Eugene eximed in frustration, "I''m not that chubby!"


    Mughed and yfully dodged him, refusing to make any changes to the drawing.


    After a bit of yful banter, they tidied up the room, and Eugene ended up sleeping on the hospital''s fold-out bed for the night.


    In just a few days, Eugene would be starting college. His professor, a renowned mathematician, had high expectations and was known for being exceptionally strict. Once sses began, Eugene knew he would have little personal time, so he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his sister while he still could.


    ...


    Nathaniel chuckled.


    On the night of the Festival, Nathaniel hosted a gathering at his private club, inviting a group of childhood friends to celebrate. As they enjoyed their drinks, Nathaniel received a message from Julian. Julian was typically reserved and hard to reach, so Nathaniel was quick to check the message.


    It was a photo of a candle adorned with lively little animals, with a note saying it was painted by his mom, and Julian loved it.


    He was slightly surprised that M had such artistic skills. His eyes instinctively flicked toward Lysander, who was seated beside him, feeling an inexplicable pang of guilt.


    Nathaniel had never mentioned to anyone, not even to Lysander, about Julian recognizing M as his mom. He knew how much Lysander disliked M and feared it might affect their friendship, so he kept it under wraps.


    However...


    His gaze drifted to Giselle, sitting on Lysander''s other side, and he couldn''t help but frown slightly.


    Lysander''s disdain for M stemmed from an old incident where she allegedly trapped him into marriage, disrupting his longstanding engagement with Giselle, a childhood friend of theirs.


    Nathaniel and Giselle had grown up together and shared a close bond, so naturally, he sided with Giselle and viewed M unfavorably, especially since his friend Lysander didn''t like her either.


    Yet, recently, because of Julian, Nathaniel had interacted with M more frequently. Every time he spoke with Julian, the boy would mention "mom." This made Nathaniel question his assumptions.


    Someone who was so gentle and patient with a child that wasn''t even their own didn''t seem like the kind of person who would resort to such deceitful tactics.


    Upon reflection, the pregnancy and marriage trap were things they''d witnessed firsthand, but the drugging incident was something Nathaniel had only heard about afterward. Lysander had never rified, so it must be true, right?


    Whether it was true or not, Nathaniel found himself warming up to M. Seeing his friend and Giselle sitting closely together now felt oddly unsettling.


    Lost in thought, Lysander suddenly turned to him, asking, "What are you looking at?"


    His eyes caught the bright phone screen, the candle with little animals standing out, and he took a closer look.


    "That''s quite a painting," he remarked.


    Giselle, noticing the shift in attention, leaned over curiously, "What painting?"


    Nathaniel quickly turned off the screen andughed it off, "Just a simple candle my little nephew sent me."


    Lysander, familiar with Nathaniel''s family situation and Julian''s story, inquired further. "How''s he doing?"


    "Great, just great. He''s at an age where he needs to be in school, so he''ll be starting soon."


    Nathaniel yfully wrapped an arm around Lysander''s neck and grinned, "By the way, my nephew is around the same age as your son. I''ve arranged for him to transfer to Adrian''s ss. Once school starts, make sure Adrian looks out for him, okay?"


    His intention was simple knowing he couldn''t sway M and was hesitant to approach Lysander, he figured Julian and Adrian could be friends. If the children got along, perhaps M would be more inclined to look after his nephew too.


    Lysander, unaware of Nathaniel''s underlying thoughts, readily agreed.