When Dennis was three or four years old, Evan spent a lot of time with him. Dennis resembled a minor demon, mischievous and fond of naughty tricks, often teasing the housemaids in the Anderson household. He acted just like the unruly rich kids who enjoyed bullying others.
But in the past couple of years, with the rapid development of the Anderson Corporation, Evan became busier with work. In his absence, Dennis became quiet and reserved, unwilling to talk.
Sometimes, Marry would see the resemblance of Dennis's small face to Evan when he was young. Back then, Evan was just as cold, not fond of getting close to others.
But it was only in Evan's presence that Dennis, still a child, showed some special traits, occasionally being affectionate or doing mischievous things to gain Evan's attention. Evan loved Dennis and indulged him, so in front of him, Dennis always acted spoiled.
Marry regained her spirits, smiling and waving at Dennis. "Dennis, come here!"
Dennis looked at her, took a few steps, then paused, his face showing unwillingness as he glanced towards his father.
Evan turned, seeing the small round face, his stern expression softening slightly. He sat up on the sofa, tapping his thigh. Seeing this, Dennis's eyes curved, and he ran to his father's side. Evan smiled, embracing Dennis as he sat on his lap.
Dennis was so much like him, but between his eyebrows, there was a gentle tenderness, not as cold as his.
And like... the shy girl from six years ago.
Evan frowned. How many nights had it been, the image of that innocent face appeared unconscious in his mind, sometimes shy, sometimes sulky, sometimes confused, when lying under him.
That girl, she was a treasure!
But before he could even take a bite, she vanished from his world.
Six years ago, when she gave birth prematurely, Dennis was very weak, and another child died tragically. When he learned about this, there was a strange sense of regret in his heart.
Evan always believed that his heart was as hard as ice, just because Mr. Anderson liked children, so he found a young woman to have a child to fulfill Mr. Anderson's wish.
But he didn't think that he could only keep one child.
Evan felt regret and guilt. That's why he always loved Dennis, and under his indulgence, Dennis grew up healthy and strong, but he wasn't close to Marry.
Although children are innocent, they are also very sensitive! Although normally, Marry always showed affection for Dennis, even treating him as her own child. But when there was no one else, she always looked at Dennis with a jealous and malicious look!
She resented her inability to conceive, resented that this child wasn't born to her! How could she truly love Mộ Dennis?
So, from a young age, Dennis always kept his distance from Marry.
"Dad, I want a remote-controlled car!"
"A remote-controlled car?" Evan frowned. "Didn't you get bored with playing with that before? Why do you suddenly want it now?"
"Right now, I want to play with it!" Dennis insisted.
A rare, indulgent look appeared in Evan's eyes. "Alright, I'll buy it for you."
"Not only will Dad buy it, but he will also play with you!" Dennis leaned into his father's arms, greedily enjoying the father-son's affection.
Marry stood quietly aside, feeling a bit startled!
She didn't know why, but she had a kind of illusion that she couldn't intrude into the world of the father and son.
On Friday evening, Sonya brought Iris to the Richart family's house. Before, Mr. Richart didn't want her and her son to move out, but he also understood her situation, knew she was in a difficult position, so he asked her to come back once a week, to have a meal with him. Although Sonya was hesitant to go to the Richart family's house, she had no other choice. If she didn't ask Mr. Richart to take her away from the orphanage, she didn't know what would have happened to her?
Sonya bought some more food, and Iris skipped behind her. When they arrived at the Richart family's house, they saw Mr. Richart standing at the door waiting. When the company closed, they sold the villa and moved to an apartment building quite far from the city, an 8-story building with no elevator.
Upon seeing her grandfather, Iris joyfully ran into his arms. Mr. Richart, seeing his adorable granddaughter, smiled brightly. Despite his fatigue, he lifted the little boy up high and held him in his arms.
"Grandpa!" Iris grinned mischievously, wrapping her arms around his neck sweetly.
"You're such a good girl, Iris!" Mr. Richart planted a kiss on the child's tender face, asking, "Have you been listening to your mom?"
"Yes, Grandpa! Iris is very obedient!" The charming little face blossomed into a smile as Iris replied.
Sonya carried the bag of groceries upstairs and entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. Eubola was still asleep, and Nora was out with friends, not expected back until after dinner.
Mr. Richart sat Iris on his lap at the dining table, and Iris excitedly gestured to her grandfather, recounting, "Grandpa, let me tell you something. Today, Mom took me to the supermarket, and she bought me a remote-controlled car! Originally, she wanted to give it to you to play with..."
Suddenly, the little boy became somewhat shy, lowering his head and fidgeting with his fingers. "But Iris won't play with it, afraid of breaking it... So, I didn't dare to take it."
Hearing this, Mr. Richart's expression changed slightly, gently stroking his grandson's head.
Iris always understood, never asking for anything. A toy costing over 100 dong was already considered expensive to him, so he wouldn't want anything else if it meant losing it.
He remembered clearly once when Iris went to the park with his friends, he saw a father and son playing with a remote-controlled car together. They looked thrilled, while Iris stood aside, watching, feeling envious.
He secretly thought, if one day he and his father could play together, it would be thrilled.
But whenever Iris showed consciousness, his mother never mentioned his father. He had also asked his mother where his father was, but her face looked pained, so he didn't dare ask again.
Mr. Richart chuckled, pinching Iris's nose. "Next time, Grandpa will play with you."
Iris brightened up, nodding with a beaming smile.
"Oh my, I thought it was someone else. Turns out it's the wild child!" The harsh words shattered the warm atmosphere. Mr. Richart's gaze shifted, his face turning sour as he looked up to see Eubola standing at the living room door, dressed in nightwear, her arms crossed over her chest, staring fixedly at Iris.
He angrily exclaimed, "What are you talking about!! This is your grandson!"
Iris, seeing her, instinctively shrunk her shoulders, but remembering what her mother had said about not paying attention to Eubola and Nora's words, she couldn't help but purse her lips, tilting her small face to look at her and smiling gently, "Grandma!"
Eubola glanced sideways at the boy, her words harsh, "Stop it!! I can't stand this grandchild!"
Mr. Richart couldn't help but feel furious, angrily retorting, "What do you mean by that?"