Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 373

By the time Wren returned home, the kitchen lights were already on.

She paused with her hand on the door handle.

The apartment smelled of steaming rice and the sweet, tangy aroma of a bubbling tomato soup. Leo Langford was sprawled by his small desk, gripping his pencil with fierce concentration as he worked on his homework. Daisy York sat beside him, reviewing a sheet of his newly written pinyin.

"This consonant looks like a tiny upside-down hook," Daisy pointed out. "Yours looks a bit like a fishhook."

Leo looked up at her. "Is a fishhook bad?"

"It's fine, too." Daisy turned the paper and sketched a tiny fish next to it. "But your teacher probably wants to see a hook, not a fishing trip."

Staring at the little fish, Leo couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

It was a very quiet sound.

Standing in the entryway, Wren suddenly couldn't bear to interrupt the moment.

Hearing the rustle, Daisy looked up. "You're back."

Wren swapped her shoes. "Why are you still here? Didn't you say you'd go straight home to rest after the project review?"

"I was going to." Daisy pointed toward the kitchen. "But Phoebe Price took me hostage."

Phoebe popped her head out of the kitchen, flourishing a spatula.

"Hostage? Please, I saved her life. I caught her trying to pass off iced coffee as dinner again."

Daisy sighed helplessly. "I just had a coffee at five-thirty."

"Drinking coffee at five-thirty does not magically make it dinner!" Phoebe turned back to the stove. "Wren, go wash your hands. I'm the head chef tonight, and I promise not to poison anyone."

Leo immediately chimed in, "Phoebe said it's slightly better than takeout."

"Leo, that's a wildly conservative review!" Phoebe yelled from the kitchen.

Laughter bubbled through the apartment.

Setting her bag down, Wren walked over to the small table and noticed a new drawing next to Leo's workbook. It was a picture of a secret base, but now there was a tiny stick figure sitting in a wheelchair. Next to it, he had written: *Daisy from before.*

She shot Daisy a look.

Daisy just shrugged. "He said the secret base had to include someone who had been to a difficult place. I told him my past few years qualified."

"Not a difficult place," Leo quietly corrected. "A place that was hard to walk through."

Daisy nodded gently. "Right. A place that was hard to walk through."

A wave of pure softness washed over Wren's chest.

Wren didn't correct a thing. She just smiled.

"Perfect."

Scooping out the soup, Phoebe kept the chatter rolling. "I can finally breathe now that this version of the Stellaris Medical proposal is done. If the Ethics Board tries to nitpick again, I'm personally inviting them to the office just so they can watch Joey Jenkins lose his hair in real time."

Catching the phrase 'lose his hair', Leo sneakily glanced at Daisy.

Playing along, Daisy leaned in and whispered, "Does Joey still have a lot of hair left?"

"A little more than Julian," Leo replied with deadpan seriousness.

Wren nearly choked on her soup.

Phoebe smacked the table, howling with laughter. "Oh my god, I am absolutely quoting that to Dr. York!"

His ears burning red, Leo aggressively shoved food into his mouth.

Daisy started laughing too, but halfway through, she broke into a slight cough. Moving instinctively, Wren passed her a glass of water, her actions fluid and devoid of panic.

"Slow down."

Daisy took the glass, downing a few sips before her breathing steadied.