Upon hearing that it was just a useless fool, Hamish couldn’t help but chuckle. “What kind of waves can a fool like that make?”
But he still didn’t like the way Autumn looked at Elisa with such eager eyes. That gaze felt like someone had secretly peeked at something he had hidden away. Just a glance, and he felt that Elisa had been tainted.
Autumn happily took the cake but became momentarily dejected when he saw that all the other children around him had one too. He thought Elisa had brought it specifically for him, but it seemed she had just picked it up casually.
Autumn had many things he wanted to say to Elisa, but he didn’t know where to start. His mind was dull and socially inept from years of solitude.
Looking at Elisa, he felt that she appeared worn out. He had many questions in his mind. Had something happened during the month she was missing? Was she sick and hospitalized?
Before he could ask, Autumn felt a sharp, icy gaze. He looked up and met Hamish’s eyes. Something flickered in his cloudy mind, as if a nerve had been prodded, causing a sharp pain. He held the back of his head, as if he had seen this person before, someone very familiar.
In that instant, Hamish’s narrow eyes darkened slightly as Autumn looked at him and then glanced at Elisa nearby.
The observant headmaster sensed the unusual atmosphere and immediately tried to ease the tension. “Autumn, this is Mr. Burns, Miss Powell’s husband.”
Autumn’s expression stiffened. “Husband? Elisa already has a husband? That means she’s married.”
He suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his nose, and his eyes began to redden. Hastily muttering, “Oh,” he turned around and ran off, ignoring the headmaster’s calls to stay.
“This child is usually very polite.”
Hamish’s gaze remained fixed on Autumn’s retreating figure as he fell into deep thought. After a while, he asked, “Did you say his name is Autumn?”
“Yes.”
“Why is he named that?”
The headmaster was puzzled but still explained, “Autumn was brought to the orphanage fifteen years ago in the fall. He had lost his memory and couldn’t remember anything, so we named him Autumn.”
The name suited the person, a fool named Autumn. Hamish wondered what he had just thought of, his jaw tightening.
It matched the timeline, fifteen years ago, but the location didn’t fit. Could Autumn be the person he had in mind? It was unlikely, considering that they had searched for three years without any results, and the police eventually declared him dead. He couldn’t possibly be alive.
It seemed he would have to find someone to investigate thoroughly. Hamish no longer had the mood to stay for dinner.
“Take your gift with you. I’ll have someone come and take your car later.”
The headmaster asked, “Mr. Burns, won’t you stay for dinner?”
“No, we won’t. It’s not like we’re particularly interested in this meal, and besides, the food cooked in an orphanage’s big pot can’t be that delicious.”
“I want to go back later. Elisa can endure loneliness. She can go for days without speaking in the hospital, staring at the ceiling all day long. But at the orphanage, facing so many children’s smiling faces, she suddenly can’t bear it.”
“Do you like children?” Hamish asked, watching her holding a little girl’s hand, his gaze darkening.
If that child hadn’t been lost, it would have been almost three months now. A three-month-old child would have started moving in the womb.
“Let’s have a child together.”
Elisa’s face changed instantly upon hearing that, her eyes becoming empty and hollow. Hamish suddenly realized that this was the last thing she wanted to hear.
In the past, she had a miscarriage because he had whispered in her ear about having a child, which had deeply affected her.
He quickly walked over and held Elisa’s wrist, pulling her into his embrace. “I said the wrong thing.”
Elisa stiffened in his arms. Perhaps Hamish had spoken without thinking, but she knew he wasn’t just saying it casually.
She hoarsely said, “I don’t like children at all.”
“Yes, I know.” Likes cannot be hidden. If Elisa didn’t like children, she wouldn’t have donated to the orphanage every year, nor would she have specially bought cakes for these children at the orphanage.
He wanted Elisa to give birth to their child, recorded under Lila’s name, so that Elisa could raise the child. It would be a win-win situation, and the child would also inherit the Burns family’s wealth.
Elisa suddenly felt the air around her thinning. Faced with the complicated gazes of the children, she pushedHamish away abruptly.
“I’ll go get something,” she said, looking at the headmaster.
“I can take you there. The warehouse is not far from here,” he offered.
“I can find it myself. I prefer to be alone,” she replied.
She wanted to go alone, but she didn’t want Autumn to follow her. That fool had been staring at her with a predatory gaze earlier, and who knows, he might be lurking in a corner, waiting for her.
Hamish didn’t want to give them a chance to be alone.
“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be back quickly.” Elisa clenched her fist and said to Hamish, “Don’t follow me. I’m already sick of you.”