Chapter 291 Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, Antonio
"Why such a look on your face? Come on in." Sarah reached out and waved her hand in front of Antonio's eyes.
Antonio suddenly grabbed Sarah's hand, intending to share his suspicions with her. But then he remembered Alex's help to Sarah and decided against it. After all, Sarah valued loyalty, and Antonio had no solid evidence. Things hadn't reached their worst yet, and he needed to find a way to mend his son's heart.
In the study, Alex asked, "Is Antonio… alright?"
Alex saw through Antonio's thoughts, even feeling as if his gaze could kill him.
"No worries. Just ignore him," Brian said, looking at the documents in his hand. "Regarding the recent matters at the company, I'll trouble you to handle them. If there's nothing particularly important, once a week should be enough."
Brian also worried that if Alex came too often, it might raise suspicions with Sarah. Earlier today, they had taken him to see a psychiatrist, who must have noticed the discrepancies when he shifted between Ethan and himself.
It seemed he needed to be more careful. Later, he would need to remind Ethan to stay calm when facing Antonio and not appear too guilty.
He could sense that both Ethan and Harper's aversion towards Antonio had become less intense. Especially Harper had long since fallen into her father's warm embrace.
Although Ethan still stood on the same side as him, his heart had already shifted...
Alex hesitated. "Brian, have you noticed any feelings between your mom and Antonio these past few days?"
"How could there be any feelings between them? If there were, he wouldn't have wanted to divorce my mom in the first place."
Brian firmly believed this. After all, why would they continue to be together if someone had already decided to separate?
Alex didn't know how to explain this rekindling of emotions to Brian. "Feelings are complicated. Divorce doesn't necessarily mean they won't be together anymore. Everything can be explained clearly, not by coaxing or deceiving."
Alex no longer said anything. After all, this was their family matter.
Meanwhile, Antonio was bustling in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.
Antonio's culinary skills weren't that great, but today, with Alex around, he seemed to go above and beyond.
The aroma filled the entire kitchen.
"Darlings, it's time to eat," Antonio yelled towards the children's room.
Ryan couldn't help but shiver in the room. Hearing the word "darling" coming from Antonio's mouth was rare.
"Daddy, tonight's dinner is so much!" Harper sat down on a chair and continued calling Alex and the others to come and eat.
Sarah was about to go to the kitchen to help with the dishes when Antonio stopped her.
"Sarah, how can I let you do the dishes? You eat first, leave everything to me."
Sarah looked at Antonio doubtfully, then glanced at Alex coming out of the study, and suddenly understood what was going on.
Sarah couldn't help but want to laugh, but for Antonio's dignity, she held it back.
"Godfather, come and eat. My dad's cooking is delicious," Harper shouted, praising her father.
Antonio, busy in the kitchen, heard this and was deeply moved. 'That's my precious daughter!'
But then, he looked back and saw that "Ethan" actually took the initiative to pass the plates to Alex, although there wasn't much of a smile on his face. He had never given him plates before!
Antonio suppressed the anger in his heart. He absolutely couldn't show his irritable side in front of the children. He needed to stay calm and composed!
"Sarah, I've wrapped the shrimp for you."
"Ethan, this fish doesn't have any bones. You can eat it directly."
"Harper, should Daddy serve you another bowl of soup? Okay?"
...
During the meal, Antonio was constantly busy, serving one person, attending to another, appearing as the epitome of a devoted father.
Alex also understood Antonio. Seeing him like this now, he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
He knew Antonio wasn't putting on a show for anyone, yet he felt the urge to demonstrate—to both others and himself—that he excelled, particularly in caring for the children and his wife.
Alex silently sighed and thought, 'Mr. Valencia, you really don't have to do this. I'm just here for business.'
"Godfather, I haven't heard the story from earlier, can you finish telling it today?"
Brian hadn't resolved the issue of the contract with Alex yet, so he found a random excuse to keep him after the meal.
"Alright, let's go to the study."
Alex politely nodded and led Brian to the study.
Antonio gritted his teeth and stared at their backs. He had finished his meal and was still hanging around. What did he want? Did he want to stay?
Harper and Ryan were also worried about Ethan getting hungry in their room, so they quickly grabbed some things and ran back to their rooms.
Only Antonio and Sarah were left in the dining room.
Antonio deflated instantly. "Sarah, is there anything I can do to make Ethan truly like me?"
Sarah understood Antonio's anxiety. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done so many things that went against his character.
"No, I can feel it. Ethan already really liked you before. He's just not good at expressing it."
"But..." Antonio sighed silently.
Afterward, Antonio redoubled his efforts and happily carried a platter of freshly cut fruits to the study. He could faintly hear voices from inside.
"This contract doesn't seem to have any issues, but whether or not he'll sign it is another story."
"We'll need to put in more effort. He's become too wary of me."
Antonio's hand froze in mid-air.
Alex and Ethan... How did they end up discussing a contract?
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