“Mom wants to recuperate in Bayside City for a while, but the Yard Family wants to amend the family tree and shift the ancestral grave, so there are quite a number of things to be done. We thought we’d stay around and help out since Mom isn’t emotionally stable, so we might not be returning so soon,” Callum replied. He spoke in a respectful and meticulous manner, as if he was reporting to his supervisor; there wasn’t a hint of intimacy in his tone.
To the boys, Jordan was practically a stranger. Apart from the contribution of his sperm, he had never given them anything more. During the toughest periods of their lives when they were younger, Jordan would disappear and leave them with their mother. Furthermore, Jordan had other women and children outside that often bullied them. Callum lowered his gaze after answering to Jordan to conceal any hint of distaste in his eyes.
Jordan seemed a little disappointed by Callum’s reply. “We still need you boys to handle the matters over at Ronney City.”
“I’ve dealt with everything before I left. I left Henry and Ryan in charge of the fashion week, and there haven’t been any other large events happening recently. We can handle the rest of it remotely, so you don’t have to worry about it, Dad,” Callum uttered. It seemed like Jordan had begun to grow suspicious of Anna and the twins recently, and they decided that they’d simply leave him behind and let him continue being suspicious if that were the case. But Jordan didn’t notice anything then, as he simply nodded before he went up to rest in another guest room.
The doctor had a long discussion with Jordan before they both left. Jordan didn’t return after that, and no one knew when he’d ever reappear again. They didn’t look forward to his visits, anyway. Carmen dropped by again that afternoon, with a basket carrying some food and two nearly frozen roses. The roses were from her grandfather, and the food was her way of showing her appreciation to them for allowing her to play with the dogs.
Carmen was shocked to see Anna with an IV drip the moment she stepped into the house. “Are you sick, Miss Beautiful?”
“Miss Beautiful’s sick, so she can’t play with you today,” Callum quickly said.
“Well, should I sing her a song, then? I have a great voice!” Carmen offered. Callum was worried that the young girl might be disturbing Anna, but Anna gestured for him to allow it. Although she wasn’t feeling too well, she was still pleased to see Carmen around. “Come over here and sing me a song,” she uttered.
Carmen placed her basket down before she began to sing and dance cheerily. “The fields are soaked and the rain’s over… The trees are growing faster than ever… La la la la, I’m a little boss who sells the newspaper…”
Callum leaned his body against the doorframe with a cup in his hand as he listened to the young girl’s song. He was surprised to hear how great her voice sounded; it felt like his ears were filled with honey when he listened to her sing. Carmen’s grandmother, Elizabeth, had a voice that had left a mark on the last two generations of Cethosians, and Carmen’s father had an amazing voice himself; hence, it made sense that this young girl inherited the same talents. Her voice was like some sort of magnet that attracted everyone’s attention. Since God had blessed her with such wonderful talents, it’d be a shame if she didn’t grow up to be a star. But conversely, it’d also be a shame if she became a star—she had such a huge family business that she could take over if she wished to.
Get married? Does that mean Cooper is going to get married soon? Am I going to have a stepmother? But Cooper didn’t seem interested. “I have no plans of doing so,” he muttered. Sophia felt a rollercoaster of emotions within her after listening to their conversation. Is Cooper really thinking about marriage? Will I have a stepmother? No! I don’t want a stepmother!
The elders lost their temper and began to criticize Cooper on breaking his promise. Unconcerned by this, Cooper casually hung up on them before he walked out of the room with a cold expression. He was surprised to see Sophia outside. “What are you doing here, my darling?”
Sophia felt a little uneasy. She previously hoped for Cooper to find himself a wife, but she now felt a little unhappy to hear that he was about to marry someone. I have a mother now…
“She’s… sick. Carmen’s visiting her now,” Sophia muttered. Once Cooper heard that ‘the woman’ was sick, the cold expression he wore quickly fell apart to reveal the anxiety between his brows. He patted Sophia on the shoulder before he rushed off without saying anything more.
He clearly hadn’t let go of her. They were together for 30 long years, after all; he couldn’t just let go even if he wanted to. They were deeply in love, but they simply weren’t fated to be together…
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