Kara smiled wryly. "No, Little Bee. I’m just tired. By tomorrow morning, I will be fit again.""Alright then. Kids," Frank pointed to the clock on the wall, "how about you go back to your rooms? Let Mommy rest."Knowing that bedtime had arrived, the twins' pouted."Why does time run so fast? Actually, I still want to play with Mommy," Emily grumbled."We can keep playing in our dreams, Little Bee."Seeing her mother's sweet smile, Emily slowly curled up her lips again. "That's right. I hope Mommy is healthy when we meet in my dream."She kissed Kara's cheek. "Good night, Mommy."Louis also widened his smile. "Sweet dream, Mommy." He kissed Kara three times.Kara laughed softly. "Thank you, Little Bee."Then, she straightened up her back, letting Frank move. However, before Frank had time to shift, Emily held him."Daddy, you don't need to read us a story tonight. Just look after Mommy. We'll be fine."Kara and Frank flinched. Pride radiated from their eyes. "Are you serious?"Emily no
Emily blinked in confusion. Her lips pursed. "Why are you sad, Sophia? When you have children later, I'm sure they will be amazing, because their mothers are great too." Sophia shook her head helplessly. "Don't you guys know yet? I've separated from Finnic. We're no longer husband and wife." "Then, just find a new husband who is better than him. Later you can have good children too," Louis replied lightly. "Yes, you can meet another man and remarry, like Grandma Melanie and Mr. Harris. Look! They have a daughter as beautiful as Auntie Barbara." Emily cupped her cheeks and made a sweet expression. Sophia's smile turned stiff. She hoped the twins would ask why, but why were those toddlers thinking forward? "Finding a husband is not that easy, Kids. Not everyone is as good as your father." She tried to dig another hole. "Uncle Jeremy is nice and he's still single." Louis nodded confidently. "Yeah, do you need our help to get close to him? If you two get married, your children will
Sophia took Diana's hand, holding it tightly. "Don't say that, Grandma." "You don't need to defend them anymore, Sophia. Their purpose is clear. They come not to see me, but to use and insult me." Suddenly, Diana looked up. Her gaze was floating in the air. "That jerk gave me gold to prove his victory. He wanted to show how successful his life was without me beside him. He wanted me to see how happy and harmonious his family was." Diana choked. Her anger overflowed. "He must have hoped that I would accept the gold. He thought I would admit my defeat—admit everything he said. But no! I wouldn't accept anything from him. I never regretted leaving his side. My life’s much happier without him and his wealth." "Grandma," Sophia rubbed the wrinkled hand she was still holding, "I'm sorry. I really didn't know you were there. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked the twins that." "It's not your fault, Sophie. God must deliberately show me the truth so I can open my eyes. Those people a
Philip followed Diana. The old woman was walking towards the front porch. When she arrived near the pole, she gripped her chest and staggered. Philip quickly grabbed her elbow. "Grandma, are you okay?" Diana gasped. As she turned around, tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands waved, asking Philip to step back. "Please ... leave me alone. I don't want to see anyone." Her breath was ragged. "But you don't look well. Are you sick?" Philip brought his head forward, examining Diana more closely. He was now sure that her face was redder than usual. "Do you still take medicine regularly?" Diana's lips trembled even more intensely. In the past, she felt warm every time she received attention from the children he cared for. But now, her chest was burning. She became increasingly irritated. "Don't pretend to care about me. I don't need your fake attention." With unsteady steps, Diana approached a chair. She sat there with her head in her hands. Philip could only watch her in silence fo
"Conspire?" Philip sighed in disbelief. "They are your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Isn't it natural that I take them to meet you? Especially the twins. Louis and Emily are very excited to meet you." "Nonsense!" Diana's breath roared again. Her clenched hands started to tremble. "You think I don't know? You're the same as those Harper people. It's not me who has changed, Philip, but you! You're the one who's infected with cunning and greed. Don't make it worse with your charade." Philip pulled his head backward. After getting up, he whispered, "What's gotten into you, Grandma? Since yesterday, you’ve kept mentioning that Frank and Kara were acting. Now me? You think the memories I told you before were fake?" Diana gritted her teeth. She got up then started pushing Philip. "Go! I can't stand you anymore! Go!" Philip sighed in disbelief. He stepped back, just to give himself some distance. "You kick me out?" Unexpectedly, Diana raised her index finger. Her jaw throbbed.
"I'm a little curious," Jeremy folded his arms in detective-style. "How could Sophia ask you two to talk?" "She said she overheard Auntie's words." "Me?" Barbara stared wide eyed, pointing at herself. Louis nodded. "About Auntie's regret if Philip fails to claim his prize. Sophia thinks that if our relationship with Grandma is bad, Philip's mission could be hampered. Auntie will be sad if that happens." "Sophia also said that she could help us if she knew more clearly about the mission," Emily added. Frank took a deep breath, and so did the people by his side. "Everything is clear now. She must have deliberately provoked the children to talk so that Grandma would misunderstand," Philip said in a low tone. "Does it mean Sophia is evil? She's our enemy?" Emily pressed her forehead with her eyebrows. Louis' cheeks puffed up. "She claimed to be a friend, but it turns out, she trapped us. I should have not trusted her. Should we give her a lesson, Daddy?" "Louis?" Kara stroked her
Sophia's eyebrows rose. Her heart tingled. "I don't expect anything in return from you, Frank." She grimaced. "There must be something I can do for you to get the information?" Sophia exhaled a long breath, her shoulders lowered. "Okay if you insist. Today, my package will arrive. I want to make it a surprise for Grandma. So, I need your help to sneak it into the stable tonight." Frank frowned. He thought Sophia would immediately reveal the secret. Why did she even make a request? "That's the reward you need from me?" Sophia nodded. "And I'll tell you everything there." Frank's hopes crumbled. "Why not now?" "I promised Grandma to keep it a secret in this house. So, I don't want to break it here. It might sound strange but I hope you understand my reason." Frank's lips pursed. "Okay. Just call me when the package comes." Sophia had difficulty holding back a smile. Rubbing her nose, she stood up. "Well then, see you tonight. I have something to do now.""Okay." Sophia went ins
However, after a few seconds, Frank had not followed yet. Sophia quickly returned to the door. Apparently, Frank was still standing with a stack of boxes blocking his view. "How can I come in if my sight is blocked?" Sophia chuckled. "Sorry, I forgot." When she took the boxes in front of Frank's face, she lingered, letting the man inhale the spray on her wrist. "I want to arrange them on the equipment rack. Grandma will be surprised when she sees the new equipment tomorrow. Let's go there." While bowing his head, the man followed. They stopped at a corner where racks and shelves were lined up. With the help of the dim moonlight, Sophia opened the lock. "Can you help me organize the riding vest?" Sophia fumbled around, looking for a large, wet box. "Here. Open it and put them over there." "Okay," Frank's voice was mixed with breath, thin and seductive. Sophia thought the spray was starting to work, the same as what was happening to her body. For a while, they were busy with the
Philip rushed in and grabbed Barbara's hand. Before he could say anything, Barbara was pushing again. After Briony came out, Barbara breathed a sigh of relief. “Philip .... Our child has been born.”Even though his head was nodding, Philip blinked in confusion. His mouth was agape, not knowing how to respond. "Yes ...," he sighed after a few moments. Briony's cries helped him regain his senses. "Wow," Philip blinked. He bent down, stroking his wife's hair with mixed feelings. "You're so great, Babe. You can give birth that fast." Barbara smiled proudly. "Our efforts weren't in vain, Phil. I was actually scared earlier. Briony's urge was very strong. But Louis and Emily forbade me to push. I tried to hold it in until finally, I gave in." Philip sighed in amazement and disbelief. Still looking stiff, he kissed Barbara's temple. "You're amazing, Babe. I'm glad you didn't encounter any major difficulties." Philip wiped the tears from her face. "I'm happy too. But where were you? I to
"Louis, Auntie is about to give birth!" Emily rose with a high arch of her eyebrows. "You’re right! We have to take her to the hospital!" Wasting no time, Louis grabbed Barbara's hand, pulling her to turn around. "Come on, Auntie. Let's go back to the car." However, Barbara shook her head. Her face was pale, her body tense. Her feet seemed to be glued to the earth. "What's wrong, Auntie?" "Call Philip," she muttered softly. "What?" "Call Philip!" The twins flinched. After one nod, they ran towards Philip. "Uncle Philip! Uncle Philip!" "Hey, where are you guys going?" Barbara exclaimed again. The twins braked. When they looked back, Barbara was waving. "Why did you leave me here alone?" Her voice was shrill. "You told us to call Uncle Philip!" Louis shook his head, not understanding. "Yeah, but don't leave me here." While limping, she inched closer to Louis and Emily. "One person calls him. One more person, hold me!" The twins blinked. Not because they didn't understand, b
"Hello, Orion," Emily whispered as the tiny baby in the box opened his eyes. Her hand reached out, trying to reach his chubby cheek. From the other side of the box, Louis also looked inside. "Hello, Oscar." "Louis?" Emily scolded with round eyes. "Why do you call him Oscar? This is our first meeting with him. Don't make a bad impression." Louis pursed his lips. "Okay, sorry. I'm used to it. Let me repeat." After clearing his throat, he looked down again. "Hello, Orion. It's me, Louis. I'm your cousin." Emily smiled slightly and nodded. "That's just right." After giving Louis thumbs up, she waved her hand downwards. "And I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Orion." For a few moments, the two toddlers were busy observing Orion. Philip and Barbara were amused by their comments. "It turns out that Uncle Philip was right. Orion looks like both of his parents. His eyes are like Auntie's, while his nose and mouth are like Uncle's." "His chin also looks like Uncle’s, but his hair looks like
A nurse tried to calm Ava. However, the woman still shook her head, rejecting all the words directed at her. She was very weak. The pain seemed to knock out all the bones in her body. Her brain could no longer function normally. "No. I have no strength anymore. I can't continue." After taking a heavy breath, Jeremy bowed. The nurse had shifted. Jeremy had more freedom to stroke Ava's hair which was wet with sweat and her face which was flooded with tears. "Ava, can you hear me? Ava?" Their gazes finally met. Jeremy could see the desperation in those brown eyes. "I can't take it anymore, Jeremy. I can't. Let the doctor take it out. I can't take it anymore." Jeremy's chest felt like it had been torn apart. He almost choked with pain. Stroking Ava's shoulder, he shook his head. "No, I know you. You're not someone who never gives up, Ava. You can do it." "But I don't have the energy anymore, Jeremy." "There is. There definitely is." Jeremy grabbed Ava's shaking fingers. "This is f
"Look at this, Brandon." Louis placed a stack of photo paper on the table. Then, he showed them one by one to his friend. "This is a picture of Russell crying. This is a picture of him laughing. And this is a picture of Russell being angry." "Can babies get angry? Isn't he still too young to understand anything?" Brandon shook his head faintly. Louis shrugged. "I don't know about that. But when Russell sees something he doesn't like, his hands keep flapping and his mouth makes sounds ...." Louis imitated a baby's moan which made the librarian glance. "Russell also has sharp eyes, Brandon. If he feels annoyed by us, he will glare while furrowing his eyebrows." Emily touched the base of her eyebrows, checking to see if they were the same shape as Russell's eyebrows in the picture. Brandon smiled at Emily's expression. "I think he must be really cute when he's angry." "Yes!" Emily nodded quickly. "He's always cute, all the time. Louis, show him a picture of Russell in the shower."
"Oh, look at Russell, Louis. Isn't he very handsome? He's clean and smells good." Emily put her nose closer to Russell's face. When she managed to kiss that very soft cheek, she giggled holding back her laughter. She didn't want to disturb Kara who was sleeping in Frank's arms. "Yes, he is very handsome. He looks like me. Isn't that right, Grandma?" Louis raised his gaze towards the woman holding Russell. Susan smiled amusedly. "Yes, he looks like you. Only his nose is a little sharper." Louis' lips immediately pursed. His forefinger pointed at his own nose. "How sharp do you want Russell's nose to be? My nose is already very sharp." Susan chuckled at Louis' answer. "I’m just joking, Louis. It doesn't matter whose nose is sharper. What's important is that you're both healthy." Louis nodded in agreement. His hands then rose to touch the baby's feet. "Grandma, is Russell heavy?" Susan raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to carry him?" Louis glanced at Emily. "How about you try fir
"Hello, Good Boy," Kara held Russell carefully, as if the little creature was a very fragile pearl. Tears could not stop running down her face. After kissing the baby who was covered in a towel, Kara whispered again, "This is Mommy, Russell. I'm happy that I can finally hug you like this." While biting his lips, Frank also bowed. He stroked the tiny back then kissed his head. "And this is Daddy, Russell. Daddy is also happy that you are finally here." Still with a wide smile and red eyes, Frank looked at Kara gently. Before the pool of emotion dripped again, he quickly kissed her forehead. Kara closed her eyes accepting the warmth. "Thank you for giving birth to our son, Queen Bee," Frank whispered hoarsely. Kara smiled wider and nodded faintly. "Thank you for accompanying me here." "That's what I should have done a long time ago." Frank stroked her cheek before kissing her again. "Daddy, we want to see Russell too! Can we come closer?" Emily asked, jumping a little on the chai
Kara was sitting on the bed. Her head rested on the broad shoulder next to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to catch her breath."Is there any news from the Twins?" she asked quietly. Frank shook his head. His hands kept to massage Kara's fingers. "You don't need to worry about them, Queen Bee. They are independent and intelligent children. They will understand that you have to give birth soon. Let's celebrate their birthday after Russell is born, hmm?" After a short nod, Kara turned her head further. "Are you crying?" Frank's eyebrows pulled together. Moving his head away so that it would be easier to see her, he shook his head. "Why do you think I'm crying?" "Your voice is shaky, Frank." Pursing his lips, Frank took a deep breath. "I'm not crying." "Then why are your eyes red and watery?" Frank blinked firmly. "I'm not crying," he repeated with more emphasis. Still out of breath, Kara let out a laugh. Her head tilted slightly, waiting for his tears to fall. "Are you sure?"
"Hello, Brandon. Welcome to our event," Louis shook his classmate's hand. "Hello, Louis. Happy birthday. I hope you live a long and healthy life," the blonde boy said, occasionally glancing at Emily. "Thank you, Brandon. Did you come alone?" Brandon nodded. "Yes, my parents had to attend another event. So, only the driver took me here." After one blink, Brandon offered his hand to Emily. "Happy birthday too, Emily. You're so beautiful tonight." Emily shook Brandon's hand with a sweet smile. "Thanks, Brandon. You also look cool tonight. The jacket suits you." Brandon blushed. His lips twitched to suppress the excitement in his chest. "Thank you, Emily. I deliberately asked my mother to look for the best outfit. I want to look cool at this event." "Your mom has a good sense of fashion," Emily nodded before glancing to the side. "Louis, I think you should try a regular tie like Brandon. You're five years old. It's time for you to leave that bow tie behind. You should try somethin