My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: My Heart Aches for Candy

Afraid her emotions might affect Annie, Cecelia Archer quickly added in a gentle tone,

"Of course, we’re still friends. You can still come visit me anytime. I’ll give you the gift I promised tomorrow. Be a good boy, Annie. We’ll see each other tomorrow, okay?"

Aidan Grant reluctantly followed his father downstairs.

In the car on the way back, his big, bright eyes stared mournfully out the window, and he refused to say a single word.

Seeing how much the child longed for a mother, Shane Grant was lost in thought.

The next day, the wind and rain had lessened, but it was still drizzling.

Shane Grant drove his son to school personally. Anxious to see Cecelia Archer, the boy was practically bouncing with impatience on the way there.

When they finally arrived at the school gate, he immediately spotted the mother and daughter on their electric scooter, clad in raincoats.

"Candy! Auntie!"

Cecelia Archer was holding a small gift box. Seeing him run over, she quickly pulled him under her raincoat to shield him.

"Be careful, you’ll get your clothes wet and catch a cold. Were you a good boy last night, Annie? Did you sleep well?"

’No, he hadn’t.’

But he didn’t want to worry Cecelia Archer, so he just blinked his big eyes and nodded.

Cecelia Archer couldn’t help but kiss his cheek. "Such a good boy. This is your gift. Open it and see if you like it. As long as you keep being good, I’ll give you more gifts in the future."

Seeing how inconvenient it was for them to talk huddled under a raincoat in the rain, Shane Grant opened a black umbrella and walked over to the three of them.

Annie couldn’t wait to open the gift box.

"A mini-kitchen? It’s so cute!"

It even had such realistic-looking little pots, bowls, a spatula, and even a tiny oil bottle. He loved it so much he couldn’t put it down.

"I love it! Thank you, Auntie!"

You could tell he genuinely loved it; his little face was filled with satisfaction, which made Cecelia Archer happy too.

"I’m glad you like it. When you get home from school, you can have Grandma King play with you. Put it away for now and hurry inside."

The two children entered the kindergarten, their faces alight with joy.

In an instant, only the two of them were left under the large black umbrella.

Cecelia Archer glanced at Shane Grant, feeling a little awkward, and took a step back.

"Well, since the kids are dropped off, I should be going. Goodbye, Mr. Grant."

Just as she was about to leave, Shane Grant suddenly called out to her. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Wait. I apologize for my rudeness yesterday. Miss Archer, let’s talk."

Cecelia Archer, wondering what they could possibly have to talk about, paused in confusion.

Shane Grant’s noble and elegant figure stood in the rain as his thin lips parted.

"I’m not sure what your current work situation is, Miss Archer, but would you be open to Annie’s suggestion of moving into the Grant Family estate to be his tutor? Of course, you would also serve as my private nurse... I know it would be a lot of work, and having you move in with your child would be an inconvenience, but..."

"I don’t mean to offend you. The Grant Family genuinely needs a tutor like you... If you can agree, Miss Archer, the compensation is negotiable." frёeωebɳovel.com

Cecelia Archer: "..."

’I thought asking me to move into the Grant Family estate with my child was just one of Annie’s innocent, childish fantasies. I never expected... It really is quite offensive. If not for what happened yesterday, I might have considered it, but...’

"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Grant, but I don’t think it would be convenient for me."

Shane Grant had anticipated her refusal. After all, yesterday’s events had shown him she was a person of immense pride. Besides, her husband would likely not approve.

Still, her rejection left him feeling a little disappointed.

"If moving in is inconvenient, you could also come at suitable times. We can work around your schedule, Miss Archer."

"Don’t refuse so quickly. Go home and discuss it with your family. This is my business card. Call me once you’ve decided."

His large, well-defined hand held a simple, gold-foiled business card out to Cecelia Archer.

Although he had been rude yesterday, his attitude today was decent enough. Besides, she really was unemployed at the moment, so Cecelia Archer took the card.

On her way back, Cecelia Archer received a call from the hospital.

"Is this Candy Archer’s guardian? The child’s test results are back. You need to come to the hospital immediately."

Cecelia Archer rushed to the hospital, travel-worn, only to be met with news that felt like a bolt from the blue.

"There’s an abnormality in her hematopoietic system. Her white blood cell count is extremely low, suggesting possible leukemia. We recommend a complete bone marrow morphology and immunophenotyping test. If all the results from those tests come back abnormal..."

"Of course, our tests aren’t one hundred percent accurate. We suggest you go to a specialized hospital for further examination."

Cecelia Archer’s legs went weak. She didn’t even know how she managed to walk out of the hospital.

’My child is only three years old. How could she have leukemia? Leukemia... what a terrifying word. Fate couldn’t be this cruel to us, could it?’

Afraid of scaring her child, Cecelia Archer didn’t go to pick her up from school right away. Instead, she went home and spent the entire day doing research. That same evening, she booked a flight to Corvane.

She was going to take her daughter to a specialized hospital for further tests.

When Candy came home that evening and saw her mother packing a suitcase to take her to Corvane, she was thrilled.

’I’ve never left Veridia in my entire life!’

Looking at her daughter’s innocent little face, Cecelia Archer’s heart shattered.

After a sleepless night, they arrived in Corvane. The next day, she secured an appointment with a specialist.

Candy was very confused by her mother’s actions.

"Am I sick, Mommy? Why did you bring me to the hospital?"

"Because Mommy wants Candy to be healthy so you can stay with me for a long, long time. So we’re just doing a special check-up. Candy is perfectly healthy, don’t worry. It’s just a routine exam."

After a busy morning without a single bite to eat, Cecelia Archer took Candy to a famous roast duck restaurant in Corvane.

Candy waited obediently at their table for the food to arrive while Cecelia Archer went to the restroom. As Candy was waiting, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Uncle!"

She hadn’t expected to see Damien Vaughn in Corvane, let alone eating at the same restaurant.

Seeing him, Candy joyfully ran over, and Damien Vaughn knelt to gather her into his arms.

"Candy? Why aren’t you in school? What are you doing here?"

"Mommy brought me here to have some fun, and we also went to the hospital for a check-up. Are you here on a business trip, Uncle?"

"A check-up at the hospital? What’s wrong?"

Damien Vaughn noticed the gauze wrapped around her arm, and his brow furrowed.

"You’re hurt again?"

Candy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "It’s okay. It’s just a small injury. It doesn’t hurt anymore."

Damien Vaughn looked at her fair, adorable little face and felt a pang of inexplicable tenderness.

"Is something wrong with the school? Is someone bullying you?"

After all, he was the one who had arranged for Candy to attend that school. If she was being bullied, he would be seriously displeased.

Candy shook her head sensibly. "No. My classmates are all really nice, and I’ve already made good friends. How many days are you staying in Corvane, Uncle? Are you going to go out and have fun too? Can we go together?"

Damien Vaughn was there on business and was in no mood for sightseeing. He gently pinched Candy’s little cheek.

"I have to go back tonight, so I’m sorry I can’t hang out with you. Where’s your mom?"

"Mommy went to the bathroom. Since you’re busy, Uncle, I won’t bother you anymore. You can put me down now."

Damien Vaughn glanced at their table and saw that only a single order of roast duck had been served.

"Alright, you go on back then. Be good, don’t run off. Wait for your mom to come back."

Candy obediently went back to her seat.

Damien Vaughn instructed the person beside him, "Have the restaurant send a portion of all their signature dishes to their table."