?"

Nina paused. “…Okay.”

She wasn't in the mood for dinner, but Grandpa was being so nice. So she nodded obediently.

Soon, William took her to the dining room.

Daniel watched the two leave together—completely abandoned. He sighed and dropped onto the couch, pulling out his phone. Since no one needed him, he might as well do something useful.

Amelia was Nina's mother—the woman who'd once been involved with Benjamin. Daniel wanted to know everything about her. He searched online and texted his assistant, Henry Powell, telling him to dig deeper and run a full background check.

Meanwhile, Nina was happily sitting in William's lap as he fed her dinner.

"Here, sweetheart, try this pie."

After washing her little hands, William handed her a whole pie to hold and nibble on. Other dishes were set out too.

Nina stared at the pie: prettier than Mommy's, smelling amazing. She took a huge bite.

Thin crispy crust. Juicy filling. Meat inside.

The moment the flavor hit her tongue, her eyes sparkled.

"So gooood!"

She'd never tasted anything like it.

William laughed and picked up a piece of shrimp, feeding it to her.

Also delicious.

Her chubby face lit up, swaying happily as she munched—pie, shrimp, ribs, drumsticks. William couldn't stop smiling. For the first time in years, he felt like he was raising a normal, happy child.

Time passed, and before long Nina had eaten two pies, two drumsticks, three short ribs, a cupcake, and a bowl of soup.

William, not knowing how much toddlers should eat, hadn't stopped her—until he saw her tiny belly sticking out, round and tight.

"Sweetheart, that's enough. You can eat more later, alright?"

He carried her off to clean up, then let her play in Amelia's room.

Amelia's room was right next to Benjamin's—large, soft mats covering the floor, toys everywhere. Nina sat quietly playing with her new things while Daniel filled William in on Amelia's situation.

"Dad, things aren't great for Nina's mom," Daniel said. "She's tangled up in online scandals. Ms. Harrison—you know, the third daughter who went into showbiz—claimed Amelia stole her boyfriend. It's blowing up online. And Amelia's supposed to work today and tomorrow."

William listened, unimpressed.

"Work can wait. Health comes first. We'll talk business when she's recovered."

"Okay," Daniel said.

When everything was settled, William stood up. Seeing Nina so calm at home, he decided to take her to see Benjamin.

"Nina, look," he said gently,

"This is your daddy. Your daddy's sick. He hasn't woken up yet. If you stay with him, maybe he'll wake up soon."

William set Nina onto Benjamin's bed.

Benjamin lay still, face too handsome for someone unconscious, but that coldness etched into his features even now.

Nina scooted close, blinking her big round eyes as she studied him.

William's heart softened again—father and daughter, side by side.

He was just feeling touched when—

Smack!

Nina's chubby little hand slammed right across Benjamin's face.

"Bad Daddy! Leave Nina!"