Richard was not actually watching the adults but was using his phone.He had no concerns these days since his daddy and mommy made up. He was therefore caught by surprise when his daddy suddenly said his name, and he looked at them in confusion.Sean was smart enough to catch what John meant right then—when he was older, Richard could take over the Cranston family estate.The man certainly had brains."What's wrong, Daddy?" Richard asked in confusion just then."Nothing. Get back to using your phone." John smiled.That smile creeped out Richard somehow, as if John was going to sell him off to some slavers.But considering that he was not adopted, and his biological parents had no reason to actually sell him, he shrugged and continued poring over his phone."How about that?" John asked for confirmation.Sean nodded begrudgingly—it was certainly not difficult.The reality was that Sean himself had no intention of abandoning the Cranston family estate easily since it was his gra
Cordy asked, "Should I know?""Well, no," John said, not giving a direct answer. "But I was sure you could guess it."Cordy frowned—guess? Guess what?!Was it even possible that Patrick and Sean shared some unspeakable secret… Hold on!Cordy was taken aback, staring at John as a certain idea started to take root.John chuckled—he knew his wife was smart enough to figure it out.-Meanwhile, they arrived at the exceedingly luxurious private hospital where Jesse Cranston was admitted—it was only natural that he stayed at such a place.As they alighted, Cordy was staring between Sean and Patrick, not quite understanding it just then."What's wrong?" Sean asked, frowning and left a little perplexed by Cordy's fixed stare."Nothing," Cordy replied as she came to her senses and followed him into the hospital.There was an indescribable tension every time she came.To think that her grandfather was still bedridden… Suddenly, she felt a big warm hand grasping hers, and she looked
And the future was right in front of them.Everyone stayed at Jesse's ward for a while, and Cordy's eyes were still red as they left.She must admit that she felt relieved like never before, as if she really bade farewell to the past and made peace with it after telling her grandfather that John was there with them, alive.And she would always allow John to be in his life, always.Returning to Cranston Hall, John was leading Cordy to her room to get some rest when she said bluntly, "I'll rest later. You can go to our room for now—I want to talk to Patrick."John naturally knew what they would discuss, and Patrick agreed to it cheerfully.The last time they met was at their botched wedding—others aside, the two of them were still business partners, and they should not stay away from each other forever."Okay," John said simply."I'll take you to your room," Sean offered, letting Cordy and Patrick be alone.After John and Sean left, Cordy and Patrick headed to the tearoom outsid
Patrick sighed feebly when he saw Cordy's reaction. "Like I said, you'd have trouble accepting it.""It's not like I can't… but isn't that too quick?!""So, you can't." Patrick shrugged."I thought you're normal again…""And you consider myself and your dear cousin abnormal?" Patrick snorted, a little upset.Cordy pursed her lips. "No, I can respect anyone's preference—what I mean was you changed your heart a little too quickly, and not only that, but you changed your preference too!""But I never did change my preference. I just happen to love you too," Patrick said. "You're the only woman I ever loved."Cordy felt an aching on his chest, still guilty toward Patrick. Naturally, she respected Patrick's preferences, and she believed gender was irrelevant when it came to true love.But ultimately, in the big picture, going with the flow would grant further recognition from society. Most importantly, Patrick and Sean were important people—and she more or less cut off Patrick's w
Cordy had just picked up her teacup and was taking a slow sip—Patrick's words almost left her spitting it out.Patrick frowned and asked in confusion, "Aren't you worried?"Cordy considered it—but John had always been straight…"You don't really understand how amazing those two men really are," Patrick said solemnly. "You should know how incredible John is even without rose-tinted glasses. Others aside, I very much have no argument even if I lost you to him.""As for Sean…" Patrick trailed off, embarrassment showing on his face for once. "He's a real keeper only after I really got to know him.""Really? Is he that amazing?" Cordy was skeptical."Are you doubting your cousin's charisma?" Patrick demanded, clearly upset.Cordy raised a brow—here he was, defending his belief again!"Anyway, I'm going. I have to check out what those two are up to!" Patrick said and left.Cordy watched as he left really urgently right then, afraid that Sean would be stolen.She sighed feebly, thou
John grinned. "Don't worry. I'm quite straight."He could admit that it felt a little pleasant to have Cordy face those mini paranoid episodes—it only meant that Cordy was concerned that someone would take him away from her.But if there was anyone in the world who could tempt him, it was Cordy."I didn't think that Sean would be…" Cordy trailed off again, unable to finish her sentence.She could accept Patrick being that, since they were unrelated and she knew about that for a while.But her cousin was always so masculine, and yet…John chuckled. "Well, I am grateful for Sean's role."If it was not for him, Cordy would probably be still trapped with guilt toward Patrick."That's schadenfreude," she huffed."You have to admit that they make a good pair.""I…" She refused to admit that."Go to sleep already," John said, not pressing the issue just then. "You must be sleepy since we had to wake early for our flight."She could take her time to accept the reality anyway.When
Cordy decided that John was dressed in a manner too loose and tempting, and she went to stand in front of him, buttoning his shirt.John blinked, his lips curling up into a smile."Done," Cordy said, leaving just the collar button free, and looked up to see that meaningful smile on his face. Cordy naturally knew he was smiling because she was being possessive.Actually…Alright, she could admit she was possessive, and she was really a little concerned with two rivals in the house.One would never have been able to tell that of the four people in the house and three of them men, she was in the end the least threatening.It was just ever so slightly upsetting to know that.As they headed downstairs, they found Sean and Patrick sitting on the parlor couch.Sean was reading a newspaper, while Patrick was watching TV.They were not being particularly intimate, but there was an indescribable sense of harmony between them—probably like domestic bliss.Once Cordy and John arrived,
Cordy said nothing else—she could trust John that much since he raised Richard as a child and he knew the boy.However, she turned toward Sean. "Won't others feel discontent with passing the family estate to Dicky? It is a lot of money and power.""Leave that to me," Sean replied confidently.Cordy frowned—it almost felt like she was being paranoid, since between Sean and John, they could handle anything in the world."Don't worry," John assured her. "It'll all be alright when the time comes."Cordy nodded—since they could handle it between them, she had no reason to overthink this.She felt a sense of security that welled from the bottom of her heart and felt for the first time that she could rely on them without any concern.The dining table was a place of harmony until Sean's phone rang. "Hello."His expression was grim as he answered it, and the others could not help looking at him, sensing that something serious had happened.Still, Sean's reaction kept changing, and th