At the entrance of the World Trade Center, Richard got out of his car and strode up the stairs. Andrew’s voice came from behind. “Mr. Clark!”
Richard stopped and said, “I thought I was late, but I didn’t expect you to be later than me.”
“I’m not late. I’m on time.” Andrew motioned to Richard to look at the time.
“I get it. You’re always punctual. You always arrive on the dot.” They entered the hall as they spoke and saw Raymond sitting on the sofa.
Raymond had a bandage on his head, and he looked lifeless. After Richard beckoned at Andrew, the two of them went and sat down beside Raymond, each at one side. Andrew asked first, “What happened to your forehead?”
“I accidentally hit my head,” Raymond replied gloomily.
“You hit your head? That doesn’t look like the case. Did someone hit you? Tell me honestly. Did you get beaten up for doing something wrong?”
Raymond lowered his head and avoided Richard’s gaze. He didn’t dare to look at Richard or Andrew.
Richard always liked teasing him. “You can tell from his eyes. He must have done something bad. Let me guess. Did you get beaten up for peeping at beautiful women?”
“Is that so?” Andrew raised his voice exaggeratedly.
Raymond’s neck turned red. “What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?”
“Aren’t you that kind of person? Mr. Saunders, you don’t look like a nice person to me at all. I heard you even went to the women’s bathroom when studying abroad… They took you for a per-” Richard lowered his voice, and his tone was full of ridicule.
Raymond’s expression changed suddenly. “Mr. Clark, please be careful of what you’re saying!”
“Don’t get upset. It’s only a joke.” Seeing Raymond getting agitated, Richard stopped teasing him and turned to Andrew. “I heard from my mother that you were on a blind date with Anna. Is that true?”
“Yes!”
“You must be pretty appalled by her, right? She doesn’t have manners and talks loudly. She also doesn’t understand our language very well and often makes a fool of herself. What’s worse is that she doesn’t know her place. She thinks that she is the most beautiful woman in the world who has a good figure and good skin… Gosh, I can’t stand her.”
Andrew’s tone was gentle. “Ms. Taylor is a nice person! She’s not like what you’ve described.”
“Andrew, I’m telling you the truth. That girl is good at pretending. She is not gentle and virtuous but wild and bad-tempered instead. Don’t be fooled by her appearance. Stay away from her and let her torture others instead. Otherwise, don’t come crying to me in the future. I’m advising you as a friend. She is a harpy who often causes trouble.”
Listening to Richard’s comments on Anna, Raymond suddenly recalled Anna’s perfect figure and felt uncomfortable.
He stole a glance at Andrew and saw that he had a gentle smile on his face. It was obvious that he was interested in Anna.
He had seen the body of his best friend’s date.
Raymond couldn’t bear being there anymore. He stood up and said, “I have something to attend to. I’ll head out for a while.”
“Is he alright? Why do I feel that there is something wrong with him?” Richard looked at Raymond as he asked Andrew.
“Maybe he has something on his mind? I’ll ask him later.”
After they talked for a while, Marcus arrived. Seeing Marcus walk in, Richard immediately asked, “Where’s your boss? Is he not coming today?”
“Mr. Howard can’t make it.”
“Fuck, what’s going on?” Richard asked.
Marcus sat down and said, “Cade and Santhos are getting their vaccines today. Mr. Howard accompanied Mrs. Howard to the hospital.”
Richard couldn’t say anything else and complained, “That’s the inconvenience of having a wife and children. It’s no longer as convenient as being single.”
Andrew slowly said, “If it’s more convenient to be single, why are you in a relationship? Should I ask Braelynn to return you your freedom?”
As Andrew rebuked Richard, he glared at Andrew. “You brat! Did I provoke you? Why are you rebuking me like this?”
Marcus laughed out loud. “Have you forgotten that Andrew is Mr. Howard’s nephew?”
“Are you saying that the family is teaming up against me? It’s easier to talk to Raymond. I should get him to help me and be on my side.” Richard pretended to stand up.
Marcus stopped him. “Forget it. Raymond has left! I met him at the door.”
“He left? Why did he leave?” Richard glanced at Andrew, who also looked surprised.
Marcus didn’t sound happy. “How would I know? I can’t read his mind.”
“There’s something wrong with Raymond today. How did he hurt his forehead? Is he hiding something? Marcus, you should know what happened, right?” Richard asked Marcus.
Marcus shook his head. “I have no idea!”
At the hospital, the Howard family’s car stopped at the parking lot. William and Valeria each carried a child into the room, accompanied by the nanny and bodyguards.
Cade and Santhos looked around curiously with their eyes wide open. They were not afraid of the unfamiliar environment at all.
Cade even grinned when he saw the doctor preparing the vaccine. William rolled up Cade’s sleeves to reveal his chubby little arms. “Wait and see if you’ll cry later.”
As Cade was still smiling happily, the doctor quickly injected the vaccine into his arm. Cade’s happy laughter immediately disappeared as he burst into tears.
Santhos, who was in Valeria’s arms, was looking around with his eyes wide open. When he heard Cade cry, he turned his head to take a look and immediately burst into tears too.
“It’s obvious that this boy likes to kick up a fuss. Cade is crying because of pain, but that doesn’t affect you. Why are you making a fuss?”
Valeria didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She gently rolled up Santhos’ sleeve and said, “He’s scared!”
“He’s too timid, isn’t he? He’s like a girl, and nothing like his father.”
Valeria snorted and said, “You’re saying it as if you were very bold when you were a child. I heard from dad that you were as timid as a mouse when you took the vaccine as a child. All you did was cry.”
Everyone laughed when they heard Valeria’s words. When Cade saw that everyone was laughing, he laughed too. Santhos also stopped crying. When his tears were about to turn to laughter, the doctor took the opportunity to inject the vaccine into Santhos’ arm.
Santhos pouted and began to cry again. Unlike Cade, they couldn’t stop Santhos from crying after taking the vaccine. He cried so hard that his voice became hoarse.
Valeria, the nanny, and even William failed to stop him from crying.
“Is he feeling unwell?” William asked.
“He was fine in the morning and had no fever. He drank his milk like usual, so I don’t think he is unwell. Otherwise, let’s bring him to the pediatrician for a checkup.” Valeria suggested.
The two of them held their children in their arms and were about to go to the pediatric. The moment they left the vaccination room, Santhos stopped crying.
“Should we still go to the pediatric?” Valeria asked William.
“Let’s go ahead and find out if he’s fine.” They then carried the children and headed to the pediatrics department. As they turned the corridor, a woman was limping towards them.
Seeing William, the woman cried out in surprise from a distance, “Mr. Howard!”