A smile crept on my lips as I looked at myself through the mirror, wearing the white dress that Cynthia gave me. She also styled my hair in a twisted crown braid, and I seriously love it. She also insisted that I should apply light make-up to my face to highlight my features. I got my bag, which has a small tear on the left side, before I stormed out of my room. "Woah!" I smiled, seeing Greyson's reaction. He's looking at me with wide eyes. "Do I look pretty?" I asked. He nods his head fervently. "You're stunning, Cleo!" That caused butterflies in my stomach. "Thank you. You look handsome in that polo too! I'm pretty sure Sophie will feel giddy when she sees you later." He's wearing a white polo with a red bow tie paired with his khaki colored trousers. He blushed. "Cleo! She's not my crush!" "I didn't say that, though." I teased him more. "You are so mean." "Cleo?" I turned my back when I heard Aunt Esther's voice from behind. I greeted her a good morning. "You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress." A flush crept up to my cheeks. "Thank you, aunt." "At the very least, you should give me credit!" Cynthia appeared out of the blue and stepped in our conversation, carrying a white handbag. "What was that for?" I frowned. To my surprise, she pulled the bag I was holding and transferred all its content to the other one. "That's one of my personal things that I treasure the most, so you better take good care of it or else you won't see the day tomorrow," she warned me. "What's the purpose of this?" She scoffed. "Aside from your bag already has a snag, it doesn't suit the color of your dress. It ruins your attire." "I feel so pretentious today. I don't actually look like this on a daily basis," I grumbled in knitted eyebrows. "Hey, don't think of that. Just look at this as your special day, so you need to be well-dressed," Aunt Esther said. I just smiled in response. The two of them accompanied us outside. Uncle Oliver opened the door of the shotgun seat for me. "Take care on your way. Greyson, have fun." Aunt Esther reminded us. "I will, grandma." I waved my hand at them as we started taking the road. It's a good thing that we didn't encounter a traffic jam or any inconvenience along the way, so we reached the school in less than thirty minutes. The effervescent atmosphere and the ocean of colors greeted us as soon as we entered Ridley Academy. Even from afar, I can already hear the sound system coming from the gymnasium. "This looks more like a festival than a family day. This school really loves extravagance," I muttered. We let the swarm of people pass first before we entered the gate. I didn't want to huddle with that throng. Uncle Oliver accompanied us to the gymnasium. I roamed my eyes around. The venue is too spacious for the crowd because I think only the elementary students are gathered here. "I'll wait for you in the car," Uncle Oliver stated. "Don't you want to stay, uncle? There will be games later," Greyson asked. He laughed. "Your uncle is already too old for those games." We tried to convince him to stay but he was really persistent. At the end, we were left sitting on one of the benches along with his classmates. "Greyson!" Someone suddenly called his name—it's Sophie, wearing a blue floral dress along with Mrs. Madelyn. They are also with a man that I just met today. I assume that's her father. "You look so handsome with that bow tie!" Sophie flattered him. I contained my laughter when I saw Greyson blushing profusely. "T-Thank you," he stuttered. "You look pretty in your dress too." "Thanks!" She smiled sweetly. "It's good to see you again, Cleo." I averted my gaze from the two kids when Sophie's mother greeted me. "Good morning, Mrs. Madelyn." "Didn't I tell you to just drop the honorifics? It makes me feel old." I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Madelyn." She laughed elegantly. "That sounds better. By the way, honey, this is Cleo, Greyson's personal nanny. Cleo, this is Arthur, my husband." Contrary to her affable vibes, Arthur appears to be a serious person. He extended a hand for a handshake that I warmly accepted. "He's with his nanny again? Last year, this was also the same case. Where is Garren?" The smile on my face dropped. There was no trace of ridicule in his voice, but mere curiosity. I worriedly looked at Greyson if he heard what Arthur have said. I was put at ease when I saw him busy talking to Sophie. I noticed Madelyn side-eyeing her husband "Oh, sorry to ask that question. I hope you didn't take it in an offensive way, Cleo. I was just really curious because we haven't seen him at this kind of event yet," he explained. "I wasn't offended at all, Sir Arthur. Don't worry," I assured him. They settled themselves beside us. I and Madelyn were talking about some random stuff. Her husband joins our conversation sometimes. "Arthur and Garren are colleagues, actually." That came out like a bombshell. "Really?" Madelyn nodded. "Yes. They once worked on the same project. Garren is a really stern person, but we admire him because, despite his age, he had already established a name in the business world." I simply nodded because I didn't know what to reply. "But it really bothers us that he seems to be neglecting his son, Greyson." That piqued my interest. "We haven't seen him go to school even once, and I know for a fact that Greyson is affected by that. At last year's family day, Sophie caught him crying in the comfort room because Garren wasn't able to attend the event," she narrated. So it wasn't just me who noticed it. His father has been a big jerk ever since. Whatever his reason is, it doesn't give him the excuse to forsake his son! I don't know what or who can put a sense on his mind. I glanced at Greyson. I feel sorry for him, but I know that's not what he needs right now. After almost fifteen minutes, the host came up to the stage, signifying that the program is about to start. "Is everyone excited about the fun games and activities that we are going to play today?" the MC asked. Everyone chanted "yes" in unison. My lips curled into a smile when Sophie and Greyson raised their entwined hands in the air together. The host called a teacher for the introductory remarks, but I wasn't able to listen to her speech because I was too busy looking at Greyson. "Let's not prolong the excitement of our little kids. We're now going to commence the most awaited part of everyone- the game activities!" The gymnasium was then veiled with the joyous shouts from the students when he announced that "I can already feel the excitement in the air! So without further ado, let's start our first game-the paper game!" Greyson looked at me excitedly, and I smiled back at him. The host got something from a huge box on the stage. Greyson, just like every other kid, gasped when a huge teddy bear was revealed. "Cleo! Let's win the game! I want to have that!" He said while shaking my arms. I chuckled. "We will do our best." The host called everyone who wanted to join in the middle. He gave us one newspaper each. "Music, cue!" When a song starts playing, Greyson and I dance around the paper. While he's strutting his stuff, I'm just snapping my fingers. "Cleo! Don't be such a lousy dancer!" He teases me. I pouted. "I don't know how to dance. I have two left feet!" The music suddenly stopped, so we hastily got the paper. No one was moved out of the game in the first time. After ten seconds, the music once again resumes. "You don't need to be a great dancer, Cleo! Don't be shy, let's boogie!" Greyson persuades me. I was still timid and hesitant at first, but when I look around and saw that everyone is dancing as if they own the stage, I threw all my hesitations out of the window. With every pause and resume of the songs, the papers are getting smaller and more contestants are getting kicked out. This game is actually back-breaking and nerve-wracking, I must say. "Oh god!" My heart skipped a beat when Greyson almost fell if my reflexes weren't fast. "Thanks, Cleo!" He giggled. The paper that we're stepping on is already on its fifth fold, so the space is already tight, making it harder for us to balance. Only ten players are left in the game, and that includes Sophie and her father. When the song resumes for the fifth time, I put Greyson down and we continue to dance. He seems like he's walking in the air, and that's enough to make me feel blissed out. As the game resumes, only three players are left. I feel so pressured because all eyes are on us. Also, I really want to win for Greyson. "We can do this, Cleo!" He spirited me up. When an upbeat song resumes playing, we continue swaying. But this time, I'm already assessing the position that we should take in order to balance and fit within the tiny space of the folded paper. However, I wasn't finished thinking yet when the music suddenly stopped. What the hell?! Although panicking, I immediately carried Greyson while balancing on one foot. It's a great thing that he's not heavy, but that doesn't mean it's not uphill at all. From my peripheral vision, I saw one of the teams falling out of the paper, automatically pulling them out of the game. That leaves us and Greyson's classmates and his father. Beads of sweat form in my forehead when the host starts counting from one to ten. My legs are literally quivering right now! When the countdown turned to seven, our opponent suddenly fell down... "We already have a winner, everyone!" The crowd broke into a cacophony of triumphant shouts. "We won! We won!" Greyson shrieks while jumping around, celebrating. The host gave him the huge teddy bear as a prize. I couldn't stop myself from smiling while looking at him. His eyes gleaming with happiness are a sight to behold. "Cleo." "Hmmm?" He flashed a subtle yet genuine smile. "Thank you." My heart fluttered. "You're always welcome, Greyson." We went back to our seats. Sophie and her parents congratulated us. I glanced at Greyson. He can't stop looking at the teddy bear that he won. He's hugging it as if he doesn't want to lose it. This kid might not be blood-related to me. He might not be my biological son or brother. But I promise to protect that innocent smile. I don't want him to lose his happiness and vibrance.