Soon after, the dishes arrived. I was a little surprised once I put my phone down.
Half of the dishes were lightly seasoned, while the others were well-seasoned and spicy.
I asked, “You like to eat spice?”
Previously, he had enjoyed the light-tasting food that I made. Did his taste buds change?
Then, a thought suddenly popped into my mind.
Is Anthony trying to accommodate my eating habits?
As soon as I had that thought, my chair seemed to have grown spikes. No matter how I sat, I felt uncomfortable.
Anthony’s suddenly acting so considerate. Don’t tell me he’s hiding something from me?
Just as I was mentally calculating the possibility of me falling for one of his traps, Anthony replied in a dark voice, “Yeah.”
He had perfectly exhibited what it meant to be a man of few words while at the same time exuding an unexplainable, attractive force.
Anthony was actually trying to cater to my habits.
I was fidgety throughout the meal, not daring to even lift my head.
On the other hand, Anthony was calm and had a better appetite than I had ever seen before.
Since we had avoided the rush hour, the drive home was particularly smooth.
When we entered the living room, Gregory was holding on to Alexander’s gift, one of the latest laptops. His gaze was solemn, similar to the first time I had seen him using a computer.
“Greg…” I said in a singsong voice.
However, Gregory only half-heartedly hummed in reply. His eyes never left the laptop, and it was as if his hands were glued to it, constantly typing away.
I walked over to stand behind him and gently patted him on the head.
“Ms. Stanhope!” Gregory said distractedly as he smiled and looked up at me. Then, he turned back and continued studying the laptop screen.
Gregory was very talented at programming. Resultantly, he was able to smoothly operate programming software on the new laptop within that afternoon.
His coding skills were seriously amazing.
I could not help but take a seat on the sofa next to him, watching him silently.
After a while, I realized how interesting programming actually was.
Since Anthony knew Gregory’s character very well, he knew that his son would not leave once he saw a computer. Without saying anything else, Anthony headed upstairs.
After about twenty minutes, Gregory said excitedly, “Ms. Stanhope, I can show you something fun very soon.”
However, as soon as he was done speaking, a large hand appeared and shut the laptop.
Gregory and I raised our heads simultaneously, coming face to face with Anthony’s expressionless face.
“Go and wash up. Your bedtime has long passed.” His tone was cold, leaving no room for bargaining at all.
Gregory’s face fell, and he was reluctant to go. However, he was facing Anthony after all, so he had no ability to fight back. He could only reluctantly reply with an “Okay” before he stood up to leave.
Yet, my reaction was a second too slow. I did not realize whose territory I was in before I jumped up and shouted, “Why are you going around switching off others’ computers!”
It was a critical moment since we were about to see the results of the code. To have been interrupted just like that was indeed a very annoying thing to experience.
Compared to my threatening reaction, there was no change to Anthony’s demeanor. He asked indifferently, “What time is it now?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall and replied, “Ten. So what?”
Anthony only spared me a cold glance before he turned around and made his way upstairs.
Only in hindsight did I realize that usually by that timing, Gregory would have been deep asleep.
Thus, Anthony was only doing it out of consideration for the boy. However, his plain, straightforward manner made me subconsciously want to resist him.
Can’t you just talk properly?
Just then, someone pulled on my sleeves. I looked down to see Gregory giving me a pleading look. “Ms. Stanhope, I still want to use the laptop for a while and finish writing the program.”
I was speechless. How was I to tell this smart yet silly boy that I wanted that too, but we had to do things according to the rules?
I pondered for a while, then sighed and squatted in front of Gregory. Trying my best to treat him like an adult, I explained, “Gregory, it’s too late today, and I’m tired. The data is saved on the laptop so it won’t get lost. But if you don’t have enough sleep, you won’t grow tall, and you won’t be able to protect the people you love in the future. Let’s go wash up and sleep, and we’ll continue tomorrow, okay?”
Seemingly understanding my intentions, he replied, “Okay.”
“Good boy!”
Although I had already interacted with Gregory for a few days, his good behavior still surprised me a little.
It was Monday the next day, and the whole family got up very early to have breakfast. Then, Anthony dropped Gregory at school on the way to work.
Once they left, I was the only one remaining in the huge house.
Bored, I decided to pick up my old hobby again and headed out to the garden to care for the plants and flowers alongside the workers.
While I trimmed the potted plants, I could not help but think of Marcus and his wife. When I had previously investigated him, there was no information about his marriage, so I did not know what kind of entanglements they had previously.
Suddenly, there was a hoarse, tired male voice coming from behind me. “Letty.”
The voice was soft and sounded as if its owner had been crying. The moment I heard it, my heart sank, and my body felt heavy. I could not help but turn around instantly.
The voice belonged to a man wearing a white suit and whose chin was covered with stubble. He stood on the gravel path in the yard, next to a little girl about Gregory’s age. She wore a Lolita-style dress and donned a princessy-looking hat, her eyes filled with energy.
Both of them looked as if they had come out of a comic book.
However, the man’s gaze was heavy. Although he had perfect facial features, his eyes were full of complicated emotions—rejoice, exhaustion, relief, and lost.
Perhaps women were more empathetic for the moment my eyes met his, I could not help but feel sad.
“Do we know each other?” I stammered hesitantly, frowning.
“It’s me,” The man muttered thickly. He looked as if he was struggling to quell some intense emotion that was rising within him. He cleared his throat, then said, raising his voice, “It’s me, John Stanhope.”
John’s eyes were brimming with tears. When his statement elicited no response from me, he looked at rueful, then asked, “Have you really forgotten who I am?”
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.
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