Chapter 46
Sally held her phone in her hands, waiting quietly.
It only took a moment before a notification popped up on her screen.
Jaxon replied: [I’m available. Mrs. Zale, are you going to treat me to dinner?]
Sally paused, a little stunned when she saw the message.
She wondered, ‘How could he read my mind so perfectly, even through a screen? It’s kind of amazing.’
She quickly typed out a reply and hit send.
Jaxon had just finished his meeting and stepped out when his phone buzzed. He swiped the screen and saw Sally’s message.
Sally texted: [Didn’t we agree yesterday to have dinner with Lillian sometime, just to keep the ceremony simple? How about tonight?]
A lazy, amused smile played at the corners of Jaxon’s lips.
“Mr. Zale, the Science Museum project leader wants to invite you to dinner tonight…” Caleb, holding a report, looked up at Jaxon’s back.
Before he could finish, Jaxon cut him off, “Push it to tomorrow.”
“But you agreed to this a few days ago,” Caleb said, stepping closer, a little confused. “Are you heading back to the family house to have dinner with Howard tonight?”
“Is he the only one I can eat with?” asked Jaxon.
“Well, no, sir. It’s just you usually cancel for family,” Caleb said, watching as Jaxon kept typing on his phone. Curiosity got the better of him. “Mr. Zale, are you seeing someone?”
Jaxon’s lashes flickered as he looked up at Caleb. “What makes you think that?”
“It’s just… your reaction is kind of…” Caleb subconsciously pointed at Jaxon’s phone.
Jaxon just shot him a look and then quickly typed another message back to Sally: [Pick a place and send me the address.]
He slipped his phone into his pocket, his eyes suddenly turning cold. “If you’re so free, go figure out where Hazel is. Her phone has been off for days. What’s going on with her?”
“Mr. Zale, I’m really out of options here. I can’t exactly hire a hacker to track her down, can I?” said Caleb.
Jaxon said, “I don’t care how you do it. Just hurry up and find her.”
Caleb nodded. “Okay.”
Jaxon strode quickly down the corridor.
Caleb felt a headache coming on. He thought, ‘Who exactly is Hazel and why is she so mysterious?
‘She’s been off the grid for days. Doesn’t she care about her business?‘
When Sally went to pick up Lillian that evening, she ran into Lena and Nick at the school gate.
Nick, sharp–eyed as ever, immediately spotted the two of them up ahead.
But when his gaze landed on Sally holding Lillian’s hand, a wave of jealousy hit him out of nowhere.
“Mom!” Nick called out.
Sally turned at the sound, and when she saw the two standing behind her, she stopped in her tracks.
Lillian stopped too, and after meeting Nick’s eyes, she instinctively tightened her grip on Sally’s hand.
“Why are you picking her up again? Why isn’t Grandpa Jaxon coming to get her?” Nick looked annoyed, and the way he stared at Lillian was anything but friendly
Lillian glanced at Sally, who didn’t say a word, and answered softly, “Jaxon didn’t have time…”
“So if he doesn’t have time, my mom has to do it? She never comes to pick me up, but she’s here for you every single day!” said Nick angrily.
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Chapter 46
Seeing the jealousy all over his face, Lillian quickly hid behind Sally.
Sally’s expression turned cold. “Nick, Lillian is timid. Be nicer to her from now on.”
Lena cut in, “Mrs. Zale, Lillian is just your friend’s kid and only Jaxon’s goddaughter. Isn’t it a bit much for you to keep picking her up? I even heard you two are living together.”
Sally retorted, “That’s our business. It has nothing to do with you.”
Lena pressed, “Maybe it’s not my business, but you don’t even pick up your own son. Yet you’re always here for Jaxon’s goddaughter and even raising her. Aren’t you worried about what people might say if word gets out?”
Sally’s voice was icy. “You’re always so eager to pick up my son, so I guess I’ll just pick up someone else’s kid.”
Lena was momentarily at a loss for words, her brows furrowing.
“Mom! You haven’t been here for three years. Dad and Lena always picked me up. She did a lot of things you should have done. You should be grateful to her, so why are you blaming her?” asked Nick.
Watching Nick stand up for Lena, Sally couldn’t help but think back to three years ago.
Back then, when she testified in court for Lena, Nick was just as aggressive.
With a sneer, Sally thought, ‘I went through a lot to have this child. Yet, I ended up with an ungrateful son.’
Sally said, “I’m about to divorce your dad. Sooner or later, Lena will take my place. Let her get some practice being a stepmom now and see if it’s really that easy.”
Lena was pissed off, but with Nick there, she couldn’t say anything back.
Seeing Lena go quiet, Sally turned away and quickly left with Lillian.
It was early evening. Sally picked a pretty nice restaurant and sent Jaxon a message with the details.
“Sally, is Mr. Zale coming soon?” asked Lillian.
“He is.” Sally reached out and gently pinched her cheek. “But when he gets here, you’ll have to start calling him Jaxon, not Mr. Zale anymore, okay?”
Lillian nodded. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say, Sally.”
Sally grinned, “Looks like you really like Mr. Zale, huh?”
Lillian lowered her head and smiled softly, “Mr. Zale is actually really sweet. Every time he came to see Mom, he always brought me a present.”
“Oh yeah?” Sally smiled. “So, do you think he’ll bring you something tonight?”
“I bet he will.” A hopeful smile spread across Lillian’s face, her eyes full of anticipation.
Five minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
Sally looked up at the sound and saw the waiter open the door, with a tall figure following behind.
Jaxon walked in, looking sharp in a tailored suit and holding a giant bunny plush.
When Sally saw this, she turned to glance at Lillian.
The two of them exchanged a quick, knowing smile.
There really was a special bond between them, almost like father and daughter.
“Jaxon Lillian’s voice was soft, but Jaxon still heard her loud and clear.
Still, he couldn’t help but tease her, “What did you call me? I’m not sure I heard that right.”
As Sally watched Jaxon bend down with the bunny plush to look at Lillian, her eyes softened and her smile grew.
Lillian had autism and usually didn’t talk much, so Sally understood exactly what Jaxon was trying to do.
Seeing Lillian looking a little shy, Sally gently placed a hand on her back. “Lillian, Jaxon brought you a present. What do you say to him?”
“Thank you. Jaxon.” This time, Lillian spoke up loud and clear, a shy smile blooming on her face.
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“You’re welcome.” Jaxon handed the bunny plush to her, and Lillian quickly reached out to take it.
As dinner was wrapping up, Jaxon looked up at Sally. “Mrs. Zale, you didn’t invite me out tonight just for a meal, did you?”
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