“Stop it, guys,” Emmeline giggled, “It only takes me a few steps to go downstairs!”
“You just don’t want to see Bowie fuming with jealousy, do you?” Kenny smiled at her.
“We can talk about it,” Bowie joined in the conversation, “What about letting Kenny carry you until halfway down the staircase? I will carry you the rest of the way.”
“If all eleven of you siblings come today, I wouldn’t need to walk with my own feet anymore!” Emmeline laughed while she skipped away and went downstairs.
Kenny and Bowie exchanged a smile before following in her footsteps.
When everyone was finally downstairs, Sam had already brewed some coffee as expected.
“Mr. Kenny, Mr. Bowie, it has been a while, but you’re looking as handsome as always!”
“Such sweet words, you brat,” Kenny teased her, “You’re getting prettier by the day as well. Did you find yourself a boyfriend?”
“That’s right, Sam,” Bowie chipped in, “If you have a boyfriend now, remember to introduce him to us. We are your close in-laws, you know!”
Sam’s face was bright red upon hearing those teases. She cooed, “I am too young for that!”
Kenny launched into a fit of laughter, “From the look on your face, it seems like I am right on the mark!”
“I think so too,” Bowie agreed, “It seems that we need to prepare dowry very soon!”
“You’re right about that,” Emmeline did not forget to join in the fun, “If Sam is getting married, we will have to hold a huge banquet for her!”
“Ms. Louise,” Sam wanted to dig a hole to hide in it, “What are you saying?”
“We need to know who you’re marrying,” Emmeline winked at Sam, “Isn’t that the most important thing, Sam?”
Sam’s face continued to take on darker shades of red, “Hey, you can’t tease me like that!”
The siblings roared into laughter after they finally felt enough of teasing her.
They sat down around the coffee table and enjoyed some coffee and pastry. Life was good for them.
Since the brothers were here, Emmeline allowed Doris to take the afternoon off.
Kenny, Bowie, and Emmeline went to Macsen Villa after that.
They were huddling around Waylon and they were engaging in a lively banter.
It felt like time had turned back to a few years ago when Emmeline was still living on the island.
“We haven’t seen the Sun, Moon, and Star yet,” Kenny suddenly thought about the kids.
“From what I heard from Master Adelmar, it seems that you gave birth to quadruplets all those years ago,” Bowie asked, “He told me that the fourth child is called Timothy.”
“That’s right,” Emmeline nodded, “I was so poor that I could not even afford a pregnancy check. Who would know that I would have quadruplets waiting to come out into the world back then?”
“We got them some presents,” Kenny said, “We’ll give them those presents when we see them.”
“Master Adelmar also said that you should bring the kids to the island when the time is right,” Bowie added, “He misses the kids a lot. It was he who reminded us to bring presents for the kids.”
“Thank you for his kind thoughts,” Emmeline felt so touched that her eyes slightly reddened.
It was Robert who taught her the meaning of fatherly love after living with him for some years.
Someone pushed the door of the main hall open and it revealed Abel.
Kenny and Bowie had seen Abel before, but it was only a glance since they were in a hurry.
Upon seeing him, the brothers got up.
Waylon introduced the brothers to Abel again, fearing that Abel would not remember them.
In fact, both Kenny and Bowie were younger than Abel, but Abel still shook their hands and addressed them respectfully.
They all took their seats and they began to chatter. Benjamin and Janie joined the fray as well.
Everyone was in a merry mood, and they decided to have dinner together.
Since they had numerous guests, Benjamin ordered some dishes from the Struyria Banquet.
The men enjoyed some cigarettes and conversation while waiting for the delivery to arrive. At the same time, Emmeline held Janie’s hand as they strolled in the garden outside.
Suddenly, Waylon received a notification on his phone.
He checked the incoming caller. It was Doris.
He frowned slightly as he answered the call while walking away.
Doris’ vibrant voice came, “Mr. Adelmar?”
“Yeah,” Waylon’s tone was noncommittal, “Anything?”
“Didn’t we talk about this yesterday? I will treat you to a meal, and I will return your money.”
“Today is not suitable,” Waylon glanced at his brothers seated on the sofa, “I am going to have dinner with my family.”
“Is that so…” Doris sounded a little disappointed, “I do not need to work this afternoon, so I thought that I can make use of it to see you.”
“But I am not free,” Waylon answered mechanically, “Let’s do this another day. It’s not like we are in a rush.”
