Cherry, whose arms were around her father’s neck, stared at Joel with her big round eyes.
Mm, that young mister there was really handsome, too! But why was the way he looked at her a little strange?
Joel was utterly stunned.
He didn’t expect to meet that child again when they had only just separated... Also, he was Justin’s son?
Joel had known for a long time that Justin had a son. He kept him very well-protected and seldom gave outsiders a chance to see him. If it weren’t because the two of them had a business deal to discuss today, he probably wouldn’t have seen what the Hunts’ crown prince looked like for a long time to come!
But... Tanya had actually married Justin?
Joel’s position as the head of the Smiths was well-deserved. Even though he was extremely shocked, he quickly kept his emotions in check and started talking with Justin about their upcoming partnership.
Half an hour later, the two men finished the work discussion.
Justin was in a hurry to go home so that his daughter could hold her live-stream, but when he saw that Joel had remained seated, he frowned and asked, "Is there anything else you need, Mr. Smith?"
Joel glanced at him again.
Dressed in a black suit, the man in front of him was big and tall, lean but strong. His visage was a perfect blend of harsh coldness and temptation. Together with the beauty mark at the corner of his eye, he was like Adonis on Earth.
It didn’t seem strange that Tanya would fall in love with him.
But he had never heard of Justin having any plans to get married...
Joel neatened his suit and suddenly stood up. He said, "Your son is very cute, Mr. Hunt."
Justin cast a puzzled glance at him and politely replied, "Thank you."
Joel casually asked, "Do you know who the child’s mother is?"
Upon his question, a picture of that lazy woman seemed to appear in front of Justin. The corners of his lips curled upward a little and he replied, "Yeah."
Joel continued and asked, "What are you intending to do about her, then?"
His choice of words made Justin very uncomfortable.
How could anyone use a phrase like that to talk about a woman like Nora?
He lowered his gaze and suddenly said, "Maybe we’ll get married."
If she really married Justin...
The thought alone made his chest tighten uncomfortably. He balled up his fists and suddenly said, "Treat her well, Mr. Hunt."
He turned and left after saying that.
Was there something wrong with Joel Smith today?
For whom was he putting on that devoted act?
He suddenly thought of how Nora had kept staring at Joel during the medical conference the other time. Had the two of them formed some kind of connection without him knowing?
His brows drew together and he suddenly looked down at Cherry. In a deep and solemn voice, he asked, "Cherry... Pit, does your Mommy know him?"
Cherry shook her head. "No, she doesn’t. I’ve never heard Mommy mention him before, yeah!"
The little fellow completely didn’t realize that she had been sounded out.
Justin smiled and left with peace of mind. They’d already had dinner, so when they returned home, Cherry dived straight into her bedroom for her live-stream.
Tanya went upstairs to the guest room unhappily and closed the door after she returned home with Pete.
Pete entered the bedroom and unsurprisingly saw Mommy lying on the bed again. However, what was unusual was that she wasn’t sleeping but handling something on her cell phone instead.
When she noticed him, she even asked, "Why are you back so late?"
Pete briefly explained Mia’s hospitalization situation. Then, he said, "Mommy, I think you should go and take a look at God-mom."
Nora raised her eyebrows and let out a lazy ’Oh’. After stretching, she sighed and said as she walked out, "People mustn’t let themselves sink into such depravity. I can’t lie down anymore. I’ll go out for a walk and switch to another room..."
Thinking that Mommy had finally made up her mind to stop being so lazy, Pete was about to praise her when he heard what she said next: "... and lie down there instead."
Aren’t you still lying down even if you switch to another room to lie down there?!
Pete’s lip corners spasmed and he decided to go and do his homework instead.
When Nora entered Tanya’s room, Tanya was crying in silence.
Seemingly because she heard the door opening, Tanya wiped her tears away and sat up. She asked nonchalantly, "Why are you here?"
"Are you okay?" asked Nora.
Nora asked seriously, "Then what do you want to do?"
"If we’re friends, then go out with me for a drink! We’ll drink till we drop tonight!"
Nora fell silent for a moment at the drinking suggestion. Her eyebrows raised slightly and she suddenly asked, "What did you say before that?"
"The one before that."
Nora stood up. "I came to check on you. Okay, I’m leaving."
It was only after Nora left that she realized that her moodiness had dissipated by half before she even knew it. That woman was so lazy and unprofessional even when she was trying to comfort someone!
While thinking about it, her cell phone suddenly rang.
She looked down—the caller ID showed ’Mom’.
She waited for a while before she picked up. A woman’s voice reached her through the phone. "Tanya, why are you pestering Joel from the moment you returned? The two of you have already broken up! You’re not allowed to disturb my daughter in the future, you hear me?!"
Tanya let out an icy laugh. She suddenly retorted, "Why should I listen to you?"
"Because I’m your mother!"
"Really?" Tanya mocked, "Isn’t your daughter Hillary?"
"... What do you mean by that, Tanya?!"
Tanya stared straight ahead of her as she said, "It means—if you don’t think of me as your daughter, then don’t tell me what I can or cannot do!"
She hung up on her straightaway.
The next day, Tanya got up early in the morning and went to the kindergarten with Pete. On the way there, she asked, "When are your parents switching you guys back?"
Pete replied, "I don’t know."
Tanya glanced at him. He quietly added, "... Yeah."
She found it hilarious. After she reached the kindergarten and parked the car, just as she was about to enter with Pete, someone suddenly called out to her.
Tanya turned and saw Hillary walking toward her.
She came up to Tanya with a smile. Then, she suddenly took out a wad of cash from her bag and offered it to her.
Tanya’s eyes widened in shock. "What is the meaning of this?"
A smiling Hillary replied, "This is to thank you for discovering Mia the moment she fainted and staying with her in the hospital for the whole afternoon. I’ve asked around—top-class nurses are paid $150 per day. However, you’re different because you’re a teacher from the kindergarten, after all. There’s $3,000 here. You can think of it as a reward from the Smiths. It’s quite a lot, right?"
A reward from the Smiths...
What did they take her for?
A humiliated Tanya clenched her fists. However, she suddenly reached out and took the money from her.
Hillary scoffed inwardly. It sure felt good to humiliate others with money...
But just as she thought so, the corners of Tanya’s lips suddenly curled upward!