CHAPTER 118: THOMAS’S STORY

At the Whitmore family’s residence.

Thomas rarely had such a good sleep. When he finally woke up, he felt refreshed. As usual, he picked up his phone to greet Emma, but he noticed that he had dropped from first place to third place in the leaderboard—all in one night.

What was going on?

He opened the information of the top ranker; it was a netizen named "Deep Space," who had just registered a new account with almost zero other information.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Emma was a smart little girl—combined with her sweet words and high emotional intelligence, she would naturally be loved by many people.

‘No problem; the next time she starts another live stream, I’ll just climb back to the top.’

Wynne, as usual, came to visit Thomas. From a distance, he saw his father having breakfast in the courtyard, looking quite spirited.

“Dad.”

Hearing the voice, Thomas saw Wynne come over and invited him to sit down and eat together.

They chatted idly with each other, just like old times.

“How is the company? And is Susan still refusing to go back to school?”

Wynne’s eyes grew a bit moist, turning away as he didn’t want Thomas to see.

It had been so long since they had sat together and talked like this, not since before Thomas got sick.

“The company is doing well. We’ve even started some AI projects now, which are going smoothly.”

“Susan, as you know, is still being very stubborn. Nothing anyone says can sway her.”

Thomas nodded. “If she wants to stay, then let her stay.”

After that, he seemed to get lost in thought before he added, “She has always been like this. After I took you both in, she even stubbornly refused to eat for three days...”

He spoke with a smile at the corner of his eye, as if reminiscing about that mischievous yet strong little girl.

Wynne nodded. “Yes, you were the one who finally coaxed her into eating with a room full of toys.”

He remembered when his parents had a car accident; he was only three or four years old then, and little Susan was barely over one.

The two young kids were helplessly squatting by the roadside, crying in the pouring rain.

Thomas happened to drive by at that moment, lowering his window. He took the two of them home, raising them as his own.

In the end, both of them grew up to be admirable; one took over company affairs at a young age, while the other was exceptionally admitted into a top foreign art institute at only fifteen.

Their bond with Thomas was extremely deep.

Wynne thought pondered a moment before deciding to come clean with Thomas.

“Dad, Susan and I are searching for the original singer of ‘When the Wind Stops.’ However, it’s been far too long, and clues are scarce. We might...”

He trailed off, lowering his head in disappointment.

Hearing the song’s name, Thomas froze as a beautiful face appeared in his mind.

Lilian Walton...

“No need to look, you won’t find her.”

“She probably doesn’t want to see me.”

Wynne asked in confusion, “What really happened between you two back then?”

Thomas’s eyes glistened with tears, lost in memories of the past.

Back when he was studying music under Doris, he had fallen in love with Lilian at first sight. Over time, as they spent every day together, their feelings gradually grew. Sooner or later, they began dating.

Just as he had prepared an engagement ring to propose to the love of his life, Lilian suddenly disappeared for a few days.

When he finally found her a few days later, she suddenly told him she was getting married.

The news was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky—after his insistent questioning, she told him that she was marrying Frank.

Frank was ordinary-looking, with average talents and a declining family. Most importantly, he was definitely not the type of person she would fall for.

At that time, he just couldn’t understand why.

But she only told him, “Matters of the heart are unpredictable. Just blame me, and don’t look for me anymore. Frank wouldn’t be happy if he saw you.”

And just like that, they broke up.

After that occurrence, he couldn’t let go of her at all—in the end, he never loved anyone else. Five years later, he suddenly received a letter from her.

In that letter, she claimed she wished to see him one more time.

Without a second thought, he returned from working abroad, only for Frank to stop him at the Morrison family’s residence before he went to meet Lilian.

Frank said she only wanted to tell him that she was living happily and returned the “When the Wind Stops” piano score, their love token, to him.

That was when he truly gave up.

On a stormy night, on his way home, he encountered young Wynne and Susan sitting helplessly by the roadside.

He looked at Wynne, who was clearly frightened and wanted to cry. However, he put on a brave face to comfort his sister. Seeing this, Thomas couldn’t help but be moved.

Since he wasn’t planning on getting married and having any kids, why not adopt them and do a good deed?

Had he successfully proposed to Lilian back then, their kids would’ve probably been their age by now.

And so, he brought Wynne and Susan home, raising them for eighteen years.

Over that period of time, Thomas focused solely on his career and never bothered Lilian again. It was only during his drunk, quiet nights that he would occasionally mention his past with her to Wynne and Susan.

Snapping back to reality, Thomas shook his head.

“Some things are better left unsaid.”

On the other hand, Wynne didn’t press further. He could see the sadness and hope in his father’s eyes, strengthening his resolve to find Lilian and bring "When the Wind Stops" to life again!

Meanwhile, Cecilia and Emma had also arrived at the Lawrence family’s home.

Before they could even ring the doorbell, the door opened. Alex beamed as he saw Emma and Cecilia.

“Sister, Mom, you’re here!”

Emma excitedly held up the watch in her hand and exclaimed, “I came to deliver a watch to Daddy!”