NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67 – Adoption [1]
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About a week had passed since Gwen, Ned, and Peter visited Sara and Prime's house. During this time, Sara continued attending school, always accompanied by Prime. By the way, Sara's group, composed of Gwen, Ned, and Peter, got top marks on the project they did together.
The week flew by, and before Prime or Sara even realized it, Saturday had already arrived. It was a day when Sara didn't have to go to school. Prime decided that this would be a good time to start his plan of creating new symbiotes that could assist him.
Although Prime didn't want to label his actions in that way, he knew that what he was about to do would only be experiments. If his hypotheses were correct, a new symbiote born from him would learn from its host to develop its own personality. This meant that, depending on the nature of the host, whether it be good or bad, the symbiote would likely reflect those characteristics. At least, that was Prime's belief.
If that were the case, Prime's plan seemed quite simple: just create hosts who were good people. The theory was that the resulting symbiotes would also be good, following the example of their hosts. With that in mind, Prime decided that adopting a child would be the first step. However, he wouldn't consider someone too young. For Prime, the minimum would be adopting someone between the ages of 13 and 15.
With these plans in mind, Prime and Sara left the apartment early. Unfortunately, Prime still didn't have a car, so they had to call a taxi to get to the nearest orphanage. Although Prime was willing to visit several orphanages until he found hosts suitable to his criteria, he sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to go to so many places.
"Honestly, I never thought I'd have brothers or sisters" Sara commented, sitting next to Prime with an ironic smile on her face.
"I never thought I'd have to take care of other children either" Prime replied, smiling slightly at Sara.
"Is it just me or did you just call me a child?" Sara asked, turning her gaze to Prime and raising an eyebrow.
"Probably just you" Prime replied, briefly looking away and noticing they were a short distance from their destination. "By the way, looks like we've arrived" he commented, gesturing outside the taxi.
After paying the driver, the taxi slowed down and stopped. As they got out of the car, Prime and Sara looked around the neighborhood. Although it wasn't exactly an upscale area, it seemed like a comfortable place to live as a family. They exchanged glances for a few seconds before walking along the sidewalk toward their destination.
"This seems to be the place" Sara commented, to which Prime simply nodded.
"First, let's go inside" Prime said, starting to walk toward the front door.
As they entered, Prime and Sara were greeted by a relatively spacious hallway, with an elegant staircase leading to the second floor. As they looked around, they heard footsteps approaching. They turned their gaze toward the sound and saw a woman approaching.
Upon noticing the two visitors, the woman briefly displayed a confused expression, but quickly regained her composure and approached them with determination. The woman then greeted them with a warm and polite smile.
"Welcome, can I help you with something?" she asked, demonstrating hospitality.
Prime noticed the sincerity in the woman's words and expressions, which was crucial. If the orphanage's children were exposed to any kind of abuse, it wouldn't be appropriate to grant them a new symbiote, which could pose a threat. That's why Prime had meticulously researched well-rated orphanages nearby.
"We've come here to adopt a child. I'm the person who called earlier to schedule a visit for this afternoon" Prime replied calmly and serenely.
Upon hearing Prime's words, the woman, who initially wore a doubtful expression, quickly seemed to recognize who he was and then made a brief greeting.
"The director informed me that you would come today. It's a pleasure to have you in our orphanage, Mr. Ryan Connor"
As soon as she heard the woman's words, Sara, next to Prime, raised an eyebrow and cast a subtle glance at him. Prime, noticing Sara's look, simply shrugged in response.
(I couldn't use Prime here, you know, it's a pretty strange name for a human to have) he explained mentally, while Sara just sighed.
"Can I know who the young lady next to you is?" the woman suddenly asked, catching Prime's attention. He hadn't really informed that he would come with someone else, so the woman's confusion made sense.
"She's a relative under my care. I hope that won't matter much when it comes to adoption" Prime replied, smiling at the woman.
Seeing the man's smile, the woman forgot for a few seconds the course of the conversation. It was the first time she had seen someone so handsome. Although some wealthy families occasionally came to adopt children, this was the first time she had seen someone so attractive.
"Are you okay?" Prime asked, noticing that the woman had stopped talking suddenly and was now just staring at him.
Hearing Prime's voice, the woman quickly snapped out of her trance and then put on a professional smile on her face.
"Everything's fine. In response to your question, it's normal for us to receive prospective parents who already have someone under their care. But as long as you can prove that you have an income that can take care of the adopted child and the current one without causing any issues, I don't think it interferes with the adoption" the woman replied professionally.
"I understand. I'm glad to hear that" Prime replied with a smile.
"Now, please follow me. I'll take you to the director's office" said the woman, turning around and starting to walk, while Prime and Sara followed her.
(You're quite popular, huh?) Sara suddenly commented mentally, catching Prime's attention, who raised an eyebrow.
(Why are you talking about me being popular all of a sudden?) Prime asked, not understanding the real intention behind Sara's words.
(I also find it amazing that you haven't noticed. You know what, if you ever go out with a girl, remember to take me along. You might end up on the street the next day if you go alone) Sara replied, sighing.
Although Prime didn't understand how the conversation had suddenly unfolded to this topic, he still decided to accept Sara's words. If Prime understood one thing from his previous life, it was that women were always right, even if it didn't make any sense.
As they explored the place, Prime and Sara noticed that it was well maintained and clean, and most of the furniture seemed to be new. However, Prime was confused because he didn't see any children throughout the entire journey.
"Where are the children?" Prime asked.
"They're on the other side of the orphanage. This part is reserved for the administration and the adults of the place" the woman replied.
Prime didn't dwell on the matter much, as it made sense for the children to be in classes or organized activities. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Prime and Sara finally seemed to have arrived at the director's office. After knocking twice on the door, a voice responded from inside.
"Come in" the voice said. The woman opened the door and made way for Prime and Sara to enter. As they entered, the woman also followed and closed the door behind her.
"Good afternoon, Director. I brought the visitor who would arrive today, as you instructed" said the woman.
While she spoke, Prime focused on the director. She seemed much younger than he expected, and Prime had to admit she was quite beautiful.
"Alright, Elaine, could you prepare some juice for the guest... also, bring some cookies for the child as well" said the director.
Elaine nodded and left the room, leaving only Sara, Prime, and the director.
"Welcome, Mr. Ryan Connor" said the director, turning her gaze to Sara next. "You too, little girl" she added with a smile.
The woman gestured to the chairs in front of her, indicating for both to sit down. Prime and Sara did so.
"Alright, before we begin, I would like some kind of proof of income to know if you will be able to take care of the child or children you intend to adopt" requested the director.
Prime, of course, was already aware of this, as he was informed earlier. So he quickly handed the woman a paper containing his earnings from last month. Although Prime expected some surprise, the woman handled everything quite professionally. Well, this probably wasn't the first time a wealthy person had visited them.
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