Chapter_37
Chapter 37
The next morning, Abel and Timothy woke up to a delicious smell wafting from downstairs.
“Wow, it’s the smell of shrimp dumplings and beef porridge!” Timothy exclaimed, his stomach growling.
“Ms. Louise must be making breakfast,” Abel responded with a grin. “Let’s get up.”
The two of them quickly got up and washed up while Emmeline worked diligently in the kitchen on the third floor.
“I never knew your cooking skills were this good,” Abel complimented sincerely.
Emmeline chuckled to herself. She remembered how she had once won Robert’s favor with her cooking. It had been the key to her success in convincing him to accept her as his disciple and teach her his medical expertise. He had even given her one of his prized assets—the Adelmar Group in Struyria.
“Pretty mommy isn’t just pretty, but also skilled! You can’t compare her to Alana,” Timothy said innocently.
Emmeline laughed and poked Timothy’s little nose. “You shouldn’t say that. After all, Alana is your mommy, and you should respect her.”
Timothy shrugged. “She’s not really my mommy. She doesn’t even remember my birthday.”
Emmeline paused, surprised. “When’s your birthday?”
Timothy thought for a moment, then answered, “Grandma said I was a month old on the 6th of October when Alana picked me up.”
Emmeline’s heart skipped a beat. If Timothy was a month old on the 6th of October… It meant his birthday was the 6th of September—exactly the same as the triplets!
How could it be such a coincidence? No wonder Daisy had said she had quadruplets. When Emmeline saw the four children together, she had almost thought she had given birth to four.
“Some things are really surprising,” Abel said, as if reading her mind. “You gave birth to three children with Adrien, and Alana and I had Timothy.”
Emmeline frowned, sensing Abel’s unspoken feelings. “You don’t seem very grateful to Alana.”
Abel scowled. “It’s because that woman plotted against me!”
Plotted against him? Emmeline recalled Adrien mentioning something similar. It seemed that wealthy Young Masters like Abel were often embroiled in such schemes.
After breakfast, Luca took Timothy off to kindergarten. Meanwhile, Emmeline prepared to head downstairs to work at the café, only to find Abel still lingering. He seemed hesitant to leave.
As she was about to nudge him out the door, two large pickup trucks arrived, filled with plants and flowers. It immediately reminded her of Abel’s promise to turn the rooftop platform into a garden.
“Since you’re here, I suppose you can stay and supervise the garden work,” Emmeline said, deciding to keep him around. “I have to work at the café anyway.”
Sam, the café’s only waiter, had taken the day off, so Emmeline was left to manage everything by herself. Abel didn’t need to help with the garden, but he still refused to leave. Emmeline, feeling he was in the way, tried to push him out.
“Mr. Ryker, shouldn’t you be at work? Are you really so free?” she asked, half-teasing.
“I won’t be free if I help you sell coffee,” Abel shot back.
Emmeline laughed. “You should keep being free. I can’t afford to pay you as an employee.”
Abel shrugged nonchalantly. “Who said I wanted a salary? Timothy and I can’t just keep eating your food for free. This way, we’ll be even.”
Emmeline couldn’t help but chuckle at his words.
However, things quickly turned chaotic. Abel, attempting to help behind the counter, managed to either burn the coffee or break the cups. Exasperated, Emmeline had to chase him out of the café.
“You’re not here to help; you’re just here to collect a debt!” she exclaimed.
“Can’t I just compensate you?” Abel joked.
“I don’t have time to play around with you!” Emmeline said, pushing him out the door.
Abel, unperturbed, leaned casually against the pillar at the entrance, lighting a cigarette. His tall, imposing figure exuded charm, but the cool, indifferent expression on his face made it seem as though Emmeline’s café owed him money. A few burly men in black suits lingered nearby, giving off a menacing vibe.
The café, which had already been struggling, saw its few customers skitter away at the sight of Abel’s intimidating presence.
Frustration bubbled up inside Emmeline as she stormed outside, pulling him back inside. “Do you have some kind of grudge against me? Are you trying to run my café out of business?”
Abel raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”
