“You…”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The knocking on the door stopped Zachary from saying further.
Charlotte gestured him to fix his clothes while she went ahead to answer the door. “What’s up?”
“There’s a car parking nearby, seemingly spying on us,” Lupine reported softly. “I’ve looked into it. It’s probably one of Mr. Nacht’s men.”
“This is preposterous!” Livid, Charlotte cursed, “What does that damned man want?”
“Hey, watch your words.” Zachary quickly explained, “I told him that I’m here to accompany the kids for a period of time. That’s why he let me bring them over. I’m pretty sure that those men are sent to monitor me, to check if I lied to him. So, I’m the target, not you.”
“You should leave at once and take his men along with you.” Charlotte went ballistic. “Or else, I’ll take action against you lot.”
Zachary didn’t refute her but signal Lupine to shut the door and leave, to which the latter obliged.
“Has Danrique never taught you to maintain your composure when dealing with issues?” He became serious all of a sudden. “How are you expected to handle bigger matters if you’re always acting this rashly?”
“How dare you give me a lecture?” Frowning, Charlotte shot him a death stare. “I get all upset whenever I see you.”
“It goes to show that I matter to you…” He smirked.
“You…”
“Don’t hit the ceiling.” He made a truce gesture. “Come, let’s analyze the situation. You can think of it this way, if I leave now, the kids will definitely feel sad when they wake up. As a consequence, their impression of you as their mommy is going to turn bad.”
He added, “Moreover, Ellie’s condition is quite serious now. You do know when she cries, she goes hysterical, and it’s bad for her health, don’t you? Are you willing to see that happen? Just take a look at how much weight she’s lost. I’m afraid something like this will be detrimental to her health.”
Charlotte fell silent upon hearing that. Deep down, she could not bear any of it. She actually felt distressed whenever Ellie cried. If possible, she really hoped to take the place of Ellie’s suffering.
She acknowledged that it was a bad move to drive Zachary away because the children would feel miserable without him.
It’s not so bad with Robbie and Jamie as they are easily persuaded. But it’s not the case with Ellie. In addition, her condition worsens when she cries…
Yet, Charlotte did not want to get entangled with Zachary. She feared the outcomes if Danrique found out about it.
“Besides, Grandpa’s men are still lurking around, monitoring us. If I were to leave at this moment, I would be caught red-handed. Then, he will surely send more people to come and snatch the kids away..”
“How dare he?” Charlotte was up in arms.
“Okay… Okay…” Zachary attempted to cool her down. “I know you’re a strong woman, and I know you’re not afraid of him. However, just think it over from a different angle. Who’s at a disadvantage if this tussle prolongs? Who gets hurt? It’s the kids, don’t you think?”
As if that was not enough, he illustrated further. “Do you remember Timothy, Hector’s son? He witnessed how his father and stepmother hurt his mom. Did you know how traumatized he was? A three-year-old toddle ended up slashing someone with a knife. Have you forgotten?”
As the past memories flooded her mind, Charlotte began to recall some scenes vividly…
At the wedding, she saw how Timothy dashed to the stage and stabbed Helena with a knife. That incident really impacted her tremendously. At that time, she even vowed not to let her child turn out the same way…
“Both our families have been rivals for ages; as a result, the children are the real victims here. Each time we fight, it creates an adverse psychological effect on the children. Last time, Robbie and Jamie saw you aiming a gun at me. Today, Ellie saw the same with her own eyes. It’s going to stick with them like childhood trauma.”
Zachary was resolute. “Just do it for the sake of the kids. Even if you’re putting up a show, do it for a month. Let’s create a welcoming and loving environment for them, shall we? Take it as a trial period for them to adapt and adjust themselves. We’ll talk about everything else once Ellie gets better. All right?”
