Lucy was once again repeating her daily routine—taking care of the children, tidying up the house, and reading scientific articles about childcare, only to start over again from the beginning every time.One day, Theodore suddenly announced he was coming to visit, throwing her into a flurry of activity. She had not expected Theodore to visit at this time and had no idea why.Time flew by. Lucy asked Maria to take care of the children while she went to the airport to pick up her brother.Looking at her clothes, Lucy mumbled to herself, "I think I’ve been wearing these clothes for two days now... Oh well, never mind."She quickly drove to the airport. The plane had not arrived yet, so she waited patiently. Many others around her were also waiting for people.Lucy stood there, feeling a bit tired. She had no makeup on and did not have time to change her clothes. Thankfully, she showered every day. Otherwise, it would've been embarrassing.Playing with her phone, she spotted an empty
Back home, Lucy had already asked Maria to prepare a room for Theodore, and he easily made his way inside.The household staff members were all watching Lucy’s so-called 'brother', each of them sticking their heads out, staring intently.Maria quickly shooed them away. "Shoo, shoo! Stop gawking like you've never seen a guest before. Haven't you all witnessed grand occasions?"With that scolding, the maids returned to their tasks—some tending to the garden, others cleaning the house—allowing the Leon family to finally have some peace."Where are my niece and nephew? Lucy, did you hide them away?" Theodore teased, making Lucy burst out laughing."Would I be so mean? Of course not! They’re waiting for their uncle in their room!" Lucy grabbed his hand and jogged toward the little ones' room.When the door opened, the first to greet them was the golden retriever. Upon seeing Lucy, it leaped into her arms.Then, it barked loudly at Theodore.Theodore cautiously petted its head, and t
Theodore took little Johnny, but his mind was not on the child at all. He playfully entertained him in a hasty, careless manner."This baby is really adorable! Lucy, how did you give birth to such a cute baby?" “He looks just like you, with such fair skin…” Theodore was about to say the baby’s skin was as fair as Venus' but realized it in time and swallowed the words back.“Of course! Don’t you know what a beauty your sister is? How could my child be any less?” Lucy boasted, making the others chuckle.Theodore lay in the room all day, thinking about the woman he met that morning, Venus.He could not sleep, with Venus' image constantly replaying in his mind. He simply could not shift his attention away.Venus was different from Annabella. Annabella was strong-willed and often short-tempered. She was unfriendly toward people. However, Venus was the opposite. She exuded gentleness from within.When he held little Johnny earlier, the faint scent of her lingered on the child. It w
"What are you planning to do with so many?" Theodore regained his composure. He was not as excited as before, and his tone was now a bit more normal.He was tall and strong, with some stubble on his face. His long hair was tied into a small ponytail, giving him an artistic vibe. Coupled with his deep, magnetic voice, it was enough to make anyone feel a shiver.Venus replied, "I'm making wine. The stuff you buy outside isn’t as healthy, so it’s better to make it ourselves. The madam has been very kind to me, so it’s good to give her something she can feel safe eating."As she spoke, Venus pointed to a cabinet nearby. "I've already made a batch—blueberry, grape, rose, lychee, and some other flavors."Theodore was amazed. "Can we drink it now?"His eyes lit up. He usually did not drink much, but if it was Venus’ wine, he’d drink it no matter how full he was."Yes! The blueberry one isn’t ready yet, but the others are good to go." Venus glanced at his childlike expression and could n
Everything happened so suddenly, so terrifyingly.By the time Matthew returned, he saw Lucy on the bed with red, swollen eyes, her eyeballs streaked with bloodshot veins.Matthew thought something terrible had happened and rushed over to check on his wife. He knelt on the ground, anxiously asking Lucy what was wrong."Selena... Selena cheated," Lucy sobbed quietly, her tears falling in large drops. "And she blocked my number."After saying that, Lucy collapsed into Matthew's arms. She could not accept her friend's betrayal and cried uncontrollably, breaking Matthew's heart."It's okay, Lucy. Don't worry. You go to sleep first. I'll go check on Koven. Maybe it's just a prank!" Matthew had no mind to think about anything else at the moment. He just wanted to check on his best friend and see how he was holding up.He rushed out and called Hudson and Charlie on the way. They arrived at Koven’s house almost at the same time, all looking anxious. Charlie was both worried and confused.
Koven grabbed the bottle of alcohol beside him and chugged it all in one go, then drunkenly collapsed onto the couch behind him, with the last tear sliding down from the corner of his eye.Matthew took a sip and said, “Let’s go!”He called out to the others who were still drinking.“Where to?” Charlie asked, puzzled.“Of course, we’re going back! Can’t you see Koven is already drunk? Do you still want to drink? We’re here to keep Koven company, not for you to have fun,” Hudson said, as if speaking to a fool.Matthew and Hudson helped the drunk Koven back home, leaving Charlie, who was caught by the bar owner to settle the bill.“Hey, wait for me!” Charlie ran out of the bar, chasing after the two ahead of him.After settling Koven down, Matthew looked around his room and silently walked out.“Charlie, are you staying here to take care of Koven?” Hudson asked. If Charlie was not staying, he would, as was their usual practice.Matthew had a lot of work at his company and needed
The moon hung in the purple-red sky, surrounded by the stars.They seemed so close, as if you could reach out and pluck them. The clouds cautiously approached, just ahead of anyone's grasp.The crescent moon was still quietly waiting for the sun to rise.Meanwhile, Selena was watering the flowers in her room. Her face was pale and bloodless, and her hands trembled slightly, causing the water to spill onto the floor.She sighed. The flower before her was a chrysanthemum, a delicate beauty with petals of white tinged with soft yellow.The slender, long petals stretched out firmly from the center, their tips slightly curling inward, showing a humble elegance.At this moment, the leaves had already turned yellow, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was merely a branch of the chrysanthemum. The main stem had long since died.The remaining branch had drawn every bit of water and nutrients it could to present its most beautiful self to the world.Selena gazed at the
Selena looked around in amazement. She had never seen such beautiful scenery. Although it was not as breathtaking as Alaska, as captivating as the valleys of Hawala, or as bustling as Torko, she had never realized that nature could be so healing to the soul.Unconsciously, the blood in Selena's body started flowing again. Her muscles began to grow, her arms no longer looked sickly thin, and her legs became fuller. The hollows in her face also started to fill out.A few hours later, Mark was asleep in the car as the surroundings were so peaceful.Selena fell asleep beside the wildflowers, as she had done before.Mark did not wake her and continued to adjust his sleeping position, drifting off again.At about four in the afternoon, Mark woke from his nap. He looked around. The sun was already setting. The sky was clear without a cloud in sight, only a blue hue adorning it.The surroundings were very quiet, with just a few birds chirping in the distance. A butterfly slowly flew away