"I'll definitely not give up. Anyway, I should thank you for coming here." Leo had always been respecting Edward. Although Edward was his son-in-law, he just couldn't be impolite to him.
You're welcome. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don't jump the gun. Otherwise, your behaviors might backfire." Edward would never speak to him that way if he weren't Daisy's father. He was still annoyed about what happened before. However, he had to swallow his anger as Daisy's other half.
"Alright. I'll be careful. Thank you. Mr. Mu." The old man had sensed the impatience in Edward's voice. He knew he had made some mistakes in the past which pissed Edward off. However, the consequences from his actions were inevitable, thus, he didn't dare show a bit of disrespect.
"Then, have a good day. Goodbye." One short nod and Edward walked away in a haste without looking back. He had promised to pick up Justin from school though he had no idea what troubles his son had made today.
Everybody's attention was drawn by a majestic Rolls Royce as soon as it pulled over outside the school gate. It seemed like the world had stopped for them when an immeasurably handsome man suddenly moved out of the car and leaned against the hood. Enchantment washed over women as the men who also saw the view instantly turned jealous. How on earth could a man have such a beautiful face and wealth!
Edward's wry smile made him more charming and irresistible as he stood there. He had got lots of fans that included both old ladies and girls. All of them felt drawn to him. Nevertheless, Edward just ignored them and remained to stare at the school gate until he saw his son jumping giddily out of the school, towards him. That was the only time when he comfortably smiled.
"Daddy, Daddy, look!" shouted Justin while rushing to his father. He seemed rather elated.
Look at what?" asked Edward curiously. He bent over and lifted his son up as he wondered about what Justin wanted him to look at.
"The girl who just walked out of the school with me. Isn't she beautiful?" Justin whispered to his father's ear then pointed out to a group of girls.
"Which one?" Edward saw so many girls outside the school gate and had no idea which one Justin was referring to.
"The girl in plaits hair and has two dimples. The one in a princess dress. She's too beautiful to be ignored easily!" said Justin anxiously. He was afraid that his daddy might not see her.
Yes. I see her. What's wrong with her?" Edward couldn't help his lips from twitching soon as he spotted the young girl. Now he knew why his son desperately asked him to come to his school and pick him up.
"Daddy, tell me, isn't she pretty and beautiful?" Justin's cheeks were slightly flushed as he timidly asked.
"Yeah. She's pretty and beautiful. So what?" Edward played innocent and opened the car door. He put Justin in the back seat, shot the girl another glance, then got on his car.
"Daddy, don't be a fool. You knew what I meant," said Justin with a pout. He didn't believe that his daddy, who was always flirting with girls, would be such a dumb ass as to misunderstand him.
"Haha... Are you telling me that you've fallen in love with her?" Edward couldn't help but laugh and tease his son more upon seeing how embarrassed Justin was.
"Are you kidding? I just think she's pretty and funny." Justin's voice instantly went low. If he had only known that his daddy would make things complicated, he would never have asked his old man to come and embarrass him. Adults just couldn't understand the innocent and pure world of kids.
"Yeah. I should apologize to you that I thought you wrong. You don't like her," said Edward, with a wry smile on his face. He started the engine and left the place. 'It turns out that my son's timid and shy. So unlike me,' he thought to himself.
"No, I like her. Not that I love her though. She's just one of my best friends. So don't embarrass me anymore," disapproved Justin. Nevertheless, the kid's flush and the embarrassed expression gave his true thoughts away.
"Alright. You kids are just friends. That's all," said Edward understandingly. He chuckled and decided to drop the topic. Maybe it was just pure friendship that was between the two kids as they attended the same school. He wasn't supposed to complicate things. Kids' world and affairs were pure and innocent after all. However, Justin understood that liking a girl was different from loving her. He had always been a smart kid, thus, he knew a lot.
"You're right. Daddy, you're so clever," said Justin, relieved. He took a deep breath and finally set his mind at rest. He was afraid that his father might give him off to his Mommy. His computer getting confiscated again due to puppy love would be bad.
"Hey, little man. You should be strong enough to be responsible and to protect her once you love a girl. You can't love a girl unless you can 'be' that. Do you understand?" said Edward earnestly and seriously. He wasn't an old-fashioned father. All he hoped for was for Justin to grow as a responsible man. It was okay to love a girl but not before he was capable of taking consequences from his actions and faults.
"Daddy, I know what you meant. Surely I'll have a second thought before I do anything. So don't worry." His child said sweetly and naively. Young as he was, Justin had already known what it meant to be responsible. So, he had learned discipline and vaguely known how to properly treat a girl.
"Good, son. I'm so proud of you. By the way, your mommy will come home early. So, let's go back home soon." Edward sighed secretly. He knew he wasn't the proper person to teach his son about how to love. He had a record of irresponsible romances with many women. Thus, he was worried about the saying that goes 'apple doesn't fall far from its tree'. He would be a bad example to his son in case.
"Are you sure that Mommy will come home early? We haven't had dinner together for a couple of days in a row." His son flashed an elated smile. He was just a kid and some kids had short-term memories. He had already forgotten his discussion about love and responsibility with his daddy. Now, all he had in his mind was dinner with his parents.
"Yeah. She called me about two hours ago and told me that she was in downtown. She's supposed to be back home by now," said Edward as he beamed with excitement. Just like what Justin had said, Daisy had usually been coming home very late due to her military assignment. He almost leaped into the air with joy when he found out that his wife wouldn't work overtime tonight. Thus, he was a little absent-minded earlier when he met Leo.
"Yeah! It's nice. Mommy's gonna cook some delicious dishes for me," said Justin with pleasure. Then, he licked his lips as if he were already tasting those delicious food Daisy cooked.
"You're such a foodie," Edward said with a smile. What he felt was a concoction of joy and sadness. Daisy had been extremely busy and tired recently. He couldn't do much for his wife except to emotionally support her. He was a businessman after all and could barely engage in military activities. It made him feel bad, since he was strong in will but weak in power.
"You're terribly wrong. I'm not a foodie. Grandma told me that I'm a kid and kids need nutrients to grow up. Otherwise, I'm gonna be short, and weak, and no girl will love me." Justin went back to pouting. The child thought sullenly that he shouldn't be judged for his fondness for food. Food-obsession wasn't his fault.
What? Did your grandma tell you that?" asked Edward in surprise. Those outdated ideas his mother told his son were annoying. As far as he was concerned, balanced diet was much better than eating too much.
"Yes. What's wrong?" asked Justin before sporting a sweet smile. This was exactly the reason why he liked his grandparents so much. They never controlled him from eating. Although grandpa might protest sometimes, grandma would glower at him. Then she would order him to stop being annoying.
Never mind. I hope for you to still agree with your grandma once you grow up to be fat and ugly" Edward shot a curious glance at his son. Justin might be slender for a kid right now. He would be fat one day though if he couldn't stick to the balanced diet. Thus, Edward always paid attention to his son's diet whenever they ate together.
"No, that certainly would not happen. I do exercise with Uncle Luke every day, " said Justin defiantly. Then he stretched his arms and showed off his muscles, implying that he was strong rather than fat.