Chapter 1703
Layla sighed.
As they walked, Ellinor suddenly stopped and turned her head to look back. “Baber, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up; it’s noon, and the sun is blazing.”
Baber blinked. He initially felt a bit crestfallen, as he thought his mom had forgotten about him. But hearing her call out to him brightened his mood instantly.
He was about to run towards his mom when Adrian asked, “Bro, can you help me retrieve our kite? I’m worried it’ll get ruined if it rains.”
Baber agreed to his brother’s request without hesitation. “Sure! Mom, it’s too sunny outside. Take the little ones inside first. I’ll go get the kite, and then I’ll join you.”
That kite was a gift from their aunt, and he loved it too.
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In their excitement at seeing their mom return, he and his brother abandoned the kite. It had probably landed near the wall.
Seeing Baber’s determination, Ellinor agreed, taking the younger ones inside while leaving Baber to look for the kite in the courtyard.
Once inside, she instructed one of the servants to keep an eye on Baber.
Baber ran to the wall of the courtyard to look for the kite. He found it near the small gate towards the backyard and quickly went to pick it up.
While he was picking up the kite, a voice called out to him.
“Howdy, kiddo. Wanna buy a balloon?”
Baber, holding the kite, stood up to see a man outside the gate, holding a bunch of helium balloons. He shook his head. “No, thanks. My mom has already bought us plenty of these balloons.”
The balloon seller chuckled. “Smart kid. It’s good to think about saving your mom some money.”
Baber was always polite. “Thanks for the compliment, sir. You should try selling somewhere else. I have to go find my mom now.”
As Baber was about to run off with the kite, the balloon seller called out to him “Wait a minute, kid. I have something to tell you.”
Baber stopped, turning around to give him a puzzled look.
The balloon seller was beckoning him. “Come here, kiddo, Let me talk to you.”
Ellinor had always warned him not to approach strangers. He remembered her advice and cautiously stayed put. He even took a few steps back. “Sir, you can tell me from there. I can hear you perfectly fine.”
Seeing his cautious demeanor, the balloon seller chuckled again. “There’s no need to be scared, kiddo. I ain’t a bad guy. Alright, we can talk like this.”
Baber nodded. “Sir, just say what you want to say.”
The balloon seller looked around the large courtyard. “Kiddo, you live in such a big place. Your folks must be pretty rich, huh? Doesn’t seem like the kind of family that would mind buying a few more balloons. They’re not treating you well, are they?”
Baber furrowed his brows. “No. My grandparents, aunt, and mom all treat me well. Sir, we’re not buying balloons because we can’t afford them, but because we’ve already had so many that they’re not fun anymore.”
The balloon seller squinted his eyes. His expression had become inscrutable. “Is that so? But I heard that you’re not their blood-related child. You were adopted, right? I thought these wealthy families wouldn’t treat an adopted child as well as a blood-related one.”
