Chapter 814 Premeditated
Nathaniel eyed the orange on the plate.
Saskia instinctively tried to take it away. "He won't eat it..."
"Thanks, Benjamin. I was just craving an orange," Nathaniel cut in, sounding casual.
Saskia was taken aback.
Nathaniel usually avoided anything that wasn't perfect, right?
And he rarely ate food from outside.
While Saskia was surprised, Nathaniel seemed cool with it, munching on two slices and even praising Benjamin's cutting skills.
As Benjamin's mom, Saskia couldn't bring herself to compliment the plate of messed-up oranges.
After a bit, she coaxed Benjamin to go play in his room.
Saskia sat down and said, "You came here to talk about something, didn't you?"
Nathaniel replied, "You don't have to be so cold to me."
"Then how should I treat you?" Saskia's sharp reply made Nathaniel's face darken.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make things hard," she said, looking down.
"Benjamin's out of the hospital. We can get him started in school. Jeffery came by yesterday and mentioned it," Nathaniel changed the topic.
Saskia's eyes lit up with surprise and joy. "Benjamin can go to school?" she asked.
Kids with congenital heart disease could go to school, but there were lots of worries.
School wasn't home, and bumps and scrapes were bound to happen.
Saskia had been super worried before.
Even after the surgery, she was still cautious, stuck in her old habits of care.
She was terrified something might happen to Benjamin.
Nathaniel handed her some documents. "Check out which preschool looks good, and we can get him enrolled."
Saskia took the papers and looked them over carefully.
It was hard to miss.
Nathaniel had already screened them, and they were all top picks.
Saskia felt a bit touched, her attitude softening a bit. "This one looks good."
With the school picked, it was almost lunchtime.
Nathaniel kept chatting with Saskia, going over details about the preschool.
Saskia felt a bit uneasy.
Wasn't all this info already in the documents?
As lunchtime neared, Nathaniel stood up. "You guys are about to eat, and I should go. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll take Benjamin to preschool."
Hearing this, Saskia didn't stop him.
After all, he was Benjamin's dad. Saskia stood up too.
"Mr. Egan, are you leaving? Stay and eat with us." Benjamin ran out of his room, clinging to Nathaniel, not wanting him to go.
The bedroom was close to the living room, and the door was open, so Benjamin must have heard everything.
Nathaniel glanced at Saskia. "Benjamin, I can't stay."
Benjamin asked, "Why not?"
Nathaniel replied, "Because I have things to do. I'll come back to spend time with you next time, okay?"
Benjamin turned, his eyes welling up with tears as he shook his head. "No, you always say that, but it takes forever to see you again. You and Mrs. Egan both."
Saskia's heart ached.
For a moment, she wondered if she had made a mistake.
She thought that with her company, Benjamin was happy enough and didn't need anyone else.
But did he actually need more companionship?
After all, blood ties were hard to break.
Nathaniel looked at Saskia, and her gaze flickered. "Stay for lunch. It shouldn't take too much of your time," Saskia said.Almost as soon as she agreed, Nathaniel sat down with Benjamin, ready to wait for the meal.
Saskia's sense of unease grew stronger, as if she had been manipulated. Was it just an illusion?
Saskia shook her head and walked into the kitchen. Benjamin immediately stopped wiping his tears, sneaking a glance at Saskia, who was busy in the kitchen. "Mr. Egan, did I do well?" he asked.
Nathaniel smiled. "Perfect."
The two shared identical smiles.
After lunch, Benjamin clung to Nathaniel, wanting to play.
Saskia wanted to stop them.
Nathaniel checked his phone and said, "The meeting was canceled. Don't worry. I had plenty of time."
Nathaniel ended up being stuck with Benjamin until evening.
As the sky darkened, even Saskia felt a bit dazed, realizing Nathaniel had spent the entire day there.
She walked him to the door.
Nathaniel handed her a red velvet box. "This is for you."
Saskia asked, "What's this?"
Nathaniel said, "Open it and see."
Saskia hesitated, then opened the box, shocked to find a ring inside.
The moment she saw it, the ordinary box felt scorching hot. She even began to suspect that everything today had been part of Nathaniel's plan.
Saskia took a deep breath and said, "I can't accept this."
"It's not a proposal, just a gift. You bought that queen's ring, right? I saw you liked it, so I picked something similar," Nathaniel interrupted casually.
The ring in the box sparkled with silver light, clearly extraordinary.
Such a ring was just a casual gift from Nathaniel.
But Saskia wasn't foolish.
She could see the difference between this ring and the one she had bought at auction.
If the queen's ring was a common collectible worth two million dollars, then this one was priceless.
"I can't accept it. It's too valuable." Saskia closed the box and pushed it back.
Nathaniel stepped back. "It's yours now. I have no say in it. Keep it or throw it away; it's up to you."
With that, he left without giving Saskia a chance to return it.
Saskia stared at the ring, lost in thought.
After a long time, she couldn't bear to throw away such a beautiful ring and kept it.
Once Benjamin's preschool was chosen, Saskia immediately called the school, arranged everything, and started taking him to pick out school supplies.
As soon as they stepped outside, she saw a familiar face.
"Mr. Egan!" Benjamin ran over, jumping into Nathaniel's arms.
Nathaniel caught him steadily.
"What are you doing here?" Saskia walked over, glancing at the car parked nearby.
It wasn't Nathaniel's usual car; it was much more discreet, likely chosen specifically for this occasion.
It was hard not to suspect that Nathaniel had planned this.
Saskia looked at the only person who might have betrayed her.
Benjamin guiltily avoided her gaze.
Saskia said, "Benjamin, why won't you look at me?"
Benjamin replied, "Mom, my neck hurts."
Nathaniel was straightforward. "I timed it right and waited here. Since I recommended the preschool, it's not too much to ask to join you, is it?"
Saskia sighed.
It wasn't too much.
Seeing Benjamin's happiness, she relented. "Fine, as long as Benjamin is happy."
They chose a mall that had a stationery store on the third floor.
Benjamin dashed in with excitement.
Saskia called after him, "Benjamin, don't run so fast. Be careful not to bump into anyone."
No sooner had she spoken than Benjamin fell to the ground.
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