The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 333

It was well past midnight at Sunset Villa Estates, but the four little rascals in the house were still wide awake, bouncing with energy.

Noah frowned, glancing at the clock. “It’s already one thirty in the morning. Mom’s never come home this late before.”

At those words, Aiden’s face filled with worry. He immediately reached for the phone on the nightstand. “I’m calling Mom,” he declared.

But Ethan, calm as ever, stopped him with a solemn shake of his head. “Don’t. If you call her now, you’ll just be interrupting Mom and Dad’s, uh... special grown-up time.”

“Special grown-up time?” Aiden repeated, eyes round with curiosity.

Ethan arched an eyebrow, looking every bit the little adult. “It’s this late already—Mom’s definitely with Dad, working on bringing us a baby brother or sister.”

Aiden’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” Ethan nodded, sounding utterly confident. “So Mom’s not coming home tonight.”

A few moments later, Evan piped up, his tone hopeful. “If they really do have a new baby, I could finally be a big brother.”

Half an hour ticked by. The four of them checked the time again, and it was clear: Mom wasn’t coming back tonight.

That realization sent them into a frenzy of celebration. They bounced and spun around the room, giggling and hollering as if they were throwing a midnight party.

Meanwhile, outside the bedroom door, Emma was at her wits’ end, muttering under her breath, “Why won’t these little gremlins go to sleep? First the geese terrorize me all day, now the kids keep me up all night. My poor back is about to give out for good.”

She grumbled, “I wish Mr. Austin would just come home, divorce his wife, and send these four troublemakers packing. I can't take another day of this.”

Jack stood nearby, equally exasperated by the chaos. “There’s nothing we can do, Emma. Mrs. Austin isn’t home, so we have to keep an eye on the little lords. If anything happens, we’re the ones in trouble.”

Emma huffed, glaring at the door with a stormy expression. Pressing her ear against it, she muttered, “Let’s see what these little imps are plotting now.”

Ethan smirked. “Because she’s with Dad, obviously. Duh!”

Emma’s mouth twitched. “Ethan, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

Ethan just shrugged. “I’m not making it up. I just know.”

With that, he slammed the door shut.

From inside, his voice rang out, “If you try eavesdropping again, you’ll be sorry!”

Outside, Emma and Jack stared at each other in shock, eyes wide as saucers.