?Chapter 1431:


    “Wait!” Hadley grabbed his wrist, standing abruptly. “One second.” She darted off without exnation.


    “Hadley?” Eric called, confused by her sudden exit.


    She returned quickly, clutching a lollipop. Unwrapping it in front of him, she held it out. “Now drink up.”


    “Okay.” Eric’s lips twitched, suppressing a grin as he raised the bowl.


    He took a small sip, then recoiled, his face contorting at the overwhelming bitterness. It was worse than he had expected.


    “Don’t stop!” Hadley urged, steadying the bowl. “Down it all at once, or it’ll be harder to finish.”


    “Okay…” Eric squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to gulp it down. When he finally set the empty bowl on the table, his mouth tingled with bitterness, and he shot Hadley a pitiful, almost wounded look.


    “Open your mouth!” Hadley said, swiftly popping the lollipop into his mouth. “This will help with the taste.”


    The sudden burst of sweetness caught Eric off guard, spreading across his tongue.


    Hadley watched him closely, her eyes sparkling. “Is it sweet?”


    “Yeah,” Eric said, momentarily stunned. The sugary warmth seemed to radiate from his mouth to his chest, and his grin stretched wide. “It’s really sweet.” He rolled the candy in his mouth and then teased, “Did you steal this from Joy’s stash?”


    “Steal? What do you mean steal?” Hadley arched a brow. “Didn’t you buy them for her?”


    Despite her defense, a flicker of guilt crossed her face.


    “Haha…” Eric chuckled, pressing further. “What if Joy notices and gets upset?”


    “Will she find out?” Hadley’s eyes widened in surprise. “She won’t, will she? She has so much candy… I only took one.”


    Your favorite tales are on gα?ησν????s??оnn


    “That’s hard to say,” Eric said, his tone yful. “Kids see things differently. To Joy, those candies are her little treasures.”


    “Then…” Hadley’s guilt deepened, and she nced at him. “If she finds out, just say you ate it. Don’t drag me into it.”


    Ericughed, delighted by her flustered expression. “You’re something else.”


    “What’s so funny?” Hadley huffed, growing irritated. “It’s true that you’re the one who ate it!”


    “Haha… Yes, I am,” Eric said, still chuckling, his eyes crinkling with amusement.


    “Stopughing!” Hadley snapped, exasperated.


    “Alright, I’m done,” Eric said, though his smile lingered, warm and content.


    Moments like these felt like a gift, almost too perfect to be real.


    “By the way,” Eric said, shifting to a more serious topic, “Have you given any thought to Joy’s nationality issue?”


    Hadley froze, her expression tightening.


    She hadn’t decided yet. They had to proceed for Joy to go to school here. Yet, formalizing it would mean Eric would legally be Joy’s primary guardian, a step that felt monumental.


    Seeing her hesitation, Eric knew what she was worried about. He wasn’t in a hurry and gently persuaded her, “Joy is my daughter. Naturally, I want her to have the best opportunities, like a top-tier education. You want that for her too, don’t you?”


    .<fn373d> Fresh chapters posted on find~novel</fn373d>


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