After cleaning their feet, Calix and Leslie made their way back to the villa. Calliope happily welcod them as soon as they stepped into the yard. The little one had just woken up but, she was already actively playing with Alia.
"Grandma and Grandpa say Papa and Mama go for a date!"
Calliope’s exclamation stunned Leslie and Calix. They exchanged a shy glance before hurriedly looking another way.
The Xu family left the villa around ten on the Friday morning. Calix, Leslie and Calliope followed Old Madam Xu back to the ancestral ho, including Andrian, Harper and Evelyn.
Vernon, Lucille and Alia parted ways with the others because their next destination was Lucille’s hotown. They planned to stay there for two nights.
Calix, Leslie and Calliope stayed one more night at the ancestral ho. They returned to Graceville Manor after having lunch with Old Madam Xu and the others the next day, Saturday.
"Do you miss your great-grandma and grandparents already?" asked Leslie to Calliope. Her voice was audible in the moving van.
Calliope laughed as she listened to Leslie. While hugging the toy Mimo, she smiled sweetly at her mother, "Hehe~ Poppy can call Great-Grandma, Grandma and Grandpa, right?"
"You can. They’ll be happy to talk to you," Calix chid in. Sitting in the front passenger seat next to the driving Logan, he turned around to look at Leslie and Calliope in the back.
"Hehehe~ Okay~"
Leslie and Calix exchanged a look before laughter slipped out of their mouths. They were glad to see how delighted Calliope was from the short ti she spent with the Xu family.
Calliope had grown more comfortable with Calix’s family side. She only slept with Old Madam Xu at night, whether at the ancestral ho or the villa. Alia was more than happy to join them.
"Poppy, what do you wanna do today and tomorrow?" Calix asked Calliope once they arrived at Graceville Manor. Picking the child out of the van, he emphasized, "It’s the weekend ah!"
"Swimming! Poppy wanna swim!"
"Alright! Let’s go!"
Leslie chuckled in helplessness as she watched the father and daughter’s interaction. Calix really pampered Calliope well. She didn’t mind as long as he didn’t go overboard.
Fortunately, Calix knew where to draw the lines. Even though he wanted to spoil Calliope to the bones, he knew doing so wouldn’t be good for the child’s developnt.
Calix, Leslie and Calliope simply spent Saturday and Sunday at ho. The forr received a call from Davin, inviting him out for a al but, he declined.
"I’m busy with my wife and daughter. Don’t disturb ah."
Calix could imagine Davin rolling his eyes upon hearing his reply. Thankfully, his friend didn’t push him further.
"Introduce to your wife and daughter next week. I haven’t t them."
Calix didn’t imdiately agree. He simply told Davin it depended on the situation.
Davin was aware of the ss Xander caused a few weeks back[01]. He scolded the latter because of Xander’s foolishness in believing the rumors, including how he openly and rudely berated Leslie during their first eting.
What happened that night put a strain on their friendship circle but, Calix didn’t care. He was thankful for Davin’s support while keeping Xander at arm’s length.
For now, Calix didn’t want to deal with Xander. He was already busy as it was. The latter also hadn’t contacted him much after what happened that night.
Why should he be the first to reach out when the other person who wronged him?
Reluctant to let anything ruin his weekend with his wife and daughter, Calix buried his dissatisfaction toward Xander in the back of his mind. He simply wanted to enjoy his ti with Leslie and Calliope.
Once the brand new week started, a huge mountain of work welcod Calix back to the office. Albeit devasted, he tried to complete them as much as possible to the best of his ability.
Calix had two events he anticipated this week before his departure to Switzerland this coming Teusday. One of them was Leslie’s showdown with the Li family. As of the other...
It was a pleasant secret that would be revealed soon. Hopefully, the night would end well for him.
Calix returned ho early on Wednesday, arriving around half-past four in the late afternoon. Half-running, he climbed the stairs and rushed to Leslie’s bedroom. His whole face bead with hope.
"I’m ho!"
Leslie and Calliope looked up from the jigsaw puzzle they were trying to solve, surprised to hear Calix’s voice. The man imdiately strode to the bed. He saw puzzle pieces scattering on the mattress.
"Oh! Papa!"
"Hello, my buttercup. Hi, Leslie~"
Propping one elbow up to support his head, Calix lay on one side, letting his long legs slightly hang over the bed. Picking one of the puzzle pieces, he traced his fingers to its edges.
"Papa, put it here," Calliope pointed at one spot on the puzzle board, "Here."
"En, let’s see will it fits or not."
Following Calliope’s words, Calix placed the puzzle on the board. Calliope clapped her hands once she saw it fit the space.
"You’re ho so early..." Leslie stared at Calix, never expecting him to appear at this hour, "Is it because of tonight’s plan?"
Stifling his laughter, Calix nodded with a wide smile, "Yup! Better to co ho earlier ah."
Leslie blinked, sensing Calix was happier than she had ever seen before. She recalled their conversation that happened right before he went to work this morning.
"I’ll take you out tonight, Leslie. Dress prettily, okay?"
Leslie initially thought Calix planned to bring her and Calliope for dinner outside. But, he said their daughter would stay at ho with Aunt Wendy, Uncle Raymond and Mrs. An.
"Leave Poppy at ho? Really?"
"Hehe, yeah. I’ve already bribed her. She won’t disturb us tonight."
Leslie couldn’t help but wonder what Calix had in mind. Because of him being secretive yet looking happy, she recalled the ti he surprised her with a romantic dinner by the stream back in Ro months ago[02].
Would he prepare another candlelit dinner for them?
Or, was there sothing more?
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Reference:
1 - 306
2 - 136
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