Mommy, you are back.Louis exclaimed with joy and excitement.Ethan nodded at his son and frowned at the unfamiliar woman in their sitting room.He looked at Evelyn and asked, who is this stranger in our house?
Stranger?
The atmosphere became tensed with just one word, and the woman's smile stiffened a bit.Evelyn was taken aback and quickly explained, what stranger?This is Rose, a distant relative from my mother's side.She just came back from abroad a few days ago and came here to keep the children company.
Relatives all care about the children, but some mothers are never at home, and they don't show up when their child is sick.Emma didn't say a word.She was still looking at a woman in front of her.
Emma didn't say a word. She was still looking at the woman in front of her. The woman took the initiative to greet her, "Hello, I'm Rose.I specialize in early childhood education abroad. If you have any questions about the children's growth, you can consult me.
"Miss Rose," Emma lifted the corner of her lips and responded with a gentle smile, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.
Of course, she knew who Rose was. After all, they were old acquaintances from the previous life. In the previous life, Rose came to the Matthew family because she was involved in a drug scandal at her grandfather's birthday banquet. Evelyn specially invited Rose, who had a professional background, to come back and teach the children, cultivate their interest in learning, and Rose fell in love with Ethan and often bullied her together with Evelyn.
But that was all in the previous life. The drug scandal didn't happen in this life, so why did Rose still come to her door?
A hint of doubt flashed through Emma's mind. Before she could think about it, Louis had already run over and hugged her leg, "Mommy!"
Emma snapped back to reality and squatted down to hug her son.
Louis's chubby little body threw itself into her arms, carrying a faint milk fragrance. Emma held him and took a sniff, feeling her heart gradually calming down. This time, she had changed a lot and wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.
Emma touched her son's head to make sure he wasn't running a fever before asking, "Where does your tummy hurt, Louis? Mommy will massage it for you."
Louis's big eyes flickered a bit as he touched his belly and said softly, "It's just a little painful here."
Seeing this, Rose immediately said, "Miss Emma ,you shouldn't massage a child's stomach without professional knowledge. Children's bodies are weak and can't withstand your random actions."
"That's right, Louis still has some medicine left to drink!" Evelyn also chimed in.
Ignoring their words, Emma gently asked her son, "Where does it hurt? Here...or here? Tell Mommy, did you secretly eat ice cream?"
"No, no! It doesn't hurt anymore."
As soon as he heard ice cream, Louis was afraid of losing her snacks and immediately hugged Emma's neck, resting his head on her shoulder and not letting her continue massaging his little belly.
Emma realized that this little boy was just pretending! She couldn't help but smile and lightly patted his head twice, "Okay, Mommy will make some soup for you."
Louis smiled and said, "Okay."
Emma put her son down and went to the kitchen.
It was almost dinner time and the kitchen was bustling with activity. When Emma's soup was ready, all the dishes were also ready, and everyone sat down to eat together.
It was clear that Rose was particularly favored by Evelyn ,as her smile never left her face when she spoke with her. Rose was also patient with the children and even took over the maid's work to debone the fish for them .She said, "Auntie, the kids are over three years old now and is at the age where they should receive advanced private education. This is a matter of their growth and future, and we cannot be careless about it. How about you let me take care of them? I am a professional and you can trust me with your child."
Emma's hand trembled as she held her bowl, and she looked up at Rose. Evelyn immediately agreed with a smile.
But Emma didn't hesitate to object. Rose awkwardly smiled and looked at Ethan,who had been silent all this time. "Miss Emma ,why don't you agree? I'm doing this for the good of the children."
Ethan's face showed no expression. Evelyn scolded Emma ,"Don't mess around. My grandchildren from the Matthew family needs to be well-educated. You can't be like this. Rose is a professional in early childhood education. It's best for her to teach the children. This is a big matter concerning their future. If you don't understand, don't speak!"
Rose i smiled without a trace of irony and said, "Auntie, don't speak ill of Miss Emma .She cares about the children, but may not understand what private education means. It's about cultivating the child through words and deeds. Ordinary families may not do this, but the Matthew family's status and conditions require it for the kids."
Evelyn nodded in agreement. "My grandchildren deserves the best. Rose,I trust you with my child."
" Jian Ning put down her cutleries and spoke calmly but firmly. "I will raise my children myself, and they have teachers at school to take care of them .I don't need Miss Rose to worry about it."
"Miss Emma ,you have misunderstood. This is my job, and it's not tiring," said Rose with a gentle smile mixed with helplessness and a hint of disdain.
It was a subtle feeling, and Emma had a gut feeling that she was not mistaken. She was about to speak when both Ava and Louis stated, "Grandma, we want to go to kindergarten."
Evelyn was taken aback. "
"Then go!" Evelyn's heart softened under her grandchildren's gaze, and she reflexively agreed.
Rose's expression faltered. "Even in a prestigious kindergarten, teachers can't manage so many children. Even one-on-one guidance is not possible. Children's personalities and exploration and cognition of the world require professional guidance..."
Evelyn also realized this, but she had already promised her grandchildren, so she could only compromise. "Then why don't you teach them your specialty, and they can go to school normally. After school, it's your turn to accompany them."
She didn't achieve her goal, but this was not bad either. Rose smiled and said, "How can this be considered tiring? Ava and Louis are so cute, and I'm happy to accompany them."
With the conversation reaching this point, Emma had no choice but to eat her meal while listening to Rose and Evelyn's flattery and compliments to each other.
After finally finishing the meal, Emma didn't want to stay a moment longer. She took her children back to their room, played games with them for a while, and soon it was time for them to sleep.
After putting Louis to sleep, Ava tugged at her sleeve, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Mommy, go see Daddy..."
Emma was taken aback. "Why? Don't you want Mommy to put you to sleep?
"But Mommy, you didn't talk to Daddy today."
The little girl's voice was soft and tender, as if it could melt one's heart. "Are you still angry with Daddy? But Mommy, you hung up the call yesterday, and Daddy was so sad. He went to pick you up early this morning and didn't even see me get up."
Emma fell silent for a moment.
Her relationship with Ethan was complicated, and she had just returned home to find that there was a new guest, Rose. She hadn't paid much attention to everything, and she didn't expect the child to notice everything.
Looking at the worry in her daughter's big round eyes, Emma felt a little uncomfortable. She shouldn't let the child worry about these things.
Emma rubbed her daughter's head and smiled. "Mommy's not angry, there's just a guest at home, and Mommy didn't have time for anything else."
"Really? That's great!"
Being so young, the little girl believed Emma as soon as she spoke. She leaned happily in her mother's arms. "Mommy is so nice, I really like Mommy."Mommy will always be like this in the future, and you don't have to worry. Go to sleep now..."
Emma gently put her daughter to bed, and the door of the master bedroom next door was pushed open from the outside.
"Ethan,I have something to..."
Rose smiled as she pushed open the door and saw Ethan wiping medicine on his bare arms. The half-open medicine box was still on the floor next to his feet.
His shirt was half undone, revealing his strong and smooth muscle lines, and the bruise on his arm was particularly prominent.