"Papa Lucas! Canis!" Sky jumped up and down while waving her hands.
Recognizing the voice, the German Sepherd dog barked. A second later, it ran like an arrow."Canis!" Sky greeted her beloved friend with teary eyes. Her mouth kept laughing. When Canis arrived in front of her, she immediately bent her knees to give a warm hug."Canis! How are you? I really miss you. Did you come alone? Aren't you with anyone else? Felis, Gigi, and Gusi must be jealous of you."Then, while stroking Canis' head, Sky looked at him longingly. "Oh, why are you so skinny? Don't you eat much? Did Uncle Green and Mr. Arai feed you too little? You should ask for more if you don't have enough food. Bark and go circle around the plate. They'll understand."Canis seemed to be listening carefully. His gaze didn't leave Sky for a second. His lolling tongue and rapid breathing conveyed excitement. Seeing that, Sky hugged him again."Oh, Canis."Don't you miss me? Why do you want to hug Canis but don't want to hug me?" Lucas said.Sky widened at the question. She looked back. Doubt filled her lungs. "Papa, can I hug Papa Lucas?" A part of Ed's heart felt relieved hearing that. Didn't it mean Sky understood and cared about his feelings? "Yes, Baby." Sky's smile widened again. "Thank you, Papa." When Sky hugged him, warmth immediately enveloped his heart. Those little hands had often hugged him back then, but why was the impression different now? Her laughter, too, felt tickling and aroused sadness. "I miss you too, Papa Lucas. But Papa Edmund said we would visit you later when you weren't angry anymore. So, I wasn't sad. I patiently waited until you or Uncle Green invited us to the forest house. Every night I always pray. I want to meet Felis, Gigi, and Gusi too. How are they? Are they skinny like Canis?" Lucas' eyes filled with tears when he
"Don't you feel guilty towards Rachel?" Alice raised her forehead. "You said you really loved her, but why did you replace her so easily?" While Lucas froze, Alice lowered her gaze. Her eyes suddenly became droopy and dim. "All this time, I felt guilty towards her. I felt like I had stolen her husband's attention and affection." "No, Alice. Don't feel that way. I—" "So you don't feel bad about her?" Alice interrupted with shaking eyes. Lucas fell silent again. Cold sweat beaded on the back of his neck. "You make me even more afraid of you, Lucas," Alice continued quietly. "Rachel is your legal wife. Even though she is gone, you should still respect her, but why are you chasing me—someone else's wife?" "Rachel died a long time ago. It's been over five years." "Your love is that shallow?" Lucas's denial was again refuted. He turned around for a moment, put his hands
Realizing Sky's fear, Canis walked over to her. He stood near Sky, hoping that the little girl would feel safe again. But when Sky was just stroking him, Lucas shouted, "Canis, let's get out of here." He walked quickly towards the yard. Unexpectedly, the brown-black dog did not follow. Realizing that, Lucas stopped and turned around. "Canis?" Instead of approaching Lucas, the German Sepherd dog sat beside Sky. Seeing that, Alice was flabbergasted, Sky bit her lip, while Lucas sighed in disbelief. "Canis? Seriously? You too?" The man laughed bitterly. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes. His head shook in disapproval. "Even Canis chose to leave me. Why? Why doesn't anyone want to stay with me?" Hearing the muttering, Sky started to pout. She looked at Canis for a moment, then looked up at Alice. As expected, her mother was also at a loss for words. Her face showed pity. "Mama, should I
Sky flickered for a moment. "Let's stick to the plan, Papa. I don't want to postpone any agenda. So later, when we meet Canis again, I'll have a lot to tell." Edmund nodded slightly. After rubbing Sky's cheek, he stood up. "Well then, wash your hands and face again. You just hugged Canis. We don't know when he last bathed and where he's been in the last few days. He could bring a lot of germs." "Okay, Papa." While Sky ran towards the back door, Edmund turned to face his wife. "Are you okay?" Alice took a deep breath and slipped into Edmund's arms. "I feel bad for Lucas. I owe him a lot, but I can't give him anything." "There's nothing we can do, Alice. That's his fate. Let's just pray that he'll be strong and can move on from you quickly. He needs to learn to make peace with himself and reality." Alice nodded in agreement. When their eyes met, Edmund stroked her cheek. "And thank you for staying by my side. I promise, I will always app
Elizabeth quickly waved her hands and let out a laugh. "Of course not. Why do you think that? Do we look like bad people?" Meanwhile, Giselle returned her hands to her lap. "You should know,Mister—excuse me, what's your last name?" Lucas snorted faintly. "Palmer." "Mr. Palmer, what happened to Alice was not an accident. It was intentional. She was heartbroken after finding out about my relationship with Edmund. That's why she acted recklessly." "Then what does it have to do with me being here? What is your purpose in calling me?" Lucas shifted his gaze to Elizabeth. "You mentioned help earlier. Please explain." Elizabeth took a deep breath, but Giselle had already answered. "We need your help to separate Alice from Edmund. Isn't that what you want? We have the same goal." Lucas let silence freeze the air. After one blink, he snorted. "What makes you guys think I'll help?" "Don't you want Alice
As the sun went down, Edmund, Alice, and Sky moved to the camping area. So once night came, the tent was already standing perfectly. "Oh, so this plateau was uplifted by tectonic activity, but the Colorado River wasn't? That's why it remains at the bottom of the canyon?" Sky asked with round eyes. Edmund stroked his chin. "Yeah, something like that." "Then each layer on the canyon wall is from a different era? The lower it is, the older its age is? The bottom one is a billion years old?" Sky's head rose even higher, just like her tone. "Yes." Sky's amazement wafted quickly into the air. "Wow! I don't know how long a billion years is. But I guess, it's a very long time! Dinosaurs might have stepped on it. If that's the case, let's trample the ground around here, Papa. Our footprints should also be immortalized in this layer. " Sky started jumping around Edmund. "Come on, Papa. We can't lose to the dinosaurs. Even
"Grandma, do you want to see my photo again? This was taken in the same place as the previous photo of Mama and Papa. Only, it's just me and Grassy. I also took a photo with Mama and Papa, but it's there." Sky pointed at a servant. Elizabeth chuckled. She accepted the picture, studied it briefly. "You know what? When he was still little, your father also took photos here." "Is it true?" Sky's eyes widened. "Yes, I had it on my phone, but yesterday, it was accidentally deleted." Elizabeth glanced at her daughter-in-law. "Alice, do you still have the photos you sent me? I want to show them to Sky." Alice's eyes widened. "I've also deleted it, but I think I have the backup. Do you want me to get it back? But you still have to wait a moment because my phone is in the bedroom." "Why not just look straight from the album?" Edmund frowned. "That's more practical." Elizabeth fell silent for a moment. She must choose a r
Instead of giving the envelope, Lucas opened it. Sky's neck stretched, waiting for its contents to be taken out. However, before Lucas had time to pull it, an employee came. "Mr. Hills, I'm sorry. Could you come to the lobby please? There's something important you need to handle immediately." Edmund's brows furrowed. "What is it?" The employee glanced at Lucas for a moment. Worried that the company's secret would be exposed, he leaned closer to Edmund's ear. "Miss Williams came to renegotiate the deal. She brought a new offer and also the contract. We refused her arrival and explained that your decision was irrevocable, but she insisted." "Just drag her out," Edmund said casually. The employee frowned. He bowed again. "The problem is ... she came with journalists. She threatened to spread negative news to all television stations if you rudely refused. She lied to the journalists, telling them that today we had a