Chapter

90

Mast parents seemed to prefer their daughters taking up pretty and elegant skills like dancing or playing the piano, and Willow wondered if Zane was the same. Did he think martial arts was too rough or inappropriate for a little girl? Disappointment filled Willow, and whatever light had filled her eyes carlier dimmed out.

"Of course not," Zane quickly said. "I'm happy about it.

Willow gaped at him, and he explained without prompting, "Once you learn martial arts, you can defend yourself even when I'm not around you. Why wouldn't I be happy about that?

Willow was so overwhelmed that she cupped his face and planted kisses all over it. "You're the best, Daddy!"

"Now, here comes the problem," Zane said. "Do you want to hire an instructor for private lessons at home, public class?"

or

do you want to attend a

Torn between the two options, Willow turned to look at me for help.

I had to admit, it was a dilemma. "If you attend a public class, you might make new friends your age and find that you enjoy others' company. But private lessons are more tailored toward your learning progress." Having heard my analysis, Willow said quietly, "Private lessons, then."

She didn't like speaking to others.

Zane was happy to oblige with his daughter's requests. "You got it."

Clutching Willow in one arm, he glanced at the time and realized it was already 8:00 pm. He called his secretary, Eric, and had him look around for a professional martial arts instructor to give Willow private lessons at home. He added for good measure, "Money isn't a problem."

Efficient as ever, Eric found a qualified instructor no more than ten minutes after he got off the call with Zane. He reported dutifully, The instructor has won the national martial arts championship on several occasions and is a formidable practitioner. "His family was recently plagued with troubles and he has no choice but to look for a part-time job."

"All right." Zane trusted Eric's choice of candidate. "Have him drop by the house tomorrow evening at seven to give Willow a private

lesson."

"Yes, sir," Eric replied.

After hanging up, Zane set his phone down on the desk. Crouching to meet Willow's gaze, he said, "Now that you've decided to pick up martial arts for self-defense, you have to train for at least two hours each day after school, okay?" Willow was about to complain about the long hours when she thought about the benefits of training. If training hard in martial arts could stop her peers from picking on her, the grueling hours were worth it.

She nodded in agreement.

Zane gently pinched her cheek. "That's my girl."

Willow blushed at the affirmation, but she was so pleased about it that she ducked her head to hide her smile.

Zane had work to get back to, so he said, "Willow, why don't you and Mommy go downstairs to play for a bit?"

"Okay!"

!

The street lamps illuminated the villa's backyard. Bored of playing with her toys in the living room, Willow led me out to the swing set In the yard.

She turned to look at me and said nothing, but I knew what she wanted. I picked her up and set her down on the swing

Patting the seat next to her, Willow said, "You can sit here. Mommy."

I perched next to her like she asked.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Willow leaned against me and looked up at the beautiful night sky while we swung back and forth. The moon was full and bright tonight, a silvery orb against the star-splattered dark. The backyard greenery was so well-landscaped that I saw the flickering lights of fireflies bobbing around.

Nothing could get more idyllic than this.

"Zane!" An angry voice shattered the serenity, and I turned around to see a middle-aged woman storming into the living room.

When Willow noticed me getting up, she tugged on my arm and said in hushed tones, "The woman who went in was my grandma." Only then did I sit back down.