"Mrs. North, are you accusing me, Hawthorne, of not knowing how to teach children?"
"You’ve misunderstood, President Hawthorne, that’s not what I meant..."
"Baby Hawthorne is my own child, raised by me personally. Casper is like my own child, and Raina North, as their mother, has been recognized by everyone in the Hawthorne Family for her character. As an outsider, you have no right to question her. However," Elias Hawthorne paused, then glanced at the two little ones shrinking beside Raina North, "having doubts means there’s a debate. You must remember, the Hawthorne family values include maintaining personal integrity in poverty and benefitting the world in prosperity. We are not lacking in morals, so let verbal virtues be given to those who need them, understood?"
"Understood, give verbal virtues to those lacking morals!" Casper North said loudly, his small eyes smiling and squinting into slits.
And Baby Hawthorne habitually pondered for a moment, his dark, shiny grape-like eyes sweeping over Brenda Adler and her son, as if inspired, and nodded, "I understand too."
Brenda Adler’s face looked terrible. Almost fifty years of age, she had never been so publicly embarrassed and called immoral.
Her old face turned bright red.
"President Hawthorne sure has a way with words, but isn’t this too glib and isn’t it wrong to educate children ?" Beau Shelby said as he was helped to sit up.
Although the two rarely met, with just one glance, he knew this man was his lifelong enemy.
And to Elias Hawthorne, this weakling who looked like a delicate white chicken was once the person Raina North, blinded by her own emotions, had feelings for, and still couldn’t forget.
Mr. Hawthorne absolutely refused to admit he was jealous.
But in truth, he was seething with jealousy inside.
On the surface, he remained cold and haughty.
"None of your business." Four words, a knockout blow.
The children are his, the woman is his, what business is it of his?
The hospital room went silent as Elias Hawthorne’s cold gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Rachel Shelby.
"Raina North is my woman, Elias Hawthorne’s, and she’s not blind."
That was his answer to her earlier question.
With that, he left, leaving behind a group of people staring at each other. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by N()velFire.net
As they left, the hospital room remained silent for quite some time.
Eventually, someone broke the silence.
"What does he mean by that?" Rachel Shelby asked, puzzled.
Everyone looked uncomfortable, especially Beau Shelby.
Leaving the hospital, Raina North clearly felt the man’s mood was off.
At the parking lot, they happened to run into Quinn Thorne who had come to find someone.
Without another word, Elias Hawthorne handed the two little ones off to him and drove off with Raina North.
"What on earth?" Quinn Thorne was still puzzled.
Turning around, he was met with Casper and Baby Hawthorne’s identical helpless expressions.
"Did your daddy just abandon you because he favors beauty over children?"
Faced with such a question, adhering to the principle that they could speak ill of their own dad but outsiders couldn’t, Baby Hawthorne and Casper North immediately joined forces to refute him.
Baby Hawthorne, serious as ever, said, "My mommy was bullied just now and needs comfort. As her husband, it’s Daddy’s duty. And we, as five-year-old mature babies, have the ability to be independent, so this isn’t abandonment." He paused, then added, "My mommy really is beautiful."
Quinn Thorne: "..." Is his ’favors beauty’ a compliment for his mom’s beauty?
Casper North sighed, patting him on the shoulder, "You wouldn’t understand as a single man."
Quinn Thorne was even more confused. Damn it, single man!
"Little brats, don’t you know what people in the circle call your Uncle Thorne?"