Bettanyâs face twisted in disbelief. âIf you donât know, donât make wild guesses! Itâs Anthonyâs first marriage, not a second one.â
Hannah, with only a partial understanding of what a second marriage meant, replied, âOh⦠then what was that marriage certificate they had before?â
They even celebrated with a big family dinner when they received the marriage certificate. It was a special occasion they had deliberately marked.
Bettany patiently explained from the sidelinesâ¦
Meanwhile, Gilbert had finished eating but remained seated at the dining table, typing on his phone:
Gilbert: [Guys, thereâs something I need to tell you about Anthony⦠So this morningâ¦]
Anthony glanced at the phone, his gaze immediately warning Gilbert.
Gilbert held the phone and raised an eyebrow, his intentions of blackmail evident.
Suddenly, Anthony lowered his head, and his phone vibrated, indicating a bank notification:
[Dear esteemed user, your account ending in 8888 has received a deposit of 10,000,000 dollars, new balanceâ¦]
Gilbert burst into laughter, his eyes squinting.
In the group chat, messages started pouring in:
Edward: [What happened to Anthony this morning? You left us hanging. Watch your back!]
Jonas: [Whatâs up? Did Anthony disturb someoneâs grave? He seems hesitant to spill the beans.]
Max: [Whatâs wrong with Anthony? Just spill it out!]
Gilbert continued messaging the group:
[This morning, Mom mentioned to Anthony about arranging a wedding ceremony for him and Lisa.]
The brothers fell silent immediately.
Edward: [You know how to build suspense. I thought it was something major.]
Max: [Wasnât this already decided? We were waiting for Lilly to come back and choose an auspicious date.]
Jonas: [Whereâs Lilly? Did she have breakfast?]
Anthony secretly breathed a sigh of relief and calmly continued eating his meal.
After finishing breakfast, they were about to set off. Bettany said she needed to tidy up upstairs, and Lilly checked her childrenâs watch.
Josh said, âGranny takes at least half an hour for this.â
Josh and Drake, the two brothers, were waiting for the chauffeur to arrive and take them to their extracurricular activities.
Lilly said, âJosh, you canât be so impatient. Grandpa said girls should groom themselves, and boys should be patient!â
âOkay, I was wrong,â Josh admitted, suppressing his laughter.
Lilly suddenly approached, cupping her hands together. âJosh, whatâs the deal with Uncle Anthony and Aunt Lisa?â
She couldnât let go of her curiosity. Children have a great sense of curiosity, especially when it comes to things that seem peculiar and everyone avoids discussing.
Josh rested his chin on his hand, wearing a thoughtful expression. âHmm⦠well, I donât know either.
Why donât you ask Drake?â
Lilly looked at Drake and called out, âDrake?â
Drake remained silent.
He was something, that brother of his.
âItâs nothing,â Drake averted his gaze. âItâs an adult matter, and we shouldnât ask about it as kids.â
Little did he know that Lilly wouldnât give up. âNo, itâs not okay. Every time itâs the same answer. Now that the adults arenât here, and even Master isnât here, tell me!â
She was genuinely curious. Why did Uncle Anthony and Aunt Lisa just close the door, and why was everyoneâs expression so subtle about it?
Lilly was observant, and Drake couldnât fool her.
Drake couldnât resist Lillyâs adorable persistence, and in three seconds, he surrendered.
He mumbled, âWell⦠theyâre just discussing⦠from the perspective of Darwinâs theory of evolution, the profound questions about human reproduction and the origin of lifeâ¦â
Drake couldnât come up with anything more. These sentences were already frying his brain, even as a top student.
Lilly tilted her head, confusion in her eyes. âDiscussing?â
Drake cleared his throat. âTheyâre discussing the history of human reproduction and the origin of life from the standpoint of biology. Itâs beyond your understanding. Just focus on your studies.â
âOh⦠okay!â Lilly accepted.
Josh suppressed his laughter, impressed by his brotherâs ability to fool Lilly. He had learned!
Unexpectedly, Lillyâs brain quickly caught up. âThen why canât they discuss it in front of everyone?â
Josh remained silent.
Stop asking, stop asking! Drake was about to explode!
After struggling for a while, Drake finally said, âWell⦠they want to discuss it among themselvesâ¦â
Lilly nodded. âI understand, but I have another questionâ¦â
Drake hurriedly interrupted, âThe car is here. Letâs go.â
Josh rubbed Lillyâs face and said, âGoodbye, Lilly! Remember to think of me!â
Lilly waved at her two brothers, saying, âGoodbye, Josh. Goodbye, Drake!â
Drake and Josh finally felt liberated once they got into the car.
But it wasnât their chauffeur driving; it was their dad.
Their mom sat in the passenger seatâ¦
Josh exclaimed with joy, âHuh, Dad and Mom, why are you guys taking us today?â
Anthony replied calmly, âIsnât it normal for parents to accompany their children to class?â
Drake muttered to himself. That was true, but they rarely had their parents accompany them. It was usually Grandpa, Granny, or Mr. Jack.
Suddenly, Anthony asked, âBy the way, Drake, isnât your birthday coming up soon? What do you want?â
Drake looked puzzled.
Why was his dad suddenly being so nice to him today? Did he take the wrong medication?
Drake couldnât figure it out.
Josh raised his hand. âMe, me, me! My birthday is one month after Drakeâs. I wantâ¦â
Anthonyâs voice turned flat. âWeâll talk about it on your birthday.â
Josh was perplexed.
Why didnât he ask him what he wanted when he asked Drake? Wasnât he his biological son?
Josh was also puzzledâ¦