Free Web NovelChapter 361: Chapter 358: Daddy’s Tactics Are Outdated! (Part 1)
Nora Ainsworth slowly rose to her feet, her eyes filled with disbelief. She took a deep breath and fixed her gaze, realizing the person before her was truly there.
He was really here.
She had imagined meeting him again countless times, in every possible scenario, but never like this.
So much so that it all felt like an illusion.
Nora Ainsworth looked toward the two children at his side.
Her chest tightened.
"How have you been?" The words caught in his throat. His voice was low as he stared at the woman he had longed for day and night.
She averted her gaze. "Not well. Not well at all."
He let go of the children’s hands, stepped forward, and pulled her into an embrace.
She felt so frail in his arms, as if she barely existed.
His scent washed over her, a smell she knew so well.
Suddenly, she lost control. Tears streamed down her face, wetting Quentin’s shirt.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, led her out the dressing room door, and their two little treasures dutifully followed.
The family of four walked out of the television station.
As they reached the main entrance, she struggled out of his grasp. "I have to go on air soon."
"Forget the show. At a time like this? Absolutely not."
She glared at him. "And who do you think you are? What gives you the right to tell me what I can and can’t do?"
He smirked. "Go ahead, try me. But if you dare stray more than two meters from my side, you’ll have to live with the consequences."
’He’s threatening me again!’
’He was the king of shamelessness!’
"I wouldn’t dare."
He cupped her cheeks in his hands, making her meet his gaze. "Nora, you can’t run away ever again."
Nora Ainsworth stared at him. "My legs are attached to me. Are you going to saw them off?"
"It would break my heart to saw them off. I wouldn’t use such a crude method." He let go of her face, only to forcibly intertwine his fingers with hers. Then he looked at their two little ones. "Boys, we’re going home."
And just like that, Nora Ainsworth was dragged home by him.
Meanwhile, the production team for the show was going crazy.
Where were they supposed to find a replacement on such short notice?
They called Nora Ainsworth again and again, until finally, Quentin Grant took over and resolved the issue in just a few words.
"Did you come all this way just to back me up? I don’t want to use you to get ahead."
He laughed. "I’m your man. If I don’t have your back, who should I? Do you want me to go support some other woman? Silly. Don’t think you can have a smooth journey to the top just by relying on your own hard work. If you refuse to be the woman behind me, then I’ll be the man behind you. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen."
"In that case, I want you to stay out of my way while I build my own career. Can you grant me that?"
He nodded. "As long as that’s what you want, I won’t force my way in. But once you’ve made a name for yourself, I will make every single person who ever bullied you pay!"
She smiled. "Alright. But, Mr. Grant, I’d like to know, in what capacity are you here with me now?"
"Your man. The father of our children. Any capacity is fine. It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re mine."
"I struggled to raise these children by myself for two years, and you just show up and expect to win over all three of us with sweet talk. Don’t you think you’re getting too good of a deal?"
He laughed. "I’ll be at the service of you three for the rest of my life. Is that still too good of a deal?"
"Of course it is."
He rolled over and straddled her legs, looking at her seriously. "But what I want to know is, when are you going to marry me?"
Nora Ainsworth huffed. "I’ve already given you children. What’s there to worry about?"
"I think if the kids didn’t look so obviously like mine, you probably wouldn’t have softened up this quickly."
She shook her head. "No."
Quentin Grant paused. "Hm?"
"Ethan Ellsworth was right. Some people love each other but can’t be together. Since we love each other, why shouldn’t we be? All I want to know is, do you still love me?"
Quentin Grant rested his forehead against hers. "I don’t love you."
Nora Ainsworth looked at him, knowing he hadn’t finished.
"Am I supposed to love some random stranger on the street instead?"
Only then did Nora Ainsworth smile. "Then how will you prove it?"
"Proof? Hmm..." He mused for a moment. "Then let me serve you for a night."
As he spoke, he captured her lips. Nora Ainsworth struggled against him, her face instantly turning as red as an apple. "Don’t you see the two boys watching over there?"
Quentin Grant turned his head and, sure enough, saw Dylan and Elmer Grant standing there side-by-side, watching. Dylan’s little face was tense, while Elmer was grinning like a blooming flower.
"Learn a thing or two from your old man."
Nora Ainsworth pushed him away and stood up indignantly. "Haven’t you heard that if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too? Are you trying to teach the children to be bad like you? Watch your influence!"
"Daddy, my brother and I are standing right here, you know!" Elmer piped up. "Could you please set a good example for us? Don’t just go putting your hands on Mommy whenever you feel like it. And stop copping a feel! Why are you always eating Mommy’s mouth for no reason? It’s so gross! Did you even brush your teeth?!"
Quentin was mortified. "What does a little sprout like you know? This is how I show your mommy I love her, you get it? This is how we men show a woman we love her. I just taught you two this lesson. Pay attention and learn!"
"Tch." Dylan sat down languidly. "Daddy, your rogue tactics are so outdated. Come up with some new moves."
Quentin Grant looked up at the ceiling. "Wow, each generation really is stronger than the last. You’re leaving your old dad in the dust. So, what new moves have you two got? Care to share?"
Elmer gestured him over. "Come here, lean in and listen."
Quentin bent down, and Elmer said directly, "Old man, never mind Mommy for now. What I’m trying to say is, when our godfather gets back later, you’d better have a strategy to compete with him. That’s the real issue. You’ll be fighting a battle all on your own, because my brother and I will absolutely be on Godfather’s side. As your son, my heart is with you, but my hands are tied. This is the most I can help."
Quentin straightened up and looked down at him. "How could you say that? Whose biological son are you, anyway—mine or his?"
Elmer shook his head. "I side with justice, not with family. Daddy, you’d better watch your step."
Quentin was about to die of anger. What a little devil!
"Nora, come here. I need to talk to you about something."
He pulled Nora Ainsworth toward her bedroom door. When the two little ones tried to follow, he turned and shot them a warning glare. The message was clear: Stay in the living room. Dad has important business to attend to. Do not approach!
Watching the bedroom door close, Elmer plopped down on the sofa. "Bro, Mom’s in for it now."
But Dylan was unfazed. "What do you know? Wouldn’t it be even better if Mommy gives us a little sister?"
"You’ve got a point there."
The two children lay side by side on the sofa, waiting for their godfather, Leon Lynch, to come home.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the moment the door closed, Quentin let himself go.
Nora Ainsworth didn’t refuse. After knowing and loving each other for so long, refusing now would just seem coy.
~~~~~
