Seeing his three other children standing calmly behind Maya, Evan squinted.
Out of these four kids, Maya is least likely to come up with such a ridiculous idea. Do those three guilty children want Maya to take the blame?
He looked at Maya and asked patiently, “Maya, was this your idea?”
Rubbing her chubby palms together, Maya was confused by her daddy’s question. Only after she turned back to look at Juan and Nina did she realize that they were standing behind her.
In any other situation, she would be okay with taking the blame. However, she was too afraid to do so this time.
If Ms. Susan finds out, she will definitely give me a beating.
Maya felt scared as she recalled how painful it was when Susan punished her previously, and she didn’t want to experience that suffering anymore.
With that, she shook her head fervently. “Daddy, it was not me. I did not play a part in it.” Then, she swiftly ran out of the study room.
Speechless, Juan gritted his teeth with a quirky expression on his face.
On the other hand, Nina sighed softly as she realized that she was overthinking earlier. Maya is just like that bad woman. It will be a wonder if she learns how to bear some responsibility.
However, Kyle was as cool as a cucumber because he felt that it was only right for Maya to do so. After all, she had never participated in their plan.
“Was it the three of you?” Evan asked.
As Evan questioned, Juan accepted his fate and took a step forward to say, “Daddy, everything was my idea. I was also the person who lied to sneak out of Hillside Villa. The two of them are innocent.”
Since Juan displayed loyalty to his siblings by owning up to his mistake, Evan fixed his gaze on him and responded, “You are in the wrong, so you have to be punished. Tell me, how should I punish you?”
Juan was taken aback. He was not a toddler anymore, so it would be unfitting for his daddy to cane him as a punishment.
As Juan remained silent, Evan instructed coldly, “You will skip dinner tonight. I want you to return to your room and reflect on your actions.”
Feeling awful, Juan rubbed his hungry belly. He had been outside the whole afternoon. Had he known that he would be forbidden from having dinner, he would have eaten outside.
Nina felt aggrieved for Juan and instantly stepped forward. In a serious tone, she asked Evan, “Daddy, have you heard of the story where a child splits a mountain to save his mother? Juan only did this out of filial piety. He planned it because he loves Mommy and wanted to rescue her, so what is wrong with that? Why do you have to punish him?”
Looking at Nina’s expression as she tried to stand up for Juan, Evan could only think of how similar she was to Nicole when she was arguing with him.
Nina resembles the way Nicole speaks.
“Daddy, your silence means you agree that Juan is not at fault. Therefore, you should not punish him.”
Snapping out of his reverie, Evan stared at Nina. “Well, that is only a fairy tale. Your mommy is not trapped under a mountain, so you don’t have to save her. Instead, you should mind your behavior and stay out of the adults’ matters.”
Pouting, Nina glared at Evan in rage. “That is not right. Although she isn’t trapped under a mountain, she is still locked up. That is worse than being crushed by a mountain. How could we sit back and do nothing as her children? Daddy, since you want us to ignore mommy’s plight, what would you expect us to do if you were in her shoes instead?”
Evan was at a loss for words.
However, he was not infuriated by Nina’s stubbornness. Instead, there was a tinge of surprise in his gaze.
This girl is so eloquent. She argues just like her mother.
“You are still young. I have my own plans for your mommy. If you have the time, you should practice makeup. I will hold a press conference for you and allow you to create your own cosmetic brand. The whole project will revolve around you. Are you interested?”
Evan’s proposal was a huge temptation for Nina, who was interested in makeup and enjoyed being the center of attention.
But after giving it some thought, she rejected his offer. “Daddy, I don’t need the press conference and my own brand. All I want is for Mommy to return to us. Everything will be meaningless if she doesn’t come back.”
