Charlotte’s mood improved considerably, and the thought of her lovely children at home made her feel that she could overcome anything.
Before entering the house, she encouraged herself, "Yeah, I’m like a big tree, no matter the storm, I need to stay strong."
Justin, amused by her mutterings, couldn’t help but chuckle, although he didn’t make a sound.
But upon seeing that there was no light coming from the window, he quickly took a hold of Charlotte’s hand and said, "Hold on, the kids might be asleep. Let’s keep it down and get some good rest tonight, okay?"
He cupped her cheek and gently kissed her forehead.
The occasional chirping of crickets from the bushes in front added further tranquillity to the night.
The embrace of the two not only warmed each other, but also warmed the night.
They quietly opened the door and took out their slippers. Suddenly, the living room light came on, and their children stood in a line in front of them.
Charlotte was taken aback, as her children grinned at her. Her eyes shifted towards Jordan, "You must be behind this, right?"
Jordan shook his head frantically, implying it was the children’s doing, but Charlotte was far from convinced.
Jordan had come up with so many mischievous ideas in a single day that Charlotte was practically immune to them by now.
As Charlotte was about to head upstairs to rest after changing into her slippers, the children, as if trained, blocked her way.
"One, two, three, four...hey, where are the other two?" Charlotte turned towards Jordan, who anticipated her question and answered confidently.
He said, "Adam called to say that Jack and Chad are staying at the Ross’ tonight and won’t be coming home."
Grace started acting cute at Charlotte’s knee. Charlotte stroked her head and sighed, "That’s fine, they give me a break from taking care of them when I’m mentally drained."
"Right, Cyrus, could you charge my phone for me?" Charlotte said, and Cyrus let go of his sister’s hand.
Charlotte picked up Grace and rubbed their noses together, scolding her affectionately: "Why are you still awake at this late hour, huh?"
Grace, being playful, her eyes shimmering like stars, said mischievously," I was waiting for you, Mommy. I didn’t want to sleep without you being back."
Hank, overhearing her, tugged at Charlotte’s hand and blurted out, "That’s not true. She just wanted to eat something."
He then pointed to the dishes on the table, exposing Grace’s real intentions.
"No, that’s not it!" Grace quickly denied, and then pointed at the other children, saying, "You guys are awake too, aren’t you? Aren’t you all waiting for Mommy? Humph, why am I the only one being called out?"
Charlotte laughed at their antics, pinching the little princess’s nose affectionately, "No more arguing, okay? Let’s all eat dinner together."
"Yeah!" The children all raised their hands in agreement.
During dinner, Charlotte was a bit gloomy. Cyrus, who had gone to retrieve the charged phone, handed it directly to her.
"Mommy, your phone is all charged," Cyrus stood straight, his voice exceptionally steady.
Charlotte didn’t want him to be so mature, but it was simply his nature and she couldn’t change it. All she could do was feel moved. "Be good, go eat." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Cyrus walked away calmly. Charlotte sighed, preparing to check her phone, when suddenly, a hand reached out from nowhere.
She looked up in surprise, catching Justin’s gaze. He said coldly, "You can check it after dinner."
Charlotte glanced at the food on the table and implored, "But I don’t have any appetite."
Justin surveyed the table: a dish of eight-treasure tofu, red-braised fish, spicy chicken wings... these were all Charlotte’s favorite dishes, indicating that Jordan had put in the effort.
Jordan put down his chopsticks, casting a resentful glance at Charlotte. She felt the hit and sensed imminent disaster.