Chapter 184 - I will resign from work (1/2)

After all the guests left, Finland and her small family stayed in the large dining room. Caspar tried to lighten the atmosphere by inviting Aleksis to play. He did not want Finland to be constantly worried. They only had 10 days left.

”You are the most beautiful princess in the world... You know that, right?” Caspar asked, kissing his daughter's hair. Aleksis smiled broadly and nodded. Caspar turned to Finland, who was staring at the father and daughter duo in amazement, and smiled thinly, ”Do you still have to work? I can take care of Aleksis.”

Finland suddenly remembered that the report she was working on had yet to be completed and sent to her office in San Francisco. It was 3 pm in Germany, which meant that it would soon be office hours in America. Tony must be waiting for the report she was writing.

”Uhm... I still have some work to do. Don't you need to work?” Finland returned the question.

”I just work for fun, like I always say, the company can go on without me, especially if there is someone like Stanis who oversees everything. Right now, what makes me happy is spending my time with the both of you. I don't need to work...” Caspar replied while shrugging.

Finland remembered how Caspar used to love work and never left his laptop, even when they were together. The only time she could remember when he did not touch his laptop was when they were on their honeymoon in Spain. She never expected him to change like this...

”You've changed...” Finland said with a smile. ”Now you are no longer jealous, no longer a workaholic, and you have become more understanding...”

”Hey... our three-year separation taught me that there is nothing more important than family. I will not exchange you for anything...” Caspar said in his defense. ”If you prefer me to be a workaholic like I used to be, I can go back to work.”

”Ahahaha... no, please don't... I like you this way. I will send my report and take care of all my responsibilities in LTX. After our business is settled, I will resign from LTX.” Finland hurriedly approached Caspar and kissed him. ”You're right, right now there is nothing more important to me than you and Aleksis...”

”And our other children in the future,” Caspar added, smiling mischievously. Finland laughed at that. Caspar looked at her with relief. He managed to make this girl laugh again, after several tense days.

”Alright... I'll work first. What are you going to do with Aleksis?” Finland asked him.

”I'll bring her canoeing on the lake. I think it would be fun to go to the lake. In these months there are still many swans playing in there. We can go and feed them.”

”Oh... that sounds really fun...” Finland pursed her lips with envy. She had to work while Caspar and Aleksis could have fun. But she had no choice. She must complete her responsibilities to LTX before she could resign.

After Finland disappeared into the study, Caspar took Aleksis' hand and guided her to the lake behind the castle. The yellow and red leaves that filled the path interested Aleksis very much, so she stopped occasionally to collect the beautiful leaves. Caspar patiently waited for her and explained about the different types of leaves one by one.

”Uhm... Daddy don't know that type of mushroom,” he said when Aleksis pulled a mushroom from the ground and held it up to Caspar, ”Laurier is a great botanist. Later when he comes here, you can ask him.”

Next Aleksis pulled out a worm from the ground and brandished it, making Caspar laugh.

”Jeez... aren't you disgusted at seeing worms? What a strange child...” He ruffled Aleksis's hair. ”This must have been Lauriel's influence on your upbringing.”

Their journey to the lake took a very long time because Aleksis often stopped to ask about this and that. Caspar could not believe how patient he was to this little human. He was not a naturally patient person, but it seemed that to the little girl, his well of patience had no bottom.

They finally arrived at the lake and both happily entered the boat and drifted on the lake. They spent hours singing and feeding the hundreds of swans swimming and lazing in the lake.

Caspar felt truly grateful that he could be reunited with his family, even though they were still facing some serious problems due to Katia's actions. He was very happy to know that Aleksis was his child. He no longer needed to be jealous of Jean nor Lauriel, because Finland was his own, and they had a child together.

He imagined that if all these problems were solved, they would retreat to a beautiful place and live happily together. He would then suggest to Finland to have more children, who would fill their homes with silly questions about leaves, fungi, worms, and various other animals. Maybe they would also raise some dogs and rabbits.

They would travel around the world together and explore various countries. He couldn't wait to show Finland his favorite places on earth. Seven more years, when Aldebar returns, Finland would get her immortality potion and they could live happily ever after. Those beautiful thoughts brought a genuine smile on his face.

***

In Caspar's study, Finland was preparing a conference call with her team in the Market Research department. She had sent her report and they would hold a one-hour long-distance meeting to discuss the progress of their project and coordinate on the next project.

They decided to use the Zoom platform, and at the appointed time everyone came online. Finland had not attended a meeting like this in a month, because when she was in the Amazon and in France, her communication with her office friends was limited to only e-mail when she got an internet connection. She had not had the chance to contact them at all while in Singapore.

”Heyy... Finland!! How are you? You haven't been in the office in more than 2 months! How long are you planning to work part time?” Lucia asked as her face appeared on the screen. ”We already miss you.”