Bethan knew what Theo was trying to say. They had agreed beforehand that she would go over to his place and look around before deciding if she wanted to move to that area.
She sighed and started clearing her things. “Alright, I choose the second one.”
This whole conversation was misinterpreted by the man standing outside her door. Brettley could not help but clench his fists at her decision.
“How did you know I was working late tonight?” asked Bethan as she munched on the food Theo had brought for her.
Theo chuckled. “What if I told you I ‘d been waiting for you outside since 5 pm?”
Bethan almost choked on her food. “Really?”
“Of course not, silly.”
Theo leaned against the chair and stretched. “When I was at your friend’s place this morning, I asked for her number, too. I called her just now, and she told me you weren’t home yet, so I guessed that you were probably still working.”
Bethan felt relieved upon hearing Theo’s explanation.
Otherwise, she did not know how to react if Theo had indeed waited for her for more than three hours.
She stuffed the rest of the food into her mouth as quickly as she could. “Let’s go.”
Theo chuckled again and helped her clean up the food containers. “Let’s go. The landlord is waiting for us.”
Bethan nodded and followed him out of the office. Brettley had been watching everything from his position in a dark corner of the office with none of them knowing. He watched with a somewhat displeased look on his face as the two walked to the elevator.
As Theo got on the elevator, he abruptly turned around and glanced in Brettley’s direction, seemingly looking straight at him.
The elevator doors closed, and the two descended. A split second later, Brettley’s phone rang. It was Alice again, asking him to come home.
Brettley muted the call in frustration and got into the elevator. When he came out of the building, he caught sight of Theo’s car that seemed to head in the opposite direction of Anne’s house.
Was Bethan genuinely going home with Theo? That woman had no shame!
Brettley squinted as he clenched his fists even tighter.
The phone in his pocket started ringing again. This time, however, it was Nellie calling.
“Daddy, what time are you coming home? That crazy lady said that we’re not allowed to eat without you. Neil and I are starving! “
Brettley froze. “Alice isn’t letting you eat dinner?”
“Yeah! She said that we’re bad children, so she’s trying to teach us some manners.”
Nellie pouted as she said it. “That crazy lady isn’t letting us have any snacks either. She says it’s bad for us! The last thing I ate was the apple that my teacher gave me at kindergarten, but it’s been more than six hours now. I’m going to starve to death! “
“Alright, alright. I’m coming home now.”
Brettley hung up the phone and glanced in the direction that Theo’s car had left. Then, after a moment, he turned around and got into his car.
In the end, Bethan was just an employee of his. It did not matter who she chose to go home with. It was none of his business, anyway.
Half an hour later , Brettley’s car stopped in front of Blue Bay Villa.
“Brettley, you’re home! “
Alice came out of the house and greeted him with a cheerful smile. “The kids and I have been waiting for you.”
Brettley glanced at her, then looked toward the house. He caught sight of two small heads huddled together, watching them from a window of the second floor.
Brettley paused, then put his arm around Alice’s shoulder and led her back to the house. “My working hours are very inconsistent. I’d come home on time on some days, but I ’11 also have days when I’ll work late. In the future, you and the kids can have dinner first if you’re hungry. You don’t have to wait for me.”
“No. How can I let that happen? “
Alice pursed her lips and grabbed Brettley’s hand, grinning. “I have to teach the children manners. I can’t have them growing up and becoming rude people. I wouldn’t want them embarrassing you in the future ! “
She paused and remarked, “Bethan took great care of Neil and Nellie, but I don’t think she ever taught them proper manners. I can’t blame her, though. She’s never been exposed to etiquette like this since she doesn’t come from a noble or distinguished family. “
Brettley could not help but frown at her words. He had grown up in a noble and distinguished family that placed a lot of emphasis on proper manners and etiquette. As such, he hated it when people tried to educate their children that way. He had discussed this with her when he first got together with Bethan. He had told her that he wished for their children to be brought up like ordinary folks and not be confined to rules and restrictions like those he had grown up with.
Does Clearly works fine?
He still remembered what Bethan had told him in the past.
‘If we have kids, I’ll teach them to be true to themselves. They should act courteous in public, but when they’re at home, they can do whatever they want.’
It was apparent that Alice had forgotten her promise. It seemed that six years truly could change a person, so much so that Brettley could not recognize her anymore.
He sighed and led Alice into the house.
“Daddy! “
“Welcome home, Daddy! We know you’ve had a long day at work! “As soon as they set foot in the house, they came face-to-face with Neil and Nellie. The two children stood to either side of the door and bowed a t Brettley, smiling.
Brettley immediately scowled at this sight. He took a closer look at his two children standing before him. Nellie’s face was red and tearful, while Neil’s face was etched with impatience. It was obvious that the two children had been forced to do this against their will.
Brettley let go of Alice and shot her a cold glance. “Is this the so-called manners that you’re trying to teach them?”
Alice froze. She could tell that Brettley was displeased.
She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She had instructed the children to compliment their father when he got home from work, but she never told them to wait by the door and bow at him!
The looks on Neil and Nellie’s faces clearly conveyed to Brettley that they were miserable and that Alice was the one who put them up to this.
Alice smiled nervously. “No, of course not. They must’ve learned this from television. They must’ve thought that you’d like being welcomed home this way.”
She glanced at Neil and Nellie. “Your father has had to endure this for the whole day at work, so you don’t have to do this now. He doesn’t like being treated like this.”
Brettley felt a surge of relief upon hearing Alice’s words. Just as he was about to say something, however, Neil interjected sulkily, “You were the one who told us to do this. You said that we should be respectful to Mr. Morrison and that this will make him happy, so why is he so angry now?”
Alice glared at him. “What on earth are you talking about? When did I say that?”
“This afternoon.”
Nellie blinked at the two adults innocently. “You told us that as children, we have to learn to please adults so that they’111ike us.”
Alice furrowed her brows. “I never said that! “
“Hmph! I knew this would happen !”
Nellie shot her brother a look. “Neil, play the recording for Daddy! “
Neil nodded and took a voice recorder pen out of his pocket and played the recording. Alice’s voice rang out: ‘When your father comes home later on, you have to compliment him and be respectful to him. This will make him happy. Children have to learn to please adults so that they’ll like you.’
It was exactly as Nellie had described.
Alice’s face turned pale in an instant. She thought that she had gotten away with it, but she did not expect that the two children had recorded every conversation in secret!
After hearing the recording, Brettley’s brow knitted much tighter together. He turned around and looked at Alice. “The kids are still young, yet you’re telling them things like this. Is this what you should be teaching children?”
Alice bit her lip nervously. She had no way of denying anymore since the children had brought out evidence. She remained silent for a long while before suddenly bursting into sobs. “Brettley, I’m sorry…
Ever since I returned, you’ve been working overtime every night. Sometimes you don’t even come home at all. You leave at the crack of dawn and come back late at night, leaving the three of us at home. I thought…”
Alice wiped away the tears that streamed down her face. “I thought that maybe you didn’t like us, and that’s why you didn’t seem to want to stay home…”
As soon as Alice started crying, Brettley could not help but feel sorry for her. He sighed and pulled her into his arms. “No, please don’t think that. I’m just… really busy with work lately.”
He lifted his head to wipe away the tears from under her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m home now.”
With her head down, a triumphant glint flashed across Alice’s eyes. She nodded meekly and said, “
That’s okay. If you’re busy, you should do work. All I needed to know is that you don’t hate the kids or me, that’s all.”
Brettley gently patted her back to comfort her. “How could I hate you?”
He let go of Alice and bent down to hoist Nellie into his arms. “Come on, let’s eat.”
“Okay! “
Alice replied. She watched as Brettley headed t o the dining room with Nellie in his arms before she turned around to glower at Neil. “You recorded me? You’re not so stupid after all.”
Neil grinned at her. “Well, I learned from the best, though you managed to outsmart us in the end. I guess I underestimated you. “
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.