The Lycan King's Fate Calling (Shawn Gibson and Sylvia)

Crystal's POV:

Glancing at the speechless Rufus, I smiled awkwardly and quickly explained to Beryl, "Er, well, you see-Mommy and Daddy had a big fight at that time, so Mommy said those things in anger. The truth is that your daddy is not dead. The man in front of you is your daddy-your real daddy!"

Beryl looked Rufus up and down for a long time before it finally clicked. "Oh! So he's my real daddy? Not a fake one?"

I was amused by her cuteness. "Yes, honey. He's your real daddy."

"Okay, I got it!" Beryl quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and turned to look at Rufus with a big smile. "Daddy!"

Rufus was a little stunned. It seemed that he didn't expect Beryl to be so straightforward. A hint of panic flashed through his eyes, but there was a certain softness to them, too.

Smiling, I touched Beryl's soft hair and pointed at Laura, asking, "If he's your daddy, then who is she?"

Beryl tilted her head and scratched her chin. "She's..."

She paused for a moment and then broke into a huge grin. "Grandma!"

"Exactly! It's Grandma, my sweetheart!" Laura was pleasantly surprised. She quickly sat down next to Beryl and started feeding her enthusiastically, relieved to have finally been recognized. Beryl beamed at her and happily gobbled up all the food.

Her childish behavior made Laura and Rufus laugh. I sat aside and watched them with a faint smile, but

deep down, I felt a little uneasy.

Although I should've been happy, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

When Beryl woke up, she had called me Sylvia. That alone put me on high alert.

"Mommy, I feel sleepy. Can you tuck me in?" Beryl rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Of course, baby. Mommy will take you to bed." I picked her up and slowly walked towards her bed.

After tucking her in and leaving the bedside lamp on, I patted Beryl's hand and sang her a lullaby to help her fall asleep. "Mommy, I want to hear a bedtime story," Beryl said softly.

"What kind of story would you like to hear? A scary one?" I asked with a smile, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Anything," Beryl said obediently.

I thought for a moment. "Once upon a time, in a wonderful forest, the annual party was underway. All the animals were busy preparing for the banquet. When night fell, everyone gathered in a circle around the stage. The first performance was by a peacock, who gracefully danced around like a ballerina, swaying like willow branches in the breeze. The crowd broke into loud applause. Feeling jealous, the bear charged onto the stage and stood in the center, bowing to the audience. He said, 'Now allow me, the dance prodigy, to perform for you!' This ridiculous bear hopped and skipped around the stage, tripping and nearly breaking the wooden boards with his big feet..."

As I told the story, Beryl slowly closed her eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep.

I continued to gently pat her hand, and unknowingly, I slowly became drowsy myself.

But I felt like finishing the story. "The big bear's performance was so terrible that the audience

eventually dragged him offstage and

chased him out with sticks. The bear

couldn't dance as well as the

peacock, but he still wanted to show

off. As a result, he ended upo

humiliating himself."

"It's because of his greed. The less he has, the more he wants to show off. He's so stupid." Suddenly, Beryl spoke up.

My sleepiness instantly left me and I

looked

whose

her in surprise. Beryl,

è eyes had been closed el.net

, was staring intently at me.

And her eerie words were not something a child would say...