Later that night, after dinner, Stanley was seated at his desk in their bedroom, absorbed in his work. He had no intention of stopping any time soon. His laptop screen was lit up with data and business proposals, his mind racing through numbers and decisions, but his focus was absolute.
Vivi, however, was more than a little curious. She sat perched on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs as she watched her father, not fully understanding the importance of what he was doing, but feeling the quiet, focused energy in the room.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" Vivi asked, her voice soft, but full of curiosity.
"Working," Stanley replied without looking up from the screen, his fingers dancing over the keyboard with precision.
"Why? Don't you want to sleep?" Vivi's question was genuine, her little face scrunched up in concern.
Stanley remained absorbed in his work, offering only a brief nod as a response. His mind was lost in the numbers, and he couldn't bring himself to stop—not yet.
Sensing her father's serious demeanor, Vivi decided not to disturb him. She carefully climbed onto the bed and sat quietly, observing the room around her. It was calm, spacious, and a little stark. The monochrome theme of the bedroom gave it a clean, modern look, but it was functional—minimal furniture and nothing excessive. A sofa, a small tea table, and a study table occupied most of the space, while the wall opposite was lined with books. It was clear that Stanley didn't believe in unnecessary decorations.
Her little eyes wandered, taking in the simplicity of it all. She wasn't used to such a serious, quiet space. It felt different from the chaos of the toy room she had just left.
Bored, Vivi decided to do something that had caught her attention earlier: she tried to grab one of the books from Stanley's shelf. She stood on her tiptoes, stretching for it, but the shelf was too high for her to reach. Even with all her effort, the book seemed out of reach.
She glanced at her father, but he was still engrossed in his work. A soft pout formed on her lips as she crossed her arms in frustration. But just as she was about to give up, something caught her eye—Stanley's phone. It was resting on the nightstand next to him, unguarded, and in her mind, that was a treasure chest just waiting to be explored.
Excited, she crawled over to the nightstand, her small hands reaching for the phone with the utmost care, making sure not to disturb her daddy. When she picked it up, she was delighted to see that it wasn't locked. Unlike Mommy's phone, which required a password every time Vivi wanted to play her favorite games or watch cartoons, Stanley's phone was completely open. Vivi couldn't believe her luck.
With a big grin, she swiped the screen and found herself on the home screen, exploring the phone's interface. But as she quickly discovered, Stanley's phone was a little... boring. There were no games, no cute wallpapers. It was practically a business tool. The apps were all related to work, and the background was just a plain, default wallpaper.
Vivi's excitement fizzled a little, and she sighed, tapping the screen a few more times. But then, something caught her attention: the social media app. It was the only colorful icon among the otherwise drab apps, so she clicked on it.
She was met with Stanley's social media account. Even though Stanley was a businessman and rarely used social media, he still kept an account, mostly for updates on his projects or product launches. His page was as dull as his phone—a few posts here and there about business ventures, and that was it. But one thing stood out: the number of followers.
Stanley had millions of followers. They weren't all following for his business insights, though. Some had probably followed because of his reputation, while others might have been attracted to his mysterious allure. Regardless, the number was impressive.
Vivi didn't fully understand what the followers meant, but she did notice the likes and comments on his posts. It made her smile to think that her daddy was a little famous. Even though she was too young to grasp the significance, it was clear that he was important to a lot of people.
Vivi had absolutely no idea what she was doing at the moment.
Her tiny fingers tapped away eagerly, curiosity leading her deeper into the unfamiliar world on the glowing screen. She didn't understand much of what she was clicking—just that the images moved, the colors were fun, and pressing buttons made things happen. She kept tapping until, at some point, she found herself staring at a blank white page. Then, as if by magic, the keyboard popped up from the bottom of the screen.
That caught her attention.