Chapter 701
Chapter 701
Chapter 701 The Calm Before the Storm
Because I knew about Zack's existence.
Zack was the fiancé of that blind girl.
He was also Nicholas' close friend.
I didn't want to mention Nicholas in front of him during today's birthday banquet so as not to bother him. I also didn't mention the deceased Zack. Instead, I told him about my encounter with Owen the other day. "And that's why I was curious."
"Well, these are all secrets of the Xenos Family. Because of the confidentiality agreement, we must keep this to ourselves so that Anthony and Joseph are not attacked since they are aware of what happened. You should keep this in mind."
Alicia mentioned that the Xenos Family had a secret organization.
This organization existed outside of the Xenos Family when my biological father was alive, and no one knows their whereabouts to this day.
I asked Shawn, "Can't it be abolished?"
He kissed my forehead and replied in a clear voice, "Your father is the one who did this. We can't find out about their existence for now."
Rather than saying they couldn't find out, it should be said that Shawn didn't pay attention to these small matters. After I told him what I thought, he smiled and agreed, "You're smart. I don't have the energy to deal with these things."
I looked up and bit his chin. "You lied to me."
He smiled and didn't say anything. As if he remembered something, he said to me, "Although my mother put me in an unjust situation, I can't blame her for it. After all, what she did back then was to secure my position in the Xenos Family. She didn't want any other heirs besides me. Look at her. Even though she doesn't love me, she plans everything for me."
Shawn then sighed. "Indeed, it's because of the lack of love that I ended up in such a crappy situation. She never once considered how I felt. To her, I'm just a pawn in the Xenos Family."
Shawn complained like he rarely did.
He was still sad about his biological mother.
Then again, it was to be expected. After all, she was his birth mother.
Not wanting him to be trapped in such memories, I hugged Shawn tightly and suggested, "Shall we make the birthday cake ourselves?"
The emotions in his eyes changed as he repeated, "Birthday cake?"
"Mhm. Let's go to May's shop and make it. She's really good at making cakes. But making a large cake with more than ten layers will probably take half a day. Since we have nothing to do during the day, let's make the birthday cake ourselves."
However, Shawn refused to do it. "You and May can do it."
I didn't expect him to reject me so directly. NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
I unhappily asked, "Why not?"
"I keep my distance from others."
Ah, so it's his obsession with cleanliness.
I almost forgot about it.
I kissed his cheek. "Anyway, Mr. Briar has everything prepared, so I don't need to worry anymore. I also prepared a gift."
Shawn hugged me and asked, "What gift?"
"Rings. Since it's the first birthday party, and Eilam just arrived at our house, I asked Gary to make three rings exactly like the Xenos Family's rings. The initials of their names are engraved on the rings. These rings can be cherished for a lifetime."
It was a gift to commemorate the three siblings' first meeting.
"Exactly like the Xenos Family's rings?" Shawn held my hand and touched the two smaller rings the head of the Xenos Family wore. "How thoughtful of you. I talked to Eilam about it these past few days and asked him the reason. It's exactly the same as my analysis."
"Is it because he doesn't want to be registered as part of the Xenos household?" I asked.
Shawn kissed my fingers. "Yes, so let him be."
"He is still putting himself outside of the family..."
Shawn comforted me, "He will feel less stressed out this way."
"Let's talk about the future later. We'll take it step by step. When both you and I get older, we won't be able to control those brats."
Shawn hummed in a low voice, "Older?"
"Don't you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"
Shawn smilingly reassured me, "No matter what their future holds, it's their own choice. Our responsibility is simply to raise them to adulthood. Nothing more."
I shook my head and corrected him. "Being parents is not that simple. We have to take care of them for a lifetime, and then take care of our grandchildren. It's not as easy as you say."
The man pursed his lips and smiled. "Perhaps I'm naturally indifferent?"
He was indeed born indifferent.
But being indifferent was not the same as being heartless.
He was just keeping everything to himself.
"I'll go check on the kids," I mentioned.
"They are probably still asleep."
"One or two hours would have passed by the time I finished taking a shower and got dressed. I also need to put on a face mask and take care of my skin. It takes time."
Shawn asked doubtfully, "Is it that troublesome?"
"It's a mystery to men, eh?"
I got up and kissed the corner of his lips before I went into the bathroom. It took about 40 minutes to take a shower, another 20 to blow-dry my long hair, and another 20 minutes to apply the face mask and skincare products. Applying my makeup took about half an hour, and straightening my hair took ten minutes. It took me more than two hours in total. Shawn, who had been sitting on the bed reading, had to admit that women were troublesome.
As always, he complimented me, "You look beautiful, Mrs. Xenos."
I changed into a white long dress. "I'll change into a formal dress later. I'll go see the children first, and then I'll come find you."
Shawn didn't like crowded places.
He would only show up at important moments.
It seemed to be his usual style.
"Okay. I'll come downstairs later."
I went downstairs to the other villa and found the nannies who slept with Skyler and River. These two nannies had been with the children at Felix's Villa before, so they knew the children very well and were familiar with me. When they saw me coming, one of the nannies smiled and informed me, "Little Master and Little Lady are taking a bath in the bathroom."
Another nanny was giving the children a bath.
I asked her, "What about the new clothes?"
"They're here. Mr. Briar sent them over earlier."
After the bath, the two nannies changed the children into their new clothes, which were traditional attires. Skyler even had a red hat.
I kissed him on the cheek. "You sure look like the young master from a big family in this outfit. Come, let Mama hug you."
I picked up Skyler.
He hugged my neck and called me Mama.
A one-year-old child could properly pronounce the word Mama.
Upon hearing that, I joyfully kissed his cheek again.
I carried Skyler out, and the nanny carried River behind me. After I went back to my own villa, I put Skyler next to Shawn. I then went to pick up River and informed the two nannies, "You can go downstairs and have breakfast first."
When River saw Shawn, she called out, "Papa! Huggie!"
I stood by the bed and complained, jealous, "Geez, you're making me envious. River only remembers Papa and doesn't remember Mama, huh?"
River reached out her hands to Shawn.
When Shawn heard what I said, he took the child from my arms and comforted me, "I rarely spend time with Leo. It's normal for her to be curious about me."
"That means I've spent more time with her."
I took off my shoes and sat on the bed, hugging Skyler. His cheeks were soft, and I couldn't help but keep touching them. That was when Shawn asked me, "Is it fun?"
"Of course it's fun. His cheeks are softer than yours."
Shawn didn't say anything at that.
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID before answering. I heard him ask in a low voice, "What's the matter?"
A momentary pause later, he uttered, "Okay, let it be for now."
"Is something wrong?" I asked him after he hung up the phone.