Chapter 65


    Chapter 65


    The youngdy took a few more pictures and sent then all to Hayley with a caption that read, ‘Miss


    Seymour, you may want to keep a close eye on your man because this woman here is trying to


    seduce him!


    Hayley was lounging in her hospital room and scrolling through videos on her phone when she


    clicked into the new text. When she saw the pictures of Anastasia and Elliot, her eyes widened in


    disbelief while anger rose in her chest. Anastasia is on a date with Elliot with her son in tow!


    She wondered furiously if it meant Anastasia intended to have Elliot be her son’s new father. A


    single mother like Anastasia had little to no prospects on the marriage market, and she could very


    well be using Amelia’s sacrifice from all those years ago to trap Elliot in a marriage in the guise of


    repaying a selfless deed. Not only that, she’s trying to get Elliot to ept her son as well!


    Hayley thought she had already seen through Anastasia’s plot, and she swore she would not let the


    latter seed.


    It looked like it was time for her to approach Elliot’s family and let them know that she had given up


    her chastity just to get Elliot out of a tight spot as well.


    Meanwhile, under the lights of the restaurant, Elliot was practically glimmering with elegance as he


    sipped on his red wine, the shadows and lights interying over his delicately-chiseled features.


    He looked up and gazed at Jared from across the table. At that moment, he had a sudden feeling


    that he and this boy met under the most particr of circumstances, which inevitably led to his


    affection for the little boy.


    Likewise, Jared felt the same thing. He had only met Elliot on a few asions, but he inexplicably


    warmed to him and found him very much like a safe harbor. As far as he was concerned, Elliot was


    a man he could trust.


    Jared was only a child, and for a child to feel safe around someone they did not live with was a rare


    situation indeed.


    After dinner that evening, Elliot dropped them off at the apartment. Anastasia held Jared by the


    hand and helped him down from the car before turning to address Elliot, “Thank you for thisAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    evening.”


    With that, she led Jared away from the car and toward the apartment.


    Just then, Jared suddenly piped up, “Mommy, since Mr. Presgrave bought us dinner, shouldn’t we at


    least have him up to the house for tea?”


    Anastasia froze. She had no intention of asking the man to drop by her house for a cup of tea, but


    now that Jared had mentioned it, it would seem rude of her not to extend an invitation to Elliot.


    “Would you like toe up for a cup of tea?” she asked, having turned around to ask the man in


    the driver’s seat.


    She had assumed that he would say no, what with his busy schedule and all. It was only a matter of


    courtesy on her part to ask him to stay for a cup of tea, and it was the only way she could get her


    kid off her back about being a polite host.


    However, she most certainly did not expect Elliot to turn off the car engine and emerge from the


    driver’s seat. His straight and tall silhouette came down from the car and walked up to the entrance.


    “I suppose I could do with a cup of tea,” he said as he approached them. All of a sudden, Anastasia


    felt pressured as she took in his towering figure. I shouldn’t have asked, she thought darkly while


    regretting her decision.


    “Mr. Presgrave, you can drop by my house for a ss of water!” Jared offered with a happy jump


    like he was in a pantomime.


    And just like that, Anastasia brought the man home. She rummaged through the cab for a spare


    cup, but when she could find none, she resorted to filling Jared’s cup with water. When she handed


    the mug with the cartoon printed on it to Elliot, she said, “I hope you don’t mind using my son’s cup.”


    The man wasn’t bothered in the slightest as he took the cup and drank from it. Meanwhile, the little


    one was building bricks next to the couch. He nced over at the boxes of toys stacked up on the


    couch, and at first nce, none of them looked cheap.


    Elliot immediately guessed that the toys had been bought by Nigel. Without dwelling on it, he turned


    his attention on Jared, who seemed engrossed in building bricks, and the somber gleam in his eyes


    disappeared as a look of warmpassion reced it.


    Meanwhile, it looked like it was going to rain soon. Anastasia was bringing in theundry from the


    balcony, but just as she was making her way across the living room, a pink piece of clothing fell out


    of the heap in her arms. She didn’t notice this, but Elliot, with his eagle eyes, did.


    The pink fabric that had fallen wasdies’ underwear.


    He rose from the couch and grabbed the flimsy garment off the ground. Then, he


    headed into the room after Anastasia and said, “Hey, you dropped this.”


    She turned around, and her pretty eyes widened by a fraction when she registered her underwear


    hanging on the tip of Elliot’s finger. She hurried over and snatched the garment out of his grip,


    blushing as she muttered, “Thanks.”


    At that moment, a purple streak of lightning shed across the dark sky, and this was followed by a


    deafening p of thunder.


    A childish scream sounded from the living room as Jared cried out, “Mommy!” He had abandoned


    his toy bricks and had both his hands pped over his ears, looking terrified.


    Elliot instantly walked back to the couch and scooped the little boy into his arms, drawing the child


    close. The little one was pressed into Elliot’s well-toned chest, shrinking into the man’s embrace as


    he hid from the thunder.


    When Anastasia hastily walked out of the room, she was greeted by the sight of Elliot protectively


    holding Jared close.


    Another loud crack of thunder echoed in the sky, and this time, a torrential downpour followed. The


    gray tes of rain showered across the balcony, and just as Anastasia was assessing the weather


    beyond the window, a white lightning tore through the sky ferociously. The thunder that came after


    was loud and violent, causing Anastasia to instinctively cover her ears. She seemed to shrink into


    herself, looking terrified as well.


    At that exact moment, Jared clutched tightly onto Elliot, equally terrified. It was then that Elliot


    realized with a tug of his heartstrings how the fear for thunderstorms was clearly a shared trait


    between mother and son.