Holden stood frozen, his astonishment palpable. Adele’s response had caught him off guard. A seasoned warrior on the battlefield of business, he felt a subtle tremor in his hands, a tremor born of excitement. The urge to embrace Adele was strong, but he restrained himself, not wanting to startle her fragile composure. Instead, he pulled his daughter close in a delicate embrace.

“Easy now, my dear. You must be starving after going for so long without something to eat. Allow Daddy to get you something to eat,” he murmured.

As Holden held Adele close, his words triggered a realization as profound as a deep ocean current. Cooking, he mused, was an artful tapestry.

With utmost care, he settled Adele on his lap, his eyes locked on her as she obediently took each morsel he offered. Gradually, her dainty fingers gripped his, guiding the food to her mouth.

Watching Adele eat like that stirred a warmth within Holden that was satisfying. Patiently, he continued feeding her until the last crumb of the cake had vanished, and her glass stood empty. As her emotions steadied into a tranquil sea, she leaned against him and slipped into sleep’s gentle embrace.

With a slightly awkward grace, Holden held Adele, Lulling her into a deep sleep.

the little girl in the

finally surrender to peaceful rest, Holden exhaled a sigh that seemed to carry the weight

as

sent an image of the skewed cupcake to the woman with the avatar of a blue

the digital realm, Ariana’s device beeped, signaling an incoming

the project proposal, Ariana’s attention was

her was a photograph from the affluent online friend she had been talking to. Observing the image of the oddly contorted rabbit cake, Ariana couldn’t suppress

angles, giving the treat a curiously

a desire not to discourage his culinary endeavors, she chose a gracious and encouraging response: “You’ve done

self-aware of his novice skills,

Accompanied by an embarrassed emoji, his embarrassment was evident in

a tad awkward, requiring a certain

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