Chapter 142 Returning Charles to the Langley Family
With the night still young and fearing that they might suffer from indigestion after such a hearty meal, Patricia encouraged them to walk it off downstairs.
Although it was deep into autumn and the cold wind was howling, the temperatures in the south were generally much warmer than the north. Everyone was wearing lightweight down jackets, and after a while of walking, they felt warm and toasty, not cold in the slightest.
Jade curiously asked, “Patricia, how is Randy recovering?”
“He's doing very well,” Patricia replied. “If the next two surgeries go as smoothly as this one, he will be like a normal child, no longer having to worry about his heart condition flaring up at any moment.”
Jade exclaimed excitedly, “Does that mean he can come play at our place then? Let’s set a time and go on a trip together! Bungee jumping, mountain climbing... I heard that the Purple Mount offers paragliding from over two thousand meters up; it’s thrilling. There's also diving, skiing, and so much more...”
Seeing her rattle on endlessly, with the children's eyes shining brightly at her words, Patricia couldn't help but interrupt her.
"Playing is fine, but we need to plan it well. You are talking about both mountain climbing and diving... those places are far apart!"
Jade pouted, "Let’s pick a summer holiday, and take a whole month to enjoy it at our leisure."
Patricia did not directly oppose the idea.
The two youngsters had been in Country A since they could remember, then Country Z, and had never been out on excursions. Hearing they might go on one, they nodded excitedly, wishing it could happen at once.
After walking for a while, Martin’s call came through.
“Are you at home?”
Patricia: "Hmm! Just taking a walk downstairs."
Martin: "...I'm at your doorstep!"
Patricia paused for a moment before saying, "Wait a minute for me, I’ll be right back."
After hanging up the phone, she hurriedly ushered them back home.
Once out of the elevator, Patricia immediately saw Martin standing at the door with several large sorting boxes at his feet.
Martin's gaze swept past Patricia and settled on Charles, his lips lifting in a smile: "Charles, you’re back?"
Charles shook his head, his expression serious: "Not cold."
Martin affectionately ruffled his hair.
Seeing his attention focused on Charles, Fannie felt jealous, pouting without realizing it, huffily turning her head away.
Humph! Daddy's such a jerk, only liking his son and not caring for his daughter.
Blinded by jealousy, she completely forgot that Martin didn’t even know her true identity.
While unlocking the door, Patricia asked, "What's in the sorting boxes?"
The door opened with a "ding."
"All these are your mother’s belongings. I had Alan clear out the entire room. You can sort through them yourself."
Martin bent down to carry the sorting boxes in, not constrained by his status at all.
Patricia hadn't expected to find her mother's belongings inside.
As she thought about these hard-won items, her eyes misted with tears - it was impossible not to be moved.
Still, that was all there could be - just touched and grateful.
She dared not harbor any other fantasies.
When Charles and Fannie heard that these were their grandmother's things, they rushed over as Patricia opened a box, and excitedly pulled out a group photo, asking, "Mommy, is this grandma next to you?"
Patricia nodded, her delicate fingers gently caressing the image of her mother in the photo, her vision blurring with tears.
Charles and Fannie exclaimed in awe, "Mommy, you look so much like grandma! So that's why you're so pretty – it's in the genes!"
Towards the end, Fannie couldn't resist a bit of pride.
"No wonder you had us, such beautiful babies."
At his self-loving sister, Charles gave her a speechless glance.
Patricia wiped her tears and handed a wet tissue from the coffee table to Martin: "Thank you, you really didn't have to deliver them personally; I could have come to get them tomorrow, or you could have sent someone from Alan's team."
Martin wiped his hands and responded, "I know these things are important to you, and I was worried they might not handle them properly."
Patricia stared at him, a ridiculous thought crossing her mind for an instant.
Why is he so good to her?
Could it be that he likes her?
But then, she quickly dismissed the thought.
After two years of marriage, Martin had never fallen in love with her, a clear sign she wasn't his type. How could he possibly start liking her now? It must be because of Randy and Charles.
Out of gratitude, Patricia poured him a cup of coffee.
Martin cradled the coffee in his hands, savoring the taste as he sat on the sofa, seemingly with no intention of leaving.
Jade's gaze shuttle between Martin and Patricia, her face taking on an intriguing expression. To avoid disturbing them, she deliberately took the two little ones into the room.
Fannie, puffing up her cheeks in a huff, followed obediently, albeit unwillingly.
Patricia, seated opposite Martin on the couch, was at a loss for words. A mysterious tension filled the air, making the atmosphere oppressively still.
Unable to stand the silence, Patricia made small talk, "Have you eaten?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could bite off her tongue.
It was so late; how could he possibly not have eaten yet?
Martin paused, then surprisingly went along with her question, "I haven't."
Patricia hesitated, "Then, shall I make you something? I stewed some meat soup tonight, would you like some?"
Martin's brow furrowed imperceptibly, his eyes clouded in thought for a moment before he agreed, "Sure! Just a couple of simple dishes will do."
"Okay! Just wait, I'll make it for you. It'll be ready soon!"
With that, Patricia rolled up her sleeves and headed back into the kitchen.
Martin, supporting his chin with his right hand, tilted his head to watch the busy figure in the kitchen, feeling a sense of satisfaction he'd never felt before filling his chest.
This must be what a happy life feels like!
Jade, with two kids in tow, hid in the room, spying through the crack of the door at the two outside, their ears perked up trying to eavesdrop but only catching a rustling conversation they couldn't understand.
Gleaming with enthusiasm Jade wondered, "What do you think those two are doing out there?"
Charles gave her a look, "Jade, you're like a paparazzo, prying into others' privacy."
Jade was baffled.
Fannie puffed her cheeks and glared, her huff resembling a goldfish in a bathtub.
"Humph, I hate Daddy..."
Not only did he take her brother away, now he was competing for Mommy's attention.
Charles pulled them back and closed the door, "Don't spy. It's the basic courtesy of behavior."
Jade playfully rapped his head, "You're maturing, just like Martin's child, the spitting image of him."
Patricia did not agree or argue.
Outside.
Martin seemed truly hungry, devouring two bowls of rice and two bowls of soup in one go, his appetite astonishing.
Patricia had never known him to eat so much, her face etched with disbelief.
"Why didn't you eat before coming? You must be starved."
Martin gracefully wiped at a non-existent grease stain at the corner of his mouth.
"I was worried you might be asleep, so I thought I'd deliver this to you before going to eat."
In fact, he had already dined with Randy at the hospital that evening.
But the truth was, he wanted to stay, lured by the temptation of Patricia's cooking, so he lied about not having finished dinner.
He hadn't expected the duck soup to be so appetizing; once he started, he couldn't stop drinking it.
After tossing the paper into the trash, Martin glanced at the time and spoke, "It's getting late, I should head back. You should rest early too."
Patricia stood up as well, "I'll see you out!"
Martin nodded.
Patricia walked with him to the elevator. While waiting, she sincerely expressed, "Martin, thank you for retrieving my mother's belongings for me."
Martin said with a smile, "If I remember correctly, you've already thanked me today."
With her head down and her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, Patricia replied, "I really am grateful to you. I don't know how to repay you, so I repeat it, wanting you to feel my gratitude."
Observing her dark hair, Martin felt a flutter in his heart as if brushed by a feather, and he couldn't help but reach out his hand—
By the time he realized, his palm had already landed on Patricia's head, gently caressing it, his voice as tender as it could be.
"Haven't you already shown your gratitude?"
At the moment his palm touched her, Patricia's body shook, as if an electric current ran through it, leaving a tingling sensation.
Suppressing the inexplicable thrill, she forced calm and raised her head, looking at him blankly, "When did I ever show gratitude?"
Martin grinned, "The soup!"
Patricia immediately understood, and burst into laughter.
Right then, the elevator doors opened.
Martin stepped inside.
Patricia waved goodbye with a laugh.
Martin looked at her tenderly.
Patricia's heart skipped a beat.
The elevator doors closed slowly, blocking the view of Martin.
Taking a deep breath to settle her emotions and shaking off the thrill she shouldn't feel, Patricia turned around to leave.
Seeing her return, Jade couldn't wait to pull her aside and pepper her with questions, "What’s going on with you two? What did Martin say to you? Why did he stay so long? Does he like you, wants to get back together with you? You guys—"
Interrupted by the incessant questioning, Patricia cupped Jade's face with her hands.
"Patricia, it's late, Charles and Fannie have school tomorrow. Let's take a bath and go to bed, shall we? We can talk about this tomorrow," she said.
Jade looked at her, blinked a couple of times, made a zipping gesture over her mouth.
Patricia rolled her eyes at her and took the two little ones to bathe and go to bed.
That night, Patricia slept between Charles and Fannie.
The two little ones were already fast asleep, but she lay staring at the ceiling, aching with the thought of her imminent separation from Charles, unable to find sleep no matter how hard she tried.
Tonight was the last night.
Tomorrow—
Tomorrow she would personally take Charles to the Langley family.
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