A pang of pain shot through Naomi Shaw’s heart. The thought of how she had neglected Dylan for the past three years made her guilt swell. She gently caressed his little face and asked softly, "So, what are you planning to do now? Cheryl is making such a scene that she’s stopping Lara Nash from getting married!"
Dylan looked at her and sighed. "I don’t know what to do either."
"I don’t believe you for a second!"
Naomi Shaw reached out and playfully pinched Dylan’s little nose. "Is there anything that can really stump you? You’re just deliberately not telling your mom, aren’t you?"
Her precious son was so clever he made her feel inadequate. Even as a grown woman, she couldn’t figure out what sches her little boy was concocting day to day.
Dylan gave her a charming smile. "Oh, Mom, this is a secret between us kids. Grown-ups don’t need to know!"
’Of course I have a plan,’ he thought. ’But if Mom finds out and accidentally tells Lara Nash, it’ll be completely ruined.’
"Alright, alright, Mom won’t interfere. But you have to promise you won’t cause any huge problems!"
Naomi Shaw was helpless when it ca to Dylan, so she could only give him this warning. Dylan chuckled and nodded in agreent.
She held Dylan gently as he drifted off to sleep, and before she knew it, Naomi Shaw had fallen asleep as well. When Julian Donovan finished his shower and ca out, he waited for a long ti, but she didn’t return. He checked the adjacent bedroom and found her asleep. Although he was a little displeased that she had abandoned him to cuddle their son, he still walked over quietly, scooped her up carefully, and carried her back to the master bedroom.
They both slept soundly all night, dreaming sweetly until dawn.
Joy stayed in the hospital for about a week before it was ti to have her stitches removed. After that, she could be discharged and recover at ho. When the ti ca, Naomi Shaw didn’t have the courage to watch; Julian Donovan handled the stitch removal for Joy all by himself. The scar was still quite noticeable, but it was the result of the best suturing technique available. They would need to apply a specially formulated ointnt to help it fade, and Julian was confident he could restore his Little Princess’s fair, smooth skin.
On the day Joy was discharged from the hospital, Julian Donovan brought Dylan along to pick up Naomi Shaw and Joy, but instead of taking them to her apartnt, he drove to his own ho. Naomi Shaw was puzzled. "Why did we co here?"
Julian Donovan just gave a mysterious smile.
It wasn’t until she entered his spacious living room that she noticed a beautiful piano near the balcony. With its sleek and fashionable design, it looked noble and elegant without being conventional. One glance was enough to tell it was incredibly valuable.
Julian Donovan walked over, holding Joy. "Co, my Little Princess. This is Daddy’s first gift to you! It’s a limited-edition piano, custom-ordered from ridia. It’s the only one of its kind in the world, and it belongs only to you. Its na is QIAO!"
Naomi Shaw was stunned. ’Custom-ordered? Limited-edition?’
"Julian Donovan, you’re going to spoil her rotten!"
’Why would you give such an expensive gift to a child this young?’
"Joy isn’t so spoiled brat. So what if I dote on her?"
Julian Donovan was unconcerned. Joy, however, was ecstatic. She threw her arms around Julian Donovan’s neck and gave him a big kiss. "Thank you, Daddy!"
Her soft words made Julian Donovan feel that he would willingly pluck the very stars from the sky for her.
Naomi Shaw was frustrated. If Julian Donovan was going to spoil the child so much, she would have to be the strict mother. She was about to take Joy into her arms and say sothing, but she saw Joy reaching her little hands toward the piano. Julian Donovan carried her over and placed her on the bench, and she imdiately began to play. Because she was still so little, her playing wasn’t perfectly smooth, but the lody was beautiful.
The words Naomi Shaw had been about to say caught in her throat. There was nothing in the world more blissful than listening to her own daughter play the piano for them.
’I wish she would grow up quickly,’ she thought, ’so I could listen to her beautiful playing every day.’
The next day was the weekend, which also happened to be the day of the concert Willow Sumrs had invited her to. Naomi Shaw wanted to tell Julian Donovan she was taking Joy to the concert that evening, but she hadn’t seen him since first thing in the morning.
When she called him, his tone was very brusque. "What is it?"
"Tonight, Willow Sumrs invited to—"
Before she could finish her sentence, he cut in, "I already know."
Then he hung up, leaving her completely baffled.
’He knows?’
’I don’t rember telling him about it, though.’
That evening, Willow Sumrs’s husband, Walter Jennings, ca with her to pick up Naomi and Joy. Dylan, anwhile, was temporarily dropped off at Jean Coleman’s house. After getting in the car, Naomi Shaw noticed that Willow Sumrs didn’t seem very happy; she kept shooting fierce glares at Walter, who was driving.
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