NOVPUB
Chapter 75 - 75- handsome
Upon arriving at the orphanage, he got out of the car without changing his expression, leaving her to handle the fare. Cynthia angrily paid the driver and got out of the car.
"Mr. Wilson—"
His sharp gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, cut through her, sending a chill down her spine. She quickly changed her tone, awkwardly correcting herself.
"Uh... Albert..."
Somehow, calling him this way made her originally forceful question sound more like a cute complaint.
"You've been staying at my place, eating my food, using my things for these past few days. Shouldn't you at least contribute something? Like, for example, the taxi fare. Couldn't you be more generous and pay for it yourself?"
"I wanted to pay," he said, looking at her with an innocent expression, "but the problem is, can I pay with a card?"
He took out his wallet, opened it to show her.
"Look, I only have a bank card, no cash!"
His face showed such innocence, but it nearly made her explode with rage.
"No cash? Then why don't you go to the ATM and withdraw some?!"
He really was like a big boss, wasn't he? Not even carrying cash, just a bunch of cards. Of course, people like him, who frequented high-end places, probably never needed cash. Wherever they went, they simply made grand gestures—either writing a check or swiping a card—both elegant and cool.
He put his wallet away and, seeing her clearly displeased face, raised his hand to flick her forehead, his eyes full of amusement.
"Who told you to live in such a godforsaken place with no ATM?!"
Cynthia covered her forehead and shot him a glare before turning to head into the orphanage. Thankfully, she was wearing a thick hat, so his flick didn't hurt as much.
From a distance, Cynthia could already hear the sound of children playing in the yard. With the snow that had fallen these past few days, the children were having fun—having snowball fights and building snowmen.
As soon as they saw her approaching, the children gathered around, all shouting in unison with drawn-out voices,
"Cynthia——, Happy New Year——!"
She raised her hand and ruffled the heads of the nearest children, smiling as she wished them a happy New Year in return. One sharp-eyed child noticed the man strolling leisurely toward them and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity,
"Hey? Who's that handsome uncle?"
She had run quite a distance earlier, fuming with anger, and he had only just caught up with her. Cynthia glanced back at him, smiling as she answered the children,
"He's my friend, and he came with me to see you all!"
"Is that handsome uncle the rich husband Cynthia talked about before?"
One of the children who had undergone surgery last time, his face rosy with excitement, asked Cynthia eagerly.
Cynthia's face immediately darkened.
"Uh... that..."
At the time, she hadn't known how to answer, so she had made up some excuse. She hadn't expected the children to remember it so clearly. What she hadn't realized was that, when she mentioned it was her husband who had paid for their surgery, the children had taken him as their savior.
But she really didn't want to admit in front of so many people that he was her husband, even if they were just kids—she still found it awkward.
Just as she was wondering how to respond, a charming voice came from behind her,
"Did she mention me to you?"
The bold response was unmistakably from him, asserting his position as her husband, and before anyone could say anything, he had already reached them. His tall figure bent slightly in front of the child who had spoken, and with a graceful motion, he removed his sunglasses.
Although they were just a group of children, there were a few young girls around the ages of thirteen or fourteen, and the sight of him immediately caused a stir.
"Wow, Uncle is so handsome!"
"Uncle is so good-looking!"
Even a three or four-year-old girl waddled her chubby little body to the front of him, reached out her small hand, tugged at his pants leg, and with shining eyes said,
"Handsome uncle, can you feed me?"
Everyone's faces darkened, and Cynthia, who felt somewhat embarrassed, saw that the mischievous man's lips visibly twitched.
Victoria, one of the older and more sensible children in the group, noticed that he had admitted to being Cynthia's husband. She quickly picked up the infatuated little girl and corrected the children's way of addressing him,
"Since he's Cynthia 's husband, you should call him 'handsome brother'~~~"
The children immediately responded with cheerful voices, 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"Handsome brother, hello~~"
"Handsome brother, handsome brother!"
Seeing him smile with a light and approachable expression, the child who had spoken earlier grabbed another child's hand and said,
"Last time, we needed a lot of money for our surgery—"
The cute child exaggeratedly stretched out both hands to show just how much money they were talking about,
"Cynthia said she married a rich husband, and her husband gave her money to help us with our surgery!"
As the innocent words spilled out of the children's mouths, Cynthia suddenly felt incredibly awkward. Wasn't this forcing her to recall the seven days of entanglement with him? They say children are innocent, but they really are so carefree, aren't they?
"Hehe! Is that so? Then, are you all feeling better now?"
He only gave her a meaningful glance before leading the children back to the place where they had been playing.
Cynthia stood there for a moment, frustrated, before finally following them. She first took him to meet Marc, whose health had been deteriorating. The cold weather and recent snowfall had caused him to catch a cold.
He politely stepped forward, extending his hand to Marc, and introduced himself briefly,
"Hello! Marc, I'm Cynthia's husband... Albert Wilson!"
Marc glanced at Cynthia, who seemed awkward beside him, and politely returned the greeting,
"I've heard a lot about you!"
Then they all sat down to chat, but Marc's gaze subtly kept sizing him up, like a kind father carefully inspecting his daughter's husband.
During the conversation, his phone rang, and he stepped outside to take the call. Marc coughed a few times before turning to Cynthia and speaking earnestly,
"Cynthia, he's a very good and capable man. He's worth cherishing, provided that he belongs to you."
Cynthia looked at Marc's weathered face, feeling an inexplicable bitterness in her heart. If he belonged to her? That seemed impossible. He had long belonged to another woman.
Marc's words echoed in her ears,
"If not, then stay as far away from him as possible."
"Marc, I know! We only have a mutually beneficial relationship. Once the Lancaster Empire collapses, we'll divorce!"
She spoke softly, and as she said it, she realized that even she found the words hard to utter.
Divorce once the Lancaster Empire collapses? But in this situation, would they really be able to separate so cleanly in the future?
While she was lost in thought, the sound of children laughing outside suddenly reached her ears. Both she and Marc instinctively looked out the window and saw a tall figure, who had blended into the snow, playfully interacting with the children.
She, fearing the cold and snow, never usually played outside with the kids in winter, while the older Victoria and Gary couldn't engage in such vigorous activities due to health reasons.
The children seemed to be enjoying themselves more than ever. They played until their clothes were soaked, only returning to the house when Victoria and Gary urged them to change. They had lunch with the children at the orphanage and didn't leave until after sunset.
