My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 543

The VIP entrance hall was nearly empty, with just a handful of people milling about. When Emily Blair and Tristan Davis walked in, the little girl had already made it to the ticket checkpoint—just two people stood between them.

After they passed through the gate, Emily spotted the little foreign girl pouting, clutching a zoo map in her small hands. She tapped a spot on the map with her finger, her voice piping up with an adorable insistence.

"I want to go here! How do we get there? Hurry up, take me!"

Her bodyguard crouched down to look at the map, sounding both patient and a little weary. "Miss, that's a bit of a walk. If we go on foot, it'll take maybe half an hour. Why don't we wait for the shuttle and catch a ride instead?"

The girl scowled, clearly displeased. "How long do we have to wait for that?"

The bodyguard hesitated. "Uh, let me ask one of the staff here—"

"Around three minutes. The next shuttle will be here soon."

A woman’s voice chimed in unexpectedly. Instantly, the bodyguard stood and turned, eyes sharp with suspicion. "Who are you?"

The little girl glanced over, curiosity lighting up her face.

Emily smiled, switching to English. "Sorry, I don’t mean any harm. I just wanted to let you know."

The girl tilted her head, scrutinizing Emily. "How do you know it’ll be here in three minutes?"

Emily pointed to the sign behind her. "There’s a schedule posted over there. This is the fourth shuttle of the day, and this zoo is famously punctual. Even if there’s a delay, it won’t be more than five minutes."

The girl’s mood brightened instantly. She bounced on her toes, her voice bubbling with excitement. "Then let’s wait here! Just three more minutes and I’ll finally see the pandas!"

The bodyguard double-checked the information and finally relaxed a little, though he still kept a protective eye on Emily. "Miss, let’s wait over there in the shade."

"I wouldn’t recommend that," Emily said gently.

A quick headcount told Emily and Tristan they’d just make it onto the shuttle.

The little girl, now cradled in her bodyguard’s arms, was fiddling with something inside her backpack. After a moment, she pulled out a small panda-shaped pin and held it out to Emily, her chin raised in a gesture of pride.

"This is for you," she announced.

Emily was caught off guard, pleasantly surprised as she took the pin. "For me?"

The girl nodded solemnly. "You helped me. My dad says I should always be grateful. So this is for you."

She was such a sweet child, her lively expressions and innocence softening something deep inside Emily. She closed her fingers tightly around the little pin.

By her estimate, if Daisy were born at the same time in this life as she had been in the last, she’d be about the same age as this little girl right now.