Chapter 9
Chapter 9 The Burton Family’s Invitation
The young boy wore a melancholy expression as he gazed at Celia and instinctively pulled back his hand, retreating as if he were the one being mistreated.
Celia struggled to find the right words in response, but she also couldn’t bring herself to be angry at the kid.
The sight of his sadness unexpectedly stirred a desire within her to offer him. comfort, a feeling that puzzled her.
A gentle, soothing voice broke through the silence from behind them, “Daniel, here
you are!”
Following the voice, an elegant woman with a pale complexion approached the
scene.
Celia knew it was Grace as soon as she heard her voice and saw her face.
The passage of six years had visibly transformed Grace, rendering her healthier and more mature. It was rather unusual, considering that individuals with heart. conditions often experience declining health as they age. However, Grace seemed to defy this norm, having evidently received good care.
Grace, too, looked surprised when she saw Celia with the boy. Her eyes darted momentarily, and she hastened her steps towards the child.
“Daniel, why did you come here? Do you realize how worried Mommy has been?”
The young boy retorted with a cold face, “You’re not my mom.”
At that moment, a realization dawned on Celia, explaining her uncanny familiarity with the child.
“So, he must be Grace and Dominic’s son. No wonder he’s the same age as Tammy,” Celia silently connected the dots.
Grace gently told the boy, “Daniel, you really should behave yourself. It’s not good to cause worry for everyone. Let’s go back now.”
Her actions resembled that of a caring mother.
Celia, however, experienced a strange uneasiness in her heart, torn between concern and a sense of peculiarity.
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Chapter 9 The Barton Family’s Invitatio
She reminded herself that she shouldn’t overly fixate on Grace’s child.
Meanwhile, Daniel maintained a stern expression, his unwavering gaze locked on Celia, carrying deep–seated sadness with it.
Upon witnessing the interaction, Tammy swiftly positioned herself in front of her mother and firmly declared, “You have a mom, so don’t try to steal mine!”
“Hmph!” the little boy huffed, stomping angrily before storming away, visibly
upset.
Celia stared at him as he walked away, lost in thought.
“It turns out that boy is Dominic’s child! He appears to be even more devious than Tammy,” Celia thought to herself.
But Celia couldn’t help but find something endearing about the boy’s hostility
towards Grace.
“I’m sorry for what happened just now. Daniel has always been mischievous since he was little,” Grace apologized to them.
In a composed manner, Celia advised, “You should go after him quickly. If he goes missing again, you’ll regret it.”
Grace responded with a smug and meaningful smile.
“Of course, he is the child created out of the love between me and Dominic.”
“Well, it seems that this creation doesn’t quite recognize you.”
Grace’s face flushed with annoyance. After briefly pausing, she retorted. “But he is still my child with Dominic!”
“Oh.”
Chelsea mockingly remarked, “Do you see yourself as a mother hen? well, then why
I you married Dominic yet?”
Celia couldn’t help but chuckle and responded, “You have a point, Chelsea. No wonder the child didn’t want to admit that Grace is his mother.”
Celia admired Chelsea’s ability to bluntly state the facts.
Chelsea pointed out that although Grace had a child with Dominic, they still hadn’t married. This was a matter that bothered Grace as well.
got
Celia, too, wondered why Dominic hadn’t married Grace even after six years had
Chapter 9 The Burton Family’s Invitations
passed. She speculated that perhaps Dominic’s grandfather disapproved of their marriage, and Grace’s health issues might have added to the challenge of marrying him.
Celia felt sympathy for Grace in this situation.
Grace’s expression turned sour as a result. “Hmph, regardless, I’m ill better than you,” she retorted, giving Celia and Chelsea a sidelong glance before storming off in frustration.
Celia understood that Grace was alluding to her own divorce, which, in truth. had worked out well for Celia since Dominic had found love with someone else.
Celia found Daniel to be an adorable boy, but unfortunately, he was Grace’s child.
Chelsea was still annoyed despite having vented her rage. She muttered to herself, “What bad luck to encounter Grace and her son! Well, I never expected him to be Dominic’s child. It certainly is a small world.”
Celia shrugged her shoulders and said, “Indeed. But Grace doesn’t seem to get along with her son.”
Chelsea was intrigued by this and remarked. “They really can’t get along! You might not have heard this, but the whole city knows that Daniel and his mother, Grace, have a strained relationship. Actually, that kid doesn’t like to be close to anyone, even Dominic. But, just now…
Chelsea paused in her speech, coughed twice, and continued, “Just now, I almost thought he was your son. Who would have thought this little troublemaker would call you ‘mom?”
“He probably did it to annoy Grace. You just stated that they don’t get along. “I believe this child did some research and called me ‘mom‘ on purpose,” Celia responded calmly, but the incident didn’t bother her.
Upon hearing this, Tammy wrapped her chubby arms around Celia’s leg and complained, “No! Mommy belongs to me only!”
Chelsea affectionately patted Tammy’s head and exclaimed, “Wow, it seems that you really love your mommy! I really like you, too.”
Celia felt at a loss for words. “If this child loves me so much, then who was it that just followed Dominic when he left?” she wondered.
However, she didn’t dwell on this matter because she had more pressing issues to
Chapter 9 The Burton Family’s Invitation
attend to.
“I’ll leave my daughter with you for now. I have something important to take care of, and I need to leave,” Celia said, checking her watch.
Without hesitating, she stopped a taxi and left.
Chelsea was stunned by how fast Celia disappeared.
As Chelsea noticed the pile of luggage and a child Celia left behind, she asked, “Hey, Celia! It’s the first time I met your daughter! Are you sure you want to abandon her with me? Aren’t you worried she’ll cry?”
Tammy blinked her big eyes, sucking on a lollipop, and waved her hand casually, saying, “Aunt Chelsea, you don’t have to worry. I’ll behave very well.”
Chelsea felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside when she saw the cute little girl. She fluffed Tammy’s hair and said, “Alright, little one, let’s go.”
A luxurious extended Lincoln drove past them not long after.
Seated in the car, Dominic wore a cold and distant expression. The little boy beside him mirrored his demeanor, resembling a miniature version of himself.
Leon said, “Mr. Dawson, we were initially planning to take that little girl to the police station, but she suddenly disappeared.”
“It’s fine,” Dominic replied. He didn’t mind about what happened just now, and he found the girl to be quite likeable–certainly cuter than his own son.
Leon hesitated for a moment before handing Dominic a note. “This is what the little girl left behind. She said it’s for you.”
Dominic opened the note and discovered a phone number accompanied by some messy handwriting that read, “Sir, we seemed to get along. Don’t forget to call me.”
Before Dominic could respond, Grace, seated in the back seat, curiously asked, “Dominic, who is this kid? What does that note mean?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a child’s play,”
“Kids these days can be really impish,” Grace remarked with a gentle smile.
Dominic held onto the note, eventually tucking it into his pocket. He had no intention of calling her, but he found her handwriting cute and wanted to keep the note so he could recall this little incident later.
Chapter 9 The Burton Family Invitation
“By the way, we received an invitation from the Burton family. Today is Miss. Burton’s wedding reception, and we’ll be passing by there. Sir, are you really not interested in attending? Mr. Dawson and others from your family are already. there,” Leon checked Dominic’s schedule and asked.
The Dawson and Burton families had always gotten along well. On the other hand, Dominic had a strained relationship with the Burtons, particularly after his divorce from Celia.
But Leon believed that Dominic should at least demonstrate some respect for his family.
“I’m not going,” Dominic firmly declined once again.
Grace averted her gaze for a moment before saying. “Leon, could you please stop talking about the Burtons? Dominic doesn’t like it when you bring this up.”
“Alright, I won’t mention it again. The main reason Mr. Dawson called earlier was to inform us about the lively event hosted by the Burton family today. Oh, and he wanted to remind you that Miss Celia Burton is back, Leon shared.
Grace’s hands went straight to clenching fists.
Observing Dominic’s silence, Leon realized his persuading attempts were in vain. He still mentioned that because he had at least conveyed the message and made Dominic aware of the situation.
Noticing Dominic’s indifference, Grace sat affectionately beside him with a smile. “Dominic, do you have time to go to the mall with me later?”
“Leon will go with you,” Dominic replied, meaning he wouldn’t join her.
Grace could only grit her teeth and try to maintain her smile. “Alright then. Thank you, Leon.”
Leon quickly responded, “No problem.”
Daniel stared out of the car window, wearing a cold and aloof expression, completely detached from the happenings around him.