Chapter 2005


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    Hertha shot ric a quick nce, her cheeks ming at the memory of that dizzying kiss that had left her in a whirl. Hurriedly, she turned away, scooping up Julian and heading inside.


    She felt a flush of embarrassment. Just moments before, she had been firmly rejecting ric''s advances, and the next, she was lost in his passionate kiss.


    To an outsider, it might look like she was ying hard to get with ric.


    But heaven knows, she had no interest in ying any sort of love games with ric.


    Deciding to give up on a man she deeply loved was hard enough. Having made that decision, she didn''t want to backslide so easily.


    Yet, ric''s unexpected kiss had broken down her defenses, making it all the more difficult to keep him at arm''s length.


    Though Hertha quickly turned away, ric still caught the blush spreading across her cheeks, as striking as the glow of a sunset, stirring something deep inside him.


    The reaction from that kiss hadn''t fully subsided yet, and seeing Hertha''s embarrassed, flushed face made ric''s throat tighten. But with his adorable daughter in his arms, he couldn''t just lose hisposure. He swallowed hard, trying to tamp down his strong reaction, and followed Hertha inside with Helena in tow.


    As soon as they entered, Kimberly pulled out chairs at the dining table, shooting Hertha a stern look before turning her gaze to ric with a huff, "You two, put down the kids ande sit. We need to have a talk."


    Hearing the words "we need to have a talk," Hertha''s nerves tensed, and she instinctively looked at ric for some support.


    At that moment, ric was also looking her way, even more nervous than she was. After all, Kimberly was Hertha''s mother, his potential mother-in-w. Offending her could make marrying Hertha even more challenging.


    So, ric was extra cautious, not wanting to upset the mother-inw.


    He looked at Hertha, hoping she could back him up.


    Seeing the helpless look in Hertha''s eyes, ric realized she was just as afraid of her mother.


    It dawned on ric that he didn''t just need backing; he had to be the one to support Hertha.


    With this realization, ric


    straightened up, his lips curving into


    a polite smile, ready to face Kimberly with the perfect son-inw


    content belongs to


    He cheerfully said to Kimberly, "Your wish is mymand. We''ll take Helena and Julian to the yroom to enjoy some toys, and then we''ll join you for the meeting."


    Hertha couldn''t help but roll her eyes at ric''s tant ttery.


    Before she could finish her silent critique, ric was already leading the way to the yroom, winking at Hertha to follow.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Understanding his intent, Hertha quickly caught up, carrying Julian.


    Once in the yroom, ric gently set down Helena, tenderly ruffling her hair, "Helena, sweetheart, y with your brother for a bit with the toys. Mommy and Daddy wille y with you after the meeting,


    okay?"


    S


    "Okay, Daddy. Mommy, you too. Finish the meeting soon. We''ll wait in the yroom," Helena replied, always obedient and understanding. By then, Hertha had also let Julian down.


    The two kids busied themselves with the toy trains, and ric sidled up to Hertha, whispering, "We need to get our story straight for Kimberly." "What story?" Hertha asked, somewhat exasperated.


    "About us," ric said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.