'At only five years old, suddenly having an unfriendly half-brother, and now possibly getting a full-blooded younger sibling soon. Isn't my life a bit too harsh?'"Dad, it's still early," Matthew said awkwardly.Although the relationship between Sophie and Cedric had improved, it had not reached the level Jeff seemed to assume. Sharing a bedroom now felt uncomfortable, even for him."Early? The sooner, the better for this kind of thing! Don't you and Melissa want to hold your grandchildren soon?" Jeff's dissatisfaction was clear, making Melissa instinctively want to say they already had one. But she held her tongue due to Matthew and Cedric's looks."We'll go up now," Cedric said, startling Sophie.She turned to see a hint of pain behind his smile, and the words of refusal she was about to say got stuck in her throat.Jeff's confusion about time indicated his condition was progressing faster than they had thought. It might not even be a year before he forgot everything.Seeing s

Sophie pulled her discarded clothes into the blanket and put them on one by one, unable to suppress a small smile as she pointed to the sky outside.Realizing he was caught in his own scheme, Cedric sighed with a touch of regret in his voice. He leaned down and gave her a quick, lingering kiss on the lips."Let's take it as His arrangement," he murmured.At least it gave them a direction to move forward, breaking the stalemate of indecision.-The next morning, Jeff greeted them cheerfully as they emerged from their separate rooms."Did you sleep well last night?" he asked with a knowing smile.Sophie blushed, tensing up as she wondered if Jeff was suspicious about them coming out of different rooms."Very well," Cedric replied, his mischievous smile making her heart race."Good. Now hurry to work. Cherry and Tristan have already left for school," Jeff said as if his confusion the previous night had been forgotten like a dream.Sophie glanced at Cedric in confusion. 'Has Gran

One might think a single childish sticky note confession would suffice, but Cedric seemed addicted to his madness. He called her daily while standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, arranging for a florist to deliver roses."I can't take it anymore! Cedric sends you huge bouquets of roses every day. My eyes are tired of all the pink and deep red. How am I supposed to design a set of cool jewelry for religious people?" Jeanna complained."Then you should just stay in the design department," Sophie retorted, deliberately countering Jeanna's playful complaints."Hmph! That's not the point. Besties need to spend as much time together as possible every day."Sophie put down the delicate spray bottle, her eyes sparkling with the vibrant beauty of the roses in the glass vase. She teased, "You're about to get married. You should be spending more time with Sean."Jeanna and Sean's wedding was set for the 9th of next month, leaving less than a month. It was time for her to start preparing a

After school, the driver took Tristan and Cherry directly to the taekwondo gym. Once they changed into their uniforms, they entered the classroom, bowing politely to the teacher. "Hello, teacher.""Hello, start with your warm-up," the teacher instructed.Tristan began his warm-up obediently, but Cherry seemed a bit distracted. It wasn't that she was slacking off; she just knew that warming up wouldn't make much difference for her.When Jeff signed them up, he mentioned that his grandson was in third grade and his granddaughter was in first grade. However, he had forgotten to specify that she was a smart kid who had skipped a grade. Consequently, the gym had placed her in the same class as Tristan.She was supposed to be in the preschool group but ended up in the youth group, needing special care. The teacher never asked her to participate in demonstrations, afraid she might get hurt. During sparring practice, her senior classmates always stopped their punches and kicks at least ten

"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