Emma Carter and George Hart were waiting in the corridor, not yet having left.
Seeing Alia Garcia co out on the phone and head towards the walkway bridge, Emma’s thoughts quickly turned, and she returned to the ward.
The nurse ca in to remind them again that it was ti for surgery.
Noah stepped back with Hope, "Sister, Daddy’s going to have surgery now."
Emma also looked at her son, "It’s ti. The doctors are all busy. You better get ready."
"Alia?" Christopher Hart was concerned about the three children and called out to the woman.
Noah, understanding the situation, replied to his father, "Mom is on the phone and hasn’t co back. You go ahead with the surgery, we’ll wait for you here with Mom."
"Don’t worry. The children are right here. I’ll watch over them with your dad." Emma imdiately reassured her son, knowing what was on his mind.
With that, he had no choice but to go to the surgery.
He had hoped to talk to her before entering the operating room.
Little did he know she would be gone for so long on a phone call.
Christopher Hart was wheeled away by the orderlies and nurses with a slight sense of regret in his heart.
In the ward, the three children stood obediently.
Noah, acting every bit the protective older brother and knowing that his sister was slowly accepting them again, took his siblings by the hand, one on each side, and walked to the sofa to sit down.
"Sister, do you want so fruit? There are apples, oranges, and grapes..." Ethan, a real food lover, imdiately salivated upon spotting the fruit tray filled with varieties of fruit on a low table.
However, it wouldn’t be good to eat alone, so he asked his sister first.
Hope glanced at the fruit tray, her cute, lovely face hesitated for a mont, "I want grapes."
"Okay, I’ll go wash them!" Ethan happily agreed, but he took a bunch of grapes, two apples, and three pears—grabbing an armful, he dashed towards the bathroom.
Hope protested, "I don’t eat apples or pears."
"Hehe, Brother will eat them for you! I promise no waste!"
Noah: "..."
This foodie is really hopeless!
Emma Carter and George Hart watched this scene unfold with a smile on their aged faces, their eyes filled with joy and expectation.
Yet, this joy and expectation were still aid only at the two boys.
"Noah, where do you all live now? Is it still the sa place?" Emma took a seat on the sofa and tried to bond with her grandson.
Noah glanced at her, intending to ignore the question, but feeling that would be rude, he asked guardedly, "Why do you want to know?"
"Of course, your grandmother wants to visit you!" Seeing her grandson engage in conversation, Emma was even more delighted. "Grandma misses you so much. Do you want to co ho with Grandma and play today?"
Emma gently coaxed him, unable to refrain from joyfully taking the young boy’s hand.
Before Noah had a chance to reply, Hope swiftly pulled his arm back, "We’re not going! We’re going ho with Mom!"
That’s when the little flower, usually protected by her brothers, suddenly beca like a wild rose with thorns, shielding her brother behind her—as if afraid he’d be unaware of this "grandmother’s" true nature, and be deceived.
Emma’s smiling face instantly stiffened, and her gaze turned stern, "You little girl! I wasn’t talking to you!"
"I don’t like talking to you either, but you can’t lie to my brother!" Hope said righteously, jumped off the couch, and tried to pull her brother away.
But Emma Carter moved faster, grabbing Noah’s other hand. "Hope, that’s very impolite, you know? I’m talking to your brother, and you’re pulling him away like—"
Before she could finish, Noah cut in with a strong presence, "Don’t be an to my sister!"
Emma’s unfinished sentence ca to a sudden halt.
Looking at the two children, one she genuinely disliked and the other she genuinely liked—regardless of her feelings, they did not acknowledge her as their grandmother.
George Hart witnessed the scene and felt a surge of displeasure, "Children, you are descendants of the Hart Family, and sooner or later you will have to recognize your ancestry, understand? Who taught you to be hostile towards your grandparents?"
Faced with the pressure from the two elders, even though Noah was usually composed and mature, he was montarily bewildered and tense, saying nothing.
Just then, Alia Garcia entered, imdiately sensed the tension, and instinctively protected the children behind her, "What’s going on? If you have any complaints, take them up with , don’t trouble the children."
Emma looked up at her, arrogant and indifferent in her tone, "The other day, you had so trouble at work, and it was Christopher who asked his father to help you out. One should be grateful and seek to repay kindnesses. We want to take the children with us today, what do you say?"
Alia looked at Emma, startled by the unexpected confrontation.
But it was only for a mont, rembering a promise made with absolute certainty, she replied, "Christopher Hart said that the final decision lies with , and he won’t force ."
"Hmph!" Emma scoffed coldly, her gaze filled with dissatisfaction and contempt towards Alia, and muttered resentfully to herself, "I knew he got chard by you and tricked us."
"But to be completely honest, you did help , and I don’t like owing favors to others, so let’s ask the children what they think—if they agree, I won’t stop them."
Alia indeed did not want to be in debt to anyone and so took a step back willingly.
Upon hearing this, Emma’s face brightened with hope, even forming a pleasing smile as she looked towards the children, "Would you like to co to grandma’s place and play for a couple of days? There are lots of tasty treats and fun things at my house."
Noah looked at his mother, his eyes questioning.
Alia did not want to "coerce" her son and gently said, "If you want to go, go. Don’t worry about ."
"If my sister goes... we’ll go," Noah replied.
Emma’s expression shifted slightly, her glance at Hope clearly showing dislike, but she dared not express it and asked begrudgingly, "Hope, do you want to go to grandma’s?"
Ethan brought over so washed fruit, offering grapes to his sister.
Hope took the grapes, popped one into her mouth without any hesitation, and declared, "I won’t go, you don’t like anyway."
Emma and her husband’s expressions stiffened, unable to save face.
Alia felt a twinge of indignation for her daughter.
Noah stated, "If my sister doesn’t go, I won’t go either."
Emma, still refusing to give up, looked towards the one who loved to eat, "Ethan, you—"
"If my brother and sister aren’t going, why would I? I have good food and fun things at my own house," Ethan retorted, sparing no niceties.
Emma and George Hart had lived their lives with dignity, always treated with the utmost respect and courtesy wherever they went.
They had probably never imagined being looked down upon and dismissed by their own grandchildren like this.
Having lost face both privately and publicly, Emma’s forced smile slowly faded, and her gaze towards Alia beca unabashedly hostile, "You knew they wouldn’t agree, and you’re just fobbing off."
Alia responded neither cravenly nor arrogantly, "I was sincere in wanting to repay the kindness, but if the children don’t want to, that can only an you haven’t done a good job as grandparents—how can you bla in the end?"
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