Chapter 963 This Father, Truly Lives Up to His Name!
"Penelope, it's better to be bummed for a bit than to never see Brandon's true colors," Kelvin muttered to himself. "Or... if Brandon actually owns up to his mistakes and is ready to leave LA forever like he promised, maybe I'll cut him some slack, so he doesn't look like a total jerk to you."
It all hinged on Brandon's next move.
Would Brandon dig in his heels and refuse to change, like Isabella did back in the day? Or would he be smart enough to back off?
Kelvin turned and left the study.
From the playroom, bursts of laughter echoed.
Penelope was playing with the kids.
Kelvin walked in, and Lucy was the first to spot him. She called out sweetly, "Daddy!"
Lucy's voice always brought him a sense of peace and joy, no matter when he heard it.
"What are you playing, Lucy?" Kelvin knelt down and patted her head. "You're all sweaty."
"A game! Daddy, wanna join us?"
Penelope chimed in, "It's getting late. Time to get ready for a bath and bed. Daddy can play with you tomorrow if he has time."
Lucy nodded obediently. "Okay."
Sam sat coolly nearby, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube by himself.
With a few quick twists, the jumbled, colorful cube was neatly solved, each side a solid color.
He could solve any Rubik's Cube in under a minute, but lately, he was challenging himself to do it in thirty seconds, though he kept missing the mark.
"Sam?" Penelope called out, raising her voice. "Time to head to your room."
Sam was so focused he didn't hear her, muttering numbers under his breath as his hands moved swiftly, aligning the cube's sides.
"Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one..."
"Thirty-seven!"
At thirty-seven seconds, the cube was complete.
Sam sighed. "Still seven seconds too slow."
"You're really fast, Sam," Lucy praised. "Way faster than me."
He scoffed, "You're so slow, of course I'm faster."
Lucy turned her head. "Mom, Dad, Sam called me slow!"
Sam quickly coughed. "I was just messing with you."
Why did Lucy always have to rat him out? That habit needed to change!
"We have the same parents, so if you're smart, I must be smart too," Lucy said proudly. "If I'm slow, then you are too."
Sam replied, "Isn't it possible, Lucy, that I got all the smart genes and you got the slow ones?"
"You're the one with the slow genes!"
Penelope watched the two bicker, smiling helplessly.
Kelvin came over and picked up the Rubik's Cube. "What's your challenge time?"
"Thirty seconds," Sam said.
"Let me give it a shot."
It had been a while since Kelvin had played with such a toy.
The Rubik's Cube is a brain teaser that enhances logical thinking. For Sam to solve it so quickly at just five years old was impressive.
As Kelvin's hands moved, Sam counted the seconds precisely.
"Nineteen, twenty, twenty... seconds!"
Kelvin solved it in under twenty seconds!
Sam's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kelvin had done it in just twenty seconds!
So fast!
"Wait, no way!" Sam exclaimed. "Do it again! I had already solved most of it, so it doesn't count! Let me scramble it again, and you try!"
Kelvin handed it back. "Mix it up however you want. I can restore the cube within twenty seconds."
"Twenty seconds?"
Sam was still struggling with thirty seconds, and Kelvin could do it in twenty!
Impossible!
Sam couldn't accept it!
He twisted the cube furiously, mixing the colors thoroughly.
He refused to believe Kelvin could solve such a mess in twenty seconds!
"Okay," Sam said with satisfaction, handing the cube back. "Try again."
Kelvin took it calmly.
Sam counted beside him.
"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen!"
This time, Kelvin solved the cube in nineteen seconds.
Sam was stunned, looking at Kelvin with growing admiration.
Amazing!
Kelvin placed the cube back with a composed expression. "Alright, time to wash up and hit the sack. It's late."
Though he appeared calm, Kelvin enjoyed Sam's admiration in truth.
But he couldn't show it.
He had to stay composed.
"Wow, that's incredible," Sam genuinely praised. "Kelvin, I really underestimated you before!"
His dad was truly impressive!
People always told him how great and impressive his dad was, but Sam had always been skeptical.
He thought Kelvin was just okay.
Pretty good, but not the best.
But through this little Rubik's Cube, Sam saw Kelvin's true strength.
"Kelvin, you're so smart and intelligent. I'm your son, so I must have inherited your genes. I should be just as smart, maybe even smarter," Sam suddenly asked. "Right?"
"...In theory, yes."
"Then why am I not as good as you yet?"
Kelvin replied, "You are already quite excellent, Sam."
"But compared to you, I'm still a bit behind," Sam said. "Kelvin, when you were five, could you solve the cube this fast?"
"I've always been this fast, only getting quicker."
Sam thought for a moment, glancing at Penelope.
His expression... a bit critical.
"...What?" Penelope noticed. "Sam, what's with that look?"
"I just thought of something."
"What?"
Sam hesitated, unsure if he should say it. "Never mind, girls are sensitive. I better not say it, or you'll get mad. Look at Lucy, always tattling on me."
"Go ahead," Penelope replied with a gentle smile. "I won't get mad."
She couldn't believe he could say anything that would upset her!
"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Then... I'll say it."
"Go on."
Penelope smiled warmly, like a kind and gentle mom.
Sam pursed his lips. "Kelvin is so smart. I didn't inherit all his intelligence because you held me back... He's smart, you're slow, so it balanced out, and I'm just an ordinary kid."
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