“Hmm?” Arissa responded with her eyes closed.
Benjamin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “Hurry up and pee!”
When Arissa heard his voice, she too wanted to give it her all, but nothing came out.
Benjamin gently patted her small face and playfully pinched her nose. This stirred Arissa back to consciousness although she was still somewhat dazed and unable to fully make out the man's face.
Benjamin let out a soft sigh. “Aren't you in a hurry to pee? Hurry up and go back to sleep after you're done!”
Only then did Arissa realize that her stomach was bloated. She quickly peed.
Then, Benjamin carried her back to the room. Seeing that Arissa was struggling to keep her eyes open to look at him, he raised his eyebrows slightly and rubbed her nose playfully.
“Go to sleep!”
Arissa muttered, “Did I ask you to come up?” She really couldn't remember.
With a gentle smile playing at the corners of his mouth, Benjamin leaned down to kiss Arissa. He whispered softly, “I came up on my own. I'm going to take a shower, you go to sleep first!”
Arissa glanced at him. After reminding him to sleep early, she closed her eyes and slept.
Benjamin took a bath, then climbed into bed and fell asleep holding her.
In the morning, Arissa felt kisses from the children. She squinted her eyes open, hugged the kids, and returned their kisses to their small faces before continuing to sleep.
Benjamin leaned in, hoping for a good morning kiss, but Arissa had fallen asleep again.
“Mr. Graham, hurry up!” Gavin urged Benjamin deliberately.
Benjamin turned his head and shot him a glare. After tucking Arissa into bed, he headed toward the children.
“Have you all got your things?” He swept his sharp gaze over the kids. All six of them were neatly dressed with backpacks on their backs. They looked incredibly adorable.
The six kids nodded in unison and chimed, “We've got everything!”
After taking his coat, Benjamin led the kids downstairs and took them to school.
The kids were sitting in the back seat. After some thought, Gavin decided it was best to tell Benjamin.
“Mr. Graham, Regan came looking for us!”
Benjamin frowned, but no one could be sure if it was due to the way his son addressed him or because of Regan's involvement.
He glanced up at the rearview mirror and fixed his gaze on Gavin. “When?”
“Yesterday!” Zachary replied as he stole occasional glances at Benjamin.
“Did you interact with him?” Benjamin asked, his brow furrowed.
“Yes!” Gavin nodded. “He pretended to be a janitor at our school and tried to give us candies, but we all refused!”
“We didn't eat his food!” Jesse also nodded in agreement.
Zachary wasn't planning to hide anything from Benjamin. Smiling, he said, “He wanted to take us out for a meal, but we didn't go with him. However, we did take his gift card!”
Benjamin's eyes twitched slightly as he glanced at the six kids in the back row.
“How much did you get?”
“Not much, ten thousand per person.” Zachary glanced at Benjamin again before adding, “Mommy gets a share too, but hers is forty thousand!”
One hundred thousand in total?
Benjamin was somewhat speechless. “If you want money, just ask Daddy. There's no need to take his money!”
“Mr. Graham, are you being silly? His money is also Mommy's money. It's only right that we take it!” Jasper rolled his eyes.
With a stern expression on his face, Benjamin retorted, “Does your mother know about this?”
Jasper chuckled awkwardly. He dared not say a word after that.
“Mommy doesn't know. We wanted to tell Mommy about it, but then we forgot,” Oliver said with an awkward smile.
“And then? Did he say anything else to you?”
Benjamin didn't expect Regan to find a way in after the school had increased security.
“Nope!” Zachary responded.
“That person just wanted to invite us for a meal!” Tim said without thinking.
Gavin shook his head. “No, they must have some other purposes. It's impossible that they only want to get to know us!” he reminded Tim.
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