CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 14: RUNNING AWAY TOGETHER

Seth Sterling was silent for a moment. He didn’t want Ethan Sterling to know that Melody Wallace had promised to bring him food, so he calmly said, "No reason."

Ethan Sterling raised an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, his son gave him no chance to speak further, put down his knife and fork, and slung his backpack over his shoulders: "Dad, I’m full." With that, he turned and headed for the door.

In the dining room, Ethan Sterling pressed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

This tendency to keep everything bottled up and not say a word unless pressured, whom does that resemble?

"Mr. Sterling, this..."

Mama Bennett, looking a bit flustered, held out a lunchbox, interrupting Ethan Sterling’s thoughts. He opened his eyes, his dark pupils revealing no emotion, and finally waved his hand: "Don’t bother with him."

His son, Ethan Sterling’s son, would hardly starve to death.

At kindergarten, Honey felt a bit uneasy inside.

She couldn’t fulfill what she had promised, and her mother had told her that it was disgraceful not to keep promises.

But her mother was injured...

Melody Wallace’s deer-like eyes showed a bit of irritation as she reached up to scratch her hair.

Seth Sterling walked over and sat down next to her with restraint.

Seeing him approach, Honey panicked for a moment and immediately sat up straight, as if fearing he would notice her.

Seth Sterling gave her a somewhat surprised glance but said nothing. His expression was colder than before as he opened his book and focused on listening to the lesson.

When class ended, no one moved.

When class started, no one spoke.

Even the sound of turning pages was rarely heard.

The pressure was so low that even the teacher didn’t dare to come near them.

It wasn’t until the lunch break that the surrounding kids gradually went off to eat, yet the two of them remained sitting in their chairs.

Honey’s hand trembled slightly as she gripped her pen, on the verge of tears. It was the most attentive class she had ever attended. But Seth Sterling hadn’t left.

When he stayed silent, he was genuinely scary, with a grim face and tight lips. A slight noise would make Honey brace herself. Even his handsome face couldn’t ease the atmosphere.

Seth Sterling held back all morning, but finally, he couldn’t help it anymore.

"The food?" When he spat out those two words, there was a faint glimpse of overwhelming anger.

"My mom got injured, so I didn’t bring food, and today, I’m eating at the kindergarten too."

The childlike words carried a bit of fear.

Seth Sterling naturally heard it.

He inwardly wondered, was he really that intimidating?

Honey didn’t know what he was thinking, she only thought he was still angry. She panicked for a moment and quickly pulled out the fifty yuan that Ruby Sullivan had stuffed into her bag that morning, and slammed it on the desk boldly: "Brother Sterling, I’ll make it up to you!"

Seth Sterling looked up at her, saying nothing.

Did he seem like someone who needed money?

Seeing him remain silent, Honey finally summoned the courage to ask, "Do you like school meals?"

Seth Sterling shook his head.

"That’s great!" Honey shouted out loud and instinctively gave Seth Sterling a pat, "Why don’t we go out for a meal together!"

Seth Sterling was taken aback, looking a bit impatient as if he wanted to stand up and leave on his own, but was suddenly grabbed by Honey. Her soft voice, like a cat’s paw, scratched at his heart as she whispered in his ear, making him feel itchy: "I know a spot where we can sneak out."

Seth Sterling instinctively wanted to refuse.

Such behavior, like that of a bad kid, was never something he would usually do.

But looking into Honey’s eyes filled with expectation, under some mysterious compulsion, he nodded.

Outside the kindergarten, the two looked at each other awkwardly until Seth Sterling broke the silence, pointing at the small hole and gritting his teeth: "This hole you mentioned, really?"

He swore he truly regretted coming here with Melody Wallace.

Melody Wallace nodded vigorously, wiped the sweat-drenched hair from her forehead, and took the lead in crawling through. Before Seth Sterling had time to react, her backside was already wiggling its way through the gap. Her voice, coming through the wall, was slightly distorted: "Brother Sterling, hurry up!"

Seth Sterling silently stared at the hole, which could only be described as a dog’s den, and for the first time in his life, felt despair. Why had he agreed to sneak out with Melody Wallace to eat?

Probably because the soup he ate with noodles this morning had muddled his mind.

"Brother Sterling... Seth? Are you out yet?" Melody Wallace’s voice from the other side sounded anxious, unsure if Seth was still on the other side of the wall.

"Coming." Seth’s slightly irritable voice came from the other side.

Just a moment later, Seth squeezed through from the wall’s side, looking somewhat disheveled. His neatly combed hair was now a mess, and his little suit was covered in dirt.

His expression was a bit grim.

Just as Melody Wallace feared he was going to lose his temper, Seth suddenly reached out and plucked a leaf from her head: "So dirty."