Christina did not want to see Francis and John come into conflict. In fact, her resentment toward John stemmed from her concern for him. When she was young, John was a good father in her eyes. Only because she had a good impression of him back then, she was unable to accept that he betrayed her mother. Even though Francis was just her uncle, he cared for her in a fatherly way. Compared to the Garcias, Francis had spent a longer time accompanying her ever since she left home. “You can leave first,” Christina said. From her words, John supposed that she was trying to chase him away on behalf of Francis. With that, he got even more furious and resented Francis even more strongly deep inside. John did not want to leave a negative impression on his grandson, so he swallowed his rage. “Travis, I’m going to visit you again tomorrow, okay?” “Okay. See you, Grandpa!” John turned his gaze to Francis before he left. “Thank you for taking care of Christina all these years. I’d like
This was the first time Christina and Michael had spent time alone together since they had returned from overseas. Looking at Christina carefully, Michael said, “Sorry, Christina. It’s my fault, I caused you so much trouble this time.” “Michael, what else can you do besides saying sorry?” She turned around. “You’ve been making mistakes and saying sorry again and again, but what’s the significance of it?” “I won’t do it next time,” he answered tactfully. “There’s still a next time?” Christina gave a cold laugh. Michael was at a loss for words after being teased by her. After a while, he begged, “Christina, I want to come and visit the kid frequently. Is that okay?” “Can I say no?” Christina replied huffily. Assuming that she did not reject his request, Michael beamed with joy. “Thanks, Christina.” “Thanks for what? Michael, I’m warning you not to push your luck. I’m just letting you visit the kid. Don’t ever get any ideas.” “I’ll just visit the kid, and I won’t get idea
Michael nodded with his gaze fixed on Benny. He somehow got the sense that Benny felt a little nervous, but at the same time, he wondered if he was overthinking. Judy’s heart thumped as she watched Michael gaze at Benny. Forcing a smile, she asked, “Who’s the man just now?” Michael was stunned by her question. From what she said, the implication was that she did not know Benny. In fact, he saw the two of them greeting each other at the entrance before they entered the pharmacy just now. In the blink of an eye, it turned out that she did not know him. ‘What’s going on?’ Despite having doubts about it deep inside, Michael did not betray himself. “Mayor John’s chauffeur.” “Ah, he’s actually Mayor John’s chauffeur!” Judy answered dully, then added, “I’ve been a bit under the weather these past few days, so I came to get some anti-inflammatory drugs.” “I appreciate your hard work!” Michael knew for sure that his mother vented all her anger on Judy, who was too afraid to talk back
“Go for a test now.” Heather urged. Having been feeling dull for days, she finally heard a piece of good news. If Serena got pregnant, she would absolutely not allow Christina to be part of the Larson family. After Serena left the ward, Sophia waited for her outside. The two of them then went home together. The minute they stepped into the house, John came back as well. He asked them to tidy the house immediately and clear out the things in one room to be used as a nursery. He also asked them to hire a baby caregiver. Without having to ask John, Sophia knew full well that he did so for Christina and Travis. She felt like gritting her teeth deep down. To avoid showing her slip, she tactfully asked, “Did Christina agree to move in and stay here?” “Both of you go ahead with the decoration first. I’ll make Christina come home. Remember to decorate nicely and buy more toys.” Upon hearing the news, Miss Laura was overjoyed. “Let me tidy the room. I’ll certainly decorate it nice
“Dad, I don’t want to study abroad. I can’t bear to part with you and Mom.” Serena begged. “What? You’re just planning to stay home with us forever, huh?” Serena looked down without saying a word. Sophia instantly chipped in, “Johnny, since our daughter is reluctant to study abroad, don’t force her. I’ll make her get a job and start working sometime soon.” “The issue here isn’t about going to work, but what’s at issue is Christina. Since she’ll be moving in with Travis, it’s inevitable that Michael will come over here. In that case, Serena will always bump into him in the house which isn’t really fine. After some thought, I’d better send you abroad which will do everyone good.” Serena bit her lip. “Dad, if that’s your concern, I’ll just move out.” “You still don’t get my point. Your presence here will make Christina and Michael feel uncomfortable, so the best solution for this issue is that you go abroad.” After John made himself plain, Serena’s face was distorted with ange
John gave a hum of acknowledgment. “Pay more attention to the affairs in the family.” Miss Laura nodded. “I will.” After watching Michael leave, Judy bought some anti-inflammatory drugs and left the pharmacy as well. On his way home, she gave her son a call. “Did he suspect anything?” “Don’t worry. We have nothing to do with each other, so he wouldn’t have thought of it,” Benny answered. Judy was relieved upon hearing that. She had been hiding the fact that Benny was her son very well. The only people who knew about it were Sophia and herself. Speaking of Sophia and Judy, both of them came from the same hometown, Hoover Alley. Judy was a few years older than Sophia, and they were old acquaintances. Hoover Alley was filled with a good and bad mix. In that kind of environment, it was difficult to lead a pure life. Judy, who came from a poor family, naturally faced a lot of hardships while living there. Since young, she had helped out with her parents’ stall but earned very
Although Heather was unreasonable and had a short temper, she was heavily dependent on Judy. Judy initially planned to keep on working for the Larsons, but Heather’s temper had become so nasty that she often took it out on Judy. With that, Judy had started looking for a way out. Once she saved enough, she would leave with her son and live in an isolated place together. This time, Judy visited the pharmacy to buy some sleeping pills which she planned to sneak into Heather’s food. By doing so, she wanted to make Heather feel drowsy and consequently unable to jump on her. Unexpectedly, when she just arrived at the pharmacy, she bumped into Michael and nearly showed her slip. She was paranoid probably because she had done many bad things. She did not expose herself, yet her mind was full of anxiety somehow. She got a sinking feeling. By the time Judy got back to the hospital, Heather had lost her cool in the ward. She shouted at Judy as soon as she saw her. “Where the hell did y
“No way.” Michael rejected Heather’s request out of hand. “Why not? Travis is my grandson. As his grandma, I want to spend time with him. What’s wrong with that?” “Mom, from the way you treated him last time, do you think he’s still willing to see you?” Heather was slightly upset at her son’s rejection. She muttered, “It’s all Christina’s doing! If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have had to part with my grandson.” “Stop blaming Christina. She isn’t as awful as you think. She has mentioned that she’ll let Travis acknowledge me once he’s recovered. It won’t be an issue if you want to spend time with your grandson then.” “Did she really say that? Heather was doubtful. “Son, could she be lying to you?” “Does she have a motive for lying to me?” “Who knows? She’s such a hypocrite, and that might be a delaying tactic. Well, if I didn’t sue her for intentional assault and stop her from leaving the country, she’d probably have taken the kid abroad and gotten married to Sean.” Mi