Even from a distance, Margaret could spot Eva with the two children.
A little boy and a little girl were by her side, their features strikingly simr - they were twins.
When Jacob had called her about this, she was astounded.
"Children? Adrian ckwood and Eva''s children?"
"Yes, ma''am."
"This... Eva has children with Adrian ckwood? How old are they?"
Margaret was nearly moved to tears when Jacob informed her the twins were already five years old-a boy and a girl, no less.
Given Adrian ckwood''s reclusive nature, along with Eva''s apparent disinterest in further contact, Margaret had resigned herself to the idea that Adrian might never settle down or give her the chance to embrace grandchildren. She had mentally prepared herself for this possibility.
Finally, she had convinced herself to let go: no grandchildren, so be it. It wasn''t her ce to worry about her son''s family nning.
After all, if Adrian ckwood wasn''t fretting over it, why should she?
But the surprise hade swiftly. Just moments ago she fretted over not having grandchildren, and then suddenly, there were two! And from afar, she could see that the siblings had the charming looks of porcin dolls, naturally attracting gazes on the street. Most importantly, they bore a striking resemnce to Adrian ckwood.
Before leaving for the visit, the housemaid, having overheard her phone conversation, couldn''t help but express concerns as Margaret was about to leave. "Ma''am, hasn''t Ms. Hansen been gone for five years? How could there be children of our young master? Could there be some deceit? Is it even possible for the children to be our young master''s?"
Margaret, who had yet to meet Eva and the children, bristled at the housemaids'' spection, reprimanding sharply, "The ckwood family pays you to clean, not to gossip about its members."
The maid jumped at her fiery response, shrinking back, "I apologize, ma''am. I shouldn''t have spoken out of turn. But... it''s just that I was worried about the young master being deceived, that''s all. There was no malice intended." Approaching their destination, Margaret couldn''t help but squat down in anticipation.
From a distance, Eva caught sight of the ckwood couple. Despite the years, Margaret was unchanged, still radiating beauty. She offered a smile from afar before crouching down and spreading her arms wide in a weing embrace. "Ruby, Dn," Eva whispered gently, "meet Grandma and Grandpa."
The kids had been prepped for this meeting on the ne. Once Eva introduced them, they immediately called out cheerily, "Hi, Grandpa! Hi, Grandma!"
Despite the children''s cautious nces reflecting their unfamiliarity, Margaret didn''t mind.
"Oh, my," she murmured, her voice filled with excitement as she swept the children into her embrace.
Next to her, Kim ckwood watched the scene unfold. Compared to Margaret, he had been ratherposed, but now couldn''t conceal his excitement, squatting down in front of the kids.
Eva stood by, chuckling at how the grandparents indulged in a volley of childlike curiosity: questions about names, ages, school, favorite foods, dislikes, and various habits.
Eventually, Eva couldn''t help but interject, "Maybe... time to get up? Aren''t your legs tired from squatting so long?"
Herment brought them back to reality. Instead ofining about any difort, they suggested, "Right, right, you''ve been traveling all day, must be exhausted. Let''s get home, have the chef whip up something delicious, and then a warm bath and a good rest."
"Sounds good."
Eva was about to reach for the children''s hands, but the ckwood couple each swept up a child and started heading off.
That''s... heartwarming," Eva thought, noticing their exceeding affection for the youngsters.
After all these years away, she''d feared Uncle Kim and Aunt Margaret might feel distant, but their warm reception dispelled those concerns.
"Ms. Hansen, shall we go too?" Jacob''s voice called from behind, snapping Eva back to the present. She nodded, "Sure."
And together, they all followed in the ckwood''s steps.