Become a mother in a night

Chapter 20

Michelle really didn't feel like taking Lizzy out to play.
However, when even Mr. Alex, known workaholic that he was, said such a thing, she, a mere freelance professional, found no ground to refuse. Alex, after all, was someone who dealt with multi-million-dollar businesses. Every minute he spent was potentially worth millions. If he believed that spending time with a child was more important than work, how could her drafts, possibly deemed worthless, ever compare to the importance of a child?
Michelle had on more than one occasion asked Alex to spend more time with Lizzy. Now, the roles seemed to be reversed. If she declined now, she suspected Alex would have a reason to rebut her in the future.
Reluctantly, Michelle agreed.
However, she made it clear to Alex that she had commitments in the afternoon. She could only join them for a morning outing. Alex had no objections; he had plans to return to his office in the afternoon to attend to some matters.
The two novice parents, as if checking off a task on a list, quickly settled on the time and place for the next day's outing. With that sorted and feeling a little self-conscious about her appearance, Michelle was about to close the door, bringing the cherries and milk to Lizzy.
As Alex was leaving, he took a final glance at Michelle and voiced his concern. "Girls with long hair can catch cold easily if they don't dry it," he remarked.
It was similar to a situation where a girl wearing a hat to cover her unwashed hair is told by a friend that her hair looks oily. Michelle clearly hadn't grasped Alex's caring intent; she only heard the part she didn't want to.
She understood his point and responded with a smile, "Right, I'll get it cut short in a couple of days." If long hair not dried properly could lead to catching a cold, surely short hair wouldn't have that problem, right?
Alex paused, then simply responded, "Um... Okay."
Alex added with a hint of resignation, "Whatever makes you happy."
Having finalized the plans for the next day and delivering fruits and milk to Michelle and Lizzy, Alex didn't linger. His study was on the second floor, so he quickly returned to start his overtime work for the day.
Eleanor had often teased him for being clueless and having low emotional intelligence.
He thought, perhaps he should let Eleanor see for herself what kind of mentality Michelle had.
Though Sebastian only had Alex as his child, being part of the Rivenhold's prominent family meant that the Ye family was more than just Sebastian's nuclear family. Considering Lizzy's age, Alex felt that she should spend more time with her peers. So, he invited his cousin Nathan's three-year-old daughter, Sophie, hoping they could all hang out together.
Nathan, learning that someone was willing to help watch over his child during the weekend, was delighted. He quickly brought Sophie over. Just as he was about to make his escape, however, Alex stopped him.
With a nonchalant look, Alex calmly said, "Why are you hurrying off? Stay with us." Alex was counting on Nathan to help watch the children so he could have more time to chat with Michelle. Nathan, of course, knew Alex's intentions, and the realization almost made him faint. Looking after one child was exhausting enough, let alone two. He inwardly cursed.
Nathan thought he should take Sophie home. Watching over one child was certainly easier than two. However, the moment Sophie laid eyes on Lizzy, her eyes sparkled. She immediately ran over and hugged Lizzy, refusing to let go.
Sophie excitedly called out, "Lizzy~~!" The very first day Sophie met Lizzy, she wanted to play with her and even gave Lizzy her favorite lollipop. In Sophie's mind, since Lizzy had accepted her candy, they were now the best of friends!
Watching the heartwarming interaction between Sophie and Lizzy, Nathan knew there was no chance of them leaving early. He braced himself for another exhausting day. Alex knew that Lizzy and Sophie were classmates in kindergarten, but he hadn't expected their bond to be this strong.
Trying to reassure Nathan, Alex said, "My Lizzy is very well-behaved." Implying, unlike your Sophie who's a handful, taking care of Lizzy shouldn't be a problem.
To this, all Nathan could do was give Alex a resigned and exasperated look.
Lizzy hadn't expected to see her kindergarten buddy here and was visibly thrilled. The two children giggled and hugged for a moment before Alex introduced Nathan to Lizzy, "This is your uncle."
Lizzy had never met Nathan; usually, it was Sophie's mother who picked Sophie up from school. Upon hearing Alex's introduction, Lizzy, tilting her head slightly, replied in her soft, childlike voice, "Hello, uncle."
Sophie, naturally recognizing her elder cousin, imitated Lizzy's politeness, turning to Alex and greeted, "Hello, elder uncle."
This was Nathan's first time meeting Michelle in person, but he had heard about her and Lizzy from family talks. Nathan was about to teach Sophie to call Michelle "auntie." Yet, Sophie, intuitively and with a sweet demeanor, said to Michelle, "Sissy you look so pretty today~~"
Nathan glanced at his cousin Alex, whose face remained entirely expressionless. Not wanting to guess what Alex might be thinking, Nathan quickly corrected Sophie, "Sophie, you should call her 'auntie'." It's not proper for children to address elders as peers. "Sophie, can't you see that you've made another elder's face turn?"
However, Sophie ignored Nathan's words and even huffed at him in displeasure. "If Lizzy's sister is her 'sister,' then she's my 'sister' too!" Nathan thought, "..." He was at a loss for words. He couldn't bear to scold Sophie, and he definitely didn't dare chastise her. Otherwise, he'd be in trouble when they returned home.
It was only then that Michelle realized that the little friend from Lizzy's class was indeed part of the Ye family. And could it be that Sophie and Lizzy were related by blood, like sisters? Michelle glanced between Alex and Nathan and then, with a smile, complimented Sophie, "Sophie, you look pretty today too." She didn't mind Sophie's way of addressing her.
While she was of an age to be called "auntie," being called "sister" wasn't a big deal, right? Michelle's upbringing hadn't really instilled a strong sense of such formalities. She didn't realize that Sophie's choice of address had inadvertently changed the dynamics between her and Alex. Both Alex and Nathan caught onto it, though.
Alex pondered how to correct Lizzy's habit of calling Michelle "sister." Nathan, unsure of the intricacies at play, chose to remain silent.
Being the older cousin, Alex was always considerate of Nathan's challenges in handling two young kids. Hence, today's activities were planned to be quite relaxed. He intended to take them to a graffiti experience center where they could play with paints, followed by a trip to a fruit garden to pick strawberries. By the time they finished picking, it would be lunchtime. After their meal, they would return to the Ye residence.
In truth, bringing Lizzy to the graffiti center wasn't just for fun. The child was nearing four years old, the perfect age to cultivate interests and foster good study habits through those passions. Alex had previously discussed this with Michelle, but having never attended any hobby classes as a child herself, she didn't quite grasp the concept. She simply trusted Alex to handle it.
Although Michelle was younger and often claimed she "didn't understand" or felt "bothered" by such matters, Alex knew better. Whenever he talked about matters concerning Lizzy, Michelle listened attentively. If she agreed, she'd nod, and if she had reservations, she'd voice them to Alex.
The graffiti center had dedicated teachers to guide children in drawing or crafting. Parents could choose to accompany their children or relax in a designated area outside. Neither Alex nor Michelle felt inclined to dabble in paints with the kids. After a shared glance, they chose to observe the little ones from the outside.
Feeling awkward being a third wheel yet concerned for the kids, Nathan had no choice but to don an apron and join them, helping with paints, drawing, and crafts.
The two adults sat in the resting area. Through the classroom's large glass window, they watched as Lizzy and Sophie immersed themselves in their drawings. Thoughtfully, Alex bought a milk tea for Michelle and also got some candies for the kids to have later.
"Thank you," Michelle murmured as she took the drink from Alex, her mind drifting to matters concerning a manuscript she was working on.
Noticing her distraction, Alex cleared his throat lightly, trying to catch her attention. Michelle looked up to see him empty-handed and asked, somewhat bemused, "Didn't you bring your notebook?" After all, Alex was known for his workaholic tendencies and was always driven in his professional pursuits. Why not make use of this downtime to tend to some work matters?
Hearing Michelle's comment, Alex found himself regretting not bringing his laptop. However, he quickly snapped back to reality. Today, he was here to spend time with Lizzy and, in the process, cultivate his relationship with Michelle, not to work. Taking a sip from his coffee, Alex set aside his ever-present drive for his career.
After a while, when Alex looked back at Michelle, he found her lost in thought, gazing at the children drawing inside the classroom. He followed her gaze and saw kids sprawled over the table, randomly doodling with their crayons. Sensing his attention, Michelle snapped back and smiled at him. "It seems Lizzy really enjoys drawing," she remarked. Alex just hummed in agreement.
Building on that topic, Alex discussed the idea of enrolling Lizzy in hobby classes. The benefits of such classes were manifold: fostering interests, teaching skills, and keeping the child engaged. As long as the child enjoyed what she was learning, everything would be fine. Having been enrolled in numerous classes during his own childhood, Alex could recite Eleanor's theories on the matter verbatim.
When Alex listed the advantages of hobby classes to Michelle, who truly didn't understand these things, she seemed amenable. In reality, she hardly ever objected to his ideas.
Once the topic of hobby classes was done, Alex prepared to discuss a more personal matter between the two of them. Looking into Michelle's eyes, his face relaxed and composed, he said, "Michelle, there's also the matter between you and me that I'd like to discuss."
Suddenly, Michelle remembered something Isabella had told her. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Are you giving me twenty million?"
Caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic, Alex paused for a moment. But twenty million was a sum he could manage. If Michelle needed the money, he'd provide. After a brief silence, he asked, "And then, would you marry me?"
Now it was Michelle's turn to be taken aback. She blinked, "...What?"