Chapter 316
Patricia came to the police station with Byran in a car driven by the family’s driver.
Later, Byran was sent home early to review the lessons.
So now, she needed to hitch a ride home with Balfour.
When Patricia got into Balfour’s car, she immediately saw an exquisite statue of deity.
This statue was holy and solemn, with a small photo inlaid in the middle, which showed a photo of a little girl and her mother. The little girl, like Patricia, had a red mole the size of a grain of rice between her eyebrows.
Patricia knew that Balfour didn’t buy into any of that supernatural stuff, but despite that, he was willing to keep a deity figurine in his car for the mom and daughter, praying for them.
How much the woman and the girl in the photo meant to him was as clear as day.
But the people in the photo were not Patricia and her mother.
It was their father’s ex–wife and the daughter, Pearl Howard, he had with her.
Patricia got a bit ticked off, “You still have Pearl’s picture in your car?”
Just as Balfour was starting the car, with his hand on the steering wheel, he glanced at the figurine, his eyes suddenly warming, “Yes, ! keep it as a memento.”
“Balfour, why don’t you hang a picture of me and Byran?” Patricia’s eyes were sparkling, she looked a bit down in the dumps.
“You guys don’t need to compete with her.”
“We can’t compete with her? In your heart, are we always less important than Pearl?”
Balfour picked up on Patricia’s mood. He slowed the car down, reaching out to pat her head.
“Silly girl, you’re always by my side, I can see you whenever I want, why would I need a picture? Pearl left me when she was five, I’ve had no clue how she’s been doing all these years. I couldn’t protect her, so the least I can do is pray for her wellbeing and happiness.”
“Just because Pearl has been gone since she was a child, you should be moving on. I think Pearl wouldn’t want you to live in the shadow of their disappearance. Maybe they’ve found a new family!”
Balfour’s gaze grew gloomy, he withdrew his hand and gripped the steering wheel.
He never liked hearing this kind of talk, because he refused to believe that the woman and Pearl were gone from this world, he would rather believe that they were just living incognito, somewhere he couldn’t find, living carefree lives….
If anyone else had said that, he would have kicked them out of the car already, but it was Patricia who said it, so he didn’t.
Patricia didn’t realize Balfour was pissed, and pleaded again, “I want you to hang a picture of me and Byran in the car too, so you can think of us often when you’re driving, okay?”
“I can consider hanging up your picture, but why would I want to hang Byran’s? To remind myself that he only got a D in the final math exam?” Balfour frowned.
Feeling embarrassed for her academically challenged brother, Patricia said, “…Actually, Byran is really smart, he just doesn’t focus on his studies.”
“So that’s his excuse? We’ve hired so many great tutors for him, and he still only managed to get a D? I’m embarrassed to say he’s a Howard family kid!”
“Uh…okay! Then let’s just hang up my picture, is that okay?”
Balfour sighed helplessly, “Alright, I’ll hang up a picture of you in the car tomorrow, so I can think of you everytime I drive, okay?” Patricia nodded with a smile, “That’s how you should treat all of us fairly!”
