"Callisto!"
Raymond got out of his seat, a vibrant expression on his face as he opened his arms invitingly for Callisto.
The silver-haired girl jogged towards her father then lunged into her father's welcoming embrace.
"Papa!"
Raymond easily supported both his and his daughter's weight as they spun around after Callisto threw herself at him.
"It's been a while since I last saw my cute daughter's face in person," Raymond slowly stopped and gently putting Callisto down. "How are you doing, Calli?"
A wide grin, almost too bright as the sun, was plastered on Callisto's face. "I'm doing good! My studies with my friends are going well, too. Too well, in fact."
"Is that so? Well, I expect nothing less from my daughter. Of course you inherited my and your Mama's smarts."
A sheepish yet knowing chuckle escaped the silver-haired girl's lips. "You're right. How about you, Papa? Busy as usual?"
Raymond nodded. "Yeah. There's lots of stuff that needs to be done and they still keep on coming. It's fine, though. I'm having fun with what I do."
Callisto nodded back at her father, an understanding gesture. "I see. Then—"
"It's true that I'm busy and don't get as much free time," the father interjected, not wanting Callisto to finish her own sentence. "But if it means spending time with you, I can always make adjustments, Daughter."
Callisto could see Raymond's eyes that were blazing with determination.
He would definitely not hesitate to put aside his own work just to get some time with his daughter. And to be honest, the young lady would have loved it, too.
But that wasn't what brought Callisto to the hospital.
She let out a soft chuckle as she speak.
"I would feel bad taking you away just to hang out when you're clearly needed here. But I'm sure we'll be able to spend time together in the future, so I'm looking forward to it."
Raymond's face fell at Callisto not entertaining the idea of spending time with her father. Disappointment washed over him.
But he quickly schooled his expression, understanding he had work to do and appreciating his daughter's understanding.
"I guess you're right," Raymond said in reply. "We'll have to wait for that right time then. So what brings you here, Calli?"
Callisto clasped her palms together as she began to speak again. "Well, I actually have a favor to ask of you, Papa."
"What is it?" Raymond raised a curious eyebrow at his daughter.
"It's about the guy you hired to follow me around," she started. "I know there's many dangers out there and that not everyone can be trusted. But, I also know who I can and want to trust."
Raymond listened intently to his daughter's words, his expression slowly growing serious with each word.
"It's been quite a while since I started living in Uncle Oner's apartment," Callisto continued, her voice calm and loud enough so that his father do not miss a single thing she was saying. "But, I don't come out of my apartment feeling safe because I know someone can just come to my rescue out of nowhere. It's because I know that I can take care of myself. And I know that the people surrounding me are only the people I can trust."
"So, what you're trying to say is that hiring someone to keep eyes on you all the time is unnecessary?"
Callisto did not shake her head nor nod at Raymond's query. She couldn't.
Callisto's mysterious power allowed her to recognize the man's dedication to his job. Hence, Callisto appreciate his work.
To say that everything the man did until now to make sure Raymond was aware of Callisto's wellbeing unnecessary would demean his efforts.
Demeaning one's efforts wasn't something Callisto learned nor would ever wish to do on someone. And so, Callisto, after finding the right words she was looking for, answered her father's question.
"What I wanted to say is for you to trust in me. If there's ever a problem or if I feel something abnormal in my body, I'll call you immediately, Papa. I promise."
Raymond's gaze towards his daughter was sharp. If a stare could stab someone and pull the lies out of them, he would've already discovered Callisto's secrets long ago.
Callisto swallowed air as she watched Raymond turn around, seemingly falling deep into thought. A drop of sweat ran down her cheek, uncertain how things would go from here on out.
"So this is what they call a rebellious phase, huh," he murmurred to himself.
After thinking about it some more, Raymond faced his daughter once again. His expression was unreadable.
Or rather, in Callisto's eyes, scary.
When it all seemed like he was about to decline his daughter's request to trust her, the serious look on Raymond's face mellowed down.
"All right," he smiled at the silver-haired girl, a gentle expression. "If that's what you want, then I will allow it. I'll let my guy know that his work is done."
A short gasp escaped Callisto's lips, raising an arm towards her father as if to reach him. "Papa..."
"I know," he cut off. "Don't worry about him. I'll make sure to compensate him handsomely for his good work."
Hearing Raymond say that allowed Callisto to let out a sigh of relief, a wide smile was then plastered on the silver-haired girl's face.
"Thank you, Papa."
Raymond nodded. "It's a promise, Callisto. If something happens or if you feel sickly, you will let me know right away, got it?"
"Yes! I will!"
"Also," Raymond added. "Don't tell Phillip about our conversation today, okay? Otherwise, he won't stop asking me why I agreed to it."
"I understand," Callisto approaches, opening her arms wide and wrapping it around her father. "Thank you, Papa. I love you."
Raymond placed a soft kiss at the top of Callisto's head, her cat ears jerking affectionately at the warm gesture.
"I love you, too, Calli."
* * *
While the father and daughter conversation was going on, stuck in a rather troublesome traffic was Adela.
The mother had been trying to contact Raymond for a while now, hoping that her husband could help her finally confront her daughter after a long while of avoiding Callisto.
But due to unfortunate coincidence, Adela's phone's unstable reception, she could not make any calls at all.
"Why now?!"
Adela groaned in frustration as she slammed her smartphone against the front seat next to her.
The cause of the traffic seemed to be due to a collision between an SUV and a jeepney. Luckily, it wasn't a violent collision and no one was really harmed badly.
Though of course, that was the least of Adela's concerns right now.
"Damn it," she cursed under breath, gritting her teeth as she sounded her car horn. "Move it!"