The kids should not be left out in the cold if they were Thaddeus’s. However, Mrs. Fontaine simply could not warm up to Mona. Mona merely used her skin-deep beauty to put her son under a spell. Mrs. Fontaine particularly hated Mona’s eyes, as they resembled those belonging to the homewrecker who stole the heart of Thaddeus’s father. Mrs. Fontaine loathed Mona from the first encounter. “The children must take the family name, but you can’t remarry Mona.” Mrs. Fontaine was firm on that note. “Mona can’t be an assistance to your career. Not only is she incompetent, but she will also slow you down. You should marry in your social class instead of someone who is leeching off you. She will only bring a disgrace to the family.” Thaddeus furrowed his brows in displeasure. “Mom, you’re being narrow-minded. Mona is the mother of the children. You’re killing her by taking the children away from her.” Mrs. Fontaine was livid. “What? It seems she got you wrapped around her little finger.
Bobby stood up and drew close to Master Fontaine. Appearing a little shy and reserved, the boy politely bowed at Master Fontaine. “Hello, Great-Grandpa.” Master Fontaine squeezed his cheek and uttered with joy, “Good boy. Bobby, you really resemble your dad when he was a boy. You’re too young to develop a poker face. You might become boring like your dad when you grow up. Smile more, okay?” Bobby took a glance at Thaddeus. They shared the same deadpan look. “Great-Grandpa, my dream is to become a man like Daddy. A man should keep a straight face to be a qualified leader.” A certain man in a corner took delight in Bobby’s words. Although he did not show it on his face, his lips curled ever so slightly. It was a proud moment for Thaddeus. Even more so than when he closed the deal on a multimillion-dollar project.“My. Look at your son. That’s some great insight coming from a child. He shows more promise than you two.” Master Fontaine looked at Mona and Thaddeus with a smile be
Flashing her pearly whites, Millie nodded her head and grabbed Thaddeus’s hand to put on her heart. She said, “This spot here missed you the most, which means I missed you lots and lots.” The comment made Thaddeus’s heart melt. He dabbed on Millie’s nose and uttered in a raspy voice, “My good girl.” “Mommy, where have you been the last few days?” Bobby turned his attention to Mona. His keen eyes picked up on the ligature marks on Mona’s wrists.Bobby jumped off the sofa and grabbed Mona by the wrists. Tension ran along his little face. “Didn’t you say you were away on business? What are these injuries? Who did you get in another fight with?” “Oh, I got the marks from retrieving my baggage after I got out of the plane. I wasn’t paying attention and hurt myself.” Pretending as if nothing had happened, Mona withdrew her arms and knocked on Bobby’s head. “Can you not put me on the spot and lecture me in front of your great-grandpa and others? Hmph. I think someone is asking for
Dinner was set at a nearby restaurant in the neighborhood. The place was crowded since it was dinnertime. Seeing that there were no tables available, Mona was ready to move on to another restaurant when the restaurant owner became solicitous at the sight of Thaddeus, who had just arrived after parking the car. “Mr. Fontaine, what a wonderful surprise. I can’t believe you would dine here. You should have informed me in advance, and I would have gotten a table set up for you.” Thaddeus narrowed his eyes at the man while digging through his mind for information on him. If Thaddeus remembered correctly, he had met the man at a business dinner. The man was the PR manager of a food and beverage company. Their interaction had ended after the business dinner since Thaddeus was not close to him.Thaddeus courteously smiled. “We’re only having a family dinner. I wouldn’t want to trouble you.” “So they are your family, Mr. Fontaine. You should have said so. We’re usually full at this ho
Mona put her cup down before glancing at Thaddeus and Master Fontaine. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that as well. Do you have any suggestions?” A child’s education was a crucial part of their lives. She used to worry a lot about providing her kids with the best education, but things were no longer the same now. With Thaddeus’s status and resources, he would be able to provide some of the best, if not the best, education for them. A lot more choices we now available to them. “In my opinion, send them to an international school from elementary to high school. After that, send them abroad to train them to be independent. That’s how all the children of the Fontaines were brought up.” “I had a similar thought as well. Send them to an international school first. As for studying abroad, we can discuss that with the kids once they’re older and let them decide if they want to further their studies.” The grandfather and grandson talked about many things. From the kids’ education
Thaddeus, aware of Master Fontaine’s persistence, no longer tried to dissuade the man. “If you insist, sure, but aren’t you afraid of being too tired? You would be traveling from Worchester to Oakfield with two kids. It’s not a short trip.” “It’ll be fine. Just arrange for more men to come along. I’m old. How many more times can I go back to Oakfield? Bringing the two kids along for once will make up for my regrets.” Master Fontaine sounded sentimental, and the emotion spread to Mona. "Grandpa, don't say that. You can still go back to visit the ancestor's grave, and if you don't mind, I'll let Bobby and Millie follow you every year. Even after they attend primary or high school or enter a rebellious stage, as long as you don't mind, I'll let them follow you.” “Mona, you really know how to make me happy.” Master Fontaine stroked his beard, cackling with laughter. “Bobby and Millie are good kids. I don’t think anyone would dislike them. I’d like for them to accompany me.” As
“Okay…” Master Fontaine was rendered speechless. He then turned to Mona and the kids playing happily at the mini playground. A heart-warming smile appeared on his face. “Thaddeus, do you know why I insisted on bringing the kids back to Oakfield with me?” Thaddeus wiped his mouth after finishing Mona’s leftovers. He glanced at his grandfather and said, “Because you are a proud man, and you want to look good in front of the extended family by telling them you have a pair of great-grandchildren?” Master Fontaine chuckled. “You’re so short-sighted. While that’s one of the reasons, I actually did it for you.” Thaddeus was surprised. “What do you mean?” Master Fontaine said after a heavy sigh, “I’m taking the kids away because I’m trying to create space for the two of you. There are many things a couple can not say when the kids are around. I hope you and Mona can make things right while the kids are with me. It’s important for a husband and wife to have good communication.”
Thaddeus waited outside the door before Mona came back with a locked safety box. “We’ll talk outside.” Mona took the safety box to the living room and sat down on the couch; Thaddeus sat down opposite her. He was anticipating what Mona would do next. Mona keyed in the password. Click! The lock opened. She took a bank check worth ten million out of the box. It was the alimony Thaddeus gave her when they had the divorce, which was one of the many compensation she got. “Take this. It should be enough to buy the house from you.” Mona pushed the bank check to Thaddeus. Thaddeus glanced at it. He could still see his signature and stamp on it, which made him laugh. “You’re using the money I gave you to buy a house I gave you?” “What’s the problem with that?” Mona sat up straight and said confidently, “The money is rightfully mine. I can use it to buy the house, or however I see fit. There’s no problem with that.” “Yeah. Whatever you said.” Thaddeus laid his hands open.