Chapter 608 Lola Encounters Jesse and Posts an Update!
Amara took a moment, her eyes drifting to Jesse, who was happily munching on a lamb chop.
She hesitated, unsure of how to start.
Hailey, with a warm smile, ladled some soup into Amara's bowl. "Warm up first; we can chat later!"
She shot a quick glance at Amara. "Don't let Jesse hear this. He's young, but he gets things."
Amara gave a faint smile.
Hailey watched her closely, thinking, 'Amara must have run into Kingsley a few times. No wonder she's so distracted!'
After dinner, Jesse headed to his room to play with his toys.
Hailey did the dishes and then brought a paper bag to Amara's bedroom. Amara had just finished her shower and was drying her hair when Hailey handed her the bag, which was stuffed with cash.
Amara took a quick peek and guessed it was around a hundred grand. "Hailey, where did you get all this money?"
Hailey plopped down beside her, casually flipping through some medical records on the dresser. "Didn't I tell you I won a small lottery prize? You don't even have a decent car to get to work, and that's why you keep getting sick. Plus, working for Landon, you can't be taking the subway or bus! You need a car."
Amara put down the towel and started counting the money.
With her sixty thousand dollars added, buying a car wouldn't be an issue, but she needed to tell Hailey her plans.
Amara looked up and said softly, "Hailey, I want to transfer back to the Bostan headquarters."
Hailey was caught off guard.
She cleared her throat. "You're doing well here. We bought a house, and Jesse's about to start preschool. Why go back to Bostan? Is it because of Kingsley? He seems decent; he shouldn't be holding onto the past!"
Amara couldn't bring herself to talk about what Kingsley had done.
Hailey couldn't push too hard either.
After a pause, she said, "Your career is just taking off. If you go back to Bostan, you'll have to start over. Landon isn't at the headquarters, and the environment isn't as good as it is here in Syeattel. Think it through."
Amara figured Hailey just wanted stability and had gotten used to life in Syeattel. So she nodded. "I'll think about it!"
Amara wanted to give the money back to Hailey, but Hailey pushed it back. "Hold onto it for me! I don't have many expenses besides groceries. And if my useless son, Billy Wood, comes around asking for money, I'll end up giving it all to him!"
Hailey's husband gambled, and Billy, lazy and having wrecked his own family, often sought money from her but was good to Amara and Jesse.
When Hailey brought it up, Amara thought for a moment and said, "You should keep the money. Maybe one day you and your husband can open a store and run a proper business."
Hailey had thought about that too, but since the money came from Kingsley, she couldn't just take it.
She brushed it off, saying she was tired, and Amara didn't push the issue, putting the money away.
Later, when Amara went to bed, Jesse came over with his pillow.
Jesse was only 2 years old but small for his age. He crawled into bed and snuggled into Amara's arms. Amara, worried about passing her cold to him, wanted to take him to Hailey's room.
Jesse was a master at being affectionate.
He hugged Amara's arm. "I want to sleep with Mommy."
Amara's heart melted.
The lights went out, and the room was dark, but with Jesse in her arms, it felt warm. Amara talked to Jesse about Bostan, saying it was a bustling place and asked if he wanted to live there.
"Mommy, what does bustling mean?"
"It means lively! There are lots of people, cars, and tall buildings everywhere."
Jesse's big eyes widened. "But Syeattel also has lots of cars and people. Jesse likes it here. Syeattel has snow and mech toys!"
Amara fell silent.
Hailey and Jesse didn't want to leave, so Amara had to stay in Syeattel.
In the following days, Kingsley didn't show up. She thought he had given up since their past was long gone.
Amara felt a bit relieved.
She deposited the hundred thousand dollars, setting it aside for Hailey, and used some of her own money to buy a white BMW.
The day Amara brought the car home, Jesse was over the moon, and even Hailey couldn't help but touch it and say, "It looks beautiful! This car suits your status! You should live brightly."
Amara drove them to a high-end restaurant.
She smiled. "Landon said that in a couple of years, when I have more experience, he'll give me some founding shares! Then we can afford a bigger house. At least a three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit, so everyone has their own room."
Hailey was thrilled to hear that.
There was still work to do at the company, so Amara dropped Hailey and Jesse off at the high-end restaurant and had to go back to work. Hailey complained, "Working on a Saturday! And Jesse and I don't know how to eat fancy food!"
Amara hugged Jesse and kissed him. "I taught Jesse last night."
Jesse lifted his little head and said, "I know how!"
Hailey didn't know what to do with Amara and Jesse. She had to take Jesse inside. It was lunchtime, and Lola happened to be eating at the same restaurant with Angelina.
Seats were scarce, but Hailey had a super VIP voucher, which made the manager a bit hesitant.
Lola went over to take a look.
The manager whispered, "Ms. Hawkins, we have a lot of reservations today."
Lola was trying to figure out what to do when she noticed an adorable little face with big, bright eyes staring up at her. The resemblance to Austin was uncanny; they could easily be mistaken for brothers.
Lola was taken aback for a moment. She glanced at Hailey, who was already feeling uneasy, her palms sweaty. Hailey could guess that this woman was Jesse's aunt!
Lola, though surprised, kept her cool. She crouched down and gently hugged Jesse, asking kindly, "What's your name?"
Jesse wasn't shy at all. "My name is Jesse Butler."
Lola thought, 'He must be a Hawkins Family child!'
So Lola stayed composed and warmly invited Hailey to join her. "I have a table for six. If you don't mind, join us. I also have a little one with me, and they can play together."
At that moment, Angelina exclaimed, "He looks just like Austin."
Lola smiled and explained to Hailey, "Austin is my youngest son! Now that I look closely, Jesse does resemble Austin a bit!"
She even took out her phone and showed Hailey a picture of Austin. "Don't they look alike? If you said Jesse and Austin were brothers, no one would doubt it."
Hailey was sweating all over.
Lola asked the manager, "Is the temperature set too high?"
The manager replied, "No, it's 78 degrees Fahrenheit, the most comfortable temperature for the human body."
Hailey quickly said it was fine.
In the end, they sat together. Lola placed Jesse and Angelina together, sat next to Hailey, and took a photo of Angelina and Jesse, posting it with the caption: [Ran into a little one who looks just like Austin!]
The Hawkins Family was shocked.
Frederick: [Look, you can find kids who look like the Hawkins Family on the street! Kingsley, useless!]
Johnny: [Who wants to claim this child?]
Charlotte: [Should we do a DNA test?]
Gavin: [Haha, who messed up?]
Kingsley remained silent.
Lola read the comments and put her phone away, satisfied.
She was polite to Hailey but didn't ask about Amara, so Hailey gradually let her guard down. She thought, 'Since Kingsley knows, it should be fine if more people know. If the Hawkins Family really cares, Amara can't keep Jesse. It might be better for Jesse to build some relationships with the Hawkins Family; it is beneficial for Amara in the future.' Hailey loved Jesse but also cared deeply for Amara.
Lola, despite her jokes, took good care of Jesse.
She instructed the manager to prepare a special kids' meal for Jesse, the same kind Angelina used to have. Now, Angelina was teaching Jesse how to eat with an experienced air.
Lola watched them quietly.
She noticed that Jesse liked to smile, and his smile was very much like Amara's.
She thought, 'Kingsley will probably like Jesse a lot.'
Hailey saw the tears in Lola's eyes and felt a pang in her heart, quietly wiping her own eyes. As long as the Hawkins Family truly loved Jesse, nothing else mattered.
Hailey didn't hide it anymore and whispered, "Actually, Kingsley knows! He came to see Jesse once."
Lola wasn't surprised.
She looked at Hailey and said softly, "Thank you for everything you've done over the past few years."
Hailey felt another pang in her heart and quickly composed herself. She whispered, "Amara is the one who truly had it tough. She's been through a lot these years."
She had heard that Amara had changed a lot since she came back.
Amara was originally an immature girl, but becoming a mother and working hard was not something an ordinary person could handle. Yet, Amara had raised Jesse very well.
Lola was about to speak when Kingsley sent a message: [At the restaurant? I'm coming over!]
Lola quickly replied: [Yes!]
After sending the message, she put her phone down and smiled at Hailey. "It's Kingsley! He wants to come over for dinner too!"
Afraid to say no and feeling out of her depth, Hailey, from a small town, began to sweat again.
In less than 20 minutes, Kingsley arrived.
He was dressed impeccably, in a crisp white shirt, dark brown wool trousers, and a gray thin wool coat, looking very dashing.
Hailey wanted to stand up, but Lola gently pressed her down.
Kingsley nodded slightly at Hailey and sat next to Jesse. He restrained himself from touching Jesse, but with such a soft little person in front of him, it was hard to hold back.
Angelina, seeing him, happily called out, "Uncle Kingsley."
Then she proudly told Jesse, "This is my uncle! Isn't he handsome?"
Jesse, being young, didn't quite understand what handsome meant.
He just thought this man was very tall and looked better than anyone else.
Angelina said generously, "Jesse, you can call him Uncle Kingsley too! He is nice."
Jesse didn't want to call him that.
Hailey had said that overly friendly men outside could be bad people.
Jesse was a bit awkward, but Kingsley was very patient, just reaching out to gently pat his little head. "Such a good boy, so cute."
Lola watched quietly.
Jesse felt that Kingsley's touch was very gentle and couldn't help but look up.
Kingsley's eyes were focused and gentle.
He had never been a father, but he had seen Gavin and Johnny as fathers. He used to think they were exaggerated, but now that it was his turn, he realized it was all instinct.
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