"Unfortunately, Kate, I can't tell you what to do because this is your business, understand? I can only say that you have to make a choice. Make the choice that you think you should make and then bear the consequences. You know, Eide's feelings … are still very strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have compromised under Emma's threat and taken responsibility for this matter and let you go. You should know how important you are in his heart.
But even so, it won't last forever. Everyone's patience is limited, not to mention … you've already made a choice. You know how he treated Natalie back then, right? And now, with Lily, Eide definitely won't allow his daughter to grow up outside. Think about how he lied to Jessica back then. Besides, you've also seen how much he loves Lily. When you make a choice, you have to consider all these clearly. Other than yourself, what kind of impact will it have on Lily, and how you're going to solve it. "
"So, you don't want children, right?"
"… Maybe."
"… I hate him, Charley."
"Yes, I hate him too. We all hate him. He always seems to give you a choice, but he uses all kinds of methods to force you to choose the one that benefits him. But … love and hate are often separated by a thin line. So, we all know that the more you love him, the more you hate him. Listen, Kate, I'm not saying all this to put pressure on you. I still maintain my previous point of view. This is your business. You have to make a choice and bear the consequences. So, you have to consider everything clearly. Don't be impulsive. Don't use your emotions to measure things. Use your rationality to analyze and think, understand? "
Recalling the last words that Charlize said to her, Kate, who was lying on the sofa, covered her forehead and sighed again. She reached for the glass of red wine on the coffee table and took a big sip.
"Are you feeling better now, Mom?" Lily's head appeared above her with a smile. It seemed that all the previous experiences didn't affect her mood.
Kate didn't say anything. She just quietly looked at her daughter's young face. After a long time, she turned over and hugged her daughter in her arms, "I'm sorry, dear, I'm sorry."
"There's no need to say sorry?" Lily was a little puzzled as she hugged her mother.
"Mom took you away from dad without saying anything. Are you angry?" Kate held the little girl's face and looked at her seriously.
"Of course not. Mom must have a reason for doing this, even if she doesn't want to tell me." The daughter shrugged, then stuck out her tongue and made a funny face. "But I'll find out sooner or later. If I can't now, I'll definitely be able to in the future."
Kite could not help but chuckle at Lily's mischievous look. Her mood seemed to be a little better. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Lily, do you love Daddy?"
"Well … Mom, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Lily tilted her head and asked after thinking for a few minutes.
"I want to hear both." Kate smiled and rubbed her head.
"Well, the lie is that I don't love him at all. Dad is a bad guy, a big bad guy. He always likes to preach and bully people. He doesn't care about me at all. He might make me have an aunt or sister at any time." The little fellow spoke in a serious manner, as if it were her true thoughts, but Kite just smiled without saying a word. Seeing that pretending was not working, Lily could only cough dryly and continue speaking.
"As for the truth, although dad is terrible, he rarely considers mom's feelings and always messes around outside. But … I still think dad is a good person. Aunts Charley, Sarah, Monica, and Sophie are all good people. Deva, Juliet, and Mary are also good people. So … I don't want dad and mom to fight." Lily said seriously.
Although she didn't say much, Kate knew from her sparkling eyes that there were many things she didn't say because she had to consider her mother's feelings. So, Kate sighed and hugged her daughter tightly in her arms.
How could she not know her place in Eide's heart? She was neither slow nor stupid. She just couldn't accept Eide's behavior. After all … how could he do it! But with little Emma's demonstration today, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have made a mistake. Maybe things weren't as she imagined.
If it was a normal woman, she would have tried to absolve herself and prove that she wasn't wrong at all. It was the other party's fault from the beginning. It was human nature to push responsibility. As long as there was something wrong with the other party, as long as you exaggerated it in your heart, you would naturally ignore your own responsibility.
In fact, because of little Emma's demonstration, Kate had leaned in this direction. Luckily, Charlize had arrived in time. Among all of Adriaan's women, she had the best relationship with her, even Sarah. The reason was complicated, but they were really close most of the time. Lily also liked Aunts Charley.
All in all, Charlie's timely appearance made little Emma disappear from her sight. Kate was able to control her emotions because of that. She comforted her and gave her a few words of advice, which allowed her to regain her sanity. But because of this, Kate had fallen into another predicament. She really didn't know what to do now.
Charlize was right. Even if it was just for Lily, she had to be careful. Moreover, after so many years, her relationship with Adriaan had become a mess. How could she let it go so easily? Plus, the initial anger and excitement had passed, and little Emma's demonstration messed up her thoughts. Kate hated this to the core. Now, all that was left was confusion.
I hate you, Eide. That was what Kate thought as she hugged her daughter.
While she couldn't find her direction, Adriaan was also having a headache over little Emma's decision.
"What should I say, Emma? You were supposed to go back to school in London. I promised you to stay for a few more days. I didn't let you cause trouble for me! "Adriaan who was pacing back and forth in the study glared at little Emma.
"Cause trouble? Is that how you see me? "The girl looked wronged." I'm helping you, Eide. "
"Helping me?" Adrian raised his eyebrows. "Go to Kate's side and announce that she has lost and you have won. She will never be a threat to you again. You pushed things that could have been turned around to the extreme, and this is how you help me?"
"It's not that serious. I just expressed my opinion and let her reflect." Little Emma pretended to be hurt, but she tilted her head and didn't dare to look him in the eye.
"Don't think that I don't know what you're going to say just because I'm not here. Emma, you know me very well, but I know you too." Adriaan walked in front of her and stared at her fiercely. "So don't play tricks on me. I'm going to find a way to fix the problem you caused. Tomorrow, go back to London. You're not allowed to come to America until the end of the year!"
"How can you do this?!" Emma immediately jumped up with an angry look on her face. "I've done so many things for you, and I even played the role of the villain. You have to know that in romantic comedies, villains like me always end up in a miserable state! It's fine if you don't reward me, but you're blaming me and chasing me away. That's too much! "
She clenched her fists tightly and waved them as if she was really angry. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to threaten Adriaan.
"That's it. It's time for you to go back," he said and left the bedroom without looking back.
"Damn you!" Little Emma stomped her feet. She looked really angry, but she calmed down immediately after the door was closed.
"I knew it would be like this." The girl hugged her arms and muttered. She pouted and frowned. It was completely different from her angry look just now. It was surprising how fast she changed.
Then, she shrugged and sighed unwillingly. "It's okay. I've said what I need to say. I'm like this, and no one can expect me to change. If …"
She suddenly fell silent and sat back on the sofa. She bit her lips and looked forward. Her expression changed a few times, and after a long time, she sighed again.
"How are you guys?" When Adriaan came out of little Emma's room, Sarah, who had been waiting outside, immediately greeted him.
"We're fine. Don't underestimate Emma. That little devil has caused more trouble than Lily, but nothing big has ever happened because she knows how to handle it." Adriaan shrugged. He no longer looked angry. He then hugged Sarah and buried his head in her neck. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Sarah. Thank you for staying by my side for the past two days."
"There are a lot of people by your side," Sarah said.
"But among the four of you, you're the only one who has been by my side." Adriaan covered her mouth. "Don't tell me that Charley and Yini have things to deal with. I don't want to hear it."
Sarah stared at him for a while. In the end, she leaned her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. Some things didn't need to be said too much.
"So, do we continue as usual, or do we need to make adjustments?" Adriaan and Sarah went to the study and chatted with Charlize and Ivanka for a while. Then, the secretary, Ivanka, asked.
"Of course we need to make adjustments. With Emma's' help ', we don't need to use the series of measures we've set before." Adriaan sighed. "Obviously, even if I want to see Kate in the next few days, she won't agree. So, it's better for you guys to accompany her. Of course, I hope that Lily can stay for a few days."
"Got it. I'll arrange it." Ivanka shrugged indifferently.
"Does anyone want to add anything?" Adriaan asked. He was looking at Charlize.
"One thing. It's best not to spread the news too far," Charlize added.
Adriaan immediately raised his eyebrows. He knew what she meant. Kate's departure should be limited to the three of them, Emma, and Yuji Hui. As for the reason, it was needless to say.
"I should say, is your relationship really good?" After Ivanka and Sarah left, Adriaan stopped Charlize and asked with a smile.
"You indulge Emma, and then let me clean up the mess. Isn't that why?" Charlize shrugged.
"Oh?" Adriaan was surprised. It was not an act.
"I have to admit that Emma Watson is indeed a smart girl. She's surprisingly precocious, but she's still a little girl. The reason why you and Kate can't do anything in front of her is that you treat her like a child. So, once you get serious, she will unknowingly fall into your trap. This is also your usual method. "Charlize looked at him with a faint smile.
Facing such accusations, Adriaan couldn't help but laugh. Alright, he admitted that Emma going to Kate to declare her "sovereignty" was indeed the result of his indulgence. As mentioned before, just like how Emma understood him, he also understood her. He could basically guess what she would do in this kind of situation, so he conveniently gave her a push.
In this kind of situation, because of the first impression, no matter how Adriaan explained, Kate wouldn't listen. So when she questioned him that night, he took all the responsibility. Therefore, if he wanted to make Kate calm down and think carefully, he must first give her a full blow, and Emma was the best candidate.
In the past, the reason why he couldn't do anything to Emma was not only because she was weird, but also because Adriaan treated her like a child. However, after the change in their relationship, even if it was still like this, it was not a problem at all if he wanted to get serious and plot against her. Reality proved this point. At first, he was a little proud of himself for finally winning against the little devil, but he didn't expect Charlize to see through him. She really was the woman who understood him the most.
"Don't worry, I only figured it out after I came back." The former secretary smiled.
"I just want Kate to come back and be with Lily." Adriaan showed a calm expression.
When a person found out that what she insisted on was the opposite of the truth, especially when it was exposed in front of her by the person she wanted to protect, it was easy to imagine how great the impact would be. At this time, if she were to ask her best friend who had slept with the same man to comfort her, she would naturally start to calm down. She would regain her rationality, but her confidence would be shattered, and it would be easy for her to become weak and indecisive. Then, she would go a little further …
"I know, I didn't say anything." Charlize reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear. "In fact, I was already instinctively cooperating with you. I … gave Kate a little hint …"
Adrian smiled and hugged Charlize's lower abdomen from behind. He kissed the back of her neck and said, "If I didn't have you, I wouldn't have been able to. "If it wasn't for you, I really don't know what to do, Charley."
Charlize snorted lightly without turning back. "You have to be careful. If Kate comes back, I'm afraid her relationship with Emma won't be very good. Do you know what that girl said to Kate? Apart from announcing that she won, she actually asked Kate not to come back. I believe it must be her … "
"I know what she really thinks." Adriaan didn't wait for her to finish and continued the topic. "In fact, it's good to let her say it. Otherwise, it can't really stimulate Kate. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't want to lose her and Lily."
As he spoke, his hands began to move up and down her body, and at the same time, he gently rubbed her face. "Fortunately, I have you by my side, Charley. I'm really grateful that I met you in the Big Apple ten years ago."
Charlize didn't speak. She just grabbed his hand and closed her eyes to feel his embrace. After a long time, she whispered softly, "I don't know if there will be a next time …"
"… Sorry, I can promise, but I can't guarantee it." After a moment of silence, Adriaan said so.
"I knew it." Charlize sighed and finally turned his head. "A standard Eide answer."
"If … if something similar happens again … will you leave me?" Even with Adriaan's thick skin, he couldn't help but stutter when he asked this question.
"I don't know." Charlize shrugged. "But I think Ivanka will be very happy for me to do this."
"Really?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I see that you are always the most excited when you do 69."
"When Sarah and Yini play the trumpet for you, they are also the most excited." Charlize replied without blinking.
Adriaan laughed, and his hands on her lower abdomen suddenly tightened. "You really don't want a child?"
After a short silence, Charlize said in a relaxed tone, "I said before, if it is a boy, he may become someone like you. If it is a girl, she may meet someone like you. What's more, based on your current hit rate, it is almost certain that it will be a girl. This is too bad. "
Even so, there was still a trace of pleading in her eyes. Although it was only for a moment, Adriaan still caught and interpreted it: don't control me in this way.
Yes, it was a plea. That was to say, if Adriaan insisted, Charlize would not refuse, but she was unwilling in her heart because … this could more or less make her feel a little independent.
"Okay." Adriaan said softly. He understood her plea, so he immediately lowered his head and kissed the pair of lips that seemed to never get tired of, and then he and Charlize passionately entangled.
"I love you, Charley, just like Kate," he said at last.
This matter was put on hold for the time being. Although Lily returned to her father two days later, Kate still did not meet with Adriaan. Although they talked on the phone, they basically hung up after a few words. Obviously, it would take some time to solve it completely. Adriaan was not in a hurry. Lily's return meant that things were developing in the direction he imagined. It should not be a problem to restore everything to the past before going to Europe.
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