Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Jeremy finished packing and was stunned when he saw all the luggage in the living room
“Dad, are you moving the whole house to Strate City?” he asked, his eyes wide in surprise
Kelvin glanced at him without saying a word, then turned and headed upstairs to knock on Charles’s door.
At that moment, Jeremy understood–it was Charles’s medication.
Lillian appeared, carrying Yvonne down from her room, a large backpack in hand.
After setting Yvonne down, she looked around for Kelvin, but he was nowhere to be found. She turned to Jeremy, giving him instructions.
“Jeremy, once we get to Strate City, take Yvonne shopping for some clothes. The weather there is colder, and the clothes. from home won’t be enough.”
Jeremy took Yvonne’s pink backpack, quickly jotting it down in his phone’s memo. For once, it wasn’t just some random place to visit–it was something important.
The household staff and bodyguards loaded up the luggage, and within two minutes, the living room was empty again. “Where’s Dad?” Yvonne asked, looking around in confusion.
Jeremy settled on the couch with the little girl in his arms, pointing upstairs. “He’s with Charles.”
“Oh. Yvonne swung her legs back and forth, waiting. After what seemed like an eternity, Kelvin and Charles finally descended the stairs. Jeremy stood up, about to help them, but Kelvin gently assisted Charles, moving at a measured There was no urgency in his expression, just quiet patience.
When they reached the bottom, Charles looked up, his pale lips forming a slight smile.
“Yvonne,” he called softly.
Yvonne immediately rushed over, but being too short, she couldn’t reach Charles to help him.
pace.
“You haven’t come to see me in a long time,” Charles said, his hand resting gently on her soft head, ruttling her hair. His delicate features relaxed into a gentle smile, clearly enjoying the moment..
Yvonne stuttered, her cheeks flushing pink.
“She went to school, got beaten up by the kids there, and came home to crash into bed,” Jeremy teased, standing nearby, his voice filled with playful sarcasm. He was always the one to break the tension when Yvonne couldn’t.
Charles raised an eyebrow, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Doesn’t look like she was beaten up.”
Kelvin stood quietly by, waiting for the exchange to finish
A few moments later, he assisted Charles as they headed out.
The evening light wasn’t too harsh, and Charles shielded hus eyes with his hand, adjusting out much recently–sensitive to the wind, it always gave him headaches, making even the softest light feel too intense.
to the brightness. He hadn’t been
He squinted, his gaze focused on the ground as they made their way outside.
After they left, the staff tidied up the house, leaving a key in Lallian’s hand. The little puppy and the fish followed her out, reluctantly carried away, as if their lives were being taken.
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Chapter 63
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At 9 PM, the plane landed in Strate City.
Several cars were waiting outside the empty airport, engines running, as lan rushed over to greet them, an unusual enthusiasm in his steps.
Tve been waiting for you all so long! Come on, let me take you back,” he said, practically bounding over. He quickly scooped up Yvonne into his arms and gestured to Kelvin.
“Let’s go.”
Kelvin didn’t move. His gaze shifted to a man running toward them, his expression turning cold.
“Mr. Holmes…” Uram puffed, catching his breath as he approached.
Earlier, Ian’s bodyguard had locked Uram in a car, and he’d had to climb out of the window to escape.
Seeing him, lan stiffened, throwing a glare at his bodyguard.
“You couldn’t even keep track of one person?” Ian muttered under his breath.
Uram, pointing at lan with a dramatic flair, complained, “Mr. Holmes threatened me, said I couldn’t come to pick you up and locked me in the car.”
Ian didn’t even flinch at Kelvin’s icy gaze. His face, though a little flushed from exertion, was still full of bravado.
“I just wanted to be the first to welcome you all, Ian said with a grin, taking a step back as if nothing had happened.
Kelvin saw right through him. “Put the child down, his voice was cold, like the edge of a blade.
“Don’t be so harsh! It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I just wanted to hold the kid. Is that so wrong?” lan countered, his playful grin unwavering. But then, his eyes flicked to a black car that had just pulled up, and his smile faltered.
The car’s door opened, and Victor stepped out, dressed in a black coat. Ian’s heart skipped a beat. That was Victor. Damn it. the bastard was coming to steal the kid from him.
Sure enough, as Victor saw lan holding Yvonne, he narrowed his eyes and broke into a sprint, shouting, “You shameless bastard, giving back my kid!”
lan gritted his teeth, tightening his hold on Yvonne. He turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
“Ah!” Yvonne yelped, startled by the sudden movement, her small hands clinging to lan as they ran.
“Daddy!” she cried, her voice shaking with fear.
Kelvin heard her voice and quickly instructed his assistant to pursue,
Jeremy was close behind, joined by Victor. The chase was on.
As they neared Jan’s car, lan shouted to his bodyguards, “Block them!”
Thankfully, he had brought enough bodyguards to handle the situation.
lan quickly opened the car door, throwing Yvonne into the passenger seat before jumping in himself and driving off in a hurry.
Yvonne, pressed up against the window, could see Jeremy and the bodyands stromalia
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Chapter 63
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eyes as she called out his name,
She looked so much like a kidnapped kitten, her tiny face pressed against the glass, helpless.
“It’s fine. Yvonne, don’t cry. Jeremy’s just messing with us. Didn’t you promise me you’d come play at my house?” Tan said, his voice too sweet, as he glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
Yvonne, in her confusion and distress, wanted to protest but couldn’t find the words. Instead, she whimpered, “But I didn’t promise…”
When she couldn’t see Jeremy anymore, she turned around, her frustration bubbling over. “Mr. Holmes, you can’t do this! I never agreed to it, you’re just imagining things!”
Ian, with no shame at all, casually placed his left hand on the steering wheel while using his right to mess with Yvonne’s hair, ruffling her little head.
“So now I’m begging you, will you agree?” lan asked.
And then, with no dignity whatsoever, he began to playfully pout at the child “Please, little Yvonne, come stay with me for just one day. Just one day. Okay?
You’re the cutest, kindest Yvonne in the whole world. Do me a favor and pity Mr. Holmes. It’ll be like a reward for me. If you really don’t want to, you can slap me, take out your frustration on me!
Yvonne, utterly defeated, slumped back against her seat, muttering in a tone as lifeless as a salted fish, “Daddy will come pick me up.”
Ian hummed in response, not denying her words. “Your dad’s house doesn’t have anything fun. It’s empty and lifeless–who knows how long it’s been since anyone stayed there? But my place? I’ve got tons of people to play with you, and you can do whatever you like.”
He knew exactly what he was doing and had planned everything well.
He wasn’t going to pick her up tonight because he had to deal with Charles, and he’d come for her tomorrow morning. Afterward, she’d stay at the old house.
His own place wasn’t really lived in; there wasn’t even a full–time nanny. The house was mostly cleaned by part–time workers, and most of the time, it was empty, not exactly a good environment for a child. But Yvonne didn’t need to know all
of that.
Yvonne didn’t argue back, especially since Jan kept talking non–stop, carefully coaxing her the whole way.
After about ten minutes, the car stopped in front of the Holmes family estate.
The mansion was luxurious, with pavilions and lush greenery, the entire yard bathed in deep, rich shades of green. Dim yellow lights hung in the air, casting a soft glow on the little pond, where fish swam lazily beneath the moonlight.
“Well, how about it? My house is beautiful, right?” lan said, holding Yvonne as they crossed through the hallway.
They passed through the courtyard, and Yvonne couldn’t help but agree.
The place was stunning. She loved places with lots of plants.
But since she had been taken here against her will, she wasn’t in the mood to give lan any satisfaction, so she stayed silent. Noticing her conflicted expression, fan grimed like a sly fox. Tll show you to your room.”
He led her up to a small attic room on the second floor, where the window sill was filled with flowers. The wooden windows were open, and you could easily look up to see the moon. The room was elegant, a mix of modern and classic, like
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Chapter 63
something straight out of a drama.
This was the room lan had specially prepared for her. A few days ago, he had arranged for it to be decorated in pink, knowing that Yvonne liked that color. Even the bedding was soft pink.
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He set her down on the floor and watched her closely, his gaze full of expectation. “So, what do you think? Do you like it?”
Yvonne, feeling awkward, mumbled, “I like it.”
Then stay here with me. My house is quiet, and there’s no one around. It’ll be nice, I promise, lan pressed, seizing the opportunity.
Yvonne hesitated for a moment, almost swayed by his words.
“No, she
e said, hugging herself tightly. Her little voice was serious. “I want to stay with Daddy.”
She raised a finger, as if making a solemn promise, and said, “Yvonne will stay just one day.”
“Alright, lan said. unfazed. He didn’t feel disappointed; he was sure that if Yvonne stayed here for just one day, she’d end up falling in love with it.
Compared to the shallow, poorly designed garden of the Adler family house in Blorence City, his own estate’s garden was hundred times more beautiful. By tomorrow morning, she’d see it for herself.
As he fantasized about it, one of the bodyguards walked up and told him that Victor had arrived.
sa
The moment lan heard Victor’s name, he knew this was going to be a fight over Yvonne. He quickly bid Yvonne farewell and rushed downstairs with the bodyguard to face Victor.
Yvonne, left alone in the room, wandered around for a bit before opening the closet.
She froze when she saw an entire row of children’s clothes neatly arranged, clearly prepared in advance for her. She didn’t know how to feel.
Regret. If she had known Ian had planned this from the start, she would’ve slapped him back in the car.
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