Chapter_35
Chapter 35
“Of course I don’t mind; I couldn’t ask for more!” Emmeline beamed with excitement.
She eagerly ushered Abel out of the room. “Hurry up and bring Timothy over for dinner!”
Abel, his mood lifted, turned around with a smile and walked quickly toward the parking lot. Though he wanted to stay and spend time with his son, Alana’s presence was becoming unbearable. She was too focused on him, while Timothy, the one who had been kidnapped, was being neglected.
Abel couldn’t help but question Alana’s abilities as a mother.
Luca and the bodyguards watched Abel’s hurried departure, interpreting it as him not being welcome. But when they heard that Timothy was coming over, they couldn’t contain their excitement. This meant that Abel had earned Emmeline’s trust in some way.
Forty minutes later, Timothy arrived. Emmeline, dressed in an apron, was busy preparing dinner with Daisy in the kitchen.
The moment Timothy saw Emmeline, he burst into tears. His little face crumpled, and the sight tore at her heart.
“Waa!” Timothy sobbed, his small body shaking with fear.
Emmeline dropped everything she was doing, rushing to him and kneeling to scoop him into her arms. “Timmy, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”
“Pretty mommy, I was so scared! I thought I was going to die!” Timothy wailed.
Emmeline’s eyes filled with tears as she held him tightly. “Timmy, everything is alright now. No one can hurt you. You’re home, safe with us.”
The triplets, ever protective, surrounded Timothy, trying their best to comfort him.
“I didn’t know what happened, but I wish you the best on behalf of the sun!” Helios said, smiling brightly.
“I wish you the best on behalf of the moon!” Endymion added, his tone comforting.
“Then I shall represent the stars, loving and protecting you!” Hesperus chimed in with a grin.
Timothy, despite his fear, couldn’t help but giggle at their earnest efforts. The tears slowly dried on his cheeks as he wiped them away, a small smile creeping onto his face.
“Okay, triplets, go play with Timothy in the bedroom,” Emmeline gently instructed. “It’s not safe to play around the kitchen.”
She secretly wiped her own tears, her heart swelling with affection for her children.
As the kids ran off to play, Daisy, who had been observing the scene, couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Ms. Louise, I never knew you were reunited with your husband. And… did you have quadruplets?”
Emmeline froze, momentarily taken aback. Reunited with my husband? Quadruplets?
She glanced at Daisy, who looked puzzled but innocent. It seemed that Daisy had observed more than she let on.
“You’ve misunderstood,” Emmeline said quickly. “He’s not my husband, and I only have triplets. We’re just… friends.”
“I’m not buying it,” Daisy pouted, clearly skeptical.
Emmeline sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “Well, it doesn’t matter what you think. It’s not important.”
After dinner, the children were happily playing hide-and-seek in the living room. Emmeline led Abel up to the rooftop platform, eager to change the subject and enjoy some peace.
The platform was surrounded by latticework, and two happiness trees stood proudly at the side. Beneath the trees was a small wooden table, flanked by two rocking chairs. It was Emmeline’s little retreat, where she liked to unwind with a book, reflect on life, and sip tea.
“This place is being wasted,” Abel commented as he sank into one of the rocking chairs, looking around with a critical eye.
“What? Are you saying it’s ugly?” Emmeline’s eyes narrowed as she glared at him.
“It’s not ugly… it’s beyond ugly,” Abel said, raising an eyebrow. “You should have turned this into a proper garden, with plants and flowers! Something to match the view.”
Emmeline, despite herself, found that his idea wasn’t half bad. She had actually thought about it before, but with her recent return to Struyria and the demands of raising her children and managing her café, she hadn’t had the time or resources to renovate the place.
She had other properties as well, and this one was a lower priority. However, she couldn’t let Abel know any of that.
She needed to maintain the image of an ordinary single mother struggling to make ends meet. The second-hand electric bicycle she rode was the perfect symbol of her humble life.
Is he starting to suspect that I have another identity? she wondered, her mind racing.
“Well… I’ve thought about it before,” Emmeline stammered, trying to cover her tracks. “But I don’t have the funds to do something like that. It’s too expensive to buy all the plants. Ha, ha…” She awkwardly scratched her head, trying to act casual.
Abel, however, wasn’t so easily deterred. “Leave it to me. What kind of plants do you like? I promise I can make this into a sky garden in just three days.”
Emmeline blinked in surprise. “You really think so?”
Abel grinned. “Of course. I can handle it. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll get it done.”
Emmeline, caught between amusement and skepticism, shrugged. “Alright, if you say so. I’ll hold you to that.”
As Abel settled into the rocking chair, the faintest smile played at the corner of his lips. It seemed he had managed to get under her skin, just a little. But in his own way, he was offering her something—something more than just his company.
Emmeline sighed inwardly, wondering how long it would take for him to truly understand her. And whether she could continue hiding her true self from him.
窗体底端
