Chapter 1293 Wherever You Are, I Am There
"Declan, with you around, I can totally chill." Cassie grinned as she hung up the phone by the big ol' window.
She was actually freaking out about tomorrow's board meeting, but since Declan said he'd be there, Cassie felt way less stressed.
"Get lost. I don't need your help."
"Fine, with that attitude, even if you beg me tomorrow, I ain't coming."
Suddenly, there was a ruckus in the hallway outside.
Cassie frowned and walked over to open the door, just in time to see the teacher she had hired storming out, looking super pissed.
There were a few books scattered on the floor in the hallway on the second floor.
Joseph was standing by the books. When he saw Cassie come out, he gave her a look full of hurt, anger, and frustration, then stomped into the study.
And yeah, he slammed the door shut.
"Joseph, open the door. You can't treat your teacher like that. Studying is for your own good. Sophia and Oliver read more books than you do," Cameron said, clearly upset by his attitude.
"I don't wanna study. I just don't. No one likes me anyway," Joseph's voice came from inside.
"No one dislikes you. It's because we care about you that we want you to study. We all hope you can become better," Cameron said, feeling a headache coming on. With no experience in raising kids, at fifty years old, he was still trying to be a good dad, but Joseph was super rebellious.
"Cassie doesn't like me. I won't study. I don't want you to like me either. I just want her to like me," Joseph's voice came through the door.
Cameron looked embarrassed and said, "How does she not like you? She just hasn't taught you. She's not a teacher, and teaching isn't her thing. She has her own life too. Why should she be with you every moment? If you keep being unreasonable, she might really stop liking you."
The study suddenly went quiet.
Joseph didn't say anything more, but no matter what Cameron said, he wouldn't open the door.
"You go rest, I'll handle this," Cassie had to step in.
"Cassie, maybe we should just let him be. He'll figure things out eventually. After all, he's a guy," Cameron sighed, "We don't want him to become a burden to you."
"I'll talk to him," Cassie said, feeling heavy-hearted, "Maybe I've been too impatient."
Cameron shook his head helplessly and went downstairs.
"Joseph, open the door," Cassie gently knocked and said, "If you don't open the door, I'll move out."
It was still quiet inside, so Cassie pretended to walk downstairs.
The study door suddenly flew open, and Joseph rushed out, his eyes red and frantic, glaring at her. Joseph said, "I won't let you leave. If you go, I won't stay here either."
"This is your home," Cassie said softly, "This isn't my home."
The only reason she stayed here was because of him.
Without thinking, Joseph said, "Wherever you are, that's where I'll be."
"Why?" she asked.
"Why?" Joseph scratched the back of his head in confusion and pouted, "I don't know. I just don't want to be away from you."
Cassie felt a whirlwind of emotions.
"Joseph, let's talk," she said, walking back to him.
Seeing her beautiful face, Joseph felt even more upset. He turned and walked back into the study.
Cassie closed the door behind her.
She glanced at the messy study floor, realizing he must have been throwing a fit during his lesson.
Joseph bit his lip, holding back tears, and suddenly hugged her. "Cassie, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have called you a jerk last night. Are you still mad at me? I promise I won't say that again. Please don't leave me."
Cassie was stunned by his embrace.
It wasn't until Joseph's hot tears fell on her neck that she began to regret.
She had forgotten that no matter how tall he was, how good he was at basketball, or how skilled he was in combat, his emotional capacity was still that of a two-year-old.
She was unhappy and confused, but she shouldn't have burdened him with it.
"Joey, I'm not mad about last night. I'm just afraid that as you grow up, you'll leave me," Cassie said softly, "I've told you, I just want to be your lover, wife, girlfriend."
"Then be my lover, girlfriend, whatever," Joseph held her tightly.
"But do you know what a lover or girlfriend is?" Cassie gently pushed him away and asked.
Joseph's eyes immediately filled with confusion.
Cassie smiled at him, "See, you still have a lot to learn. Joey, I want you to grow up, make your own money, protect me, and take care of me. That's when we can talk about love and girlfriends."
Joseph didn't fully understand, but he realized he knew very little. Maybe he really should study hard.
"Joey, I've told you, this isn't my home, it's yours. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't stay here. Do you understand?" Cassie lifted his face gently. "Do you know what the world outside is like?"
"I don't know," Joseph admitted honestly, feeling a bit dejected. "Am I useless?"
Cassie explained, "No, I was just like you a long time ago. But now I know there's endless grasslands, blue oceans, towering snow-capped mountains, bustling cities, all kinds of delicious food, and the complexities of human relationships. But you don't know any of this. We don't have common topics to talk about. I can't always talk to you about cartoons and toys. I want you to study so you can understand more, so we can have more to talk about. When I'm bullied, you can help me. We can go see the ocean, ride horses on the grasslands, and go skiing."
Cassie looked into his eyes seriously and added, "It's because I love you and like you so much that I want you to grow. I want you to study with a teacher so you can be with me sooner. Because to me, you're different from Sophia and Oliver."
Joseph was deeply moved. He hadn't been to those places, but he imagined a picture of going there with her, and he couldn't help but yearn for it.
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