On the other side of the complex, Melissa was practically hanging out of her window with a pair of binoculars.
“Did they get in the car? Wait… why is Ethan with them too?!”
George stood behind her, arms crossed, ready to grab her in case she fell.
Lionel, blessed with sharp eyesight, had no trouble spotting the scene clearly. “Yeah, they’re in. It’s a ‘battlefield’ in there.”
Hogan added, “Should we just head to the amusement park and wait for them?”
“Too obvious. We can hit the security room instead.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go – we can adjust the plan as needed.”
At Melissa’s command, they all packed up and moved out.
Lionel rubbed his temples. “Why are we so jobless that we’re actually stalking them? This feels so low-level.”
“Do you want the gossip or not? If you don’t, we’re leaving you behind. You’re not being a team player.” Melissa shot him a look.
Lionel thought about it, sighed helplessly, and muttered, “Fine, let’s go.”
What choice did he have? He really wanted to see Conrad get humiliated.
Back in the limo, the two tall men sat stiffly, their legs awkwardly brushing against each other through their pant legs – an undeniably uncomfortable experience.
Conrad took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Lillian sipped her drink, glancing at Ethan, then at Conrad, before deciding it was better to go play with the kids.
“I’ll go check on them. Someone should keep an eye on things while we’re driving.” And with that, she bolted, leaving Conrad and Ethan sitting there alone.
“Mr. Conrad, you sure went all out – even Quincy’s favorite foods were taken into account. So, what other surprises are waiting for us at the amusement park?”
“You said it yourself – it’s a surprise. If I tell you now, would it still be one? Quincy calls Lillian ‘Mom,’ and since I already treat him like half a son, of course I’d take care of him. Surely you don’t mind, Mr. Ethan?”
“Why would I? Having one more person care about Quincy is a blessing for him. It’s just… if that concern comes with too many ulterior motives, well, it doesn’t seem quite so perfect.”
“As long as it’s genuine, why worry about perfection? It’s better than just making empty promises with nothing to show for it.”
“Fair point.” Ethan took a sip of water. “Tell me, Mr. Conrad, were you always this thoughtful and considerate toward your ex-fiancee from the White family too? No wonder she couldn’t forget you. Even when she was accused in court, all she wanted was to see you one last time before confessing.”
“Mr. Ethan, do you always take such an interest in other people’s business? Maybe that’s why Quincy’s mom divorced you – couldn’t handle your curiosity?”
Men knew exactly where to stab when they wanted to hurt each other – either that or they’d just step outside and start throwing punches.
Ethan said calmly, “Everyone has their circumstances. Just like you, Mr. Conrad. From where I’m sitting, you don’t seem to be doing much better than me.”
“There’s still a difference. My woman and my child – at least I can still see them. Mr. Ethan, you might want to think about this – if you keep hanging around someone else’s woman, you might just end up losing your own.”
Ethan turned his head slightly, narrowing his eyes. “Mr. Conrad, have you been digging into my marriage?”
“Mr. Ethan, pot calling the kettle black.”
Bringing up some fake fiancee from ages ago-what a hypocrite.
Conrad couldn’t even remember that woman’s name.
Unlike him – Ethan had already gone off and had a kid with his ex-wife. And now he had the nerve to find the kid a stepmother?
A stepmother would inevitably lead to a stepfather!
However, he, Conrad, would never let Jasmine have a stepmother.
Conrad quietly awarded himself 10 points. He could’ve gone for 100, but Melissa’s scoring system was notoriously strict.
What a pain.
“I’m not like you, Mr. Conrad,” Ethan said. “My personal life isn’t public gossip. My ex-wife’s just an ordinary person, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t drag her into whatever issues you and I have. She’s already sick of me as it is.”
Now that? That was irritation talking.
Listen to this guy – acting like I’m chasing his wife.
And public gossip? Please.
Conrad tapped his fingers on his knee, smiling faintly. “Mr. Ethan, if a woman tells you not to bother her, do you really just disappear? That’s not very gentlemanly. Or… are you actually hoping to watch your ex-wife end up in someone else’s arms?”
Conrad added, “Now, I’m not saying I’m particularly charming or anything, but as an outsider, I’ll tell you this – if a woman who once loved you was willing to risk her life to have your child, and she tells you to leave her alone, vanishing completely would probably hurt her just as much as being dumped. Women never mean exactly what they say.”
“Oh? If you understand women so well, Mr. Conrad, how’d you manage to let Lillian leave for five years? At least I can still keep in touch with my ex-wife.”
“That was an accident – a misunderstanding. If Frank, that bastard, hadn’t stuck his nose in halfway through, I’d have a second kid in preschool by now. Mr. Ethan, even if you’re still in contact with her… have you told your ex-wife that you’re planning to marry someone else? No wonder she doesn’t want to come back to you – not even to see her own son. Just think about it – her husband spent five years living with another woman. Would she still want you? Just like you mocked me earlier – you’ve spent more time with Lillian than you did with your own wife.”
Ethan’s smile finally disappeared completely.
The atmosphere between the two men dropped to freezing point.
Meanwhile, the two kids were still happily playing in the ball pit.
Lillian couldn’t hear what the men were talking about, but they seemed to be having quite the conversation.
From the looks of it… they seemed to be getting along?
That was a bit of a relief.
When they arrived at the amusement park, Conrad’s bodyguards had already pulled out two strollers.
The park was pretty big, after all.
The sun was blazing at this hour, and kids could only handle so much walking – better not let them get exhausted.
“Wow, wow!”
Kids never got tired of amusement parks – no matter how many times they visited, it was always pure joy.
“Mom, it’s the park’s anniversary this month! We can collect stamps – I want the heart-shaped castle stamp!”
Lillian couldn’t even remember how many years it had been since she’d last been here. “Have you been here often?”
“I think I came when I was three. Dad, that dummy, said he’d never been to an amusement park before and ended up getting us lost. I missed out on seeing my favorite princess! The second time, he rented out the whole park – it was so boring! Just me, no other kids. After that, he finally figured out when to bring me.”
Lillian instinctively thought back to Conrad’s childhood. For him, an amusement park probably wasn’t even an option.
While she was still in school, talking with her classmates about weekend outings, Conrad had been in the mountains doing intense training. He probably didn’t even know what an amusement park looked like.
Conrad clearly knew his way around now, though. “Follow me.”
“Mom, sit in here with me! There’s a seat behind Jasmine!”
Lillian glanced at the stroller – sure enough, it was a two-seater, and there was a spot in the back.
“Mom’s an adult.”
“The back is for grown-ups! Let Dad push us – it’s so hot out here!” Jasmine wriggled and pouted, pulling Lillian along with her.
Seeing that Lillian wasn’t quite sure how to get in, Conrad simply scooped her up by the waist and set her in the stroller. The warmth of his strong, solid arms left her feeling completely flustered.
Before she could react, Conrad was already pushing the stroller forward. He turned back to Ethan and said, “Mr. Ethan, Jasmine wants her mom with her. They’ve barely spent any time together in the past five years – you wouldn’t mind, would you?”
“… Of course not,” Ethan replied, though he was certain this guy was being sneaky.
“Quincy wouldn’t mind either, right?” Conrad added. “I will get you some ice cream later, okay?”
“Okay!” Quincy instantly agreed at the mention of food.
Ethan and Conrad ended up walking side by side, both pushing strollers.
Conrad and his group looked like a perfect little family, while Ethan and Quincy just seemed… incomplete.
And to top it off, Jasmine and Quincy kept chattering away with each other from their strollers, occasionally turning back to ask Lillian questions.
Perfect. Three people, two men – and neither of them needed to get involved.
Just then, a head popped up from behind the cute bunny topiary.
Melissa, looking suspicious as ever, had a scarf wrapped around her head and oversized sunglasses on.
“Hey, why do they actually look kinda happy together?” she muttered.
But after talking to herself for a while, she realized no one was answering.
Turning her head, she found a whole group of men just standing openly by the path.
“… What are you guys doing? Ever heard of blending in? Hide behind me!”