When the waitress returned, she saw the boy clinging onto Avery's clothes and staring fearfully at his fierce-looking dad. He kept hiding behind Avery.
Avery got down on the ground and picked up two pairs of Zachary's shoes, his cartoon toothbrush, a watch, a few pieces of T-shirts and shorts, and placed them into a small, yellow suitcase.
When Avery was trying to close it, she realized that the lock was damaged.
“Sorry to trouble you, but do you have any tape?” Avery got up and asked the staff who was at the counter.
“Yes, I do. Please hold on for a while and let me look for it.” The female staff started hunting and finally found the tape in the drawer.
Avery took it and started to tape the luggage.
No matter what, that luggage was beyond repair. The most important thing was to keep Zachary's things safe.
She finally managed to seal the luggage.
Zachary looked at Avery and said, “Ms. Ery, I want to stay with you. I-I can pay you rental.”
The boy still remembered when Avery turned him down the last time he invited her to the summer camp. Her reason was that she needed to work to feed her family.
Therefore, he did not want to rely on Avery and not pay her any money. Zachary had no wish to become another one of her burdens.
“Where are you getting the money from?” questioned Cayden with an icy expression.
“I...” Zachary looked up at his dad in fear and took a long time before he replied, “I have money that people have gifted me and also the coins that I saved up in my piggy bank.”
That was Zachary's plan. The money he had saved up in his piggy bank would allow him to leave home for more than a dozen days.
As for the money that had been gifted to him by his elders, it should be sufficient to buy food, some clothes, and pay for his school fees until he was ten.
He could always be more thrifty with his money.
In any case, he would still be receiving money from his elders as gifts every year.
The truth was he felt that he would still be leading a good life even without his dad.
As for Rory, he would not be able to take her with him. Girls might not be able to withstand the hardship of being away from home. It would be the right thing for him to leave Rory behind with the Moore family so that she could enjoy a good life.
Zachary realized that he was being too impulsive when he convinced Rory to leave home with him while they were in the car.
The boy was starting to blame himself.
“Thank you,” said Avery as she returned the tape to the counter staff.
Zachary was still holding onto the strap of her bag and refused to let go. He followed her wherever she went. In the end, Avery had no choice but to say, “Be good and go home with your daddy.”
Cayden walked over, held his hand, and warned him, “Let's go home. Don't ever disrupt Ms. Ery's blind date again.”
Avery looked awkward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“But, Ms. Ery said that she was taking care of important matters, and she wasn't here for a blind date.” Zachary stared at his dad as he told the truth that he knew. He hoped that his dad would not have any misunderstanding toward Avery.
True enough, Cayden glanced at Avery.
She met his gaze and hoped he could understand. To prevent the children from making a fuss about her blind date, she had no choice but to lie.
Cayden took Zachary's hand and walked away.
Yet, the boy clung tightly onto Avery's handbag.
In the end, the three of them left the restaurant together.
The women standing at the counter were all watching on.
The waitress who was gossiping earlier on in the restroom sighed and said, “My life is too mundane. This kind of man only exists in the TV dramas and other women's lives...”
Just then, Xavier walked in and took the yellow suitcase.
After Xavier left, that same waitress sighed again and said, “Even if I cannot get to marry the father of the boy, I won't mind marrying his male assistant. He's so manly...”
Everyone was speechless.
The door of the black Bentley RV opened, and Xavier kept the luggage inside. When he turned around, he saw his boss sitting in the car with a grim face. He looked again and noticed that Zachary was still trying his best to cling to Avery with all his might. He found the action of the boy to be hilarious and dangerous at the same time.
Avery had to continue to coax him, “I will come and visit you some other days when I'm free.”
With one arm around Cayden's leg and another holding onto Avery, Zachary said, “Don't lie to me. I have a friend who is ten years old, and that's how his mom lied to him. When she was leaving, she told him she would visit him often and buy him nice sneakers and toys. Seven years have gone by, and he hasn't seen his mom once. He can hardly remember how she looks like anymore.”
Avery wanted very much to reason things out with him. After all, she was not his mom, so it was unfair for him to make such a comparison.
However, children's way of thinking was simplistic, and it would be impossible to reason with them.
All of a sudden, Xavier suggested, “Ms. Rumpley, why don't you come with Boss to send the children back first?”
Avery looked at Xavier.
Xavier took a look at his watch before continuing, “After settling Mr. Zachary and Ms. Rory, you can still reach home in time to cook for Old Mr. Rumpley.”
The moment Zachary heard that, he pulled even harder at Avery.
He looked up with teary eyes and held onto Avery with both hands.
“Look, Mr. Zachary's arms and legs are injured. With the weather being so hot, his injuries may become infected. If that happens, the consequences will be dire.” Xavier tried his best to convince Avery.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Avery hopped into the RV. Anyway, she had already been to the Moore residence earlier that day. It would not make any difference to go there again.
Unfortunately, she had completely forgotten all about the flash drive because of the drama created by the children. She only recalled after they had driven off.
Avery phoned Cecelia.
Instead, Cecelia said, “I was about to call you. There's no need to deliver the flash drive. You may go. Someone else will be doing it.”
“All right then.” Avery let out a sigh of relief.
The RV that Xavier was driving had a very luxurious interior.
Cayden sat like a boss in the front seat with his legs crossed. In his left hand, he was holding a cup of cold drink.
That was to soothe his temper.
Zachary was trying to make up for his mistake, so he poured Avery a cup of drink. He then gave whatever was left to his dad.
There was a tiny kitchen at the back of the RV. In the middle was the couch. Avery was seated in the center with Zachary and Rory on each side of her. They leaned on her, and very soon, they fell asleep.
When they arrived at the Moore residence, Xavier got out of the RV.
He carried Zachary upstairs.
At the same time, he instructed the nanny to call for the family doctor to see to Zachary's wounds.
Avery had initially wanted to let Cayden carry Rory, but Rory hugged her so tightly as if she was her mother.
In the end, there was nothing Avery could do but say, “Let me.” She carried the little girl, who was glued to her, carefully out of the car.
Worried that Avery might hit her head against something, Cayden instinctively shielded her and even helped her down. Once she got out of the RV, he backed off.
After settling the children in, Avery was planning to leave.
With a cigarette in his mouth, Cayden was waiting for her at the door. The moment she walked out of the children's room, he reached out to grab her. While she was struggling to get away from him, he removed the cigarette from his mouth with one hand and held her head with another before kissing her passionately.
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