Chapter 139 Looks Like Daddy Isn’t That Stupid
Shay seemed to care about Courtney very much, and she had never dismissed his feelings. However, his feelings mostly came from the time when she rescued him from the boxing ring—it was the turning point of his life. Therefore, the more successful he became and the closer he got to the life he always wanted to live, the more thankful he felt toward her.
Even so, he was still so young. Witnessing death, pain, and sorrow at such a young age had left him scarred and no longer attracted to girls around his age. As a result, Courtney, the one who turned the gears of fate and changed his life, became his faith. She had no right to judge whether or not his feelings for her were that of romantic love, but she knew that her feelings for him were simply that of familial love.
“I understand.” Shay’s eyes were gloomy, and he seemed a little lost when he stood up. Courtney followed him to the door when he suddenly turned around and asked, “Courtney, can I get a hug? For encouragement.”
Courtney seemed stunned for a moment. Then, she spread open her arms and smiled. Wrapping him in a big hug, she said, “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“Good luck, Shay!”
“I love you, Shay!”
“Shay—”
During the concert, Tina pressured the girls surrounding her although they were several times her age. She waved her glowsticks desperately, causing the surrounding fans to scream and shout at the top of their lungs. Toward the end, everybody was shouting, “Encore!”
Courtney felt as if her eardrums were going to burst from all the screaming around her. Then, she yelled at Oliver, “This girl has gone mad. If you can’t stand it, you can leave first.”
The corners of Oliver’s mouth lifted slightly as he placed a pair of earplugs in her hand.
“You’re a genius!” Her eyes brightened up. Using her hair as a cover, she slid the earplugs into her ears perfectly, instantly cutting off the noise around her.
On the stage, Shay’s return made the surrounding screams even more intense. Even so, Courtney was looking at the stage comfortably while nodding sagely as if she could really hear.
Standing on the elevator platform, Shay held a guitar in his hands. He was wearing a sultry white shirt as he glanced in her direction and smiled. “This song is dedicated to the most important person in my life. Her existence changed the entire trajectory of my life. I used to believe that she was my everything. However, she told me that what I used to believe in was freedom. And, it should never be something or somebody…”
Amidst the sea of pink light, the rhythmic swaying felt like the rippling of waves. Then, a strange silence fell over the audience. Only his clean and clear voice could be heard as it seeped into everybody’s hearts with the sound of his guitar. He wrote his beliefs into his song. It touched many of his fans and brought tears to their eyes. Unfortunately, the only person who was not touched by the song was the very person the song was dedicated to. Courtney remained in her usual calm demeanor. Even her swaying was slightly out of sync with the song. Wearing her earplugs, she completely missed out on his romantic confession.
After the concert, Tina’s voice was hoarse. She was so tired that she fell asleep on Oliver’s shoulder before she reached the car.
“You can head directly to your house. I’ll help you bring Tina in before taking a cab back to the hotel by myself.”
“It’s okay. Cameron is at home. I’ll send Tina back to sleep, then send you back to the hotel. It’s not that far.” Courtney buckled her seatbelt and drove onto the highway. The concert was held in a gym located in a remote location. It took an hour and a half to drive back to the city center. That was one of the reasons why she took time off today.
Just as her car left the parking lot, a small figure broke free of a man and chased after her car in the distance. The two short legs ran after her car desperately, but there was no way he could run faster than a car. He only managed to take several steps before the car vanished out of sight.
“Jordan.” The man rushed after him and bent down to hold his hand.
Jordan turned back and glared at the man fiercely. His small hand slapped the man’s hand away. Lowering his head, he lifted his drawing board resentfully. ‘Why didn’t you stop Mommy and Tina?’
Ever since Courtney and Alexander confirmed their relationship, Jordan began openly treating her as his own mother. Besides, it was easier to write—way easier than it was to write the word ‘Aunt’. Alexander took a deep breath and slowly let it out before earnestly saying, “Didn’t you see that she brought Tina with her to watch the concert with another man? She didn’t even ask if you wanted to come along. Why are you still calling her Mommy?”
‘Because I want to!’ The drawing board was lifted again, and Jordan’s expression was proud.
“Let’s go home.”
In response, he glared at Alexander with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The word ‘No’ was written all over his face.
Alexander didn’t get angry. “If you won’t go home with me, I’m going to leave you here. You can chase after her car yourself.”
Upon hearing those words, Jordan threw himself on the ground. He was pouting sulkily, and he looked like he was about to cry.
Then, Alexander turned back without even taking a step. He only wanted to scare Jordan a little. When he saw Jordan lying on the ground, his heart melted. He knelt beside Jordan and coaxed, “Alright, I get it. Let’s invite Courtney and Tina over for dinner this Thursday.”
Jordan had not managed to squeeze out a single tear. When he heard those words, the frown on his face immediately disappeared. His mood changed even faster than the weather as he hurriedly raised his drawing board in a panic. ‘Mommy’s birthday.’
Alexander frowned. “How did you know?”
Jordan couldn’t be bothered to reply to Alexander. He got up by himself and dusted off his pants. Then, he swaggered toward their car and climbed in himself without Alexander’s help, acting like a winner. Of course, Tina told me about it. Besides, why would you invite Courtney out for dinner on a weekday? Although he could not remember the specific date, he immediately recalled it when he heard the word ‘Thursday’. Looks like Daddy isn’t that stupid after all!
On Thursday, Courtney took a day off from work and brought Tina to the cemetery to visit her mother’s grave. Seeing the bouquet of Calla Lilies in front of the gravestone, she looked startled and subconsciously glanced around her surroundings. However, she did not see anybody around. Hence, she secretly thought that it might have been one of her mother’s friends. After all, so many years had gone by. Perhaps, they’re beginning to care again.
The gravestone was very clean since it had just been cleaned by somebody else. Still, she wiped it down again carefully. “Mom, this is Tina, your granddaughter. I had no time to greet you when I left back then. So now, I brought her back to visit you.”
Tina was still too young to understand what death meant. Looking at the picture on the gravestone, she exclaimed in amazement, “Grandma is so pretty! Mommy, you and Grandma look so similar.”
Courtney smiled. “That’s right. Your Great-Uncle William used to say that a lot.”
At the thought of ‘Great-Uncle William’, Courtney suddenly glanced at the Calla Lilies again and realized who the visitor was. Well; on Mom’s side of the family, no one else aside from Uncle William is so caring. He is the only one who has not forgotten my mother.
After a short prayer, Courtney held Tina’s hand as they prepared to leave the cemetery. Before they walked out, Courtney saw a familiar figure. That person was wearing a grey dress, and her makeup was much lighter than usual. Thus, Courtney could barely recognize who it was.
“Aunt Alicia?” Courtney’s expression changed suddenly.
Alicia lifted her head and frowned as she swept a glance over Courtney. She was as mean as ever. “Why are you looking at me as if you’ve seen a ghost? What’s so strange about me visiting your mother?”
“That wasn’t my intention. Thank you, Aunt Alicia.”
“You don’t need to thank me for this.” When Alicia noticed Tina, she seemed taken aback for a moment. Then, she asked uncomfortably, “Is this girl your daughter?”
