Mona went upstairs. The entire floor only consisted of one presidential suite, which took up half the space. The other half was the entertainment room and the children’s playground prepared for the guests. The door was unlocked, and Mona could hear the kids’ laughter and noise inside. She went inside and saw Bobby wearing a pair of adult slippers. He had a glass of water in his hand and was leaning on the couch next to the window. Beside him was the vinyl record player, playing some jazz, and he was waving his glass along to the music. Mona found it amusing. She covered her mouth and chuckled. “You really know how to enjoy yourself, little man.” She went over and sat down beside Bobby. She then used the towel to wipe the boy’s hair dry. “Do you want a mask on your face?” Bobby’s eyes glinted when he saw his mother. He sat up straight and said, “Mommy, Millie and I were going to see you after our shower.” Mona patted the boy’s fluffy head. “How’s the zoo? Had fun?” “It’s
The man’s eyes were on the kids, but his attention was on Mona. From the moment she entered the room to when she spoke to Bobby, he had been listening to her voice. The woman must be regretting what she said earlier. How could she push a man, who loved and protected her from every aspect, away and not feel anything? He wanted to punish her for a bit, at least, for the night. Who would have thought the woman would cry in front of him? It softened his heart. Thaddeus put the hairdryer away and turned on the TV for the kids so that they could play with each other. He then turned around and saw Mona wiping her tears silently. He pocketed his hands and walked over to her. Mona sensed the warm and comforting aura enveloping her whole. She snorted and her eyes were as red as a rabbit when she looked at Thaddeus. The man looked at her silently. He looked at her pink cheeks and smiled. She was beautiful, even more so without makeup. She was beautiful when she cried and when she laug
Thaddeus went silent after he heard what Mona said. He could not feel her helplessness. He tried to understand it, but from an analytical perspective, it seemed like she was jealous of Ginny. “Ginny and I are not what you think.” Even though he knew explaining would only make things worse, he had to at least try. “It’s just a relationship of interest between me and her. It’s not what you think, and I didn’t betray you or the family.” Mona shook her head. She knew he would say something like this. A relationship of interest? The man weighed profits and losses using meticulous calculations, and telling him to cut off a relationship that would benefit him would be harder than asking him for a divorce, again. Mona curled her lips into a bitter smile. His explanation was useless to her. Thaddeus held her hand and said firmly, “You don’t believe me now, so you’ll suspect whatever I say.” “So what? Of course, I suspect you. Shouldn’t I be suspecting you after what you have done?
Millie got up on the bed and climbed under the blanket. She stretched her legs and hands to ease herself up. “I’m switching off the lights.” Bobby then switched off the lamp beside the bed. A while later, Millie’s eyes opened, and she stared into the darkness of the room. Bobby looked at Millie. “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Millie sat up and tugged her brother’s sleeve, grumbling, “Bobby, I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” Bobby got up as well. He tried to calm Millie down by saying, “Millie, I’ll sleep with you tonight. I’ll read you a story.” Millie pouted. “I don’t want to. I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” “Then, I’ll give you some snacks, but you have to sleep after that.” Millie’s eyes widened and started to glisten. “I don’t want to! I want to sleep with Daddy and Mommy!” Bobby had no idea why Millie insisted on sleeping with their parents, but he could not bear seeing his sister cry, so he compromised. “Fine. Get your pillow and we’ll go next door
“Millie, aren’t you tired?” Millie shook her head. “I’m not tired at all. Millie is happy because I can sleep with Daddy and Mommy.” Mona’s chest tightened when she saw the silly girl’s reaction. How could she be so happy just because she could sleep with her parents? Thaddeus returned to the bed and sandwiched the kids in between Mona and himself. He looked at the two little rascals, and with the dim light from the lamp on their faces, it felt harmonious and peaceful. The sight of his family was calming. Mona put her hand on Millie’s belly and patted it softly. “Sleep, precious girl.” She was tired already and could not keep up with the girl’s energy levels. Millie pulled her hand out from the blanket and held Thaddeus and Mona’s hands tightly. She was thrilled. “Daddy and Mommy cannot be separated again,” Millie said with a happy smile. “Our family will always be together.” “Of course. No matter what happens, we won’t be separated,” Thaddeus said as he held the girl’s
Mona gave a big thumbs-up to Millie. “Baby, remember that pride and confidence are the most important qualities of a girl. That goes for our little princess.” Millie’s eyes glinted brightly and branded the words into her heart. Although she was too young to understand the meaning and had no idea what pride, an abstract concept, meant, she had grown up under Mona’s influence and education, so she also started to learn how to live a proud and colorful life. Mona and Millie waited in the yoga center for a while. Soon, the gym class was over, and the person whom Thaddeus and Bobby were waiting for came out of the classroom. Mona saw a woman with a girl, who was slightly older than Millie. The woman spotted Thaddeus and walked over to him with the girl. The woman chatted with Thaddeus. They seemed to know each other. After a brief chat, the two adults and children left the gym and headed to the restaurant. “Bobby is holding the girl’s bag! Mommy! Millie is not happy!” Bobby wa
Thaddeus said, “Then, when are you free? I can wait.” “After 9 o’clock tonight. I have time after I put my daughter to sleep.” “Great. I’ll go to your room at 9 o’clock sharp.” The woman smiled. Every action that she did spelled elegance and gentleness. She glanced at Bobby opposite her who was eating his steak. She introduced her daughter to Bobby by saying, “Nelly, this is Uncle Thaddeus’ son, Bobby. You’ve always wanted to learn how to swim, right? Bobby is good at swimming. You guys can go practice at the swimming pool in the hotel later.” The girl named Nelly responded arrogantly. She glanced at Bobby and said, “He is so tiny and he’s going to teach me swimming? Why doesn't he go back to his Mommy?” “Nelly!” the woman bellowed at her daughter. “Where are your manners? Apologize to Bobby right now!” Nelly refused. She slammed the fork and knife on the plate and started to throw a tantrum. “If you think I’m being rude, then don’t bring me out. It’s annoying!” The w
“Let’s sit down. I believe you have a lot of things to tell me.” The woman tidied her dress and sat back down elegantly. Thaddeus nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I have a lot of things to tell you, but you have what I want the most. Sometimes words don't make it, only actions can. I’ll give you a satisfactory result tonight.” The woman smiled shyly, and the expression on her face was self-explanatory. Mona saw their interaction and heard their misleading conversation. She scoffed inwardly and thought to herself, ‘Are they doing something tonight?’ She did not expect Thaddeus to be such a playboy. He had Ginny at home, and when they came back from vacation, he met another one of his mistresses in front of her! She would never forgive Thaddeus now! Thaddeus and the woman wanted to leave after having lunch, but Millie wanted to call Bobby. “Bobby brought the girl out. He doesn’t want me anymore. I’m not happy. I want to call him.” The girl grumbled and called her brother. Howe