Hearing Juan’s suggestion, Kyle said, “You’re right.”
The two boys quickly went to Nina and Maya to convince them.
With only a few drumsticks and a promise that Evan would treat her to a delicious meal, the two boys successfully lured Maya to gladly jump on board.
Though Nina was hesitant at first, she decided to cooperate with them since Evan helped her to find the best art academy.
After much discussion, the four kids began to fake sleeping simultaneously.
In the meantime, Nicole had just finished cleaning up and was walking out of the kitchen. Her brows knitted together when she realized that all the little ones had disappeared.
They should be playing as usual at this time. Why is it so quiet? Where are they?
Out of curiosity, she went to the toy room, but only to find a few toys scattered around on the floor of the empty room.
Leaving the toy room, she saw Evan staring at the financial news channel intently on the couch. “Where are the kids?”
Evan darted a glance at her, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”
Nicole frowned at his reply. Then she walked to Juan and Kyle’s bedroom.
Opening the door, she saw the two boys lying motionless on the bed.
Are they asleep already?
Why do these two rascals sleep so early today?
She walked to the bed and pulled a blanket over them. After staring at the boys for a moment, she tiptoed out of the room.
Nina and Maya sleep late usually, so they should be playing right now. Then she made her way to the girls’ room.
A look of astonishment appeared on her face the moment she stepped into the room.
Are the girls sleeping already?
That’s weird!
Worry that they might have fallen ill, she strode over to them and touched Maya’s forehead. Thank God she’s not having a fever.
Next, she turned to touch Nina’s forehead. Nina is fine as well.
What’s going on? Why did the four of them go to bed so early simultaneously?
Covering the girls with a blanket, she tiptoed out of their room too.
She mumbled curiously to Evan, “That’s strange. Why do the kids sleep so early today?”
Evan let out a cough awkwardly. “Children usually sleep early, don’t they?”
“But Nina and Maya have never slept this early before.”
Evan quickly made up a random excuse to brush her off.
It’s on me that Juan and Kyle are pretending to be asleep now. But I’m surprised to see Nina and Maya being so cooperative.
The two girls are quite thoughtful too.
“Since the kids are asleep. Take a seat. I need to talk to you.”
Evan’s words made Nicole squirm nervously. Wondering what Evan wanted to talk about, she carefully walked to the couch and sat beside him.
“Mr. Seet, I should thank you for your help in relation to Lane Corporation.”
Despite feeling anxious, Nicole thanked him while looking at him sincerely.
Evan gave her a faint smile. “We’ve talked about this in the office. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Something else? What do you want to talk about, Mr. Seet?”
I’ve so many questions in my head. What happened to her after I left the Rose Garden? How was her life after returning to the Lane family? In her heart, what does she think about the boy, Tye, and me, Evan Seet?
Deep in contemplation, Evan’s voice was stuck in his throat.
Nicole refuses to talk about her past. She even hides the truth that she is the little girl back then. If I were to ask her directly, she may avoid my question or try to cover up the truth again.
Evan gazed intently at Nicole, trying to find the right words.
“Before getting the Lane Corporation, I remember you told me that your dad and your stepmother erected a tombstone for you when you were still alive. So I guess you had a hard time living with the Lane family, am I right?”
When Evan mentioned the Lane family and her past, a sense of sorrow and bitterness welled up in Nicole’s heart.
Recalling those dark days, she felt a lump formed in her throat as she looked down and played with her fingers.
“Mr. Seet, why do you ask about this all of a sudden?”
“Just asking,” Evan answered casually.
A wry smile spread across her ivory face.
After my mum passed away, I left the Rose Garden and returned to the Lane family. Sylvia had been very harsh on me, to the extent that I felt it was pointless to live.
