Lena chuckled softly before picking up the phone call. After a brief conversation with Alexander, she returned to sit across from Chris, savoring the meal he had prepared."Was it Alexander? What did he say?" Chris asked.Lena smiled, not directly addressing his question. "What do you think a boy his age worries about?""Hmm..." Chris pondered. "When I was his age, I had endless classes every day.""Really?""Yes, the Hamertons were quite strict with us kids. My parents were somewhat more lenient, but Zuko and Toph had it even tougher."Especially Zuko, groomed as the future heir to the entire Hamerton Group. The elders had big expectations, and he had been meticulous from a young age. Such an upbringing shaped a highly qualified heir but robbed him of childhood joys."You gain some, you lose some," Chris mused. "Life can't always be perfect, and not every moment is delightful. We're quite fortunate, really. Many people can never hope to reach our starting point in their entire
Zuko had told him that Zephyr often faced tricky questions from Cordelia when they were young. Even after Zuko got married, Lina didn't spare him from those questions. Now, it was his turn!It seemed like the fate of Hamerton men, an inevitable part of their lives no matter how hard they tried to avoid it!"No, no, I... How could I possibly… With her... She..."Chris grew flustered and sweaty, and Lena couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. She burst into giggles.She enjoyed the food. That evening, she finally let go of the past and started anew.-Winter passed, and spring arrived.Bianca and Drake had faced the consequences. Bianca, in particular, brought disgrace upon the family and was shunned by the entire Mosleys.Fleur paid no attention to Drake's nonsense at the event. However, the power of rumors was relentless, and this incident became widely known within their circle.Despite that, Fleur, true to her character, fiercely defended against the gossip.She often
Elijah and Kasey stood outside their daughter's hospital room, gazing at her. Nala used to be full of life, but now she was frail and weak. Their hearts ached terribly like they had been crushed.A doctor approached with the latest test results.Kasey couldn't find the strength to look up, and Elijah hesitated but finally asked, "What do the results say?"The doctor sadly shook his head.Elijah clenched his lips, tears welling up in his eyes. Over the past few months, they had reached out to every possible relative, including the Chriss and Patton families, for compatibility tests, but none had matched. The latest test involved a distant Chriss relative.Elijah leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in pain while Kasey covered her face and wept.The doctor sighed and tried to console them, saying, "Ms. Nala's condition is currently stable. We can keep searching in the bone marrow registry, but it may take time.""What if we have another child?" Elijah suddenly asked. "I've
Elijah and Kasey had never been so close since their marriage."Elijah, I beg you..." Kasey grabbed his clothes. "I can't lose Nala. I want her to live well. I know you have many grievances about our marriage, and I've done things that embarrassed you. But as long as you find your brother and he goes for testing, Nala will have a glimmer of hope, right?"As long as there's even a glimmer of hope, I won't give up!"Elijah, have some pity on me! Πity me as a mother, okay?"Kasey was sobbing, and Elijah found it hard to breathe, feeling like his heart was being shredded."With your family's influence, finding someone should not be difficult! If not, my father can also help."Elijah remained silent for a long time. He then looked into her eyes and said softly, "Kasey… It's... It's not my brother.""What?""That illegitimate child back then was a girl. In other words... Nala really has an aunt!"-Lately, Zuko had been feeling a bit depressed.His daughter was nearly a year old,
Zuko felt somewhat surprised after reflecting on the past few months. There had been no news from Elijah for about three or four months, and it turned out he was searching for someone."Do you know who he's looking for?" Zuko asked.Toph grinned and replied, "Why? Are you interested?""I'm not interested at all!" Zuko responded earnestly."So, you want to gossip about it?" Toph teased. "I didn't expect you to enjoy gossiping, too!"Zuko was about to protest, but Toph beat him to it by handing him a bear headgear."You... be a bear!" Toph declared with determination. "Entertain your daughter as a bear, and then I'll gossip about this with you!"Rolling his eyes, Zuko reluctantly put on the headgear and costume. He then hurried over to Persephone, raising his "paws" and letting out a playful roar.-Upon returning home, Zuko shared the matter with Lina."What? He's searching for... an illegitimate daughter?" Lina exclaimed."Yes," Zuko confirmed. He removed his suit, massaged
"Huh?" Lina had yet to react when she was pressed down on the bed by Zuko. With a blanket covering them, they began their progress for a mini version...-Chris went to Lena's place early in the morning after buying groceries.Lena was enjoying a rare weekend, still in bed. Chris stood at the bedroom door and watched the sun rays shine on her through the window, making her look like she was gilded. Her lips were slightly parted as if she was murmuring in a dream.Chris smiled and placed the groceries in the kitchen. He then approached Lena and gently kissed her forehead. Lena slowly opened her eyes and nuzzled into his embrace like a cat."Why did you come so early?" Lena asked."Alexander mentioned he's coming for lunch, so I got the ingredients early," Chris replied.Lena chuckled. "Planning to show off your cooking skills to him?" Chris grinned. "Of course! I want him to see how capable his brother-in-law is!" Lena beamed with happiness, and the gloomy days were finally o
Chris still had questions. "Why did you go to the hospital?"Alexander's throat felt dry. He drank a large glass of water and slowly began to explain the whole story. Initially, he hadn't witnessed the scene at the hospital himself.One night, he was jolted awake by a nightmare. The Nala in his dream matched the description he had given earlier. He had woken up drenched in cold sweat, shivering, unable to fall back asleep. The same dream continued to haunt him.In the dream, Nala appeared helpless, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't.Alexander's curiosity grew stronger, and he couldn't resist going to the hospital to learn more. The outcome was surprising."In the end, I really saw her," Alexander said in a hushed tone. "At that moment, she was seated in a wheelchair, with a nurse pushing her. I didn't dare approach her. I followed them until they reached her ward's door. I called her softly, and she turned to look at me. It was exactly like in my dream!"Chris and Lena were
The woman stood still, her body tense. Her golden mask, a true work of art adorned with gemstones, concealed the upper part of her face, revealing only her lips and chin. It was more than just a mask—it was a masterpiece.Elijah's expression darkened as he whispered to his subordinate, "After all this searching, you bring me this?!"The subordinate stammered nervously, "S-Sir, we hired the best private investigators in Centrolis and followed your leads. This is the result."The subordinate handed over some documents to Elijah, who flipped through them with mixed emotions. They lacked a photograph of the woman and contained only a brief life history.Sasha Harding had spent her life in Southeast Aciatic, frequenting entertainment establishments and having strong ties to the criminal underworld there. Most notably, her mother was none other than the infamous Madame Krys, a human trafficker."You're Sasha Harding?" Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Is your mother Krystal Harding?""That's co