With the night still young and fearing that they might suffer from indigestion after such a hearty meal, Patricia encouraged them to walk it off downstairs.Although it was deep into autumn and the cold wind was howling, the temperatures in the south were generally much warmer than the north. Everyone was wearing lightweight down jackets, and after a while of walking, they felt warm and toasty, not cold in the slightest.Jade curiously asked, “Patricia, how is Randy recovering?”“He's doing very well,” Patricia replied. “If the next two surgeries go as smoothly as this one, he will be like a normal child, no longer having to worry about his heart condition flaring up at any moment.”Jade exclaimed excitedly, “Does that mean he can come play at our place then? Let’s set a time and go on a trip together! Bungee jumping, mountain climbing... I heard that the Purple Mount offers paragliding from over two thousand meters up; it’s thrilling. There's also diving, skiing, and so much more...”
It was destined to be a sleepless night.The next morning, Charles's biological clock woke him up promptly at seven, as usual. He went to the restroom to wash up and use the toilet. Once everything was in order, he went to wake the little sleepyhead, Fannie.With her eyes still closed, Fannie groped her way to the restroom, where Charles had already prepared mouthwash and toothpaste for her to use directly.While Fannie was getting ready, Charles had already dressed and gone to the living room.Seeing Patricia setting up breakfast, he immediately rolled up his sleeves to help.Patricia didn't pat his head and praise him as she used to; instead, she was so distracted that her hand accidentally went into the steaming soy milk, and she didn't even notice the burn.Frowning, Charles grabbed her hand and rushed it under cold water at the tap, scolding, "Mommy, what are you thinking about? Your hand is all red from the burn. Can't you feel the pain?"At his stern voice, Patricia snapped bac
Seeing him like this, Patricia's eyes reddened and gradually misted over; to prevent Charles from seeing, she took a deep breath, holding back her tears."Let's go! After I drop you off, I still need to visit the hospital."Charles kept backing away until he was against the wall, unable to retreat further. He stopped and stared at Patricia in disbelief."You're willing to sever our mother-son relationship just to get rid of me?"Patricia’s heart was resolute as she deliberately kept a stern face, "I merely wish for you to return to the Langley family. Even if you blame me, it doesn’t matter to me. No matter what, the blood of the Langley family runs through your veins."She knew all too well that if she told Charles the truth, he would never leave. He might even feel obliged to protect her. She couldn't be that selfish, to leave a child with such danger.Catching the fleeting look of reluctance and distress in her eyes, Charles was momentarily stunned, t
Patricia clenched her fists tightly, using this to suppress the piercing pain in her heart.Just as she was about to step through the doorway, Martin's voice suddenly rang out behind her, “Wait…”Patricia paused, but still did not turn around.Martin asked, “What in the world is going on? Why are you leaving Charles with me? I promised him that I wouldn’t contest custody with you. He's always been with you, aren’t you being too cruel to him now?”Patricia hastily denied it: "I didn't abandon him, I... I just..." She paused, then with a pained expression added, "Compared to me, you can protect him better. He's just living in a different environment now. Our relationship as mother and son won't change."After speaking, without waiting for a response from the two behind her, she quickly left, afraid that lingering would only make her more heartbroken.Martin felt something was off, that there had to be an issue. He wanted to chase after her for the truth, but wi
Hearing that Charles was missing, Patricia bolted upright from the bed, her voice becoming shrill without her realizing, "What did you say? Charles is missing?"Martin blamed himself: "I had been with him all day, and just when I went back to my room to shower, he disappeared. None of the servants saw him leave, and it was only when we checked the security cameras that we spotted him. He must have avoided the servants and slipped out secretly."Patricia’s heart leapt to her throat, her fatigue swept away as she immediately jumped out of bed, "He hasn't come back, send someone to look for him at once, I'm going too, inform me if there's any news!""Will do!"After ending the call, Patricia tried Charles’s mobile phone immediately, only to be met with the notification that it had been switched off.In a panic and without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and car keys and rushed out the door.Jade had just sent Fannie back to her room to bathe and saw Patricia's
A heavy voice came from the other end of the line, "Alan has discovered through street surveillance that the last place Charles was seen is Cambridge Road. The Riverside Apartments are also on Cambridge Road. Could Charles have gone back there?""Cambridge Road?"Could it be that after seeing Randy, Charles had gone back home?As this possibility dawned on her, Patricia shook with excitement. "Hold on for a moment, I'm going to check the surveillance at home!"Without ending the call, she switched from the call screen and opened the home surveillance app.As she accessed the surveillance, she prayed incessantly in her heart, hoping that Charles had indeed returned.Alas, she was met with disappointment.Charles had not come home.A sense of boundless despair overwhelmed her.She brought the phone back to her ear, her voice filled with dejection. "No, I just checked the surveillance. Charles isn't home."Martin knew she was feeling guilty and r
Charles pursed his lips, looking at her as if she were a fool."If I couldn't notice something was off with you today, given my IQ of 180, I'd be underselling myself!" he said.Patricia: "…? Was it that obvious?"Just then, there was a 'ding,' and the elevator doors opened.Mother and son hand in hand, stepped inside.Charles continued earnestly, "I didn't notice last night, but this morning, I saw that something was wrong with you! At first, I thought you were just tired, hadn't rested well. I didn't pay much attention to it. But when you said you were giving me back to Daddy, I realized the situation was far more serious than I had thought."Patricia rolled her eyes at him, "And you cried so sadly? To an outsider, it might seem as though you had lost your parents!""…??" Charles replied helplessly, "Would anyone really curse themselves like that?"Patricia: "…??"That comparison really didn't seem quite appropriate.Charles went on, "I was t
Martin looked towards Patricia, his bottomless eyes churning with dark currents, like an enraged lion."Is what Charles said true? Did my father really look for you? Is that why all your behavior was so odd today?"He felt it was strange.Patricia loved Charles dearly, so why would she all of a sudden give him up so easily?She was clearly suffering.With her hands nervously clutching her pants in her lap, Patricia reflected on how Charles now knew everything; there was no hiding it anymore. She nodded faintly and whispered hoarsely, "Charles was telling the truth. Samuel somehow found out about Charles' existence, and a long time ago, he came to me and asked me to return Charles to the Langley family..."Martin's eyes narrowed dangerously. He was aware of Samuel knowing about Charles, so it didn't surprise him, but what infuriated him was Patricia's attitude. "So, you just agreed? What do you think Charles is? A possession to be handed back and forth? Don't