"That jerk Tristan! How could he be so rough!" Cherry flopped onto her bed, her poor little bottom only comfortable when it was sticking up in the air.She had not even finished cursing when she heard a knock on the door."Cherry, can Mommy come in?"'Is that Mommy?' She quickly pulled the blanket over her bottom and answered in a low voice, "Yes."Sophie opened the door and saw her curled up under the blanket, a soft smile appearing on her face. "Did today's class wear you out? Is your bottom sore?""How did you know my bottom hurts?" Cherry was surprised. 'Was it that obvious?'"Silly girl, I'm your mommy."Cherry had always had a quirk since she was little. Whenever her bottom hurt, she would lie on the bed with her bottom sticking up, saying it hurt less that way."My bottom hurts so much, and Mommy is still making fun of me." Cherry pouted unhappily. There was no sign of a little brother or sister yet, and Sophie was not as affectionate as before. It seemed her previous ac
Jeff was getting a bit restless in the living room. When he saw Sophie descending the stairs, he anxiously asked, "Is little Cherry okay?""She's fine, just tired from class. She'll be okay after some rest. Let's eat." Sophie smiled gently, choosing not to mention the incident between Tristan and Cherry."That's good. Mrs. Carrie, save some of her favorite dishes for later. When our little glutton gets hungry, heat them up for her.""Don't worry, sir," Mrs. Carrie replied with a knowing smile, well aware of Cherry's eating habits.Tristan could not help but glance upstairs toward Cherry's room, his delicate brows furrowing slightly. 'She must be really angry.'Sophie noticed his brief look of resignation before he lowered his head again, confirming her suspicions. Setting down her utensils, she said, "Tomorrow is Saturday. I was thinking of taking Cherry and Tristan to the amusement park.""That's a good idea. You and Cedric can take the kids. Children shouldn't be constantly eng
Cedric purchased all-inclusive passes, and they followed the crowd into the amusement park. As soon as Cherry saw the carousel at the entrance and the Ferris wheel turning slowly in the distance, her pent-up frustration from the previous night melted away. She grabbed Sophie's arm, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mommy, I want to ride the carousel and the Ferris wheel!"Seeing her daughter's enthusiastic demeanor, Sophie felt a twinge of guilt.Cherry might be more mature and understanding than other kids her age, but she was still a child who deserved a joyful, carefree childhood."Okay, okay," Sophie agreed with a smile, then turned to Tristan, who had been unusually quiet all morning. "Tristan, would you like to join us?""I—""Carousels and Ferris wheels are for girls," Cherry interjected before Tristan could answer, her face pouty. She did not want to ride with him."Ms. Luxford, I won't ride those," Tristan said quietly, bowing his head slightly. He knew Cherry was s
"Let's ride the carousel," Sophie suggested.Cherry, who had been eager to ride the Ferris wheel and carousel just moments ago, now looked hesitant, her voice wavering slightly. "Mommy, how about we try something else first?"She imagined the carousel suddenly stopping while it was spinning. 'Wouldn't I crash into the horse's rear in front of me?'Seeing right through her hesitation, Sophie could not help but smile. "What do you want to do instead?"Cherry glanced around. The roller coaster, drop tower, and pirate ship all looked terrifying, especially with the constant screams coming from every direction. She shuddered and pointed to a claw machine in a quiet corner. "Let's play that.""Are you sure?" Sophie asked."Yes, that's what I want to do," Cherry replied earnestly, tugging at Sophie's arm.Trying not to laugh, Sophie let herself be pulled toward the claw machine, with Cedric and Tristan following close behind."Mommy, see that pink stuffed animal inside? I want that on
While Sophie was feeling frustrated by the rapid succession of failures, the claw machine beeped again as the pink toy that had almost been grasped slipped and fell back down.Sophie could not help but smile. She knew the difference between her and Cedric should not be that vast.Cherry’s enthusiasm plummeted like the fallen toy. She pouted, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I thought it was going to come out."Cedric had not expected the toy to fall at the last second either. His brows furrowed slightly, but he maintained his calm expression."No problem, we'll get it this time," he assured her, inserting two more tokens.His sharp eyes locked onto the pink toy near the edge. After carefully aligning the claw, he pressed the drop button.The claw’s three prongs formed a solid, stable triangle and descended toward the pink toy. Sophie instinctively widened her eyes, watching the toy get picked up, her breath catching.'This time it has to come out.'Cedric’s confident, c
Tristan was surprised that Sophie had seen through it all. He tried to maintain his composure, but her next words caught him off guard."If your nose still hurts, let me know. Cherry's weight might have caused some real damage.""Cherry's not fat."Sophie's eyes flashed with surprise. 'Cherry's not fat? I have been contemplating whether it was inhumane to put a nearly six-year-old on a diet. But Tristan actually said she isn’t?'Realizing his reaction was a bit too strong, he quickly looked away. "My nose is fine, really.""Good to hear. Actually, I didn’t just want to ask about yesterday’s class. There's something else." Sophie composed herself, hoping to address the school incident and hear the truth directly from Tristan.Tristan paused, confused. "What is it?""There's a boy in Cherry’s class named Collin Reese. A while ago, he got into a fight at school. You were the one who hit him, right?"Had she not overheard the conversation between Collin and his mother, she would ne
Sophie smiled gently. "How do you know if you don't try?"'Tristan might not be able to forget immediately, but he’ll never know until he tries. Once he moves past those dark clouds, he'll see the clear sky beyond.'A staff member noticed they had been standing at the entrance for a while and approached. "Ma'am, would you like to buy some cold drinks?""Sorry about that. Yes, I'll have two bottles of water and two cherry sundaes."Deciding it was time to wrap up their conversation, she smiled and paid for the order. She then handed one of the cherry sundaes to Tristan."Ms. Luxford...""You run fast. Take this to Cherry before it melts."Cherry's temperament had similarities to hers. Even if she wanted to forgive, she needed a way to accept it gracefully.Upon understanding her intention, Tristan's eyes filled with gratitude. He could not help but make another request, "Thank you, Ms. Luxford. Can the situation with Collin remain our secret?""Of course. Cherry won't find out.
Sophie pursed her lips as she watched his repeated failures, barely holding back her laughter until her cheeks ached. 'It seems I've overestimated his abilities before this.'The tokens she had just bought were used up in no time. Cedric frowned, emitting a chilling aura through his gaze, almost as if he wished he could bore a hole through the glass window."I'll definitely grab that toy." Refusing to give up, he pulled out another banknote and inserted it into the vending machine.After pressing a few buttons, the machine's AI voice chimed in. "We're sorry, the machine has run out of tokens. Please contact the supplier."Cedric's expression dimmed as he glared at the screen displaying the insufficient tokens prompt, his gaze sharp, almost murderous.Sophie could not hold back anymore and burst out laughing. 'Has he bought all the tokens?'Just as she was about to ask him to leave, he had already pulled out his phone and dialed the supplier's number before she could say anything.