Pam was sitting in bed wondering if Brisbane was doing fine when Dan stepped in with a thermos. Dan noticed she was staring out into space as he put down the thermos on the table beside her bed before holding her hand.

"Hey… Don't think too much alright? Everything will be alright." Dan comforted as Pam gave him a look with plenty of questions.

"You did well in the afternoon with the police investigation. I understand your choice of not pulling charges and I respect it. Please be assured that I will always be supporting you." Dan assured her as Pam gently laid her head on his shoulder momentarily and sighed in relief.

"Do you think I should let Brisbane come to visit?" She asked softly while Dan shifted her in his arms and held her instead.

"Why not? Am sure she must be missing you." Dan said as Pam pondered awhile.

"Let's wait a few days when I could get out of bed." She said as Dan nodded.

"Sure. I am sure she would be excited to stroll with you." Dan said.

"No, I don't want to worry her about my condition. She's…" Pam's voice cracked as Dan soothed her by gently patting her arm.

"It's alright. You don't have to explain. I understand." Dan said as Pam sighed.

"It wasn't easy… I married thinking Alshton really loved me but when I had Brisbane, it all changed. I am sure the poor little girl felt shunned so badly that as a mother I couldn't even protect her if I chose to stay in that family till I could conceive a son for them… If only…" Pam looked at Dan's face with regret while trying to stop herself from crying.

"Pam… You don't have to be strong in front of me. I am no stranger and I am here to help…" Dan comforted her as Pam hugged him and sobbed a little.

"Brisbane had told me her grandparents had never liked her but I couldn't imagine how she could withstand the trauma of an abusive father?" Dan questioned.

"She …" Pam sighed. "I wish I had money to bring her to visit a psychologist. It's alarming to me too. It's my fault as a bad mother, unable to protect her." Pam cried as Dan wrapped her tighter in his arms.

"Don't worry about that now. I will make the arrangements for her to see one." Dan suggested as Pam shook her head. "No, you don't have to." Pam rejected.

"Pam, what are your plans? Were you working before this? Do you have much savings to sustain? Brisbane is five. Was she going to school?" Dan questioned to distract her.

"I… I don't know… I mean I do have some money and I was planning to sign up Brisbane to the nearest school but I just didn't expect Alshton to find us and…" Pam held her forehead not being able to explain further as Dan patted her shoulder gently to calm her down.

"Alright. It's alright. I have a plan but I am not sure if you're up for it?" Dan said while holding to her hand.

"What is it?" She asked gently.

"I run a bakery in Wai Tao city at Grande building and I just had ventured into a collaboration with a small cafe in Cravine for their cupcakes to be sold in my bakery. Lately, I had encountered some logistic issues and I was supposed to find the owner to discuss but…"

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Dan paused as he decided not to explain that the accident caused the delay.

"My current cashier receives various cakes and buns from outsourced bakers who would dispatch them to us. I was thinking since this particular cafe had issues with logistics, I wanted to expand the bakery and do in-house baking just for the cupcake provided the owner allows. My current cashier would be able to take over that role but that would mean I would need to find someone to fill in her spot. So, if you don't mind helping out, I would gladly raise the salary to your liking and it would save my time." Dan explained as Pam thought about it for a moment.

"As for lodging, don't worry. Just stay over at my Wai Tao's apartment with Brisbane and we can send her to the nearby school," Dan suggested.

"Dan…" It was the first time she ever called her name since they first met.

"Thank you but it's too much to accept…" Pam said as Dan shook his head.

"I know my confession came at the wrong time. Don't get me wrong. I am not doing it because I want us to progress. No, nothing like that. I will give you all the time you need for that. For all that I have said, I genuinely want to help you as a friend." Pam hesitated for a moment at Dan's persuasion.

"If you feel bad then help me out with this job. You would be able to pay me back for lodging and Brisbane's school fees. Meanwhile, do get well and strong first. I will also closely help you out with the legal matters." Dan assured as Pam finally smiled.

"Thank you…" She hugged him.

"What would I do without you? Thank you…" She said as Dan gently combed her hair while hugging her.

"You're most welcome." He said politely.

The next morning, after sending the cupcakes to the Grande building with Brisbane bringing both puppies to the cafe, Xue Ting had to keep watch on her at the lawn behind the cafe. While it was before the rush hour during lunch, she decided to give Dan a call instead.

Dan was driving towards Xue Ting's cafe when he picked up the call.

"Hello…" He said skeptically at a foreign number.

"Is this Dan Pang?" Xue Ting asked.

"Yes, and who is this?" He asked. "I am Sicily Liew, the manager of Jang's Cove cafe in Cravine." Xue Ting introduced herself and paused to hear his reaction.

Dan was glad she called in fact. "Yes, you. I needed to speak with you. I am actually driving over to your cafe now nearby."

"Well, why don't we try to discuss this over the phone and see if we could sort it out? I'm sure you're very busy since I haven't heard from you." Xue Ting suggested with a little sarcasm.

"Alright, go ahead," Dan said adamantly. "I heard you're still insisting for us to deliver the cupcakes as usual when I had told my colleague to tell you it's not cost-efficient to us." Xue Ting stated as Dan could hear the frustration in her voice.

"I hear you and that's why I wanted to come down to the cafe to build your trust and to allow one of my staff to learn the recipe. That way we would be able to solve all these cost and logistic matters." Dan said as Xue Ting rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"If everyone were to come up to my doorstep and tell me the same line wouldn't Jang's Cove have gone bankrupt long ago? Have you thought if what you just said made any sense if this was your business?" Xue Ting was beginning to snap as Macy walked over and gently patted her back to calm her down.

"I don't see what's wrong with it if we were to sign a confidentiality agreement." Dan further added on and felt like he should keep driving over to let her see the contract.

"Not till I see the contract and the terms being vetted through by my lawyers will we ever sort this out." Xue Ting warned as Dan sighed. "Alright, I will see you in a bit."

Dan quickly added more speed to rush over to the cafe while Xue Ting hang up and was thinking if she could see a softcopy first while she texted Dan but didn't get any response.

"Looks like we really can't agree on his terms verbally?" Macy asked as Xue Ting shook her head.

"How can we when it involves business secrets, Macy? Can you imagine how Jang's Cove survive all this year based on the cupcake recipe? That's also the reason Uncle and Aunt Jang don't simply hire just anyone." Xue Ting explained as Macy nodded.

"I get it … I get it… I am sorry that Xiao Ji and I didn't discuss it with you first. It's our fault yet we had to trouble you even more to solve it. We are really useless." Macy apologised as Xue Ting sighed and patted her shoulder before Xiao Ji came in.

"Sicily, the bakery owner is here." Xiao Ji said as Xue Ting nodded.

"Alright, let me handle him. Don't worry both of you. Keep an eye on the little one please." Xue Ting reminded before walking out to greet Dan who was really tall and had broad shoulders.

"Dan Pang?" Xue Ting asked as Dan nodded and gave her a handshake.

"Yes, Sicily Liew?" Dan asked as Xue Ting nodded and took his handshake.

"Let's head this side to a quieter table to discuss." Xue Ting led him out the main door to the left side of the cafe where the section was closed.

"So, here's the contract." Dan gave her as she opened it and read the terms and conditions. Her main concern was about the breach of confidentiality and how much the compensation was. After browsing through once, she was a little skeptical that despite knowing the compensation amount was open to her to state and that there was a clause on the breach of confidentiality, she wasn't sure how much to quote.

"Mr. Pang, I appreciate your time in bringing this contract over. Considering there are terms I need to decide, let me discuss with the rightful owners first before I get to you on this." Xue Ting explained as Dan nodded.

"Sure. Take your time. I understand but meanwhile before we get this sorted out, I suppose business and arrangements will be as usual?" Dan asked as Xue Ting pondered a moment and hesitated to agree but she knew she had no choice.

"Yes. Rest assured." Xue Ting said as Dan was satisfied and stood. "Great. I hope to hear from you soon, Ms. Liew." Dan said as he offered another handshake while Xue Ting took his handshake and watched him leave.

In actual fact, she didn't need to discuss this with Mr. and Mrs. Jang as they let her run the business as if it was her own. She just needed someone of a higher level of expertise to vet through the contract to ensure the cafe wouldn't be able to be taken advantage of but she didn't want to unnecessary law fees for such petty arrangements or so she thought.

Her phone vibrated with a text message reminder from Qiu Wen about tonight's family dinner. As she acknowledge his message with a reply, she wondered if Qiu Wen would be able to help with the contract.