NovelEnglishWilliam realized he'd put his foot in his mouth and quickly corrected himself, "I'm not talking about that Susanna, it's a different
Susanna. There's a bunch of Susannas around. Heck, just in our neighborhood, there used to be three of them."
"Oh," Skyler scratched his head, "I thought it was the sperson for a second there."
"Of course, it's not the sperson. How could it be?" William waved his hands dismissively.
Nova toddled over, her chubby fingers clutching at William's shirt, "William... play with me."
"Sure." William pulled out her favorite toys and they all settled onto the play mat together.
That was when Leopold walked in. Aurelia caught her breath slightly, "What brings you here?"
"I've cto see how Arnold's doing," Leopold said, his tone nonchalant.
William stood up from the play mat, "Dad's resting right now, but | bet he could use a drink."
He poured a glass of water and took it to Arnold. "Dad, here's swater."
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The sight of such filial piety made Leopold feel a twinge of discomfort. Because there was a slight chance that this kid might be his
Liam.
Arnold took the glass, his face softening into an affectionate smile, "Thanks, champ. Go on and play, don't worry about me."
"No way, | promised to take care of you," William said with earnest seriousness.
Arnold patted his cheek and looked up at Leopold, "Leopold's here."
"How are you holding up, Arnold?" Leopold inquired.
Arnold shrugged, "Nothing much, just got to stay in bed for a bit."
He knew all too well that Leopold wasn't here for him, but for Aurelia.
"I've brought stonics for Arnold," Leopold said. "I'll have the housekeeper prepare them for him."
He sighed, "Raines’ issue isn't settled yet, and now Arnold's hurt. This Christmas is going to be a quiet one."
"No leads on Raines?" Arnold asked.
"None," Leopold shook his head.
A flicker of an indescribable expression crossed Arnold. He hadn't expected his father to have so many estranged bastards.
They were all vying for the head of the family's seat by all means, which was ruthless.
The imposter was well aware he could never officially join the family lineage, which was why he'd impersonated Raines to pass as
the real deal.
Outside, Fredric also arrived and Arnold just returned from abroad.
Nina and Mira were surprised to see their father, "Dad, when did you get back?"
"Got back last night," Fredric ruffled their hair. "lI went to the Stirling Mansion looking for you girls. Grandma said you were here
visiting Uncle Arnold, so here | am."
"Oh," Nina blinked, "Did you catch up with Ms. Jelena?"
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Mentioning Jelena made Fredric sulk. Jelena had been giving him the cold shoulder, gallivanting with other men, almost as if she
was trying to drive him mad.
"lI cto see Arnold." He quickly changed the subject and headed towards the room.
"Arnold, how could you be so careless?"
As an adventurer, Arnold often visited dangerous places and engaged in risky activities. Climbing Everest was child's play to him.
Bruises and scrapes were common, but this was one of his more severe mishaps.
Fredric suspected Arnold must have been heartbroken over Aurelia and went off on an adventure to clear his head. That was when
the accident happened.
Arnold waved it off, "It's just a scratch, no big deal."
Fredric sighed heavily, "We four brothers can't be together this Christmas."
"We're more than just four brothers," Arnold shrugged.
Fredric gave a wry laugh, "Counting on Skyler, that's five brothers. Can't be any more than that, | refuse to acknowledge more."
Let that Geoffrey stay wherever he was.
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