Chapter 521 Even Men Can Blush
Sean opened the thermos, poured a cup of steaming hot water, and handed it to Ashley. "Martin is one of the few remaining senior doctors. He's on a completely different level from those overrated doctors out there. I haven't consulted him myself, but it's not hard to guess that his medical skills are extraordinary. So, I believe he can cure Natalia."
Ashley took a sip of the hot water, which was warm and slightly sweet, making her feel cozy and comfortable. "Thanks for the comfort, it helps. I feel much better. When I used to take Natalia to the hospital for blood tests and transfusions, seeing such a small child endure such unbearable pain broke my heart. I even thought, maybe it would be better for her to peacefully and happily leave this world and go to a disease-free heaven. But every time she woke up and smiled at us with her little white teeth, I felt that no matter how hard or tiring it was, we had to treat her and never give up."
Sean looked warmly at the children playing. "As parents, watching our children get sick, our deepest wish is to take their place. But what children fear most is their parents getting sick because they feel even more helpless and scared. They would rather be the ones enduring the pain. To say something a bit fatalistic, the amount of suffering and happiness each person experiences in life is constant. The sooner you endure the suffering, the more happiness you have left. If you enjoy happiness early on, you'll have to endure suffering later. Natalia has gone through unimaginable hardships at such a young age. She will surely have a prosperous and smooth life when she grows up."
Ashley nodded quietly. She had to admit, Sean's words touched the softest part of her heart. "What about you? Cleo is already seven. Are you not planning to find her a new mom? Speaking of hardships, you've been both a dad and a mom. Haven't you endured enough?"
Sean smiled. "I'm accumulating more luck. No rush."
Ashley also smiled. "Me too. No rush. I'll slowly accumulate luck and then let it burst out."
Sean laughed out loud. "You're quite humorous."
Ashley squinted her eyes. "I learned it from you."
Cleo played for a while and then ran over, hugging Ashley affectionately. "Ashley, I missed you so much!"
Ashley liked Natalia because of their blood relation, but she liked Cleo because she was genuinely sweet. "I missed you too. Cleo, you've grown taller and even more beautiful."
Cleo didn't want to let go, rubbing her head against Ashley. "Can you bring Natalia out to play more often? I want to be with you guys. Can we have dinner together every weekend?"
Faced with Cleo's innocent invitation, Ashley couldn't bear to refuse. "I'll come out whenever I have time so you can play to your heart's content. How about that?"
Cleo was overjoyed and kissed Ashley on the cheek. "Ashley, I love you so much! You're way more fun than my dad. He's just an old man, so boring and old-fashioned."
Sean watched from the side, the smile never leaving his face. "Cleo, what did you say?"
Cleo pouted. "You're so boring. You don't sing bedtime songs or make pretty braids for me. Look how beautiful Natalia's braids are!"
Natalia's hair was fluffy, and Ashley had learned many new styles from videos, carefully braiding her hair and adding accessories, making it look stylish and delicate.
Cleo only had a single ponytail tied with a black rubber band.
Sean coughed awkwardly. "Well..."
As a man, there were indeed some things he wasn't good at.
Seeing his ears turn red, Ashley couldn't help but laugh. "Cleo, come here. I'll do your hair."
"Okay!!"
Cleo obediently sat cross-legged, and Ashley took out a small comb and rubber bands from her bag, carefully braiding her hair.
Cleo had great hair, thick and heavy, just like a healthy child should have.
Before long, Ashley had finished two braided hairstyles, leaving two small braids at the back that came to the front, adorned with accessories, making her look like a cute doll.
Seeing herself in the small mirror, Cleo was overjoyed. "Ashley, will you be my mom? I want pretty hair like this every day!"
Ashley just smiled and tapped her nose. "You want someone to be your mom just because you want pretty hair? Silly girl."
Cleo pouted and seriously corrected her. "No, it's because Dad likes you. I've seen him staring at your photo many times."
Sean, embarrassed by Cleo revealing his secret, immediately turned red and grabbed Cleo's arm, scolding, "Cleo, don't talk nonsense."
Ashley joked, "Sean, you have a photo of me?"
Sean, like a student caught reading a comic book in class, turned even redder and awkwardly explained, "It's an old photo."
Ashley tilted her head. "How old?"
Cleo, getting anxious, thought Sean was usually good with words but was so slow today. She quickly took Sean's phone from his pocket, scanned his face to unlock it, and found a photo in the favorites section. "Look, Ashley, isn't this you?"
In the photo, a girl in a master's gown stood in front of the iconic building of Law and Politics University, flashing a V sign at the camera, her smile as bright as the sunny day.
It was her.
It was her at her master's graduation, six years ago!
Back then, students from the University of Rochester Law School would go to Law and Politics University to take graduation photos, reminding themselves to become top-notch lawyers.
Ashley was stunned, turning to look at the blushing Sean. "How do you have my photo?"
Sean was very embarrassed. "You used to audit classes at Law and Politics University a lot, didn't you?"
Ashley blinked. "So?"
Sean coughed. "I've noticed you since your undergrad. You were more diligent than the actual students, especially in Mr. Perez's classes. You probably didn't know, but Mr. Perez was my master's and Ph.D. advisor, and I was his teaching assistant for a while."
Ashley was shocked. "Really?"
Terry Perez's criminal law classes were very popular among students, and she was no exception, attending every class she could.
However, Sean was several years ahead of her. When she was an undergrad, he was in grad school, rarely seen on campus as he was busy with cases and practical work. At that time, Sean was a legendary figure at Law and Politics University, along with Hendrix, both highly revered.
She had only heard of him but never met him.
Little did she know, she had already become familiar to Sean.
Sean smiled. "At first, I just admired your dedication to studying, thinking you'd become an excellent lawyer. I never expected so much to happen later. After Giselle passed away, I was deeply saddened and didn't go out or see anyone for days. That day, Law and Politics University was sending off graduates, and Mr. Perez insisted I go to give a speech. I couldn't refuse, so I showed up and happened to see you taking photos. I recognized you immediately as the girl who often audited classes. Among all the students, you smiled the brightest. Your smile was very healing and warm, positively affecting those around you. I couldn't help but take a photo. After all these years, Cleo finally revealed it."
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