Chapter 201
Cedar’s POV
After hours of internal debate, I finally made my decision.
The doctor had said that with a supportive family environment, Aria
could show improvement in just a few months. That meant I’d only
need to stay at the Sterling mansion for a short time.
A few months. I could handle that.
I sat on the sofa, pulled out my phone, and found Ridley’s contact. My
fingers hovered over the keyboard before typing:
[Mr. Sterling, after careful consideration, I’ve decided to accept your
offer.]
I checked for typos and tone before hitting send, then waited
anxiously, unable to focus on anything else.
One minute… two minutes…
Still no reply.
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Chapter 201
My heart tightened, then relaxed, then tightened again. The waiting
was giving me anxiety.
I gave up and headed to the kitchen to boil water for pasta. My phone
suddenly vibrated, and I practically sprinted back to check it–only to
find it was spam. Disappointed, I returned to the kitchen. Then came
another vibration, and this time it was Ridley.
[Good. When will you move in?]
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and replied: [I’ll
need time to pack my things first.]
Ridley sent back a simple smiley emoji.
The next day was Sunday, and I was still planning my day when the
doorbell rang. Expecting a delivery person, I opened the door only to
be ambushed by three small figures rushing toward me.
“Mommy! I missed you so much! Did you miss me?” Oliver crashed
into my legs first.
“Mommy, we’re here to help you move.” Aria followed, her eyes bright
despite her quiet demeanor.
The children tumbled in with Ridley standing behind them, his tall
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Chapter 201
figure filling my doorway.
“How did you know I was moving?” I asked, bewildered.
“Hee hee!” Oliver’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Daddy told us we
were coming to help you move. Mom, are you happy? You can share
my room–I’ll give you half my bed!”
I glanced at Ridley, who remained expressionless in my doorway. “Mr.
Sterling, isn’t this a bit rushed? I was thinking next weekend…”
“Not at all,” Ridley replied coolly. “We’ll be finished before eleven.”
There wasn’t much to pack anyway–just some essentials and clothes.
Within thirty minutes, I had everything ready.
Before I knew it, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Ridley’s luxury
SUV, still processing how quickly this was happening. Yesterday I had
just agreed, and today I was moving into the Sterling mansion.
In the back seat, the three children whispered excitedly. I caught
Oliver’s voice: “Mom’s moving in because of me! She loves me so
much she couldn’t say no.”
“What does this have to do with you?” Aiden’s skeptical tone carried
forward.
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“The other night I begged Mom to move in with us,” Oliver continued
proudly. “And Mom said she likes Daddy too! Soon she’ll marry Daddy
and stay with us forever!”
“Didn’t you say before you didn’t want Mom to like Daddy?” Aiden
challenged.
“If Daddy isn’t good to Mom, I’ll steal her away!” Oliver declared.
“Besides, even if she likes Daddy, I still come first.”
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