Chapter 11: Found You
Beside a gleaming black luxury car, Charles Koch stood tall, clad in a long black trench coat that swayed gently in the wind, making him look like a British gentleman straight out of a movie.
He glanced at his watch, thinking he would have to wait two hours to see her. But to his surprise, he ran into Daphne Finney when he stepped out of the car.
Daphne, holding the hands of two children, walked past Charles without even a glance, as if he were nothing more than an ordinary rock on the roadside. She headed straight for the daycare across the street, entirely focused on the children, softly reminding them not to forget their homework and other trivial matters.
Charles crossed his arms and leaned against the car door with a lazy yet distinguished posture. He turned to look at David, holding a stopwatch with an awkward expression, and then at Ham, who was sound asleep inside the car, seemingly indifferent to the situation.
Charles’ face darkened instantly, like a brewing storm. His voice carried a hint of suppressed fury as he growled at David, “This is your investigation result? She’s not only married but has two children? What the hell have you been doing these past few days?”
David forced a grin that looked worse than crying and hurriedly explained, “Boss, don’t be mad. There’s barely any information about Miss Daphne Finney in the population database. It seems like she’s not from the West District, so we need to expand the search. All we know so far is that she’s a top graduate from Morgan University. We’re still digging for more. Give me a little time, and I’ll sort everything out.”
“David, she has kids. Do we even need to investigate further? Are you blind?”
Charles was furious. His temples throbbed, and his body trembled slightly with rage, looking as if he might explode at any moment.
Terrified, David nudged the sleeping Ham, whispering urgently, “Grandpa, stop pretending to sleep! Wake up! Look, the daughter-in-law you picked already has kids this big.”
Ham Koch rolled over, muttering in his sleep like a spoiled child, “I don’t care. I want Daphne Finney as my granddaughter-in-law.”
David was on the verge of panic, scratching his head like an ant on a hot pan. He pointed at the apartment building and said to Charles, “Boss, this apartment belongs to Parson, the vice president of Milan Group. Maybe Miss Daphne is his wife. You and Milan’s CEO are good friends. Why don’t you give him a call and ask?”
Charles almost blew a fuse. He glared at David, his eyes burning with rage. “You want me to call my friend at seven in the morning and ask if I can marry his vice president’s wife? Do you want me to make tomorrow’s headlines? Are you out of your mind?”
David swallowed hard, shrinking back as he murmured, “Boss, don’t worry… I can make sure the headline gets taken down…”
“Shut up!”
Charles pulled out his phone, pointing a finger at David as he spat through gritted teeth, “Siberia or South Africa—pick one and get lost!” His voice was filled with pure fury.
David’s face turned pale. He clutched Charles’ hand, pleading desperately, “No, no, no, boss! I’ll go upstairs and find out right now. Please, calm down!”
As Daphne passed by Charles, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at the impeccably dressed man from the corner of her eye.
He was tall and upright, like a towering pine tree, exuding an undeniable presence. His chiseled face had sharp angles, as if sculpted with precision, each feature ideally in place, radiating a masculine charm. His physique was flawless—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, straight legs.
Daphne marveled inwardly. How did such an outstanding man suddenly appear in the West District?
But she dared only steal a glance, afraid that staring too long would desecrate such beauty. She quickly pulled the children along and hurried to the daycare.
Luckily, her studio was at the other end of the block, meaning she had to return the same way after dropping off the kids.
On her way back from picking up supplies, she spotted Charles standing there from a distance. Her heart skipped a beat, a nervous flutter spreading through her chest. Instinctively, her pace slowed.
Why was he still here? Was he waiting for her?
Seeing Daphne approach, Charles clenched his fists slightly, troubled by his thoughts. His grandfather was being unreasonable today, skipping his medication and sleeping in the car.
Fine. Even if she was someone else’s wife, he needed to confirm it and end his grandfather’s obsession.
With this resolve, he took a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and stepped forward, blocking Daphne’s path like an immovable mountain.
Daphne looked up and was momentarily stunned. This man was incredibly tall—at least 1.9 meters. His long neck and prominent Adam’s apple exuded an irresistible allure.
As a sculptor, she had an innate attraction to beauty. Almost instinctively, her hand lifted slightly, an urge rising within her to touch—to feel the realness of this perfection.
But just as her fingers were about to brush against his Adam’s apple, she snapped back to her senses, jolted as if struck by lightning. Her hand froze awkwardly in midair.
Charles, bewildered by her sudden movement, narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What was this strange woman trying to do?
Was she planning to strangle him?
With a hint of wariness, he stepped back slightly, his sharp gaze resembling a predator ready to strike.
Sensing the awkward silence, David cleared his throat loudly to break the tension.
Charles composed himself, forcing a polite smile that never reached his eyes. With a distant tone, he asked, “Excuse me, are you Miss Daphne Finney or Mrs. Daphne Finney?”
Caught off guard, Daphne tensed up, stepping back as if startled. Like a frightened rabbit, she hurriedly clarified, “I’m not married.”
At her words, Charles’ mood soured instantly. He felt as if his intelligence had been insulted.
He had seen her with two children. Was she lying because she was attracted to his looks?
In that moment, his impression of Daphne plummeted below zero.
But suppressing his irritation, he continued, “Miss Finney, I’m Charles Koch, the grandson of the elderly gentleman you saved yesterday.”
Daphne nodded and replied, “Nice to meet you.” She then attempted to sidestep Charles and leave.
She hadn’t forgotten her plan to meet Maggie for some juicy gossip and didn’t want to keep her waiting.
But just as she was about to walk away, the supposedly asleep older man suddenly flung open the car door and excitedly grabbed her hand.
His face beamed joyfully as he declared, “Ah, I found you, my granddaughter-in-law!”