Patricia just froze for a moment and quickly let go of the hand holding the child. Keeping her cool, she quietly covered the red marks on Baber with her clothes, then cradled him like a loving mother, soothing him.
âDonât cry, mommyâs here! Baber, donât cry, itâs all okay now!â
Baberâs cries quieted down a bit at his motherâs sudden change in demeanor, but he was still utterly confusedâ¦
Balfour came over, his eyes filled with puzzlement, âPatri, whatâs up? Why is the kid crying so much?â
Patricia looked up, her face innocent, âOh, bro, youâre back! Nothing much, Baber just look a tumble, Iâm comforting him!â
Balfourâs frown finally eased. He gently patted Baberâs head, âBoys gotta be tough, canât be crying over small bumps in the road!â
Baber, tears streaking down his face, looked up at Balfour, but couldnât express what had happened with his limited vocabulary. He just felt wronged, pulling a face.
Suddenly, he felt a pinch from his mom again, and he turned his scared eyes back to Patriciaâ¦.
Seeing the warning in his motherâs eyes, he didnât dare to cry or react.
He was scared of his mom, but he also loved her.
He still remembered when his mom picked him up from the orphanage. He thought she was so pretty and she brought him lots of yummy food, dressed him in clean clothes, and played with him gentlyâ¦.
But, ever since he could remember, he had been living in the orphanage with other kids, never experiencing such tenderness.
However, after she adopted him, this mom started to have unpredictable moods. Sometimes he didnât even know what he did wrong and she would get mad. She would pinch him, hit him, scold himâ¦
He loved seeing his momâs gentle smile!
Coming back to reality, Baber nervously tried to appease her, âMommy⦠donât be mad⦠Baber was wrong⦠Baber was wrongâ¦â
Only then did Patricia smile kindly at him, âMmm, good boy! Mommyâs not mad, silly! How could I be mad at you?â
Hearing that his mom wasnât mad, Baber finally felt a bit relieved.
Patricia added, âBaber, be good and go find your nanny. I need to talk to Balfour, Iâll come find you in a bit.â
Baber understood and obediently nodded, then tottered off to find his nanny.
Watching Baber leave, Patricia stood up, looking at her brother with a trace of regret.
âBalfour. Iâm sorry, you asked me to accompany Ellinor for her surgery today, but I didnât keep an eye on herâ¦â
Balfourâs face was serious, âI heard about today from Quinton, it wasnât your fault, Ellinor was just too cunningâ
Patricia sighed helplessly, âBalfour, Theoâs sister Veronica called me earlier. She said Ellinor is back at the Blanchet villa with Theo, he doesnât want me anymoreâ¦â
Her voice choked up, becoming pitiful and wronged Balfour frowned, gently patting her shoulder, reassuring her.
âPatricia, donât worry, whatever you want, including people, Iâll make sure theyâre yours. I wonât let anyone take them away.â
âBalfourâ Patricia snuggled into her brother.
Holding Patricia, Balfourâs heart ached.
His young sister was hurt by a man who took her ability to have children away and then easily discarded her. She was so wronged and pitiful.
As her brother, how could he stand by and watch Patricia in such pain?
Meanwhile, at the Blanchet villa.
Veronica was eavesdropping outside the bedroom doorâ¦
What on earth were her brother and Ellinor doing inside? Why couldnât she hear a thing?