Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 228 - 226: Surnames

The law firm’s working hours are from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, with an hour for lunch and rest at midday. Of course, this is just a clause in the employee handbook, meant to regulate the current three assistants and any future assistants and clerks. Partners generally have flexible hours, often needing to meet clients or go to court, so arriving late and leaving early is permissible.

On the unveiling day, since there were no cases coming in, before five o’clock, Simon Forrester told Sienna Thornton to hurry home for dinner. Sienna insisted on leaving at five, so Simon had to sit and wait, all the while criticizing her for being rigid.

Sienna ignored him, sitting lost in thought. As she thought, she suddenly said she wanted to have dinner at Melinda Linton’s place that evening.

Simon guessed it was probably still about her biological father, so on the way back, he gently reminded her that if Melinda didn’t want to talk much, then just let it be, and not to upset Melinda.

Sienna nodded, staring blankly out the window, saying nothing.

They bought some fruit at a fruit shop near the apartment to bring along. When they entered, Melinda had already prepared dinner and was waiting with Jenna Raines.

Sienna changed into slippers, handed the fruit to Jenna, then went forward to hug Melinda with a smile, "Mom, the law firm I opened with a friend unveiled today, and many big bosses and leaders came, it was quite lively today!"

"Congratulations, Annie!" Melinda was very happy too, holding Sienna’s hand and asking a lot about the details of the unveiling ceremony today.

Simon sat quietly beside them, occasionally chatting with Melinda.

-

After dinner, Jenna went to wash the dishes, Simon watched the news in the living room, and Sienna took Melinda into the room.

After closing the door, she sat down next to Melinda, contemplated for a moment, and carefully said, "Mom, I’ve been looking for my dad recently, but the results aren’t very promising. I want to ask you something more."

Melinda initially had no reaction, looking down at her rough hands, remaining quiet for a while, before cautiously saying, "I don’t oppose you finding your dad, but I have Jenna’s dad now. It wouldn’t be appropriate to meet your dad again."

As she spoke, a tear dropped onto those rough, swollen-jointed hands from years of farm work.

Sienna felt heartache, her throat tightening, difficultly taking deep breaths before stepping forward to embrace Melinda, "I know, I don’t necessarily want to recognize him. I just want to know whose child I am, to be sure he’s doing well, then I can be at peace."

Melinda said nothing, but Sienna knew she was crying, and she knew Melinda actually longed to see that person. Even now, in the deepest part of her wardrobe, those letters he wrote to her when they were in love are still treasured like precious jewels.

Unfortunately, she’s illiterate, and even though he read the letters to her once when they were dating, over time, she forgot them.

Initially, she didn’t dare ask anyone to read them, just cherishing those letters like treasures. When Sienna started primary school and could read, whenever Felix Raines wasn’t home, she would have Sienna read those letters to her, telling Sienna, "These are the letters your dad wrote to mom when they were dating."

Letters from over ten years ago, the paper had long since yellowed and become brittle, the writing was elegantly cursive, vividly expressing the deep longing of a man in passionate love for his beloved girl.

Melinda would cry for half a day every time she listened to those letters, and after crying, she would have Sienna write a reply, mostly just telling him their daughter is sensible and excellent, so he need not worry, and saying she would fully support the child’s education, to help her become someone useful, to escape this mountain and reunite with him as father and daughter outside.

The reply contents were largely the same each time, with Sienna writing from the age of eight until she went to high school in Z City.

But that thick bundle of letters could never be sent.

Yet Sienna also retained the habit of writing letters to that person. In those years without a computer, when working on assignments late into the night, exhausted, she would write a few lines in a diary, with no specific content, sometimes detailing the day’s events, sometimes a song lyric, sometimes a line of poetry, often just drawing a cloud raining to represent a day she cried.

Later, when she had a computer, she would write in a document, but as work became busier, she gradually wrote less and eventually stopped altogether.