The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1146

Neera was oblivious to the gossip. After the auction ended, she followed the staff to collect the medicinal materials.

Avery also gave her the ones he had purchased, but she did not want to accept them. “Please take them back, Mr. Cox. I appreciate your kindness, but I can't accept them.”

He arched an eyebrow. Needless to say, he was unwilling to take it back. “Don't worry about it. It's nothing. I meant to give them to you from the start, and it'd be a waste if I kept them.”

Her lips moved slightly as she still wanted to refuse.

However, he piped up before she could speak. “Just take them and stop refusing. Put these medicinal materials to good use. That way, it wouldn't be a waste of the money I've spent, right?”

After saying that, he glanced at Irwin. The latter understood immediately and handed the box full of medicinal materials directly to Zephyr.

Seeing that she could not refuse him, she reluctantly agreed and motioned for Zephyr to take it. “Thank you. I'll make sure these medicinal materials are used to the best of their potential.”

“I believe in you,” Avery replied with a slight smile.

Having had a rewarding evening, Neera was in quite a good mood.

Seeing her like that also made Avery happy, and he had a smile on his lips as he sent her home.

After taking a bath, Neera sat on the bed and video-called the triplets.

The little ones had not seen her for a long time and missed her terribly. Hence, they kept fighting to get in shot and talked over each other.

“Mommy, how are things over there? Is everything going smoothly?”

“Has anyone been bullying you?”

“Have you been eating and sleeping on time? Have you been taking good care of yourself?”

The sight of their faces made her heart melt. Resting her cheek against her knee, she patiently answered them, one by one. She also shared the wonderful evening she had had. “There's a grand and luxurious auction house over here, filled with countless precious medicines. I managed to get quite a few things at the auction tonight.”

The trio giggled, genuinely happy for her. Then, one of them asked, “Who did you go with? Was it Uncle Shane?”

“No. It was Mr. Cox.”

Alarm bells went off in the children's heads when they heard that. Feeling anxious and worried, they started cautioning her earnestly.

“Mommy, don't forget what you promised us. You must keep your distance from Mr. Cox!”

“You can't let yourself be won over just because of some small gestures!”

“Not even if it's something big!”

Tickled by how serious they sounded, Neera chuckled in amusement.

That made Penny a little anxious. “Why are you still laughing, Mommy? You're not being obedient at all. We're going to get angry!”

Neera could not help smiling and had no choice but to play along and nod. “All right, all right. I'll keep it in mind.”

After the call ended, the three little ones still felt uneasy and promptly proceeded to complain to Jean.

“Daddy, what are you doing? Are you sleeping? Or are you busy? We heard that Mommy went to an auction with Mr. Cox tonight and that he spent a fortune on buying lots of precious medicinal materials for her. How are you not worried at all?”

“Yes, exactly! What he's doing is called pandering to someone's likes. Why do I feel like he's trying to sway her subtly?”

“That won't do. This is bad! Daddy, if this keeps up, don't tell me we'll end up with a stepfather?”

Jean did not want that to happen, and his eyes darkened slightly. Stepfather? Hah! Never in a million years!

“Don't worry. I'll be able to see your mommy very soon...”

He had no mood to do anything after speaking with the triplets. Their words kept replaying in his mind, leading him to make a phone call to Neera. After holding back for so many days, I don't want to restrain myself any longer.

Not expecting he would call, she lay in bed, momentarily stunned. Then, she sat up suddenly, her heart pounding rapidly.

On the other end of the line, he thought she would not answer because she still refused to talk to him and was prepared to try a few more times. Unexpectedly, she picked up the call.

“It's already so late. Why are you calling?” Her soft, gentle voice floated over the line. She spoke somewhat grudgingly, but she did not hang up.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile as he asked, “What are you doing?”

“I just finished taking a bath,” she answered honestly after some hesitation.

“Mm,” he murmured in a low voice. It was only a single syllable, yet it inexplicably seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

She had not spoken to him on the phone for a long time and could not help feeling somewhat uneasy. In a soft voice, she asked, “So, do you need something?”

“Can't I call you even if I don't need anything?” he responded, effortlessly sidestepping her question. Then, he added frankly, “I miss you.”

Those three words instantly shattered the hint of aloofness that had hung between them.

Her eyelashes quivered slightly when she heard that familiar phrase again. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and she could not stop a small smile from tugging at her lips. Even so, she remained silent.

That did not bother him in the least. Taking no notice, he continued, “To prevent you from forgetting me, I'll call you every day from now on. You have to answer my calls. Remember to reply to my messages, too.”

His tone was domineering, as though he intended to monopolize all her time.

“Have you forgotten that I'm still mad at you? No one is as brazen as you!” she said in an amused tone.

“Yes, that's right. I'm so brazen because I know you like me, and that gives me the freedom to do as I please,” he responded tenderly.

She bit her lower lip, then snorted softly. “I don't like you at all.”