Estre chuckled, her voice a yful tease in the quiet room. “I’ve already taken my shower, why would
I need to butter you up? Go on, get cleaned up.”
She nudged Jason toward the bathroom. With a boyish grin, Jason cupped Estre’s face in his hands
and nted a quick kiss on her lips. “Honey, just wait for me, okay? I’ll be quick, don’t you worry.” With
that, he turned on his heel, grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe, and whistled a tune as he made
his way to the bathroom.
Estre stood in the bedroom, arms crossed, a bemused smile ying on her lips as she watched his
swaggering exit.
What a character! An entire evening of antics, all for what? Just to end up in bed with her.
Jason took advantage of the opportunity to let her soothe him, and Estre could see through it when
she returned to the private room. Lately, he had been like a puppy eager for a treat, especially after her
closing a big case at work today-he might as well have
had his intentions written on his forehead.
Recalling Jason’s mood swings and now the whistling from the bathroom, Estre couldn’t help but roll
her eyes. Men, no matter how tough they are outside, there’s always
a childish side to them at home.
In no time, Jason emerged from the shower, fresh and fragrant, only to find the warm milk on the table
already gone and the fruit half-eaten. Estre, meanwhile, had sumbed to sleep on the bed.
Jason paused mid-dry, then approached Estre and gently nudged her dangling foot. “Estre,” he
called softly.
“Estre.”
But no matter how much he called her name, she only seemed to sleep deeper.
Jason felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him-chilled to the core.
That little brat, ying games with him!
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
With a frustrated toss of the towel, Jason wrapped Estre in his arms, pinning her wrists. “Estre, are
you messing with me?”
Her eyes still closed, Estre mumbled, “Jason, I’m so tired.” Then she added, “And a little cold.”
Jason retorted, “Of course you’re cold. You didn’t cover up with a nket.”
Seeing Estre so still in his arms, murmuring sleepily, Jason remembered her recent hard work and
the stress of the concluded court case. In the end, he couldn’t bear to wake her. Instead, he tenderly
carried her back to the center of the bed, tucked her in, and turned off
09:52
the light.
Estre, nestled in the soft pillows, drifted even deeper into sleep. As for Jason, well, he could stew
over his little schemes all he wanted.
She remembered how hard it had been when she wanted to share his bed, and all the tricks she’d
tried. Now, she wasn’t about to make it easy for him-she wasn’t even considering remarriage yet.
The next morning, Estre woke to find Jason already up, giving her a look of resentment. Stretching,
she reached for her phone by the pillow and joked, “Oh right, I think I might have ‘slept’ youst night. I
owe you a tip.”
Mentioning it only made Jason’s expression darken further. “Estre,” he said curtly.
That one word from him made Estre pause. “Wait. No, that’s not right. We didn’t actually…”
Unable to hold back any longer, Jason rolled over and pulled her into his embrace. “You heartless girl,
messing with me for fun.”
Caught in Jason’s hold, Estre couldn’t help butugh, remembering his bathroom serenade from the
night before. “It wasn’t to tease you, I swear. I’m just exhausted. If you want, I can step on the scale to
prove how much weight I’ve lost.”
When Estre finished, Jason kissed her directly on the lips, not letting her speak or resist anymore.
After their passionate kiss, Estre propped herself up on Jason’s chest and gently reminded him,
“Stop it, I need to get to Glimmering Lake before noon.” She had promised to join the locals for lunch
after receiving their call yesterday.
With reluctance, Jason released her and they both prepared to leave for Glimmering Lake. Estre had
intended just a simple meal, but the vigers had gone all out with a hearty spread. She reassured
them, advising them to seek medical care and check-ups when necessary. She promised that
ChemiSphere would pay every penny as ordered by the court and that she would personally follow up
on the matter.
After lunch, having wrapped up their business at Glimmering Lake, Estre and Jason headed back
downtown. Only upon arriving at Nelson International and seeing Drew and the other two secretaries
loading gifts into the car did Estre remember that Jason was due at her family’s house for dinner that
night.
After the secretaries left, Estre turned to Jason, suggesting, “Maybe you should skip tonight, to avoid
any awkwardness.”
Three years ago, things might have been strained, but at least her mother, Autumn, had been cordial
with him. But now, even Autumn’s warmth had cooled, and her father was
never a fan. What was the point in Jason’ going?
Jason nced at her coldly. “Am I that embarrassing to you?”
Estre stared at him, then sighed. “Fine, do whatever you want.” After all, it wasn’t her
difort at stake.
So, at half-past five, while the sky was still tinged with the day’s light, Jason’s car rolled up to the
Dorvold family home.
No sooner had they stepped through the door than Isaac came running at Estre with open arms.
“Mommy, mommy!” It was as though he hadn’t seen Estre in years.
Estre’s heart swelled with joy as she lifted Isaac into her arms. Meanwhile, the housekeeper relieved
Jason of his gifts, and Autumn said, “Jason, you don’t have to do this. Justing over for dinner is
enough. There’s no need to bring all this.”
Jason grinned, a gesture of ‘it’s all good, before turning to Isaac. Isaac cleared his throat and belted
out, “Uncle Jason!”
Ever since Isaac caught Jason in a tender moment with Estre, he had forsaken the title ‘Dad’ for
Jason, no matter how tight they got afterwards, sticking to ‘Uncle’ instead.
The vibrant call of ‘Uncle’ echoed, leaving Jason with a bittersweet pang in his chest, oh how he longed
for the days when isaac would call him ‘Dad.’ Nevertheless, he scooped Isaac up in his arms, “Son, I’ve
got a new toy for you. Let’s go y.”
“Thanks,” Isaac replied with a grin.
Off to the side, Autumn couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the peculiar dynamic, mumb “Son and uncle.
What in the world…”
Estre, unfazed, simply shrugged it off, “Let them be. I’m going to head upstairs to change.”
After a quick outfit swap, Estre came back down to find Isaac and Jason having the time of their
lives, so she settled in to review some documents.
Meanwhile, Autumn was bustling in the kitchen. Although she often imed she wasn’t Jason’s biggest
fan, the dishes Autumn was whipping up were all his favorites