Eliza Sutton quickly said, "Of course not. After seeing a stunning beauty like you, Eve, what other beauty could possibly catch my eye?"
"That’s more like it."
"Godmother," Emtt Lockwood said, seizing the opportunity to greet Eva Monroe.
Eva Monroe was so stunned she swore loudly.
"G-Godmother? Isla Sutton, where’d you get this little rascal? You never told !"
’I hadn’t heard that Theo had been found.’
Eliza Sutton knew exactly what Eva Monroe was thinking and said, "This is Emtt Lockwood."
"Oh, the Lockwood Family’s dazzling Little Prince." Eva Monroe couldn’t resist giving Eliza Sutton a thumbs-up. "Damn, girl, you’re incredible. You managed to sneak the Little Prince out. That’s a serious power move."
Emtt Lockwood asked, confused, "Godmother, is it really that impressive for to be out with Mom?"
"Of course it is," Eva Monroe said dramatically. "You’re the future heir to the Lockwood Family. Even a stray dog on the side of the road would want to cozy up to you, okay?"
Emtt Lockwood’s little brow furrowed. "But Dad’s the one who calls the shots at ho. Right now, I’m just a freeloader."
Seeing Emtt Lockwood’s dejected little expression, Eva Monroe was so overco by his cuteness she nearly scread.
"Don’t worry. Once your dad is out of the picture, you’ll be the one calling the shots. When that happens, rember to bring your mom and godmother along for the ride."
"That’ll take too long," Emtt Lockwood said, rubbing his chin. "Mom would have to suffer for many more years, and I can’t wait that long."
Eva Monroe couldn’t help but tease him. "If you can’t wait, how about you usurp the throne?"
Emtt Lockwood nodded in solemn agreent. "Godmother, that’s exactly what I was thinking. When I get ho, I’ll go bribe Mr. Irvine."
Eliza Sutton couldn’t watch anymore. "Okay, okay, stop teasing Emtt. If you keep going, the little guy is going to take you seriously."
Eva Monroe chuckled. "He won’t take it seriously that easily. My godson is very smart."
Emtt Lockwood gave Eliza Sutton a brilliant smile, but inwardly, he was already plotting.
’Usurpation is a matter best handled sooner rather than later. His dad was already so old; it was ti for him to retire and enjoy life.’
Eliza Sutton, of course, had no idea what Emtt was planning. She and Eva Monroe took him to a nearby park for a barbecue.
The weather was perfect for autumn—not too hot, not too cold, with a gentle breeze. Many other parents were at the park with their children.
Thanks to Eva Monroe’s advance planning, they managed to snag the best spot.
Eliza Sutton was busy starting the fire. When she saw Emtt circling around her, she patted his head and said, "Go on, go play with the other kids."
"No," Emtt refused. "I want to stay with Mom." A pitiful expression then crossed his little face. "Mom, don’t you want to be with ?"
"Of course I do."
" too," Emtt said in a low voice. "I just don’t want to be separated from you."
Eliza Sutton turned her head and saw the deep anxiety on Emtt’s face.
She suddenly understood.
Emtt actually understood.
He understood that she and Shane Lockwood were going to separate.
To everyone else, he was the dazzling Little Prince of the Lockwood Family, but she knew that for a child in that family, life was actually very difficult.
She knew, even more, that this child was deeply attached to her, that he desperately wanted to hold on to her.
But her ridiculous marriage to Shane Lockwood—and she herself—were destined to not remain in the Lockwood Family for long.
Separation.
Even if a child so young didn’t know what that word ant, his sadness was no less than anyone else’s.
Suddenly, Eliza Sutton’s heart ached with sadness.
In that instant, a thought sprouted and grew as wildly as a weed.
’When it was ti to leave, she wanted to take Emtt with her.’
’In that single mont, she had already planned their escape route, even thinking about how she and Emtt could live peacefully while on the run from Yama Lockwood.’
"What are you thinking about? The fire’s about to go out."
Eliza Sutton snapped out of it. "I was thinking about sothing treacherous."
They spent the better part of the day playing with Emtt, after which they went back to Eva Monroe’s apartnt.
At first, Eliza Sutton had refused, because Woody had already prepared the premiere villa at Edenstead for her.
But the mont she started to speak, Eva Monroe got worked up, put her hands on her hips, and poked Eliza’s forehead. "Don’t you dare refuse. Don’t you dare try to be polite with . See if I don’t claw your eyes out."
"..." Eliza Sutton could only relent. "Fine, I’ll stay with you."
"That’s more like it! We’re best friends, isn’t it exhausting being so polite all the ti? Besides, do you think I invited you for *your* sake? Nope, I wanted to invite my godson to stay with ," Eva Monroe said. "Emtt, how about you have a sleepover with Godmother tonight?"
"No," Emtt said, shaking his head vigorously before turning to hug Eliza Sutton tightly. "I want to stay with Mom."
Emtt hugged her so tightly it seed he was daring anyone to try and separate him from Eliza.
Eva Monroe stomped her foot. "You little heartless thing! And here I was, spoiling you rotten." Then she added, "Seeing how sweet and thoughtful Emtt is makes want to have a kid of my own to play with."
"..."
Eliza Sutton advised her seriously, "I think you need to calm down. If you can’t, just think about that little brother of yours at ho—the one who’s young enough to be your son."
Eva Monroe’s face instantly paled. "You really had to go and spoil the mood, didn’t you? So best friend you are."
"Mhm, no need to thank for helping you co to your senses. It’s what best friends are for."
Eva Monroe huffed, clearly annoyed, but her expression quickly turned lancholic.
She pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window, and the night wind rushed in, carrying her fragnted voice with it. "Eliza, are girls born inferior to boys? Are we born unworthy of love? Just because we’re girls, does that an we’ll always be second-class?"
"Scientists have made a recent discovery. Research shows that only daughters can inherit the maternal line’s mitochondria. In other words, if a woman gives birth only to sons, her mitochondrial DNA line ends with her."
"Huh?"
"Let put it another way. A woman’s line truly ends only when she fails to have a daughter. So, Eva Monroe, congratulations. You still have a chance to pass on your mitochondria and continue your DNA."
Eva Monroe was stunned for a long mont before she finally broke into laughter. "Isla Sutton, I’m so glad we’re friends. Do you have any idea? What you just said... it’s finally helped let go of sothing that’s been weighing on my heart for years."
Living in a family that heavily favored sons over daughters, with a mother who believed that failing to produce a son was her original sin, Eva Monroe had often felt as though she were suffocating.
Many tis, she had wondered if she even deserved to be alive.
Sotis, she would console herself that even though her mother didn’t love her, at least she wasn’t given a na that basically ant ’Hoping for a Brother’ or ’Bring a Brother.’
But today, after hearing what Eliza Sutton said, she suddenly felt a great weight lift from her shoulders.
Emtt Lockwood pricked up his ears as he listened to Eliza Sutton and Eva Monroe’s conversation, a growing sense of worry filling his heart.
’Was Mom unhappy that he was a boy? Is that why she was preparing to separate from Dad and had even moved out of the Lockwood estate?’
Suddenly, Emtt felt a surge of anger.
Anger at Shane Lockwood.
’If Shane Lockwood wasn’t so useless, if he’d just been able to give Mom a little sister, then Mom wouldn’t be getting ready to abandon him and leave again.’
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