Anthony went to Sheryl's home in the evening. When he saw Charlie there, he already expected that Charles would also come later. He bought some vegetables from the market because he was planning to prepare dinner for Sheryl so he told Nancy to just rest. Then he went to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.
When Anthony was about to put the plate of roasted fish on the table, the door suddenly opened. He wasn't surprised to see Charles and Sheryl come home together. So, he just casually said,"Oh, you're finally home. I made your favorite dishes. Go wash your hands and let's have dinner."
"Why are you here?" Sheryl asked. She was surprised to see Anthony in her home because he didn't inform her.
"I bought some clothes and fruits for Shirley earlier this afternoon. Mr. Lu's son is also here, so I thought of making dinner for them. But now that you and Mr. Lu are finally here, we can have dinner all together," Anthony explained. Then he turned to Charles and said,"Mr. Lu, please stay and have dinner with us." Anthony was acting like a host and Charles felt discontented of him. He refused the offer coldly,"No, thanks. Charlie and I must go home now."
"Hold on!" Anthony stopped Charles from leaving. "The dinner is ready. Besides, Sheryl and I have already taken you as our friend. It would be our pleasure to have a dinner with you."
Sheryl looked at Charles and also said,"Yes, that's right. Just stay and have dinner with us."
Charles eventually acceded. However, he still felt uncomfortable seeing Anthony acting like the host of this family.
Anthony went to the kitchen while Charles played with the two children. Suddenly, Shirley called out,"Uncle Charles." Shirley also liked Charles the way he liked Charlie. She ran to him, jumped into his arms and said,"Charlie told me that you bought a new toy for him. Can I also play with it?
"Sure!" Charles answered. He then rubbed Shirley's head happily.
"I will buy you one if you also like that toy," Anthony said as he came out of the kitchen. He overheard Shirley's request and felt a little jealous seeing Shirley's fondness to Charles.
Although he wasn't Shirley's father, he treated her as his own. The love and care he gave to Shirley was even more than a real father could give to his child.
On the other hand, Charles who was Shirley's biological father had never done anything for her.
That was why Anthony got very uncomfortable when he saw Shirley so close to Charles.
"No, Tony," Shirley rejected. "I just want to go to Charlie's home and play it with him," she added.
"Okay, you are welcome to our home anytime." Charles let out a soft laugh upon hearing Shirley's reply. He couldn't hide his amusement. 'My daughter is so considerate, ' he thought.
'Anthony must feel defeated by her words.'
Because of Shirley's words and Charles' victorious laugh, Anthony's face dimmed.
At the dinner table, Anthony sat beside Sheryl who was just quiet the whole time. While eating, Charles turned to Charlie and asked,"Charlie, how about going out to play tomorrow?"
"Great!" Charlie agreed excitedly. When he looked at Shirley, he also saw the eagerness in her eyes so he turned to his father and asked,"Can Shirley join us?"
"Of course!" Charles replied. Then he turned to Shirley and said with a smile,"Shirley, you can go with us if you want to."
Shirley clapped her hands in joy. "Yehey! I can go out and play with Charlie!" Shirley was so excited that she hugged Charles.
"Shirley!" Anthony abruptly called her attention. With an arched brow, he said,"If you want to go out tomorrow, I can go with you."
"No!" Shirley refused. "I want to go with Charlie," she said, looking dejected.
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