Isabella sat up with sparkling eyes and asked, "Really?"Luther nodded and handed Isabella the neatly wrapped gift. As she began to open it, Luther became nervous. He glanced at her and said, "I didn't know what you like, so I made something random.""Did you make this?" Isabella was stunned, holding a wooden carved figurine. It was a girl in a dress, wearing a cute hairpin, resembling Isabella.Unsure if she would like it, Luther replied slowly, "Yes."Isabella could not help but gush over the little doll, smiling brightly. "Luther, this is so cute! You're so talented!""Do you like it?" Luther asked."Of course! This is the most special, favorite, and satisfying gift I've ever received," Isabella responded eagerly. Isaiah watched the scene in silence. Luther breathed a sigh of relief.Isabella, seeming to remember something, glanced at the doll and then back at Luther. "So, you didn't want to play with me today because you were making this for me?"Luther nodded. He had
Listening to Isabella's request, the words 'token of love' immediately appeared in Isaiah's mind. However, he quickly realized that these words were inappropriate for Isabella and Luther's situation and pushed the thought aside."Okay," Luther agreed.Isabella chuckled, obviously overjoyed. Seeing the two children made up, Isaiah decided not to stay any longer. He returned to his room and called Cynthia and Matthew, informing them about their plans to return the next day. After telling them about the flight time, Isaiah wanted to talk to them about Isabella, but he hesitated for a while, unsure how to bring up the topic."What's wrong?" Cynthia noticed his reluctance to speak.Isaiah asked, "Has Isabella ever watched romantic dramas with you?"He was thinking about the possibility that Isabella and Luther might have developed some kind of feelings for each other. Even though she had a great relationship with Jojo, and they even played house together, they mostly shared gifts, wh
Isaiah glanced at Joshua, suspecting that the gifts meant for Cynthia might have been tainted with some ulterior motive. As it turned out, Joshua's gifts to Cynthia did indeed contain a hint of a personal desire, just as Isaiah had suspected. However, this self-interest was not very obvious.The next morning, Joshua accompanied them on the journey back. When they reached Nexuria, it was already past 10 a.m.Upon seeing Cynthia, Isabella rushed to her and affectionately called her. After over ten days of separation, Cynthia genuinely missed her children, holding both children as they boarded the car.Joshua joined them on the ride back home.Later, they had a meal together at home, and then the three kids went upstairs, leaving Cynthia and Matthew chatting with Joshua downstairs. They began with polite pleasantries, thanking him for looking after the kids during their stay and apologizing for the children being a handful and causing some trouble. After these topics were exhausted,
Matthew smirked, saying in a relaxed, teasing tone, "It's normal to dislike your rival, but I don't dislike you.""Why?" Joshua thought he was pretending."Because I have a wife." Matthew summed it up in one sentence.Joshua was caught off guard by his answer. An impulse stirred within him, a desire he had harbored for a long time but never acted upon. He replied, "Let's settle this after the New Year with a little brawl."Matthew declined, "It's not appropriate. Our different lifestyles have already determined the outcome."After all, Matthew was a professional. Even after so many years after retirement, some things were deeply ingrained, and fighting with Joshua would be nothing short of bullying."Do you think I can't beat you?" Joshua asked calmly."Yes. You should know what I used to do. It wouldn't be fair to you. Just like how I'm no match for you in business," Matthew answered straightforwardly, also acknowledging his shortcomings.Joshua was an industry benchmark, and
"You shouldn't say it like that. What if Mr. Neal's expertise in that area surpasses mine?" Matthew suddenly blurted out.Cynthia could not quite figure out what these two were up to, so she decided to let it be. "If that's the case, you guys go ahead. I'll go upstairs and call my dad."With that, she headed upstairs, not planning to meddle in their affairs. After telling Jonathan that the kids had returned, they set a date for dinner together. Then, she finally took a moment to check on the three little ones.The atmosphere in the room felt a bit strange. Cynthia noticed Jojo and Isabella were sitting in silence, so she whispered to Isaiah, "What happened between them?""They had an argument," Isaiah answered truthfully.Cynthia was somewhat puzzled. These two kids were arguing?"Auntie Cynthia, I should head home." Jojo said as he stood up, still displaying his well-behaved young gentleman persona, "Thank you for your hospitality.""Don't you want to stay a little longer?"
The silent treatment... Cynthia felt a little troubled as she was unsure how to handle a child's conflict.Isaiah, who understood Cynthia well, said, "Mommy.""Hmm?"Isaiah, particularly knowledgeable about it, continued, "The biggest issue in this situation isn't actually what I just mentioned," Cynthia was surprised and asked, "So what is it then?""If I'm not mistaken, Jojo wanted Isabella to choose something for him to bring back personally, but Isabella asked Uncle Joshua to do it instead." Isaiah offered his perspective.Isabella asked Joshua to pick something because she could not decide. On the other hand, Jojo thought that anything chosen by Isabella herself would be the best.Hearing this, Cynthia began to understand. "I see.""Should I talk to her?" Isaiah inquired."I'll handle it. You go get some rest," Cynthia said, knowing that when Isabella was sulking, she would not pay much attention to Isaiah.Isaiah nodded in agreement.Cynthia went to Isabella's room
Isabella shook her head, saying, "No.""Everyone's personalities are different, and what matters to them may also differ. The reason Jojo got upset might be because none of the gifts you brought him were personally chosen by you," Cynthia told her directly."Does that make a difference?" Isabella was still confused. Cynthia asked her, "Which one do you prefer, the birthday gift that Mommy personally chose for you or the one I asked others to buy for you?"Isabella answered without much thought, "The one you picked."She did not mind otherwise. However, it was a big deal when it came to gifts from her parents or Isaiah.After replying to Cynthia, Isabella immediately came to a realization and exclaimed, "I get it now!"No wonder Jojo seemed unhappy when she gave him those things, and he asked if she had personally chosen them. She had told him that Joshua had picked them, and they were all the most fun toys and some tasty treats from Jiverton."Do you really?" Cynthia asked.I
Isaiah glanced at the door and spotted Jojo standing at the door, looking troubled."Jojo?" Isabella was surprised. Jojo hesitated before asking, "Can I come in?" Isabella hopped out of her chair, maintaining a friendly demeanor. "Of course, you can."Jojo walked slowly toward them. Under the watchful eyes of Isabella and Isaiah, he calmed himself down and apologized, "I'm sorry."Isabella and Isaiah were both taken aback."I was wrong before. I shouldn't have said those things that made you uncomfortable, and I shouldn't have wanted the gift you received from someone else. Can you forgive me?" Jojo admitted. Isabella had not expected the apology to come so quickly, and she nodded almost instantly. "Of course!""Thank you." Jojo let out a sigh of relief. Upon reflection, he realized that he should act more like a brother to Isabella. As her big brother, he should not be so petty, let alone say hurtful things. "Can you take these things back home?" Isabella still hoped he