Chapter 722 Sleepless
"Is there anything else bothering you?" Patrick asked bluntly, "Let's hash it all out tonight."
Vera shook her head. "I don't want to say anything more."
"Then don't." Patrick stood up and placed Teddy on the bed, ready to leave. As soon as Teddy hit the mattress, he rolled over and propped himself up, looking around to see he was alone on the big bed while Patrick and Vera didn't join him.
Patrick was about to head out when Vera quickly got up. "Patrick, where are you going?"
"The study."
"Teddy hasn't had his bath yet. Can you stay and help me with that first?"
"Then he won't get a bath." Patrick walked out without another word.
Vera watched him leave and blinked. "I said so much just now, and he didn't even react?"
She looked at Teddy, who was now back in her care, and sat down to call Molly. "Molly, are you still up?"
"Yeah, Sebastian's helping me with some research."
"Can you come over and help me with Teddy's bath? Patrick's mad at me again and went to the study, leaving us alone."
"Give me three minutes. I'll be right there."
Molly hung up, got out of bed, and said to Sebastian, "You go ahead and sleep. I'm going to help Vera with Teddy's bath."
Already in her pajamas, Molly headed to Vera's bedroom. Teddy was stripped down and flailing his limbs when he saw Molly. "What did you say to Patrick?"
"Everything I should and shouldn't have said," Vera replied as they chatted. "Did you try calling Randall?"
Molly nodded. "Couldn't get through."
"Then I probably can't either. Later, check on Susan. She might have a hard time sleeping tonight."
With Patrick gone and Molly being inexperienced, she struggled to help bathe the chubby and slippery Teddy. Vera quickly washed Teddy's bottom, armpits, neck, and thighs—places prone to bacteria—before lifting him out of the basin.
"I'll figure out a way to bring Patrick back to us. For now, the atmosphere at home is up to you."
"No problem."
After putting a diaper on Teddy, Molly gave him a few kisses before leaving.
That night, no one in the Olteran family slept.
Cindy and Vincent were on their phones, trying to figure out what Randall was interested in, regretting not understanding him better over the years.
Even though it was late, the lights in the Olteran Manor bedrooms were still on. Shawn, who usually loved to make calculations, put everything aside to research for Randall.
Molly went to see Susan, who had swollen eyes and was crying. "Molly, Randall won't answer my calls."
Molly comforted her. "Don't worry. Let's give Randall some space to think things through. Tonight, you helped him voice his thoughts. Now, he can seriously consider his future without any reservations."
Late into the night, Vera finally got Teddy to sleep in the bedroom. She gently got up and went to Patrick's study.
As soon as she opened the door, she was hit by a strong smell of smoke. "Patrick."
Patrick immediately put out his cigarette and opened the window. "Don't come in."
As Vera was about to step inside, Patrick closed his laptop and walked out, taking her hand. "Is Teddy asleep?"
Seeing the red veins in Patrick's eyes, Vera felt a pang of heartache. She nodded. "Yeah, he kept looking at your pillow and crying for you before he finally fell asleep. He's even sleeping facing your side."
Patrick's heart softened. "I smell like smoke. It's not good for you and Teddy. I'll sleep in the study tonight."
"Come back and take a shower. We won't smell it. Besides, you can explain to me what cybersecurity is."
Patrick was waiting for some data. "You go to sleep. You have school tomorrow."
"No way. Wherever you sleep, I sleep. If you smoke, I'll breathe in secondhand smoke. We'll suffer together."
Patrick looked at Vera, who was clinging to his arm. "I'm waiting for some data. I'll come back to the bedroom soon."
Vera waited with Patrick for over ten minutes. When the message finally came through, Patrick took Vera's hand and returned to the bedroom, still checking his phone.
Teddy was lying on Vera's side, facing Patrick's usual sleeping spot, his chubby face puffed up. "He kept grabbing your pillow and calling for you before he fell asleep."
Patrick glanced at Teddy from a distance and then headed to the bathroom with his clothes.
Because Vera was so clingy and Teddy kept searching for him in his sleep, Patrick returned to the bedroom in the middle of the night.
Seeing Teddy's towel hanging to dry, Patrick asked, "Did Teddy get a bath tonight?"
"Yeah, Molly helped me. It's getting hotter, and Teddy is chubby. If he doesn't bathe daily, I'm afraid he'll get rashes, so I gave him a quick wash."
Lying down, Patrick closed his eyes wearily. "Vera, do you know how many cybersecurity companies, studios, and related enterprises we have here?"
Vera looked at her husband and shook her head. "No idea."
Patrick held up one finger. "Ten thousand?"
"One million. That's last year's data. This year's hasn't been counted yet. Do you know what that means for Randall?"
Vera shook her head again. She climbed over Teddy and lay on Patrick, pulling the blanket over herself.
Teddy was now in the middle, with Patrick on one side.
Patrick, worried Vera might fall, held her tightly. "It means he'll be competing with over a million companies. The latest wealth report shows that companies with assets over three billion dollars make the top 100 list. Some of these companies have been around for over twenty years. With your current net worth, you could easily top the list without doing anything."
Vera frowned, understanding Randall's challenge just from the numbers.
"With so many interests at stake, Randall is walking a tightrope. You four are still young and don't know how cold and indifferent the world can be. I don't want you to experience that. My strength is to protect you, not to let you start from scratch and fight for a place on that tightrope."
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