Chapter 45 Don't Want a Bad Reputation

Yvonne's heart turned cold.

They were so close to making up, but she didn't expect Elijah to suddenly withdraw from his desires.

Disappointment flashed through her heart, but soon, she felt hopeful for tomorrow.

Because Elijah had said they would climb RD Mount with Joseph on Sunday.

The next morning, she proactively contacted Joseph to ask about their plans.

"Dad said we're going to climb RD Mount. Can you not work overtime today and come with us?" Joseph pouted.

Apparently, Elijah had lied to Joseph, saying that she had to work overtime.

"Sure! What time are you guys leaving?" Yvonne said as she grabbed her coat and backpack, ready to go out.

"It should be soon because Dad is already on his way to pick me up," Joseph exclaimed excitedly. "Auntie, please come quickly. I miss you a lot. Drive safely!"

Yvonne put on a pair of sneakers from the shoe cabinet and drove to Bird Hills.

When Joseph saw Yvonne, he immediately rushed over and hugged her tightly.

Elijah maintained a cold expression and didn't say a word.

Their eyes met, and Yvonne greeted with a smile, "Mr. Harper."

Due to the presence of Joseph and his aunt, Elijah responded indifferently.

Taking advantage of the time Elijah took Joseph to change clothes, the aunt pulled Yvonne aside and asked, "Did you and Ryan really get engaged?"

Yvonne gave a wry smile and nodded.

"Yvonne, I never speak ill of people behind their backs, but Mr. Winston is known for his promiscuity and has a bad reputation. Why would you..."

"Mr. Winston has been good to me." Yvonne didn't want to be too direct, so she quickly changed the subject. "Do you need me to carry some medicine for Joseph?"

"The nanny has already prepared everything. Joseph has asthma and shouldn't exert himself too much. If necessary, you can take the cable car up the mountain," the aunt instructed. "Joseph hasn't been out for a long time, so the main goal is to relax. Don't let him get too tired."

Yvonne agreed.

When they set off, Yvonne voluntarily got into Elijah's car. This time, she avoided the passenger seat and sat in the back with Joseph.

Elijah drove, and after leaving the city, the car climbed up a winding mountain road.

There were few vehicles on the road, and the trees were bare. The mountains appeared faintly in the mist.

Joseph kept looking out the window and muttered, "The last time I went to RD Mount with Dad was at the end of last year. He is such a busy person!"

"Whenever you want to go somewhere, as long as I have the time, I'll take you there," Yvonne gently comforted Joseph, touching his little head.

Joseph stared at Yvonne with his clear eyes and said, "I want to go to a hot spring. Can you accompany me next weekend?"

"Of course!" Yvonne glanced at Elijah in front, and their eyes met in the rearview mirror.

She didn't want to miss this opportunity to communicate with Elijah and asked with a smile, "The best hot spring hotel in Winslow must be 'Forest Manor,' right, Mr. Harper?"

Elijah didn't want to respond, but seeing Joseph's hopeful gaze in the rearview mirror, he said softly, "Forest Manor is decent."

Yvonne flipped through her phone, intentionally leaning toward Elijah's direction. "The online family package is the most cost-effective, two nights and one day. I'm going to book it now."

"Save your money. I have a VIP gold card," Elijah mocked lightly.

"It's settled then." Yvonne smiled knowingly at Elijah. "Remember, you're not allowed to use work as an excuse to break your promise."

Yvonne already had a plan. If she couldn't win over Elijah today, she would definitely sort things out with him when they went for a hot spring weekend next week.

Elijah ignored her and only spoke to Joseph, "You're going back to school tomorrow. Study hard and make up for the work you missed in the past two weeks."

Joseph obediently nodded, "Okay."

"He's just a little kid. It's not necessary for him to be so stressed about studying, right?" Yvonne intentionally engaged him in conversation.

"I don't need you to educate my son," Elijah replied sharply.

Yvonne almost choked and furrowed her brows. "You don't want to argue with me, but you're feeling uncomfortable, aren't you?"

"People have to take responsibility for their own mistakes." Elijah's tone was calm, implying a deeper meaning.

"I was just with Ryan—" Yvonne suddenly realized Joseph was beside her and quickly smiled, "Is it necessary to treat me like this?"

"If we were on equal footing, you wouldn't even be allowed through the gates of Bird Hills, let alone see Joseph, and definitely not be sitting in my car like you are now."

Joseph's presence made Yvonne feel defeated by Elijah's words. Nevertheless, she patiently asked, "Have you forgiven me?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Elijah immediately clarified his stance.

Yvonne snorted but stopped arguing with him, shifting her gaze to Joseph by her side.

Joseph was counting the bird nests on the withered trees by the road, murmuring to himself with great concentration.

In fact, being closer to Joseph, one could notice that his facial features weren't that similar to Elijah's, especially his nose and lips. Elijah had a high nose and thin lips, while Joseph had a slightly droopy nose bridge and plump lips. These two features alone were enough to make it apparent that Joseph didn't resemble his father.

Yvonne felt like she had seen a man before whose appearance was very similar to Joseph's. However, she couldn't recall his name.

"Auntie, do the bird nests have bird mommies too, or just bird daddies?" Joseph suddenly asked.

"Of course, they do," Yvonne replied. "With the care and protection of their dad and mom, bird babies grow up beautifully."

"I don't have a mom, but I still grew up, right?" Joseph frowned and muttered softly.

Yvonne hugged him affectionately, her comforting words stuck in her throat.

When they reached the foot of RD Mount, Elijah asked Joseph if he wanted to climb up or take the cable car. Joseph firmly said he wanted to climb.

"Think rationally, if you can't hold on halfway through, no one will help you," Elijah reminded him.

"Auntie is not afraid, so what do I have to be afraid of!" Joseph said, running toward the entrance.

Today, Yvonne brought a large canvas backpack. After getting off the car, she put the medicine and water bottle prepared by aunt for Joseph into it. Just as she was about to seal it, Elijah added a few bottles of purified water.

The backpack immediately became much heavier, and Yvonne handed it to Elijah.

"Since you're a man, you carry it." Elijah took off his sunglasses from the car and put them on, then swung the backpack onto his shoulders. He said to Yvonne, "Stop being so dramatic."

Yvonne rolled her eyes at him. As long as she wasn't too tired, it was fine.

Joseph walked ahead, with the two of them trailing behind.

Elijah's strides were larger. Yvonne wanted to make amends, so she tried her best to keep up with him, even if it left her breathless.

"Elijah, can you please slow down? It's been half a year since I last worked out, and I can't keep up with your pace at all."

"I didn't invite you to come hiking." Elijah quickened his steps. "If you can't keep up, just go back."

"Don't deny it! A few days ago, on the phone, you asked me to go hiking on Saturday, but I said I didn't have time, and you suggested Sunday!" Yvonne retorted without holding back.

He pursed his lips. "I also told you to distance yourself from Ryan earlier. How can you not remember that?"

Yvonne's fierce demeanor diminished when he hit her sore spot. "You know very well what's going on between Ryan and me. Why are you so fixated on it?"

"You're going to be Mrs. Winston in the future, so don't get too close to me. I don't want to tarnish my reputation." Elijah's tone was firm.

Yvonne stood still, placing a hand on her chest, and took a few deep breaths of the chilly, fresh air.

"Dad, auntie, come on, there are fish in the stream!" Joseph had stopped by a rock, waving happily at them.

Elijah was the first to reach Joseph, holding his hand. Their gaze fell simultaneously onto the flowing stream.

Yvonne's curly hair brushed against her eyebrows. She gathered her waist-length hair and looked at the father and son pair standing about ten meters away from her.

A handsome man and a cute boy, they were truly a sight to behold.

The little one focused on the stream, while the grown-up glanced back at her.

A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her lips as she lit a cigarette.

Before she finished smoking, Elijah's gaze had already shifted elsewhere.

The lingering smoke dispersed between Yvonne's fingers and drifted away.

She couldn't help but wonder, what kind of woman was Emily that she could heartlessly leave this man and the child and marry someone else?

Yvonne tossed the cigarette butt into a nearby trash can and walked over leisurely.

The father and son were chatting, and Yvonne overheard them talking about a parent-teacher meeting.

"Most of the kids in our class have their moms attend the meetings. If you really can't make it, I'm thinking of inviting Aunt Yvonne to school." Joseph's words reached Yvonne's ears clearly.

Yvonne wasn't planning to take charge of this matter. She smiled at Joseph before speaking, "Auntie can handle other things, but for parent-teacher meetings, it's best if Mr. Harper goes."

"Don’t worry, aunt will go with you," Elijah reassured Joseph.

Joseph stirred the flowing water with a twig in silence.

The atmosphere suddenly turned eerie.

Yvonne pondered her next words.

Lost for words, neither of them brought up any topic.

Just then, Yvonne's phone rang.

Seeing that it was Mrs. Winston, Yvonne quickly moved away from the father and son before answering the call.

"Yvonne, there are guests at home for lunch. Come over so I can introduce you to them." Mrs. Winston's tone was filled with indulgence.

"Auntie—" Yvonne was about to speak but was interrupted by Mrs. Winston's laughter.

"Are you still calling me "auntie”? Do you think I didn't give you enough red packets?"

Subconsciously, Yvonne covered her mouth. "How could that be? The red packets from you and uncle were too generous. I still feel incredibly grateful."

"Hurry over, dear. Mom has made all your favorite dishes today." Mrs. Winston's motherly love overflowed.

Hearing the term "mom," Yvonne's heart warmed, and her voice instantly became gentler.

"Sorry, I have plans with a friend today, and I can't make it."

Mrs. Winston rambled on for a while before hanging up the phone.

As Yvonne put her phone back into her pocket, she felt a sharp gaze fixed on her.

Without needing to look, she knew who it was.

Suddenly, she realized that she had offended the elder ones, and she couldn't afford to offend the younger ones now.

So she glanced at both father and son, smiled, and said, "About Joseph's parent-teacher meeting next week, don't trouble aunt anymore. I'll go instead."