My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Unlike Some People, an Ungrateful Wolf

Out in the yard, she found Damien Vaughn and Candy crouching by a black fence in a corner of the garden, seemingly tending to a dog.

"Mom!"

Seeing her come out, Candy hurriedly waved her over.

"Come quick and help! This little dog is stuck! It’s going to die. The poor thing!"

Cecelia Archer walked over and saw a small, filthy black mutt wedged between the fence slats. Half its body was stuck, unable to move forward or backward, and its back was scraped raw and bleeding.

Whenever Candy got even a little closer, it would whimper in pain.

Children seem to have an innate compassion for small animals. Candy tried to reach out and touch it several times, but Damien Vaughn stopped her each time.

"Don’t touch it. It’s a stray, who knows where it’s from. It’s filthy, and it might have viruses. You could catch something if you touch it. Just leave it alone. We’re not veterinarians; even if we get it out, we can’t treat its injuries. I’ll call property management and have them take the dog away. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine."

But Candy couldn’t bear to leave it.

She had been longing to have a little dog or cat for a long time.

But before, at her aunt’s house, it had been completely impossible.

Later, when she moved to the Vaughn Family’s home, she mentioned it once to Ms. King, but Ms. King said that both Great-Grandpa and Damien Vaughn were extreme neat freaks and didn’t like having cats or dogs in the house, so she held back again.

’Now that Mom and I are living by ourselves in such a big house, can’t we have one more little life here?’

Cecelia Archer saw Candy’s longing as clear as day and had known for a while that she wanted a puppy.

But this dog was too big for Candy to handle easily, and besides, it might already have an owner.

"I can help you get it out, but you can’t just claim it as your own and say you’re keeping it, okay?"

"Candy, maybe it just got lost and ended up here. Its owner could be looking for it right now. We should take it to property management so they can return it to its owner. Or, at the very least, we wait until we’ve confirmed it doesn’t have an owner and can’t survive on its own before we consider adopting it, okay?"

Candy thought what her mom said made sense.

"Okay, then. As long as you’re willing to save it, that’s what matters. Hurry up, Mom! I think it’s about to be squeezed to death." freёwebnovel.com

Damien Vaughn was a serious germaphobe and had no fondness for this kind of ugly, common dog, especially since it was so dirty and had blood on it.

He didn’t want Candy to touch the dog, and he didn’t want Cecelia Archer to touch it either.

But Cecelia Archer didn’t mind at all. As she spoke, she soothed the dog, carefully pressing on its belly and abdomen to help it relax, and slowly worked it free from the fence.

"You’re amazing, Mom! I knew you could do it. Is it okay?"

Cecelia Archer placed the dog on the grass and parted its fur to check the wound.

"It’s fine. Just a minor injury. Let me see if it’s a boy or a girl."

She placed her hand on the dog’s belly again.

Maybe it was nervous, or maybe it had just been holding it for too long, but as soon as her hand landed, a warm stream gushed out—the dog had peed on her hand.

"AH!"

Cecelia Archer didn’t mind cats and dogs, but having one pee directly into her hand was hard to stomach. She shot to her feet, disgusted.

"It peed on me! How rude!"

"Huh? Little doggy, my mom just saved your life! How could you do that to her?"

Seeing her mom being "bullied," Candy stretched out her two small, fair hands, scooped the dog into her arms, and prepared to give it a good "talking-to."

But the dog struggled, and a foul stench immediately filled the air.

"AH! Mom, it pooped on me too!"

Disgusted, Damien Vaughn immediately stood up and took a step back.

"Let go of it! I told you not to touch it, but you just had to. That dress is ruined. Come with me and get in the bath, now!"

Candy hadn’t expected the dog to be so ungrateful, soiling her brand-new dress with a load of runny poop. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"Mommy..."

Afraid Cecelia Archer would be angry, Candy put the dog down and looked at her pitifully.

Cecelia was still feeling sick about her own hand. When she looked down, she saw a large, yellow stain of poop on Candy’s dress.

"Gag... retch..."

She couldn’t help but turn away and dry-heave into the air.

"Alright, alright. I’ll have property management come deal with this. You two get inside, quick. Go wash up."

Her stomach churning, Cecelia Archer couldn’t worry about Candy and ran back inside first.

The moment she got to the bathroom, she threw up violently.

She washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and straightened herself up, taking a long while to recover.

Thankfully, Damien Vaughn had gone to take care of Candy.

After composing herself for a bit, Cecelia Archer went back to cooking dinner.

When dinner was on the table, Candy was carried downstairs in a fresh change of clothes.

Mother and daughter’s eyes met, and they couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"So, still want to get a dog? Was it a little different from what you imagined?"

Candy nodded. "Daddy was right. Dogs are too dumb, they just go to the bathroom anywhere. Let’s not get one. I’m never going to think about getting a cat or a dog ever again. Are you okay, Mom?"

"I’m fine. And this was actually a good thing. Going through all that helped you make a calm decision not to get a dog, so it was pretty worth it. Let’s eat."

Candy happily pulled Damien Vaughn to the dining table, but Cecelia Archer paused for a moment before following.

’She had just taken the medicine a little while ago, and now she’d thrown it all up. It definitely didn’t have time to work.’

’Normally, she would go out and buy more, but she had already taken it once not too long ago.’

’Emergency contraception is really hard on the body. Taking it too frequently not only fails to prevent pregnancy but can even cause a fertilized egg to implant in the fallopian tube, resulting in an ectopic pregnancy...’

’Forget it. This isn’t the first time. Since it was fine before, it should be fine this time, too, right?’

’Thankfully, Damien Vaughn wasn’t the type to sleep around. He lived a pretty healthy life, so she didn’t have to worry about him having any... other diseases.’

After dinner, Cecelia Archer put the dishes in the dishwasher, glanced at Damien Vaughn’s expression, and began to drop hints.

"It’s getting late. It must be a long drive from here to Grandpa’s house, right?"

Damien Vaughn was looking down, playing Gomoku with Candy. Hearing her, he replied casually.

"About 40 minutes."

"That is a pretty tiring drive. You should rest a little longer before you go."

Damien Vaughn finally understood what she was getting at. He looked up, his gaze displeased.

"What are you trying to do?"

This was his house, after all, so it wouldn’t be right to kick him out directly. Cecelia Archer couldn’t bring herself to be blunt.

"Nothing. The house hasn’t been fully cleaned yet, and a lot of things are still missing. I was just afraid you wouldn’t be comfortable staying here."

"If you and Candy, two girls, can live here, why wouldn’t I be comfortable?"

"We..."

Candy didn’t understand either. "Mom, don’t the three of us—you, Dad, and me—sleep in the same bed? You already cleaned the room, so he can stay. Besides, we bought Dad a toothbrush and slippers today. He has everything he needs, did you forget?"

Cecelia: "..."

’Could kids please not chime in at times like this?’

Damien Vaughn, however, thought Candy’s timing was perfect.

"See? Candy is the one who’s good to me. All the effort I’ve put into you hasn’t gone to waste. Unlike some people. So ungrateful."

Cecelia, again: "..."