Chapter 192
Zane listened patiently as Eric went over the work arrangements.
When Eric finished, Zane spoke up, “You’ve been doing great at work lately. What reward do you want? A raise, or…”
Eric’s smile almost gave him away. “A raise, of course.”
After all, no one would say no to more money.
Zane replied calmly, “Alright.”
…
Zane walked into the office with a doll tucked under his right arm and another doll in his hand. On the other hand, he held his coffee cup.
When he entered, he noticed Sasha was already gone.
“Where is she?” Zane asked in a slightly surprised tone.
After finishing my work, I stretched out on the couch, casually playing on my phone. Without looking up, I said, “She went out with friends.”
Zane walked up to me and placed the dolls on the desk. “Here. The dolls have arrived.”
I immediately sat up. “That was fast.”
My gaze fell on the dolls. This time, they were made with more care and closely matched the image I had drawn.
Even the clothes were specially customized in an elderly style.
I clicked my tongue in amazement. “Aren’t they amazing!”
“What’s our next step?” Zane still didn’t know the exact details of my plan.
I looked up. “It’s simple. First, we’ll have her talk to the dolls. Once she’s comfortable with that, we’ll hide a walkie-talkie inside. When she suddenly hears her grandparents’ voices, she’ll be shocked. At that moment…” I paused before continuing, “We’ll tell her the voices were pre-recorded. That should ease her concerns.”
I had already planned how to help Willow recover using the dolls. “Once she’s comfortable talking to the dolls, we’ll bring her real grandparents to the house, turn off the walkie-talkie, and let them speak to her directly.” After explaining, I asked for Zane’s opinion. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great plan,” Zane said. He’d never considered this method as a way to help Willow.
“If you need their cooperation, just let me know,” he added.
“Got it,” I replied casually. “You might want to set aside some time to prepare the walkie-talkies. At the rate she’s progressing, she’ll probably be comfortable talking to the dolls within a couple of days.” Zane didn’t hesitate. “No problem. I’ll take care of it.”
With the details settled, we headed to the kindergarten to pick up Willow.
…
The little girl’s parents were running late, and Willow had been patiently keeping her company without a single complaint.
It was about an hour later when the parents finally showed up. Even as we left, Willow kept looking back at the little girl, as if she were reluctant to part ways.
Once we were in the car, Willow sat in her booster seat, sneaking glances at me.
I smiled. “Do you want to tell me something?”
Willow nodded eagerly. “Mommy, can you and Daddy pick me up a little later tomorrow? I want to spend more time with my friend.”
I looked over at Zane.
He didn’t refuse. Instead, he calmly suggested, “How about we bring your friend home with us instead?”
Willow’s eyes lit up, and she almost jumped out of her seat. “Really? Can we?”
Zane reached over and ruffled her hair with a big hand. “Of course. As long as it makes you happy.”
“That’s awesome!” Willow cheered, waving her little fists in excitement. “I can’t wait to share this great news with her!” However, I stayed quiet.
Willow’s excitement faltered, and her fists slowly dropped. She lowered her head. “I still don’t know how to talk to her…”