?Chapter 1289:


    “Your future son-inw, apparently,” n said, strolling in wearing a in white t-shirt. “Nina gathered the neighborhood kids to witness her wedding with Jerome.”


    “Wedding?” Freya repeated, eyebrows raised.


    Ellis, however, lookedpletely unfazed.


    “She even said that when she grows up, she’s going to marry him and bring him home,” n added with a chuckle.


    Freya paused, considering this. “Is Jerome good-looking?”


    “Yeah.” n nodded without hesitation. “Just as adorable as Jesse.”


    Freya wasn’t surprised anymore. Nina was absolutely obsessed with pretty faces.


    Still, Freya wasn’t worried. She’d already sat Nina down and exined what it meant to set boundaries and protect herself.


    “That kid’s a genius, just like Jesse,” n went on. “Last time he came over, the two of them had a hacking face-off. I didn’t understand a single thing, but it looked seriously impressive.”


    Freya blinked in surprise. “Hacking?”


    n nodded. “Yeah.”


    “Mommy! Jerome learned hacking all on his own!” Nina piped up excitedly, bouncing on her heels. “If you teach him, he’ll be even better than Jesse!”<fn042d> Follow current nov?ls on find·novel</fn042d>


    Jesse, still stuck beside her on punishment duty, waspletely speechless.


    Ellis cast a nce their way, his gaze dark and unreadable. “Stand properly.”


    “Oh.” Nina instantly turned and stood straight.


    But her eagerness to talk about Jerome made her squirm with excitement. She kept fidgeting—hands twitching, feet shifting—and whispered to Jesse now and then, aplete departure from her usual quiet self during punishment.


    Ellis noticed.


    He rose from his seat and walked over, his tall frame casting a long shadow, dark eyes fixed on her.


    Nina snapped to attention like a soldier.


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    He stayed there, watching them in silence, for the entire duration of their punishment.


    Even when the three hours ended, Nina didn’t dare move.


    When Jesse’s watch beeped, signaling time was up, he said coolly, “Three hours are up. We’re free to go.”


    Nina was just about to budge when she caught sight of her father still standing nearby—and froze.


    Why? Why was their dad still there?


    “Daddy,” she said, voice soft and sweet.


    Ellis raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”


    “Are you thirsty?” Nina asked quickly, grasping for an excuse. “I’ll go get you a ss of water.”


    “No need,” Ellis replied, seeing right through her little scheme.


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