The benign look in Russell’s eyes made Juan feel a little overwhelmed. He turned to Evan for help.
Evan nodded. “Since great-grandpa wants to give it to you, you’d better accept his gift. Remember to thank him.”
Juan looked at his great-grandpa with shining eyes. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
“Good boy! How about this—I’ll give you Rose Garden too. You can have your mother move in there with you.”
Hearing Russell mention Rose Garden, Evan felt taken-aback.
Periodically, a horde of gardeners and maids descended upon Rose Garden to tidy it up. Once, Evan had begged Russell for the garden, even offering to trade Hillside Villa for it. However, Russell had gently but firmly turned down his request.
How could Russell gift the place to Juan now?
To Evan, Rose Garden held the most unforgettable memories of his youth. By offering the place to Nicole as her new residence, Russell was clearly trying to make match both of them!
The girl in Evan’s memories was very precious to him. Nicole would never be able to replace her.
It was all too bad. Russell’s goods intentions were going to waste.
Aside, Davin sighed. If Nicole moved into Rose Garden, it would probably trigger all sorts of unhappy memories of his brother.
Like an episode of a spring dream, a lover had departed this world and left behind indelible memories of a beautiful relationship. His brother’s memories of the girl from Rose Garden continued to haunt him, and whether Evan could ever get over her still remain unknown.
“Grandpa, is Rose Garden very big? Will it be comfortable for us to live there?”
Davin interrupted, “Juan, Kyle, your great-grandfather is tired. Why don’t we let him rest for now? Uncle Davin will show you around Rose Garden.”
Arthur nodded. “Children, go with your Uncle Davin.”
Juan was looking forward to seeing Rose Garden. If that place were comfortable, he would ask Mommy to move in there. If his mother had reservations about accepting Russell’s gift, they could simply treat it as a home rental and pay rent for the place. Russell would unlikely kick up a fuss about it.
When the others left, Evan returned to his study room and called Nicole immediately.
When she received Evan’s call, Nicole wondered if something had happened to Juan and Kyle hence she picked up the call immediately, “Mr. Seet, did something happen?”
“There’s something I want to discuss with you. Call it a negotiation, if you will.”
“Don’t bother! I’m not giving up Juan’s parental rights…”
“It’s not about that!”
“Then what is it about?”
Evan laid out his proposal clearly. Nicole would politely refuse Russell’s offer for her to move into Rose Garden. In return, Evan would offer any one of his numerous villas as her new residence. If she had her eye on a particular place, he would even buy it for her.
After finding out that Russell had gifted her son a garden, Nicole felt extremely unsettled. However, upon hearing the words ‘Rose Garden’, she couldn’t help but think that they sounded rather familiar.
“Does this Rose Garden happen to be located in the southern outskirts of the city?”
Juan frowned. How did she know that?
It appeared as though Nicole had made some research on the Seet family’s assets.
“You’re right, it is in the southern outskirts. If you promise not to move in, I’ll buy you any apartment in this city.”
Was Rose Garden very important to Evan? Why was he so against the idea of her moving in?
Nicole felt very curious about it.
“I need some time to consider your offer.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for your reply.”
Davin arrived at Rose Garden with Juan and Kyle in tow.
As soon as they stepped into the garden, they noticed how tidy the entire place was. Although the place wasn’t huge by any means, the grounds were littered with artificial rocks and pavilions.
Long, snake-like ivy ran across the walls of the garden, with luscious flowers of red, pink, and white claiming their spot on the vines. As they took in the distinct fragrance of the blooms, the three of them couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of this place.
“Gosh, it’s so pretty!”
“I know, right? I’ve never seen such a beautiful place before.”
Seeing the shocked expressions on Kyle and Juan’s faces, Davin smiled.
“Juan, your Mommy will love this place. Be sure to ask her to move in.”
“Of course!” Juan chirped, nodding frantically.
Besides his mother, Maya and Nina will surely fall in love with this beautiful place as well.
That night, Juan called his mother on the phone.
Stubbornly, he insisted that she had to move into the Rose Garden. Refusal on her part, he argued, was tantamount to dismissing his act of filial piety.
Hearing her son mention filial piety, Nicole couldn’t help but feel pleasantly surprised. When had this little boy learned about filial piety? What a wonderful boy he was.
However, she hesitated when recalled how Evan had pleaded with her not to move in. Juan’s chirpy voice interrupted her thoughts. “Mommy, since it’s Sunday tomorrow, do you want me to show you around the place? I’m sure you’ll love it. Oh, and bring Maya and Nina along too!”
