Xander didn't want to say anything, so Oscar didn't ask further.Jessamine chatted with them for a while before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She promised to treat Oscar to dinner, so why not have it now while Xander was here too?As soon as she left, Oscar rolled up his sleeves and followed her. "Jessie, what are you cooking? Let me help you."Xander watched Oscar's eager demeanor and felt something was off. This guy hated going into the kitchen the most.Back when they were in school and shared an apartment, even asking him to wash a piece of fruit was a nightmare. But now, he was volunteering to help cook. Something was fishy about this situation!He loosened his tie and followed. He saw Oscar wearing a pink, cutesy apron and preparing vegetables. What's more, he seemed to be doing it in earnest. Meanwhile, his sister was cutting meat, and the atmosphere in the kitchen was harmonious.Xander squinted, seemingly seeing through everything. He wanted to give Oscar a k
Xander ignored Oscar's lame request and solemnly warned, "Don't mess with Jessie, got it? Don't let me say it a second time."Oscar stood there with his hands on his hips, feeling helpless. After knowing each other for so many years, it was the first time he realized that Xander was overprotective of Jessie. Was he going to interfere in her love life forever?"Alright."Although Oscar agreed verbally, he thought to himself that if one day Jessie fell for him, there was nothing that Xander could do. He would still end up being his brother-in-law.After saying that, he cheerfully went back to the kitchen to prepare vegetables.Jessamine had prepared four dishes and a soup. Her cooking skills were not bad, as she had learned to cook during the three years she spent with Thaddeus. Although it had been a while since she cooked, her muscle memory was still there, and the dishes she made smelled delicious.Oscar exaggeratedly praised the dishes while picking them up with his fork. After
Jordan and Erik were both given time off, which left Thaddeus alone in the spacious house today. He inexplicably felt a bit lonely.He reached for a cigarette box on the coffee table, only to find it empty. He had emptied it at some point without realizing it.Looking outside, he calmed down enough to replay the events in his mind and suddenly felt that something was amiss.Layla's age and the time she moved in with Xander didn't seem to match up. In fact, her age seemed more like…He startled himself with his own thoughts.Thaddeus thought back to what Layla had said about Xander being her deadbeat dad, and how she had asked him for money for her mom. Everything she said sounded credible, and a four-year-old child wouldn't lie.So, was Layla really the child of Jessamine and Xander? Thaddeus wasn't sure anymore.He couldn't rest easy until he figured this out.He typed another message and sent it to Layla. "Layla, is Xander your dad?"He nervously checked his phone now and th
Jessamine's task today was to draw the initial draft for the competition and take care of Lucas. Although Lucas didn't really need her to take care of anything, he often played with strange and unusual things that Jessamine couldn't quite join in anyway.After having breakfast with Lucas, the doorbell rang. It signaled the arrival of a delivery guy with a large box addressed to Lucas."Lucas, did you buy something? Why is there such a big package for you?" Jessamine asked, puzzled, as she opened the door.Lucas was engrossed in playing Sudoku on his tablet. He heard his mom mention a delivery and hurriedly ran out, leaving his tablet behind."Mommy, it's a gift from Uncle Xander! Be careful with it and don't break anything, okay?" he exclaimed excitedly.Jessamine didn't know what was in the box. It was so heavy that she couldn't lift it herself.After they managed to move the box inside the house, Lucas rubbed his hands together gleefully and opened the box with anticipation.
Jessamine was momentarily stunned. "This… is too much, isn't it?"Thaddeus rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not too much. Is there… anyone at home? Can I help you bring them in?" He wasn't sure if Xander was at home, so he spoke cautiously."You've bought too much. My son won't be able to play with so many toys, and we'll be returning to Hajera soon," Jessamine replied."If he can't finish playing with them, he can leave them here and continue next time. If there are other toys he likes, you can let me know," Thaddeus suggested."Thank you for your trouble." They exchanged polite words, which further emphasized the awkwardness between them.After pondering for so long, Thaddeus had to clarify things. "Jessie, is Xander… Is he Malcolm?"Jessamine was reminded of the past by his sudden question, bringing back some memories. He used to care a lot about her frequent dreams of calling out "Malcolm", and they had argued about it countless times.Who would have thought that the perso
Thaddeus wondered who was the one secretly scheming against others. Now he was being accused of being petty. Who was the real petty one here?"Mr. Patton, you're exaggerating. I'm just doing my duty as a citizen and maintaining harmony in our city. Violations of building regulations ultimately harm the people. Mr. Patton, you can't just focus on making money and disregard other people's lives," Thaddeus responded.Xander chuckled in disbelief. "Mr. Holt, you make it sound like I've done something outrageous. I won't claim to be a saint, but at least I don't harm others unless provoked. Making money has never been my top priority."Thaddeus had no interest in hearing about Xander's business philosophy. What was the point of pretending to be a good person here?"Mr. Patton, don't you plan to get married? What kind of man lets a woman follow him around with such uncertainty?" he asked.Xander was puzzled for a moment, before realizing that this fool was treating him as a rival. He su
Inside the house, Xander dismissed his feelings of displeasure and saw Lucas still focused on assembling the pile of strange things on the ground. He joined in with Lucas to work on it.Jessamine retreated into the kitchen to calm her emotions. She peeked out of the window and saw that Thaddeus hadn't left yet—he was leaning against the car, smoking. She felt that since their reunion, his smoking habit had become even worse. Every time she saw him, he was smoking.She opened the takeout containers Thaddeus had given her. Inside were her favorite empanadas from that restaurant, along with other dishes from restaurants she used to frequently ask him to take her to four years ago.The food tasted the same, and he seemed like the same person. But she didn't feel the same as she did back then.She hadn't particularly loved that restaurant before. She just wanted more time alone with him. He was always busy, only coming home late at night, and their interactions were mostly confined to t
After seeing off Xander, Jessamine wasn't in the mood to tidy up the house. She was brought back to reality by Lucas' excited shout. "Wow, there's a magical dinosaur LEGO!"Lucas hugged the newly opened box of building blocks. He was unable to put it down. This LEGO set was a limited edition released this year, and he had wanted it for a long time. He had asked Jessamine for it several times before, but she couldn't get it through the official website."Mommy, which uncle gave us these gifts? He's amazing to be able to buy the limited edition," Lucas exclaimed excitedly.Jessamine fell silent for a moment. "It's an uncle you haven't met before. He used to be Mommy's boss when she worked in Zenville."Lucas's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Then Mommy, please thank him for me. I love it so much!"Jessamine smiled. "Enjoy playing with them."Lucas couldn't resist opening the other toy boxes. To his surprise, the more he opened, the more delighted he became. They were all toys he liked—rob