bChapter /bb633 /b

    Shermaine nced at the headline in the paper, reading aloud, “Headline Daily: Jean Group’s President checked binto /ba hotel with his wife during the day and only left the next day.”

    Danielle choked on her food, her face flushing bright red.

    Ross remainedposed, grabbing a tissue and gently wiping her mouth. “If you don’t like it, I’ll have someone take bit /bdown.”

    “Who would like that?” Danielle muttered under her breath, embarrassed. The idea of everyone knowing bwhat /bbthey /bbhad /bbeen doing at the hotel made her want to disappear on the spot.

    “Please, do it quickly,” she whispered.

    “Alright,” Ross replied.

    Janice chuckled, eager for great–grandchildren. “Ross, next time, don’t be in such a rush, okay?”

    Ross smiled warmly. “Understood, Grandma.”

    Danielle’s cheeks burned even more, and she looked up, meeting Shermaine’s teasing gaze.

    But despite her embarrassment, she felt a sense of relief. Now she and Ross could focus on starting a family, something she had longed for. She hoped that their passionate night together would bring her closer to her wish.

    Trusting Ross, Danielle smiled softly, her eyes sparkling as she winked at him.

    Ross returned the smile, his eyes twinkling with affection./

    Ruth, concerned about Danielle’s health, spoke up, “Danielle, are you sure you’re well enough to join us for the outing? You should rest today.”

    “I’m fine, Ruth,” Danielle replied confidently. “The whole family is going out. How can I stay behind? I can help out with the

    little ones.” Despite the previous night’s excitement, she felt recharged.

    Toby, still a baby, was as adorable as George had been at that age. He slept most of the time, eating and resting bin /b

    between.

    Richard, who had fathered a childter in life, doted on Toby greatly, though his love for Ruth was still unparalleledb. /b

    Meanwhile, George noticed Joshua feeding his mother. His big eyes widened. “Daddy.”

    Joshua nced at his son, his face calm/“Eat it yourself.”

    bGeorge /bpouted, tugging bat /bJoshua’s bpants /bleg. “Daddy, feed me.”

    Joshua didn’t understand why George bwas /bbso /bbclingy/bb, /bbbut /bbhe was /bbrelieved /bbthat /bbhis /bbson wasn’t /bbas /bbattached /bto Shermaine bdidn’t /bbwant /bbto /bbbe /bbthe jealous /bbtype /bof bfather/bb. /b

    b“/bbLet /bbyour /bbsister /bbfeed /bbyou/bb,/bb” /bbJoshua /bbsuggested/bb. /b

    b1/5 /b

    11:14 Sunb, /bb3 /bAug

    “No, I want Daddy,” George protested.

    Joshua, ignoring George for the moment, picked up another sushi roll and handed it to Shermaineb. /b“Here, bhave /bbanother /b

    one.”

    Shermaine had recently lost some weight, and Joshua was determined to make sure she regained her strength.

    George, still feeling neglected by his father, turned to his sister, Gracie, looking hurt but not crying.

    Gracie, sipping her milk, noticed her brother’s gaze. She took a piece of sushi and gently ced it in his bmouth/bb. /bb“/bbYou’re /bba /bbig boy now. You don’t need to keep asking Daddy for food.”

    Shermaine watched the interaction, then reached out, softly patting George’s head.

    At first, George had no interest in eating, but the sushi was too good to resist.

    Shermaine asked, “Georgie, you don’t want me to feed you?”

    “Mommy also needs care,” George replied, his speech still not very clear, but everyone understood. It was a surprising statement from such a young child.

    Everyone’s attention turned to Joshua, and Shermaine also looked at him, her eyes silently asking for an exnation.

    Joshua’s expression remained unchanged. “I’ve only said that to George once. He remembered it.”

    This, it seemed, was why George wasn’t clinging to Shermaine.

    At just about two years old, George, like Gracie, was unusually sharp for his age.

    Shermaine smiled warmly. “Georgie, you’re still little. You can always be sweet to me.”

    George shook his head stubbornly. “Want Daddy.”

    Shermaine sighed, a mixture of amusement and helplessness in her smile, epting that her son preferred his bfather’s /b

    attention.

    Joshua couldn’t suppress augh. He reached for Shermaine’s hand, gently squeezing her palm.

    Shermaine nced up, not upset, but feeling a bittersweet pang. She pulled her hand away, bnot /bbwanting /bbto /bbbe /bbheld/bb. /bbYet /bJoshua quickly caught up, his fingers intertwining with hers.

    After breakfast, the family prepared to head out.

    Owen would also be joining themb, /bthough bhe /bwas bleaving /bbdirectly /bbfrom /bbYork /bbresidence/b.

    bIt /bbwas /bba /bbeautiful spring dayb, /bbthe /bbsun /bbshining /bband /bbthe /bbbreeze /bbgentle/bb, /bbperfect /bbfor /bba /bbday /bbout /b

    bThough /bbShermaine’s /bwork bschedule /bwas bhectic/bb, /bbJoshua /bband /bbJanice /bbalways /bbmade /bsure she set aside time 1

    bBy /bbnow/b, bthe /bbfamily /bbhad /bbarrived /bbat /bbtheir /bdestinationb, /bbMount /bbAkoya/b,

    bIt /bbwas /bblikely /bbthe /bbweekend /bbcrowds /bthat made bthe /barea so busy

    11:14 Sunb, /bb3 /bAug

    The vastwn was filled with people, and the family hadid down a nket with food spread iout /ibin /bbthe /bmiddle.

    Around them, some were ying badminton, while others flew kites.

    85b% /b

    The garden was equally crowded, with people snapping photos. One could only imagine the crowds at the mountaintop.

    Thanks to Shermaine’s monthly wellness treatments, Janice and Owen remained in excellent health. They were now

    happily hiking toward the peak, teaming up together for the climb.

    Shermaine, apanied by Joshua and the children, found a quieter spot. Theyid out their pic and unpacked the

    food.

    Since they had the children with them, Shermaine had also brought along the robotic nanny, which immediately took

    charge of looking after George and Toby.

    The robot’s advanced features caught the attention of passersby, and soon people realized that Shermaine’s family was

    the one with the robot.

    A few individuals approached, requesting photos and autographs.

    Shermaine, not considering herself a celebrity, politely declined the autograph requests but agreed to the photos.

    Meanwhile, George and Toby were having a st crawling on the grass, thoroughly engaged in their y.

    Gracie had wandered off toward a nearby fish pond, where she began feeding the goldfish.

    With her doll–like appearance, Gracie quickly attracted the attention of other children, many of whom offered her fish food. She declined politely, choosing to buy a pack for herself instead.

    Shermaine wasn’t concerned about Gracie wandering off, as Gracie wore a bracelet with a tracker, ensuring Shermaine could always keep tabs on her.

    Gracie wasn’t the sort of child prone to mischief anyway, so Shermaine’s supervision was never too strict. Besides, Dave had been quietly hidden in her pocket the entire time.

    He’d been eager toe out and explore, but the crowd was too dense, and Shermaine had firmly insisted he stay putb. /bNow, after being cooped up for so long, he was growing restless.

    “Gracie,” Dave murmured, muffled through the fabric, “I could really use some air.”

    “Hold on a minute,” Gracie replied, looking around for a quieter spot.

    She eventually found a bamboo grove, where the air was peaceful, and the sound of birds could be heard in the distance. A small stream ran through the area, its water shallow and clear.

    Unable to resist, Dave slipped out of Gracie’s pocket and dove into the waterb, /bswimming gracefully like a fish.

    Gracie, seated on a rock, pulled a book from her small backpack. “Enjoy yourself, but let me bknow /bbwhen /bbyou’re /bbdone/bb, /bband /b

    we’ll head back.”

    “Got it!” Dave replied cheerfully.

    11:14 Sunb, /bb3 /bAug

    The stream was full of fish, and Dave yed with themb, /benjoying the refreshing water.

    As Gracie began reading, a faint sound caught her attention, a groan from deeper within the bamboo grove.

    At first, she didn’t think much of it, but when Dave surfaced from the water, he urged, “Gracie, I think someone’s over

    there.”

    “Hmm?” Gracie responded, her curiosity piqued.

    Worried it might be a tourist who had gotten hurt, Gracie decided to investigate. She packed away her book and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

    Impressed by Gracie’s courage, Dave led the way.

    85%

    As they ventured further, they discovered that the sound had indeede from a personb, /bthough not a tourist. A young man, lying on the ground, was badly injured and breathing weakly.

    Though covered in wounds, his delicate, striking features were impossible to ignore.

    Gracie crouched beside him and gently poked his cheek.

    The boy stirred, his eyes opening. His gaze was arresting, one eye deep purple, the other a vivid red.

    Despite the unusual color of his eyes, his beauty was undeniable.

    His expression hardened with hostility, but when his gazended on Gracie, the hostility seemed to fade. He muttered one

    word, “Leave.”

    Gracie, undeterred, retrieved a handkerchief from her bag and carefully tied it around his injured palm.

    The boy nced at her hand, stunned for a moment.

    Gracie remained calm, taking out her phone to call her mother.

    Shermaine answered promptly, her voice soft. “What is it, sweetheart?”

    “Mom, can youe here? I found someone who’s hurt.”

    “I’m on my way.”

    After the call, Gracie took a seat beside the boy.

    Dave studied the teenager, subtly sniffing the air around him. The boy’s gaze met Dave’s, deep, still, unreadable. bThere /bwas something unsettling in that look, something far removed from the expression of an ordinary youth.

    When Shermaine arrived, she found a boy, perhaps ten or eleven, lying on the ground. iHis /ipresence bfelt /bbunusual/bb, /bband /bbhis /binjuries were seriousb, /bespecially the internal ones. Without proper treatmentb, /bthey could leave bsting /bbdamage/b.

    “Where’s your family?” she asked.

    “Dead,” he replied tly.

    b11:14 /bbSun/bb, /bb3 /bAuguG

    Shermaine raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any identification?”

    “No.” He spoke with little interest, his tone dull, as if he didn’t care to engage.

    “Do you want me to help you?” she asked.

    O

    “No, thank you.” There was no defiance in his voice, just calm, polite detachment, far tooposed for ba /bbchild /bbhis /bbage/b.

    “I’ll live,” he added.

    Shermaine turned and left. If he would survive, there was nothing more to be done.

    Gracie followed after her, leaving the bamboo grove in silence once more.

    The boy stared at the sunlight filtering through the leaves. It stung his eyes. His mismatched pupils darkenedb, /bba /bbflicker /bbof /bresentment crossing them.

    He hated the sun. It soured his mood. If he could, he would’ve destroyed it.

    But soon, footsteps returned. Gracie hade back.

    She opened her backpack and took out some candy. She never ate it herself. It was always George and Toby stuffing her bag with sweets. There were also small packets of biscuits. She set them gently beside him.

    Dave watched, surprised. He had never seen Gracie act kindly toward strangers. He’d alwa family, she kept her distance.

    Yearster, Dave would ask why she helped the boy.

    Without hesitation, Gracie had replied, “He was good–looking.”

    Back in the grove, Gracie ced thest of the snacks and turned to leave.

    ssumed that, outside bof /b

    But then, the hem of her shirt was caught. The boy’s voice had softened, no longer indifferent. It was warm, almost coaxing. “I’m hurt. Will you take me home?”

    色