Chapter 296 Those Are Just Empty Words
It had turned 9:30PM at some point. Anastasia unconsciously yawned as she looked out the window and took note of autumn night sky. It seemed like winter was just around the corner.
At this moment, she heard a sound from the main entrance of the villa, she guessed that Elliot and Jared had returned from their walk.
As soon as she came out to greet them, she saw Elliot holding the sleeping Jared in his arms with one of his coats covering the young boy’s body. Surprised, she hurried over and asked, “How did he fall asleep?”
“Jared got tired from walking. I will take him to the bedroom.” After saying that, Elliot started walking up the stairs with his long legs as Anastasia closely followed after them.
Elliot was already acting like a father. He gently placed Jared on the bed, took off his coat and shoes, covered him with the blanket, tucked him in, and brushed his jet black hair on his forehead before he pressed a kiss on the child’s clear forehead.
She was surprised as she stood at the door and watched their interaction. Is Elliot’s love for Jared true? she wondered.
Does he really like a child that has no blood ties with him?
She was still in a daze when the man walked toward her and took advantage to hug her by the waist. He then gently closed the door.
In a panic, she quickly took a step back and stretched out her hands to push him by his strong chest. However, the man deliberately stuck close to her, his deep eyes revealing a myriad of emotions.
The scene in the bathroom just now had ignited the fire in him.
“Elliot, don’t.” She looked up at him calmly. “I have something to tell you.”
He seemed to have guessed that this was going to happen, and he swiftly pointed in the direction of the living room on the second floor, “We will talk there.”
She followed him with a frown on her face. She didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood. Suddenly, the man walking in front turned back to her and offered, “I can let you look back at me if you think it was unfair.”
It only took her a second to understand his words. “I don’t want it,” she mumbled as she glanced at him shyly.
“Well, your loss.” The man who was now behind her sounded extremely confident.
She sat down on the sofa with a flushed face, and she angrily glared at him. “Can you knock before you enter next time?”
“I thought you were giving Jared a bath. I apologize,” he uttered earnestly. He was in the wrong after all.
She didn’t want to delve into this matter anymore since it had already happened. Arguing about it would only add to her embarrassment. As someone who had given birth to a child, it didn’t matter to her all that much anyway.
“Thank you for caring and protecting Jared and I all this time. I saw the news this afternoon that Lawrence has been arrested. Since we are safe now,” she spoke her mind, “I have decided to bring Jared back to my home tomorrow.”
Elliot’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “Everything has been fine during your stay here. Why must you move out?”
“I can’t keep bothering you… I—”
“I like it when you do.” He cut her off mid-sentence, his deep eyes locked on her.
She had wanted to properly bid him farewell, but when she heard him interrupt her, she blinked a few times and grumbled, “Can you please not interrupt me?”
“Anastasia, let me ‘buy’ you. Name a price!” Sitting on the dark sofa, he looked like a noble, godly king.
She started to feel like her farewell was steering more and more off its course because of him.
Exasperated, she sighed, “Elliot, can you let me finish?”
“Only if you promise to stay. I don’t want to hear anything else.” He wanted to act stubborn despite knowing how she would still leave once she had set her mind to it.
She ignored his words and continued, “Thank you for housing Jared and I for so many da—”
“How are you going to thank me?” he interrupted her again, rendering her speechless.
What a rude guy! she fumed.
Instead of answering him, she threw a question back at him. “How do you want me to thank you?”
“You know what I want.” He tossed it back to her.
Knowing that it was something she wouldn’t agree to, she acted dumb and exclaimed, “How would I know what you want?!”
“So those are just empty words when you said you wanted to thank me?” The man pretended to be upset.
“Ehem, of course I am sincere about it.”
His eyes then shifted to gloomily stare at somewhere else. “But you don’t know what I want,” he mumbled. He looked like an abandoned child at this very moment.
