Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

68 What was that sound?!

"It seems you can't eat everything at the moment. I should take the cake away while you eat the pastry," She said. ↑

Seeing that his swollen eyes were focused on the mooncakes, Jeslyn smiled and picked out a purple and white one and cut it into four parts, revealing the cooked egg and date paste inside. She could have baked the pastry if she hadn't cooked the egg, but she doesn't like the taste of baked mooncakes. She likes it with a little bit of a chewy and melting feeling.

Remembering something, Valen paused and looked at Jeslyn.

"You don't like it?" Jeslyn asked, a little worried.

"I don't eat sweet things."

"Oh... that, your father permitted it. He said you are allowed to eat mild sweet things once a week."

The boy said nothing and just picked a piece of mooncake. He examined the cake for a while before he took a bite. The shell was mildly sweet until he tested the date paste and egg. Chewing them together with the softshell of the cake was simply delicious. One of the best things he had ever tasted. After all, he's not allowed to eat sweet things.

"How does it taste?" Jeslyn asked with puppy eyes, waiting to get compliments from Valen.

Valen looked at her but said nothing and continued to eat quietly.

Jeslyn sighed and sat dejectedly. "Boy, it's not easy to make food, you should show appreciation when a favor is done for you." She lamented while pouting. "You said it's an apology," Valen reminded her with puffy eyes staring at Jeslyn without emotion.

"Hmm, but there's no harm in saying something to me for my hard work,"

"I didn't say I needed you to-"

"Fine, fine, fine, just eat in peace. You still need a massage before you go to sleep."

"I'm fine now, I don't need a massage,"

"No..." Jeslyn shook her head." That won't do. You'll get a headache tomorrow."

"It's just 4 PM, I won't sleep for that long." Valen was starting to get annoyed but couldn't figure out if

it was at himself or Jeslyn. He just wasn't liking how he had become free with Jeslyn.

"That's right, but... forget it," Jeslyn sighed.

After a while, Valen was done eating. Jeslyn made a call, telling Maya to bring a cold patch to her.

"Lie down for a massage," Jeslyn patted the bed.

Valen wanted to protest, but Jeslyn pulled him into the bed and started to massage him without permission.

Although she wasn't a professional, she was able to get Valen to fall asleep in a few minutes. With the cold patches ready, she placed them on Valen's forehead before she sent Maya to take the cake back to the fridge.

A while later, Jeslyn felt thirsty and went to get water from the kitchen. However, before going, she made sure to pull a blanket to Valen's chest to prevent an unexpected incident while she was away. Inside the quiet kitchen, Jeslyn opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water which she poured into a glass cup. She took her first gulp, a second, and just when she was about to swallow the third...

"Boom!"

The sound came unexpectedly from nowhere. It shook the mansion including Jeslyn who choked on

water.

"Hack- hack- Ahem..."

She entered a fit of coughing while trying to make out what just happened.

Before she could pull herself together...

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun!"

"That's a... Gun!!..."

Coming to the realization, the glass cup dropped from her hand and water spilled all over the floor with the glass making a shattering sound.

"Va- Valen!"

Jeslyn dashed out of the kitchen, sprinting straight to the child's room. Everywhere was quiet except from the gunshots coming from outside the house. Yes, outside. She just realized it.

On the stairs, Jeslyn, who wasn't paying attention due to the urgency to go meet Valen immediately, bumped into something.

She was about to take a step from the object without looking when a voice pulled her from her world.

"What's the urgency?"

Jeslyn looked up at the man in black staring at her with those apathetic eyes.

Jeslyn pointed a trembling finger at the entrance, believing he mustn't have heard the gunshots a while ago.

"Th- there's a- a fight- gunshots..."

Just when she finished speaking, another deafening sound was heard.

"Boom!"

Jeslyn fell forward and hugged his waist. Her heartbeat was so messy that it would make a good music

beat for TikTokers.

1203

"He- hear that!" She asked in a frightened voice.

"Hmm," Maverick answered nonchalantly as his eyes bore holes in the middle of her head.

"You should head to your room and lock your windows... They are bulletproofed."

"No, Valen needs me," Remembering Valen was still alone in his room, Jeslyn let go of Maverick and stepped to the side before dashing up the stairs.

She didn't even stop to ask why he sounded so relaxed when his roof was on fire.

"Call Pink," Maverick told Code 2 before he headed down the stairs with one hand in his pocket and the other hand holding a black gun.

Jeslyn didn't pay attention, so she failed to see the gun.

Inside the room, Valen was sitting on the bed. Although he didn't look frightened like Jeslyn, his forehead was covered in sweat. The child's eyes were unfocused as he looked towards the widow. He couldn't hear the gunshots but the way the mansion shook when the loud sound went off sent the boy's heart into turmoil.

"Valen," Jeslyn hurried to the bed and pulled the child into her bosom.

"I'm- I'm fine," the child said but his voice betrayed him as it quivered which Jeslyn didn't miss.

"Yes, I know you are fine. You are the brave and strong Valen Lu." She said while soothing the child's back to calm his fear. "Your father has gone down to handle it, everything will be fine."

Hearing that, Valen subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief.

Jeslyn smiled bitterly. How could a child be raised to bear so much?

'Mulan, I won't let you off!' She thought as a tear dropped from her right eye.

Outside the house, Maverick was seen standing at the front of the entrance watching the battle going on a distance away from him. 3