Chapter 85
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Warren was actually okay. Even though he got deceived by Harriet and the company had a few issues, he was strict with others and with himself. Once he cleared his name after coming down from the mountains, he immediately organized things internally and even handed over his own secretary.
After checking, the authority took away several people from the group quietly, reportedly uncovering many secrets. As a result, Warren was seen at the Wilson residence every day, looking as refreshed as ever.
When Quinlyn woke up, she saw the room was full of fresh flowers, with extra ones piled up at the foot of the bed, and the scent made her sneeze uncontrollably.
The door swung open the next moment. “Quinlyn, you’re finally awake!” Stanley darted in like a monkey, closely followed by Larry and Joseph.
“What happened? What are these?” Quinlyn mumbled, still half–asleep, her hair messy like a bird’s nest, looking adorably clueless as she pointed at the flowers on the floor.
“They’re from everyone who visited you these past few days, with messages of gratitude and well–wishes, all eager to catch your attention as soon as you opened your eyes,” Larry said, a mischievous smile on his face. “But I threw all the cards away.”
Joseph, as thoughtful as ever, calmly opened the window to air out the room. “Are you feeling okay? If you’re up to it, come downstairs for breakfast. I’ll have someone clean up,” he suggested.
Quinlyn shook her head, feeling refreshed, but her stomach was definitely hungry. So, the four of them went downstairs together. It was still early morning, and there were no guests at home. Upon hearing Quinlyn was awake, Elowyn was busy in the kitchen making eggs.
Before Quinlyn even entered the dining room, she noticed a heap of gift boxes piled up in the corner.
Stanley kindly explained to her, “These are gifts for you too, fancy things. Many are tokens of gratitude from parents of school students. There were so many, I stacked them up like a Christmas tree. Pretty creative, right?”
“Christmas tree?” Quinlyn was a bit puzzled. “What’s that?”
Stanley was a bit surprised. “Haven’t you ever celebrated Christmas?”
Quinlyn shook her head. She had never celebrated any holidays.
The three boys immediately understood the situation, and they all felt a bit uneasy.
“No worries, from now on, I’ll celebrate holidays with you,” Larry said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder warmly. “Do you want a yacht party or a big banquet? It’s your choice; I promise it’ll be fun.
“Or you could come to my place–it’s a traditional house, and my granddad would love to have you there.”
“Hey, don’t trust him too much,” Stanley butted in, pushing Larry’s hand away. “Can you even get out if you go to his backyard?”
Then he turned to Quinlyn with bold promises. “Just wait, I’ll soon make an awesome game and reserve the top spot for you when it launches. You’ll get whatever gear you want.”
During their argument, Joseph brought up the most important question. “Quinlyn, do you know when your birthday is?”
Quinlyn nodded. “June 1st.”
“Wow, you’re actually born on Children’s Day! Your birthday is coming up soon, there’s no time to plan now. Come on, let’s discuss it quickly.” Stanley and Larry, both impulsive, left without even having breakfast in their rush.
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Joseph noticed Quinlyn seemed distracted, asking, “What’s wrong?”
While sipping her porridge, Quinlyn asked, “What’s Children’s Day?”
Joseph thought for a moment and answered, “I think it’s a day to remember children who died in a calamity and to remind everyone to protect them.”
“Oh, I understand now.” Quinlyn’s eyes lit up with clarity, and with a sigh of relief, she mumbled, “So many children died that day. In comparison, it’s not too bad that I was left behind.”
Joseph’s hand halted. Quinlyn was an orphan, left in a border village. The birthday she talked about was probably when a kind person found her.
June 1st, Children’s Day. While kids all over the world received presents, enjoyed special treatment, and snuggled in their parents‘ arms, she was left alone. The thought made Joseph’s heart ache.
After a moment, he reached out and gently patted her head. “Since it’s your birthday, is there a gift you want? I will get it for you.”
Quinlyn was munching on a delicious bun, turning her head with bright eyes, a bit surprised, as she looked at him. “Really? I want a picture storybook.” Like the ones they bought for the first time at the mall.
She had read the ones by her bedside so many times that she could recite them and had always wanted new ones.
Joseph didn’t expect her wish to be so simple, and then remembered that ever since they came to the city, she was either in class or learning.
Everyone had high expectations for her, leaving her schedule so full that they forgot she was still at an age that enjoyed playing and having fun. “Then after dinner, I’ll take you to buy one.”
“Don’t we have to wait until my birthday?” Quinlyn wanted to ask but she really wanted the new picture book, so she silently swallowed her words.
So when Warren and the expert team arrived for their routine check–up and learned Quinlyn was awake, they were happy for a few seconds before realizing that Joseph had taken Quinlyn out.
This time, Joseph took Quinlyn to a store that specialized in fairy tale books. As soon as she stepped in, she was captivated by the exquisite covers, the vibrant art style, and the various pop–up illustrations–she adored every single one.
“Maybe you have a knack for drawing,” Joseph said with a smile, seeing her engrossed in the book. Then he shook his head, realizing he was getting ahead of himself. “But let’s not worry about that now, just have fun.”
“Uh–huh,” Quinlyn replied, not really giving him her attention.
Seeing this, Joseph ordered a cup of coffee and sat by the window, quietly handling company matters while keeping her
company.
It was clearly a two–hour session, and Quinlyn kept flipping through only a handful of books. She read quickly, and Joseph looked up multiple times, half expecting the pages to rip. He couldn’t help but wonder if there might be some kind of treasure hidden in those books.
“Alright, let’s take a break and have something to eat.” He checked the time and pushed the juice and cupcakes towards her.
Quinlyn was delighted too. After carefully putting the books away, she focused on her treat.
Joseph seized the moment to order a batch of storybooks to be delivered to the villa. Once Quinlyn finished eating, he took her to the amusement park.
They tried roller coasters, cotton candy, haunted houses, pirate ships. Finally, Quinlyn sat on the carousel wearing Mickey
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Mouse ears and flashed a peace sign at Joseph’s camera.
After taking the picture, Joseph ended the annoying call and, after some thought, sent Quinlyn’s photo with the text: [Hanging out, do not disturb us.]
A few seconds later, Stanley retaliated with a text: [Dude, you creep! Stay away from my sister.]
Larry replied slowly with four words: [Found you now.]
Joseph saw the message and slightly furrowed his brows.
Compared to Stanley’s loud fussing, Larry was obviously more difficult to handle. If Antonio permitted, Larry would definitely try to charm Quinlyn into joining the Hill family. Larry was definitely a dangerous person.
Just then a woman’s scream sounded. “Where’s my child? Where did my child go?”
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