In the afternoon, Rachel intentionally packed up and went home an hour earlier than usual.
“Mommy, why are you back so early today?” Samuel asked as he hopped off the couch with a surprised look on his face.
Rachel then picked him up. “Samuel, I would like to discuss something with you.”
“What is it?”
“I will be staying with Charlotte for some time. Can you live with Jolly for the time being?”
“Sure.” Samuel immediately agreed, which surprised Rachel. She fell silent for a moment before she added, “Samuel, I may be gone for quite some time, though.”
“You can stay there as long as you need to. I’m sure Charlotte must have missed you. Since you have never stayed by her side for a long time before, I don’t mind lending you to her for the time being.”
His words warmed Rachel’s heart and she praised, “Samuel, you are really my good baby.”
Jolly, who returned rather early that day as well, helped Rachel to carry her luggage into the car. “I know that whatever I say won’t be of much help to you since you have always been a more careful and thorough person than I am. Anyway, please be careful.”
“I understand. Please take good care of Samuel.”
“You can rest assured. Of course I will take good care of my son.”
Before Rachel got into the car, however, she asked rather hesitatingly, “Jolly, do you think that I will stand a chance to get Charlotte’s custody if I were to take this to court?”
“You wish to take Charlotte away from him?” A surprised look appeared on Jolly’s face. “Have you thought this through? Charlotte not only has Justin behind her, but the entire Burton Family as well.”
Rachel’s brows were knitted into a tight frown and she murmured, “I know that this will be tough and in fact, it sounds like a fantasy. I’ll drop this for now. It’s time for me to leave.”
“Hold on.” Jolly suddenly stopped her, and the former was wearing a stern expression that seldom appeared on her face. “If you really wish to take this to court, my parents and I will definitely help you.”
“Thank you, Jolly.”
Although Rachel knew that Jolly meant what she said, she did not wish to drag the Carter Family into her private matter, so the thought of taking the case to court remained merely a thought. Jolly watched as Rachel’s car slowly drove away, and a rare grim expression replaced her usually bright smile as she dialed an international number.
The phone rang for some time on the other end before it was picked up.
A sexy male voice then purred down the line, “Hello. Why did you call me all of a sudden, my sweetheart?” The man spoke in an American accent. “Stop messing around, Hernandez. I have something important to ask you. Aren’t you a lawyer? I would like to ask you regarding a custody lawsuit.”
“Sweetheart, I’m now on leave. If you wish to talk about work, let’s talk in two weeks’ time.” “On leave, you say? So, are you giving up on dating Chris now?” “What do you mean?” The male voice on the other end of the call suddenly sounded serious. Through his voice over the phone, Jolly could even imagine how Hernandez straightened up from his lounging position in a beach chair. She then continued, “If you manage to pull this off, Chris will certainly be impressed by you.”
Hernandez, however, did not reply. Meanwhile, Rachel drove her car into the garage of the Burton Residence. A fter she closed her trunk, she raised her head and noticed Justin at the garage entrance. “Are you here to welcome me personally?” She put down her luggage, flashing him a playful smile as she murmured, “I guess I’m pretty important to you.”
“What are you thinking? I’m here to make sure that you don’t bring anyone that you are not supposed to bring.” “Who is this person that I’m not supposed to bring?” “Stop asking the obvious.”
A hint of impatience crept across his brows and he muttered, “Since you have agreed to keep Charlotte company, don’t think that you can have that brat occupy her time.” “Charlotte kind of likes Samuel and they can be good friends even if they are not biological siblings, so there is no need to make a fuss out of this.”
“Friends?” He scoffed and muttered, “There’s no need. Charlotte doesn’t need to share any of her belongings with anyone and she doesn’t need anyone to share anything with her as well!”
Belongings? A line appeared between Rachel’s brows as she thought to herself, I’m just a thing in his eyes.
“Dictatorial!”
“What did you say?”
Rachel, however, dragged her luggage and shot back, “I said that you are in my way! Move!”
As soon as she stepped foot into the house, Charlotte pounced on her. “Mommy! You are really back! Daddy didn’t lie to me!”
Rachel picked her up. “Yes, I’m here to stay with you, Charlotte. Are you happy?”
“I am!” Charlotte cast a look behind Rachel and asked, “Where’s Samuel? Why didn’t he come with you?”
At the mention of Samuel, Rachel turned to look at Justin and under his forceful gaze, she had no choice but to lie. “Samuel prefers sleeping in his own bed and he prefers to stay where he is used to.”
Charlotte blinked at her in response. “We could just move his bed over here, no?” Then, she turned to Justin and said, “Daddy, ask Mr. Beckham to get some men and move Samuel’s bed over to our house. Samuel should live with us.”
Justin was speechless when he heard that. Rachel, on the other hand, deliberately avoided his gaze and ignored him despite him trying to make eye contact with her.
“Daddy, hurry up and call Mr. Beckham!” An anxious Charlotte got out of Rachel’s embrace and ran over to him, tugging and shaking his arm. “I want Samuel to come over to accompany me.”
Meanwhile, Rachel leisurely watched their interaction with her arms crossed.Justin shot a sharp look at her and spoke in a light voice. “Samuel has his godmother to keep him company, so we have to get her permission before we take him here, understand?” Rachel clenched her fists and her expression fell while she muttered, “Charlotte, let me help you to take a bath. Your face is dirty and it’s almost bedtime.” “Samuel—” “Samuel is busy.
He will come over after he is done with his things.” “Okay!” Rachel then darted Justin a glance before holding Charlotte’s hand and leading the child to the bathroom. fter putting Charlotte to bed, Rachel exited her room, only to find Justin gone. Surprisingly, he kept his word—she was indeed here to keep Charlotte company only.
For the next couple of days, Justin did not even come over to stay. Even if he came back for a meal during the day, he did not stay the night. t noon, the sun was hanging high in the clear sky. Sitting on the indoor swings of The Bilingual Elementary were Charlotte and Samuel, each occupying a swing.
Charlotte heaved a heavy sigh and mumbled, “Daddy hasn’t been coming home to sleep. I wonder what happened.” “It’s fine.” Samuel bit on the straw of the milk box while his short legs dangled mid-air. “I don’t like when he spends time with Mommy, anyway.” “Are you still holding grudges?
Have you forgotten what I told you? Only your biological parents make the best family.” “I remember, which is why I’m being cooperative, but there’s nothing we can do if he doesn’t return home.” “How about I pretend to be sick so that he comes back?” Samuel shook her head in a seemingly mature manner.
“If you do that, your daddy would think that Mommy didn’t take good care of you.” “He’s our Daddy!” Charlotte corrected him seriously. At that moment, their homeroom teacher’s voice rang from a distance, “Charlotte, Samuel, the outdoor activity session has ended. Why are you guys still out here?”
The man who entered the sports hall was rather young. He had short black hair that made him look refreshing, and the contagious smile on his cute face made him appear especially amicable to children who had just entered elementary school.
