Chapter 411 But I’m the Only One Daddy Has
Cameron spun Courtney around from the mirror. When Courtney looked up, her gaze met the look that Alexander had sent her way. It was as cold as ever. Now, it even seemed to have a hint of desolation to it.
“Since we all know each other, I guess I don’t have to introduce you all.” Gale gave a dry cough, not quite smart enough to navigate the situation. The atmosphere got even more awkward.
“Let’s have your clothes fitted first.” Cameron was the one to rescue them all as she urged an attendant to take Alexander to the dressing room.
Throughout the entire process, neither Courtney nor Alexander interacted with each other.
After Alexander entered the dressing room, Cameron balefully shot Gale a glare. “Did you lose your marbles? Can’t you be more mindful about what you say?”
Gale chuckled in embarrassment. “I was just trying to liven things up, you know? And besides, I think that no one here has a grudge against someone else. We can all still be friends in the future.”
“On my best friend’s behalf, thank you. But, do you think that she looks like the kind of person who needs more friends?”
Courtney felt exasperated when she saw both of them activate roasting mode. “I’m going to the washroom.”
Even after she had put a lot of distance between them, Courtney could still hear Cameron and Gale arguing whether it was okay to be friends with your ex after breaking up.
As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, Courtney also thought about the question herself. The answer was no. Whether it was an amicable breakup or not, it was best for both parties to not meet again since they’d made the decision to part ways. And being friends was out of the question. Popping up in the other’s life would hinder them in getting a new start, so it was better to never see each other again.
Courtney deliberately stayed longer in the washroom. By the time she emerged, Alexander had already finished trying on his tuxedo and left. He hadn’t even so much as greeted her.
By the time Gale and Cameron drove her back to Elijah’s manor, it was already evening.
The manor had a mini playground built on its grounds, so Courtney could hear the sounds of laughter the moment she entered the yard. Elijah had been worried that Tina would be bored out of her mind being cooped up at home without going to school, so he had invited Tina’s kindergarten class over the weekend to come and play with her.
Following the direction of the laughter, Courtney saw around eight children clambering around in the ball pit. Meanwhile, there was a little figure sitting desolately by the slide in the corner. The child looked out of place. She frowned and walked over to him.
“Jordan, why aren’t you playing with the others?”
The rays of the evening sun splashed across Jordan’s face. He looked up. “Mommy,” he greeted dully.
“They don’t want to play with you?” Courtney was a little worried.
Jordan shook his head. He seemed down.
The boy had always been a worrier. Courtney was concerned, so she sat down next to him. They sat with their backs to the radiant evening sun, their shadows, one bigger than the other, cast in front of them.
“What is it? Can you tell me?”
Jordan turned his head to regard Courtney carefully, his pretty forehead wrinkled up into three deep lines, looking exactly like a certain person. “Tina said that Mr. Elijah is her daddy now. I won’t be able to see my own daddy anymore.”
Courtney stiffened for a bit. She then reflexively turned around to look at Tina, who was screaming like a banshee inside one of the tunnels connected to the ball pit. Truly, Tina didn’t know what sadness was like.
To Tina, leaving Melrose City was no big deal. On the contrary, since she grew up in the US, she was used to its way of life. She wasn’t all that attached to Alexander either. At least, not when compared to her father on paper, Elijah, who had taken care of her since she was small.
To Jordan, however, it was different.
“So, you miss your daddy.” Courtney sighed. “If that’s the case, are you still willing to come with me and go overseas?”
Jordan stared at her for a long while. At last, he shook his head. “I’m not going.”
“Why not?” Courtney furrowed her brows. “Don’t you want to live together with Tina and me?”
Jordan was quiet for a few seconds before he started to stick his fingers up one by one like an adult. “You have Tina, Mr. Elijah, Angie… Mommy has a lot of people by her side, but I’m the only one Daddy has.”
Courtney suddenly felt a tug at her heart. His last sentence—‘I’m the only one Daddy has’—sounded extraordinarily heartbreaking.
She clenched her fists, and after a few moments of silence, she spoke. “But Daddy still has your grandma, Mr. Oliver, and your great-grandpa. I actually only have you and Tina.”
Jordan shook his head. “Great-Grandpa and Daddy are always fighting, and Grandma doesn’t talk much to Daddy either. Mr. Oliver is about to go overseas for his studies soon. Daddy isn’t good at taking care of people, but I know that he loves me a lot.”
In the end, Jordan might look like he was close to Courtney, but in reality, he still leaned toward Alexander.
Courtney didn’t know what to say. Although she really wished that Jordan would go with her, logically speaking, going with her wasn’t the best thing for Jordan. After all, the Duncans had raised him for six years. And besides, he himself didn’t want to leave.
The end of the month came. Gale and Cameron’s wedding was held at a holiday resort in one of the suburbs in Melrose City. Guests streamed in like water. The road leading to the resort was filled with luxury cars.
Gale went over to Cameron’s tiny apartment to pick her up shortly after daybreak. Because Alexander was with him, Courtney had no interest in participating in the games that they had planned beforehand. Fortunately, Courtney’s assistant, Natasha, was there. She enthusiastically locked the door, stopping Gale from entering the apartment. She then put her hands on her hips and yelled to the men waiting outside, “If you want to come in, you’ll have to pony up. We’ll only let you guys in once we’re staggering from the weight of all that sweet, sweet money.”
It was loud and noisy outside the apartment. Courtney had no idea what Gale and his entourage said, but envelopes were immediately slid under the crack of the door. The shiny coating of the envelopes was positively blinding.
Courtney was startled by this. “Whoa…” she yelped in surprise.
“Holy moly, they’re that intent on getting in?” Natasha exclaimed at Courtney as she picked up the envelopes. “Back in my hometown, the grooms were stingy as all hell. It took forever for them to cough up anything, and even then, they only gave us two envelopes.”
Courtney had never been to a wedding before, so she didn’t know what was standard. “How much money do they normally put inside the envelopes?” she asked casually.
“Five bucks, at most—” Natasha opened an envelope as she spoke, but the rest of her words were left stuck in her throat. A hundred bucks. And in US dollars too. That came up to over 600 in the local currency. And there was still a whole heap of envelopes by her feet. Just looking at them was enough to make Natasha’s eyes bug out. “Hey, Miss Hunter, is this how rich people’s weddings go?”
It wasn’t like Courtney had experienced a wedding before; she was frozen as well. All of a sudden, Cameron stood up from her bed, craning her neck. “Who do they think they’re bribing? Do they think we don’t know what they’re up to? Don’t open that door.”
Courtney and Natasha exchanged looks with each other. Natasha proceeded to pick up the envelopes and retreat to the side. “Miss Hunter, come here. I can’t pick up everything myself.”
Why wouldn’t they grab the envelopes? With how stacked the envelopes were, Natasha was sure it was worth her several months’ salary.
Loud thumps could be heard from the door, along with the sounds of the Langley men’s voices. “Open the door for the groom himself if you’re already drowning in envelopes! Don’t tell me that you’re keeping the door locked because you really got weighed down from all the envelopes!”
Courtney greatly disliked what she heard. Immediately, she fired back, “Your envelopes only have a bit of money in them. No one’s going to be surprised seeing that amount. Sincerity is needed when getting married, so if you’re just going to give those little bribes out, then you can forget about stepping past that door.”
