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Chapter 265
Chapter 265
She was still besatating “Do I really have to give it to him?” Yvonne asked, one foot resting on the table. Her big, clear eyes blinked up at Jeremy in an attempt to look extra cute, hoping to change his mind.
But Jeremy was unmoved. “Yes, give it to him. Maybe then Stefan will finally get a good night’s sleep”
“Alright then”
It was probably the guilty about it.
e first time in her life that she was giving someone a present, and oddly enough, she was the one feeling
Yvonne climbed off the table, carefully holding the bottle of wildflowers, and shuffled over to the bed. She stood there for a while, quietly watching him
Earlier that Friday, she’d read a story at school–Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Now, looking at Stefan, she thought he looked just like the princess in the illustrations–the one who had just bitten into the poisoned apple and was about to die.
With the messy bunch of wildflowers in her hands, the image only became more vivid, as if this sleeping Snow White had been buried hastily on some lonely mountain, surrounded by weeds and fallen branches.
Overcome with a strange sadness, Yvonne drew in a deep breath–and let out a long, dramatic sigh
She placed the flower bottle on the wooden nightstand beside the bed, turned around with drooping shoulders, and trudged away as if carrying a heavy burden.
On the bed, Stefan’s eyelid twitched slightly. He was utterly baffled.
He thought, “Why the sigh? She stared at me for so long and then just sighed? What’s that supposed to mean? Do I really look that bad?
Maybe he did look a little disheveled, not quite as clean–cut as Jeremy. But it wasn’t that bad–not enough to make someone sigh like that.
This kid was driving him crazy.
What Yvonne didn’t notice was that the moment she turned around, Stefan’s eyes slowly opened. He was fully awake. His gaze was sharp and clear, not the slightest trace of sleepiness in them.
Yvonne walked back toward the window she had climbed in from. As she puffed and grunted her way onto the chair, she was still chatting with Jeremy. “Should we wipe down the table too!”
Jeremy was reaching in to pick her up. He replied, “Just tell Nanny when we leave. She’ll take care of it.”
Relieved by that answer, Yvonne continued climbing.
She stood on the table again and kept talking as she moved. But when she stepped forward, she misjudged her footing–and slipped.
In a flash, she was gone.
Just like a scene straight out of an isekai anime, Yvonne vanished into thin air.
As she fell she instinctively reached out to grab Jeremy–but her hand caught nothing
She braced herself for the crash, squeezing her eyes shut in fear.
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Chapter 265
But instead of hitting the floor, she fell into a warm embrace.
Yvonne turned her head instinctively. When she saw who had caught her, gratitude and manners kicked in before her mind could even process how he had gotten there. “Wow, thank you, Stefan,” she said sincerely.
Stefan gently placed her back on the table. His face didn’t look great.
Outside the window, Jeremy had half–climbed in, his palms sweating.
For a moment, it felt like time had frozen. Now, only slowly, did the stiffness begin to fade. Yvonne, you scared me to death” Jeremy said. “I thought you’d actually fallen into another world or something
He reached in and grabbed the collar of her little hoodie, gripping it tightly. If it weren’t for the obvious relief on his face, an outsider might’ve thought he was bullying her.
After that scare, Yvonne had learned her lesson. She kept her eyes firmly on her feet and didn’t say another word until she was sure she had found her balance.
Oddly enough, she still looked quite cheerful. “Good thing Stefan was there to save me,” she said brightly.
But two seconds later, something occurred to her. She turned toward Stefan with a shocked look.
Jeremy beat her to the question. “Weren’t you asleep?” he asked
“I was sleeping,” Stefan replied calmly, face blank. “But I wasn’t dead”
Aside from that strange sigh earlier, he hadn’t been particularly angry. But now, looking straight at Jeremy, his tone dropped into something quieter–and heavier. “Did you not consider the risk when you let her come in here?”
The joy and relief on Jeremy’s face began to fade. The air in the room grew tense and still.
Even with the heater on, Yvonne felt a cold draft slide down her back.
She froze. She didn’t know what to say.
Seeing Jeremy go silent with his lips pressed into a line, Yvonne’s heart ached. She turned around, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
“Stefan,” she said softly
Stefan looked away from Jeremy and turned to her. His eyes met her slightly nervous face. He didn’t speak, waiting for her
Yvonne felt immense pressure. No one had spoken to her in that tone in a very long time. Everyone around her was always gentle–even her once–cold father had softened eventually.
“It was my idea to come in,” she said bravely. “Don’t scold Jeremy.”
She paused, blinked, and then, after a moment of emotional calculation, her clear eyes lit up with dramatic determination. Her expression shifted through several emotions before she finally fixed Stefan with a resolute stare
Her soft little voice trembled, but she still spoke. “You can scold me instead.”
Stefan looked down at her from above. He stayed silent for a long moment, and then his pale lips moved slightly.
With a hoarse voice full of helplessness, he asked, “Why would I scold you?”
Somewhere along the way, something had gone very wrong–because this child seemed to think he was the type who liked yelling at kids.
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Chapter 265
Stefan looked at her innocent, confused face and honestly wanted to ask about that sigh earlier.
That sigh was what had kept him tossing and turning, unable to sleep
Yvonne couldn’t fully understand his tone, but she realized one thing: Neither she nor Jeremy was going to be scolded.
That alone was worth celebrating
She had already prepared herself for a scolding Now that it wasn’t coming, her eyes lit up, her entire face beaming with new energy. She was ready to run back and tell Jeremy the good news.
But Stefan thought she was heading for the window, so he reached out to stop her.
The gesture gave the impression that maybe he had changed his mind and was going to scold her after all.
Seeing her face freeze again in nervous panic, Stefan let out a sigh of his own.
“Use the door,” he said.
And just like that, not only did he fail to get an answer about that confusing sigh, but now another question had lodged itself firmly in his chest.
He was trying–really trying–to be approachable.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t been around much, and she wasn’t used to him yet.
But then again, Vie was hardly ever home either. And the first time they met, she had naturally called him “big brother.”
Stefan had brought this up with Vic the night before.
Vic had told him he was being childish.
Stefan replied, “I just want to be treated the same.”
Vic didn’t answer after that. Maybe he remembered who Stefan was. After all, she was the child everyone in the family adored. Even if they hadn’t met before, Stefan still wanted her to like him.
At the very least, he wished she would treat him the same. He didn’t want to hear a title that sounded cold and distant.
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