Juan and Kyle could not help but marvel at the latest iPad and Lego.
“This is just so cool!” the boys exclaimed.
A fond smile broke out on Nicole’s face as she gazed at the four kids getting so excited about their new toys.
Beside her, Evan looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he held out a box, waving it in front of her.
Nicole’s eyes glimmered in curiosity as her eyes tailed the exquisite box. She flashed him a coy smile and asked eagerly, “Is this for me? What’s this?”
“Take a guess,” Evan replied playfully.
“Hmm, jewelry?” Nicole asked.
“Nope,” Evan said, shaking his head.
“It must be a watch then,” Nicole guessed confidently.
But still, Evan shook his head.
She scrutinized the box carefully, trying to come up with a good guess. It must be something small enough to fit in this box. Aha! I think I got it! ”It’s an accessory!” Nicole clicked her fingers and gave a smart guess.
But she still got it wrong.
Nicole’s brows furrowed seeing Evan’s reaction. She really could not think of anything else no matter how hard she tried and she gave up in the end.
“Come on, just tell me what’s inside! I’m tired of guessing,” she cried out.
Evan caved and handed her the box. “Open it then,” he said.
Nicole took the box from him and opened it with a suppressed smile on her face. When she finally got to what was inside, she was astonished.
She cocked her head and looked at Evan in surprise.
Why is he giving me this?
Has he found out about it?
“I’ve waited for years to give it to you,” Evan said.
Nicole never expected him to find out that she was the little girl he met when they were kids.
When did he find out about it?
Nicole’s mind raced rapidly trying to figure out how did Evan find out it was her. She was completely dumbfounded.
Evan returned her questioning gaze with a warm smile but did not say a word either. Instead, he turned and asked the kids to get ready for their mealtime.
Nicole looked at the red paper ring, and memories came flooding back.
“Tye! You know you need a ring to marry someone, right? You’ll need one if you want to marry me!” the girl said.
“Of course I have a ring,” the boy replied.
“What does the ring look like?” she asked eagerly.
The boy rushed into the house and came back with a red color paper in his hand. He ran to the stone table beneath the rose banner and started folding the paper into a ring with a heart shape on it.
Tye held the ring carefully and went towards Nicole.
“Do you like it?” Tye inquired.
Nicole’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the ring. But before she could reach out and take the ring from his hand, a voice called for her and she frantically crawled back through the hole.
They never met each other again after Nicole left that day.
But life brought them together and their paths crossed after so many years.
Nicole never once expected that she would see this ring again.
Although the color had faded over the years, the ring felt dense in Nicole’s hands. It carried the memories they shared and the time they spent together when they were young.
She went into her bedroom and kept the invaluable ring in a safe place. Just as Nicole was about to step out of her room, she heard Maya calling for her from the dining area and quickly made her way over.
The aroma of delicious Western cuisine wafted out from the kitchen and Nicole wondered if Evan actually cooked, or if he bought some tasty food.
The four kids concertedly attested to their Daddy cooking. They added that Evan had been busy in the kitchen after picking them up from the kindergarten—and he even cooked Nicole’s favorite crab and shrimp.
This was totally unexpected. In fact, Nicole was so overwhelmed she was at a loss for words.
Evan spotted her and let off a slight cough to ease up the situation. “Well, if you’re really touched, I’ll give you a chance to show your gratitude,” he said jokingly.
Nicole rolled her eyes at him. Show my gratitude? I’m just not used to getting special treatment. No, wait, you’re supposed to cook a nice meal for your children. Besides, I’m their mom!
“I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea. I don’t intend to show my gratitude. Also, we’re a family, there’s not a need to be so formal and polite,” Nicole hit back.
She knew Evan would make some outrageous demands if she agreed to thank him.
For a while, Evan was taken aback by her reply. But he shot her a mischievous look after some thought and said, “Of course, we don’t have to be this formal.”
Nicole went speechless. She knew full well what Evan meant when he deliberately emphasized the word ‘formal’.
How informal does he want to be?
Something popped up in Nicole’s mind and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly dismissed the thought and dived into the meal.
After dinner, Evan wanted to help her out with the dishes but Nicole chased him out of the kitchen because she thought he was such a pain in the ass.
He was the president of Seet Group and she did not want to bother him with house chores.
Besides, he took care of the kids today and even made dinner.
