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The black Bentley RV drove on a winding road with the children inside.
Rory had a carton of milk in her hands and would take a sip from time to time.
While driving, Xavier glanced in the rearview mirror to check on the children, who had a square
suitcase with a cartoon character.
Zachary was the one who had packed the suitcase, seemingly ready to run away from home.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Xavier was unsure if he should report the child's concerning
behavior to his boss.
In the end, the man decided not to call Cayden just yet to see what Avery had to say. I'll explain to him
afterward.
“I've made up my mind; I'm not going back. What about you?” Zachary asked his sister.
“Me neither. I'd rather live in an orphanage than go back home.” Rory had had enough of the big house
where she never got to see her father. On top of that, her grandmother and step-grandmother would
always fight; they would even get physical.
The children's great-grandfather was the only one they knew they would miss.
Xavier was suddenly at a loss when he heard the children's naïve conversation. It seems I'm not as
capable as I think. I can't do anything to fix this.
At the restaurant, Avery was having a good time chatting with Brodie.
As an ordinary white-collar worker, Brodie was not showy like the wealthy nor vulgar like a hillbilly.
Basically, he was a decent man.
“Since you work at Trident Group, I can send you to work and pick you up if you don't mind.” Brodie
obviously liked Avery, but he did not know if the woman felt the same way about him.
When Avery stayed silent, Brodie chuckled awkwardly. “I didn't mean to come on too strong like that.
Please excuse me for being rash.”
“No, it's fine. That was nice of you,” responded Avery while shaking her head.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBrodie's cheeks turned red when he got Avery's recognition.
Like Avery, Brodie was not an extrovert, so the atmosphere quickly turned awkward when the two ran
out of things to talk about.
Fortunately, the waiter picked the right time to come over to serve their order. The two had ordered
steak and some fruit juice, the sort of food and beverages an ordinary working-class citizen could
afford.
Avery lifted her head with the intention of thanking the waiter for serving her food, but just before she
could open her mouth to speak, she noticed three figures walking in.
They were Xavier, Zachary, and Rory.
While Xavier was speaking to one of the staff members, the children looked left and right with a
suitcase in hand, obviously searching for someone.
Glancing at Brodie, Avery suddenly felt nervous and guilty.
“I'm going to wash my hands.” The woman got up and headed for the restroom.
Brodie looked around but found nothing out of the ordinary, so he decided to take the time to help
Avery cut her steak.
Standing at the entrance, Zachary finally found Avery after his eyes darted around the place.
The boy, who was taught not to shout in public by his great-grandfather and father, hurriedly cast his
suitcase aside to run toward Avery.
Avery waited outside the restroom when Zachary ran over to hug her.
After patting Zachary on the head, Avery squatted down and asked the boy gently, “How did you get
here?”
“I asked Mr. Dartsley to bring me here.” Zachary held Avery tightly, his obsidian eyes quickly turning
red.
Naturally, Avery appreciated how much the children liked her. However, she knew there was nothing
they could do to change the relationship between her and their father. To her, the children's efforts were
as futile as chasing the wind.
“Listen to me. Just go home, okay?” coaxed Avery as she continued to pat Zachary on the head.
“No! I won't allow you to go on blind dates. You're to be with Daddy!” The more Zachary talked, the
more emotional he got.
At that moment, two women, who walked out of the restroom and just so happened to overhear the
conversation, could not help but despise Avery since they thought she had gone on a blind date without
considering her children's feelings. What a heartless woman!
Avery knew she had been away for too long, for nobody would need more than five minutes to wash
their hands.
The woman could not agree to stop seeing other men since she did not want Cayden to
misunderstand. Besides that, Avery did not want to disappoint her friend, who had set up the blind
date, or Brodie because the man seemed like a good fit for her. “Don't cry. I'm not on a date; I have
business here.”
Zachary believed what Avery said to him. “Rory and I will wait for you here, then, okay? You can come
to us when you're done.”
Upon hearing that, Avery knew she had no other choice. They won't go even if I ask them to. On the
contrary, they might even cause a scene.
The woman seemed distracted when she returned to her table.
Then, she thanked Brodie for cutting her steak for her.
“You don't look so good. Did something happen?” Brodie was observant enough to sense that
something was off.
“No, nothing happened,” replied Avery while shaking her head.
Hence, Brodie assumed the woman was on her period. It's only natural that she looks a little pale.
“Can we have the menu?” The two children walked over and sat at the table beside Avery's.
The woman looked at them, surprised that they had sat so near to her. She had thought that Zachary
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmeant they were going to wait in the car.
Since she did not see Xavier around, Avery guessed that was true for the assistant.
At first, Avery was so worried that she barely ate her food. Fortunately, the children did not make a
scene but simply enjoyed their meal in a well-behaved manner. Their conversation, however, was
somewhat puzzling to Brodie.
“It's terrible to grow up without a mother, isn't it?”
“I'll tell you what's worse. To grow up with a horrible father!”
Brodie could not help glancing at the children complaining beside him. He would have believed them if
they were in rags and not branded clothes. Are they children of a celebrity doing some kind of reality
show? But where are their father and mother?
However, Brodie could not find any camera equipment even after looking around.
After more than an hour, Brodie's manager called and asked him to return to work, so Avery politely
excused him. She told the man that he could leave first because she had to wait for her colleague to
deliver the flash drive.
“I'll see you again when I'm off work,” promised Brodie as he stood up.
Avery, too, got on her feet to watch the man leave.
At that moment, a man in a black suit and white shirt suddenly walked into the restaurant. He had long,
slender legs and a visage so cold that it announced his revered identity and indifferent temperament.
When the children saw their father, they quickly lowered their heads fearfully.
Avery turned her head to the side and awkwardly responded to Brodie's polite goodbye.
Meanwhile, Xavier watched as Cayden unceremoniously picked up Rory and grabbed Zachary by the
hand in an attempt to remove the children from the restaurant.
“I'm not going!” After breaking free from his father, Zachary ran to beg Avery with his arms wrapped
around her leg and tears rolling down his cheeks. “Please save me, Ms. Ery!”
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