On the other end of the phone line,
"Slly daddy, bad daddy, the worst daddy in history!"
"Big baddie, baddie daddy, the worst, worst, worst daddy!"
"Daddy, you’re just a pile of shit!!!"
...
Justin Battleson listened as the children’s soft voices took turns berating him, his face expressing an uncommon sense of bewildernt.
What could he have done to upset the kids?
Were the little ones all angry?
Beside him, Harper Gibson curiously leaned in to listen, but Justin shoved him away with an annoyed gesture.
After a lengthy period of listening, he finally began to understand the children’s sentints.
The very furious Hank Thompson, his pale, baby-faced complexion turning bright red, continued, "Do you even realize Mum was drunk driving, do you realize how dangerous was that? And you, as a man, how could you make the woman you love cry? Trash dad, I hate you!!!"
Sharply catching both the words "drink driving" and "crying", Justin’s breath hitched, his heart felt like it had skipped a beat.
Charlotte...
After a few seconds, he rubbed his throbbing temples. A subtle trace of heartache was hidden in his eyes.
Nodding slightly, he opened his mouth in a hoarse voice to apologize, "I’m sorry, Hank. This ti it’s indeed my fault. I upset your mummy. But don’t worry, I will definitely cheer her up. Trust ."
His voice was firm and the tone held a hint of undeniable authority.
Upon hearing him say this, the children hesitated and exchanged glances under the dim light, finding a flicker of doubt in each other’s eyes.
Wordlessly, Cyrus Thompson opened and closed his mouth, a reluctant belief taking root at the bottom of his heart.
After Justin Battleson made several more assurances, the children finally eased their worries.
"Really? You’ll really cheer Mum up?" The children confird again.
"Of course, I will properly cheer her up. You all be good kids and go to sleep early."
After giving several instructions, Justin finally hung up the phone.
He put down the wine glass he had been holding, his brows slightly furrowed. Thinking of the children’s heated discussion, he couldn’t help but chuckle a few tis.
A few seconds later, Hank’s words erged in his mind again.
Charlotte was drinking and driving and had started crying.
The man beside him, Harper Gibson, recognized Justin’s distress, and wisely chose not to disturb him, comfortably lounging on the couch, savouring his wine.
A grave look surfaced within Justin’s eyes. He pursed his lips as if he had made a decision, stood up from the couch, quickly spoke a few words, and then hurriedly left.
Watching Justin’s rushed departure, Harper shook his head with a sense of admiration at the spectacle.
Turning to look at Adam Ross who seed lost in thought, he remarked wryly, "Indeed, love is quite fearso."
anwhile, outside an apartnt.
A man’s straight figure stood beneath a street lamp, casting his gaze upon the apartnt hidden within the darkness. The cigarette flickering between his index and middle finger under the night sky.
The man exhaled a puff of white smoke.
His deep eyes were veiled behind the smoke, making it impossible to read his expression.
After a bit, the night wind gently stirred, rustling through the bare branches, causing small ripples in his heart.
After standing there for an unknown period, the man finally slowly turned around and departed.
...
The next day, at daybreak.
Stirring from bed with swollen eyes, was Charlotte Thompson. Her dishevelled hair slightly wet and stuck to her face.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
She struggled to open her eyes and sat in a daze, leaning on the pile of pillows behind her. When the warm sunlight infiltrated the curtains and spilled onto her, she lowered her gaze in a daze.
Like waking from a dream.
Rubbing her throbbing brows, she crawled out of bed, cleaned up a bit, leaned on the vanity, thought for a while and decided to take out her phone and send a ssage to Justin Battleson asking for ti off.
In her current state, it would be pointless even if she were sitting in the office.
Not long after, her phone buzzed. A simple word response from the other end.
[Okay.]
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