Serafina twirled her braids, her voice bubbling with excitement, "Look at my beautiful braids, Mommy!"


    She giggled, swinging her hair. "Grandpa said he never braided your hair when you were little. Do you think he could do it now? He''s really good at braids!"


    Cherise''s eyes widened. She nced at Serafina, then met Beckham''s gaze, a hesitant smile tugging at her lips. After a moment, a warm feeling spread through her. "Sure, why not?"


    Turning to her father, she added, "It''s been ages since anyone touched my hair. If you''re up for it,


    I''m game!"


    Beckham practically beamed, his hands buzzing with nervous energy. "Of course I am! Let''s do it!"


    Cherise chuckled. "Alright, let''s see what you can do. You''ve never braided my hair before."


    Suddenly, Soren popped up, holding out ab. He warned Beckham, "Hey, Grandpa. Sera and I


    only have one Mommy, so don''t mess it up too badly. Otherwise, we might have to find a new one!"


    "Uh-huh! Mommy needs a beauty makeover just like Sera!" Serafina chirped, nodding.


    Cherise chuckled, shaking her head at the two chatterboxes. "You two wouldn''t stop talking for a second, would you?"


    Though she teased, her voice dripped with love and appreciation. She understood their attempt to lighten the mood.


    Right! Why cry on a day like this?


    With a smile, she let Serafina pull her down to the floor.


    Watching from the sofa, Beckham reached over and gently removed the band from Cherise''s high ponytail. Her dark hair cascaded down like a silky waterfall.


    "Beautiful hair, just like your mom''s," he murmured, running ab through it.


    Cherise raised an eyebrow. "You used tob Mom''s hair?"


    Beckham chuckled, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Oh, yeah. She wouldn''t leave me alone until I learned."


    He reminisced that Cherise, adopted into their family as a young girl, had long, unruly hair that she


    hated managing. So, Beckham, ever the patient one, learned how tob it for her.


    Beckham chuckled, remembering a mischievous glint in Cherise''s mom''s eyes. "Yeah, your mom


    wasn''t one to let me get away with cking. If I forgot tob her hair, bam! Surprise doodle in my homework!"


    Cherise''s eyes widened. "No way! Mom actually drew in your school stuff?"


    Beckham chuckled, a twinkle in his own eyes. "Well, let''s just say forgetting to brush her hair once resulted in a colorful surprise hidden in my history book. It wasn''t exactly helpful for my grades, but I have to admit, it was pretty funny."


    In the kitchen, Damien paused momentarily, a hint of a smile ying on his lips. The sound of running water echoed the yful banter from the living room.


    The kitchen counter buzzed with the sudden vibration of Damien''s phone. He frowned, ncing at


    the screen before answering. "Yeah, Charles?"


    Charles'' voice crackled through the receiver, "Just got the lowdown on Tristan. It turns out he snuck back into Adania today. My sources even snagged a copy of the sneaky email he sent to the


    Damien sighed, rubbing his temples. "Keep an eye out for now, that''s enough. We''ll figure out the restter. I have my hands full right now."


    "Hands full with what? Didn''t you tie up all the loose ends at the office?" Charles scoffed.


    Damien chuckled, a hint of warmth creeping into his voice. "Work''s all sorted; I''m just dealing with some... family matters now."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.