Moby drove at a high speed, not enough to be illegal, but enough to make his old truck shake and bounce like crazy.
“Sorry, Zeno,” Moby said, glancing at the unbothered man. “I want to take you to the company first, but Gaby’s music school is near.”
“Go ahead,” Zeno said, running his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t take on any upcoming projects while waiting for the results of the first auditions for ‘The Forsaken Prince’ anyway. So, he had nothing else to do.
Moby continued driving, and with that, he began telling Zeno the kid’s story.
“Gaby is a really good kid,” he started off. “She unexpectedly came to Bobby’s life when he was drowning in debt. Because of that, Bobby couldn’t provide everything for his family.”
“Still, Gaby didn’t complain. As a young child, she stayed quiet, not asking for any gifts or attention. She’s the complete opposite of Amby,” he chuckled.
“However, this year, she insisted for the first time. She wanted to play piano and write songs. It was an unexpected request, and although Sir Bobby was short of money, he enrolled her in music school right away.”
“She has a recital this month, and her preparations appear to be going well. Something must have happened for her to call me like this.”
Just then, as they turned a corner, the skies became dark, and it started to pour.
“Crap,” Moby muttered, stepping on the gas.
After a while, they finally arrived in front of the music school, and even from afar, Zeno could see a small figure standing in the rain. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she was still wearing her school uniform. She had a piano sheet in her hand, which was already drenched because of the rain. She also kept her gaze on the ground, making her look even more defeated than she already was.
A small frown graced Zeno’s forehead. An 11-year-old shouldn’t look like that at all.
Moby haphazardly parked the car near the curb before running out to the rain. He held onto her wrist and pulled her to the car before shutting it close.
Zeno glanced at the back seat. The young girl still didn’t look up, and it seemed she didn’t even notice that Zeno was inside the truck.
Moby entered the truck, too, closing it before turning on the heater. He checked the temperature with his hands before looking worriedly at the little girl.
“Gaby,” Moby sighed. “What were you doing outside? You should have stayed with your piano teacher until we arrived.”
Gaby still didn’t look up. “They didn’t let me in.”
Moby’s brows furrowed while Zeno listened intently.
“What?” Moby asked. “What do you mean by that?”
Gaby bit her lip to stop herself from crying. “My dad forgot to pay for the fees this month.”
Moby’s eyes widened, and he stuttered as he said his next sentence. “O—oh. Why didn’t you tell your dad?”
“I didn’t know until today,” she whispered.
Moby pursed his lips. Meanwhile, Zeno assessed the situation.
Of course, Bobby was still broke. He still had to pay years’ worth of rent, support for his artists, salary for Moby, and the needs of his family.
Even with Zeno’s earnings for the past month, Bobby wouldn’t even be able to cover a quarter of his expenses.
“So, they didn’t let you in just because you didn’t pay this month’s fees?” Zeno couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t have much empathy, but even then, he knew that making a small child wait outside in the rain was inhumane.
The young girl lifted her head, her eyes widening when she saw Zeno.
“An angel?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Moby awkwardly chuckled. “Gaby, this is Zeno, a new artist in your dad’s new company.”
“Dad’s saving grace?” she quietly asked.
“W—what?” Moby sputtered.
“That’s what my big brother said,” she answered. “The company has a new saving grace so that my dad can buy me a keyboard piano.”
Moby scratched the back of his head. “You can say that,” he muttered. “Anyway, I’ll call your dad and—”
She shook her head, appearing nervous. “I’m hungry,” she suddenly said.
Moby frowned. “Did you not eat yet?”
Gaby slowly shook her head.
Moby then let out a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go to your favorite chicken place, hmm?”
A small smile finally appeared on Gaby’s lips as Moby started the car and began driving to her favorite restaurant.
They arrived and sat at a booth.
Zeno pointed at something on the menu. “I want this one,” he said, referring to the honey garlic-flavored one.
Moby scratched the back of his neck. “Are you hungry, too?” he asked.
Zeno nodded, causing Moby to chuckle. “Alright, I’ll order for us at the counter.”
Zeno prepared to take out his wallet, but Moby held onto his shoulder. “It’s my treat,” he said, winking playfully at Zeno.
As soon as Moby was gone, Gaby didn’t hesitate to ask any questions.
“My dad let me watch your YouWatch series. I really like it,” she said.
“Kids should not watch it,” Zeno deadpanned.
“I was with my dad,” she smiled. “He said it’s okay if I watch it with him. He watched every episode with me.”
Zeno pursed his lips. It seemed that Bobby never lied about caring for his artists. He had never seen such a stupid yet hands-on CEO on this planet.
“Why don’t you want to tell him about your music school fees?” Zeno asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Your father will pay it for you. He must have forgotten.”
“I know,” she said with a small smile. “Dad will always buy something for me… but I don’t like it.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t want him to spend money anymore because mommy always fights with him because of money. She said that he’s the worst with money, but I don’t think so.”
“My dad is the best at giving it; that’s why we don’t have much of it,” she muttered.
“Dang,” Zeno couldn’t help but whisper. This kid was smarter than her dad!
However, it was still pretty disheartening. A kid like her shouldn’t have such selfless thoughts.
They should care for what they want and not think about the burden it will have on their parents.
No matter how stupid Bobby was, it seemed he gave birth to a smart daughter.
Just then, Moby arrived, placing the plate of chicken on the table with a small smile.
“What did I miss?”