Ch. 616..620

Chapter 616

The very next second, his dark brows knitted, and an annoyed look emerged on his face. “Get lost.”

His voice was so cold that it was frightening.

Tara’s gaze trembled as her eyes immediately began to tear up. She took a small step back to the side and asked in a small voice, “What’s wrong, Odell? Is something troubling you?

Odell ignored her. Without even looking at her, he walked directly past her. Tara’s eyes widened as she looked at him in panic and reluctance. Seeing that he was about to walk away, she chased after him and grabbed hold of one of his arms. In a sobbing voice, she said, “Odell, please don’t be like this. You can tell me if you’re unhappy. Being angry isn’t good for your health. | don’t want you to be unhappy.”

Odell stopped in his tracks and looked at her with his deep and dark eyes. “Go back to your own place and don’t appear in front of my eyes again.”

His voice was grim and it was obvious that he was restraining his emotions. However, Tara did not notice this. All she knew was that Sylvia and him had separated, and he was alone now, so she had to hurry up and take the opportunity to return to his side!

In the next second, she pressed herself softly against him, and her voice became delicate. “Odell, please let me stay with you. | can help share your— Ah!” Before she could finish speaking, he had flung her away and she fell straight to the ground. Using his long legs, Odell strode toward the spot where he had parked his car.

Tara remained on the floor with an expression of confusion on her face.

What was going on? Why was this happening? Hadn't he already separated from Sylvia? He had clearly chosen to let her live while they were at gunpoint. Even the sapphire ring he had given her was hanging around her neck. Why had he still pushed her away?’

In a remote villa in the suburbs.

Day and night, the place remained quiet and the air was incomparably fresh. Fresh ingredients were brought in every day without Sylvia having to go out. Even the living supplies for her, Aunt Tonya, and the two little ones were neatly arranged in their rooms within a day.

Sylvia silently noted all these down in a book, thinking that when she left in the future, she would pay Thomas back in cash for all these supplies.

Even so, she still felt very guilty in her heart.

That was because Thomas had helped her so much. Even if she used all her assets to pay him back, it might still not be enough.

That morning, her eyes opened just after dawn. Isabel and Liam were still asleep. Sylvia kissed their little faces, got up, and went to the balcony to see a beautiful view of the sunrise.

In the distance, the round red sun rose from the mountains. The warm sunlight shone diagonally across and spread over the whole villa, giving people a feeling of vitality and hope.

Her eyes lit up. Then, she took out the drawing board and her paints, and started to paint while sitting on the ground. The paint that had been prepared was splashed on the white canvas with reckless abandon.

She wanted to record this beautiful scene before the sun rose, so she moved quickly. Her expression was extraordinarily serious.

It was only when the last stroke fell that she became aware of a figure standing behind her.

As the man’s slender figure leaned lazily against the wall, the sunlight that fell upon his brown eyes reflected a gentle luster. Sylvia was startled. “Thomas? How long have you been here?”

Thomas pursed his lips. “Not long.”

She smiled and got up, asking him, “What do you think of this painting?”

She was asking about the picture of the rising sun that she had just painted.

His lips curled as he said, “It’s very beautiful.”

Whether it was the visual impact or the feeling it gave off, it was a masterpiece.

It was even better than the real beauty outside.

Chapter 617

It was at the level of a world-class painter, which was the level she was at. Sylvia asked again, “Do you like it?”

Thomas looked at her. “Yes.”

“Then it’s yours. However, the painting still needs to dry. I'll send it to you when it’s dry.” She moved the painting board to the vent to the side.

His eyes flickered. “Thank you.”

Sylvia hurriedly said, “Don’t thank me. | owe you much more than this painting.”

He did not say anything.

She knew that he was someone who did not like to talk much, so she did not mind.

After putting the painting away, she walked up to him and said, “Come on, let’s go out.”

Thomas suddenly raised his hand, placed his warm fingertips on her forehead, and gently rubbed it twice. Sylvia froze.

After rubbing, he said in a soft voice, “There was paint on your forehead.”

She laughed dryly. “I could've wiped it myself. You didn’t have to do it for me.”

It was a little ambiguous. However, Thomas’ lips curved into a gentle yet seductive smile. “I wanted to wipe it for you.” Sylvia was speechless.

Well.

Without saying anything else, she quickly walked back into the bedroom while avoiding his eyes. Inside the bedroom, Liam had already woken up, but his little face showed that he was still slightly drowsy as he stared at the direction of the balcony.

He looked incredibly cute.

Sylvia quickly regained her composure and went to his side.

Liam's large eyes looked at her. “Mommy, what were you doing on the balcony?”

She replied, “I was painting.”

At that moment, Thomas came out from the balcony.

He glanced at Liam and said to Sylvia, “Tell me when the painting is dry. I’ll come to pick it up.” Sylvia replied, “Sure.”

He did not linger and went straight out.

“Mommy, did you give Uncle Thomas your painting?”

Sylvia replied truthfully, “Yeah, he helped me a lot, so | painted this painting to thank him.” Liam’s eyes flickered as he asked, “What did he help you with?”

It was rare that this little one wanted to chat with her, so Sylvia gave him a brief explanation of how Thomas had helped her. “Many years ago, when your sister and you were very young, | had to live on the streets because | had no money. It was Uncle Thomas who unexpectedly appeared to help. He even introduced me to a great painter, Uncle Simon. Without Uncle Thomas’ help, | might not have the career that | have now... There was also that time not long ago when | fell into the water and disappeared. It was also Uncle Thomas who saved me.”

Although she still could not help but want to curse Odell when she thought of those past incidents, she still avoided talking about him and only mentioned how Thomas helped her. Liam listened attentively and looked at her after she finished. “Mommy, was Dad not around when you faced those problems?”

Sylvia’s gaze changed.

‘Not only was he not around, it was his fault that | had to go through all that in the first place.’

She held back her anger and said, “No, he wasn’t.”

Odell was good to the children. What had happened between the two of them had to remain between them. No matter how much she hated him, she just could not pass on that hatred to the two children.

Unexpectedly, after she spoke , Liam fell into her arms.

He said, “I'll protect you from now on, Mommy.” Sylvia's heart instantly felt warm. She smiled and said softly, “Thank you, Liam, but | only want for your sister and you to live a happy life every day. | can handle adult matters by myself.” Liam did not say anything. He was thinking that if she could handle it, she would not have suffered so much and been saved so many times by this odd and complicated Uncle Thomas.

Chapter 618 Aweek went by in the blink of an eye.

During that week, Sylvia was able to see her two little ones every day the moment she opened her eyes. The landscape of the villa was extremely beautiful, every angle was like an artwork of its own. While accompanying the children, she also had the inspiration to paint.

Although Thomas lived here as well, he only occasionally appeared in the morning or evening. Even though he did not conceal his feelings for her, it was obvious that he also did not try to make things uncomfortable for her.

Thus, Sylvia lived here in comfort and ease.

That particular day, perhaps because Isabel was tired of eating Sylvia and Aunt Tonya’s cooking every day, the little girl suddenly cried out that she wanted to have a barbecue meal.

The kitchen had been stocked up with all sorts of fresh ingredients, so there was no shortage of meat and other groceries. Sylvia thus decided to have an outdoor barbecue at the artificial lake behind the villa. At noon, she moved the ingredients over with Aunt Tonya and Theodore’s help.

It was warm in spring, and the breeze was very pleasant. The willow trees by the lake were full of lush green leaves. Sylvia sent a message to Thomas, asking him to come down and join the barbecue.

Unexpectedly, just as she had gone over with Aunt Tonya and the children , his slender figure suddenly appeared.

He was wearing a loose white shirt with an open collar. The short brown hair at his temples was tousled by the wind, and his fair face looked very handsome beneath the sunlight. He looked like an elegant prince from a manga. “Uncle Thomas!”

As soon as he appeared, the little girl eagerly ran over to

him.

Thomas’s figure looked thin, but he easily picked the chubby little girl up.

Isabel happily sat in his arms.

The corners of his lips were slightly curled as he walked up to Sylvia with a gentle and spring-like smile. Sylvia also smiled at him. “Why are you here so early, Thomas?”

“There was nothing to do in my room,” he said.

Well.

Sylvia said, “Make yourself comfortable then. Aunt Tonya

and | will start the barbecue.”

“Sure.”

Sylvia sat on a chair and took some wooden skewers to prepare the ingredients for the barbecue with Aunt Tonya.

Thomas carried Isabel and walked to Liam’s side. Liam looked like a little adult as he sat alone on a bench while seriously reading a small book.

Noticing Thomas and Isabel, he only raised his eyes faintly before continuing to read. Thomas glanced at his book and smiled. “Are you interested in Al?” Liam's big and quiet eyes looked up at him. “How did you know | was reading about that?”

The book he was reading was about a very niche subject and did not specifically mention artificial intelligence. Only someone who was very well — versed in this subject would be able to see the connection.

“| know a little about the topic.” After a pause, Thomas continued, “I was the one who wrote the book you're reading.”

Liam's wide eyes were stunned, but the next second, he returned to his usual impassive look and said, “You're very impressive.”

“So are you.” Liam was so young, yet he could actually understand the book.

Thomas had written that book as an extracurricular textbook for university students. Liam was only five years old. He was obviously gifted.

“Uncle Thomas and Liam are both very impressive.” Isabel, who was sitting in Thomas’ arms, suddenly spoke up. Her sweet and childish voice was very pleasant to hear.

Thomas could not help but pat her on the head before he

anything you don’t understand or want to know more about.”

Liam continued to fix his eyes on the pages and said, ” Okay, thanks.”

Thomas pursed his lips. “You're welcome.”

Isabel suddenly pouted.

She suddenly felt that her brother and Uncle Thomas were a bit boring

Soon, she climbed down from Thomas’ arms and went to find Sylvia and Aunt Tonya with her little legs.

Chapter 619

As the smell of the charcoal grill began to rise, the sun set halfway down the mountain. The fiery clouds in the sky reflected on the lake, staining it orange and red as well. Sylvia was experienced in cooking barbecue and soon served up a plate of grilled meat.

Isabel had been waiting with her mouth open for a long time, so Sylvia immediately took two skewers to her. However, instead of rushing to stuff her own mouth, the little girl ran over to Thomas and Liam. She gave them the two skewers before coming back to ask Sylvia for more.

Before they knew it, the plate of skewers was empty. Meanwhile, Sylvia grilled another plate.

Isabel held the plate and divided the food among Thomas, Liam, Aunt Tonya, Theodore, and the workers who were in charge of pruning the garden.

The atmosphere was very lively.

Sylvia could see that Isabel was behaving very well even though she was rather noisy, so she focused on grilling the other ingredients.

However, while she was focused on her task, she suddenly heard a splash from not far away. She was shocked.

Then, Theodore cried out, “Isabel fell into the water!”

Sylvia’s hands shook, and she immediately ran toward the lake.

It was not dark yet, so she could see the little girl flailing in the water.

Just as Sylvia was about to jump in, a figure beside her was faster and instantly leaped inside. With a splash, he jumped into the water and quickly swam over to Isabel. He then scooped her up in his arms before swimming back to the shore.

Sylvia hurriedly crouched down and reached out to them.

In a short while, Isabel was brought over to her.

Sylvia quickly carried her up.

The little girl was choking on the water.

Sylvia turned her body sideways and patted her on the back.

After spitting out a mouthful of water, the little girl's chubby face began to look a little better. Sylvia could not help but frown and look at Isabel sternly.

Probably knowing that she had done something wrong, the girl’s small mouth trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened before she fell into Sylvia’s arms. She babbled on as she sobbed, “I was wrong, Mommy. | won’t play by the water ever again.” Sylvia hugged her tightly in her arms. Although her heart ached, she still said seriously, “I'll forgive you this time, but if this happens again, | won't forgive you the next time.”

“Mm-hmm. | know.”

Sylvia immediately picked her up. Then, she saw Thomas, who was still soaking wet.

Theodore had handed him his jacket, but Thomas did not put it on. He looked at Isabel in Sylvia's arms. Sylvia said to him, “Thank you, Thomas. Isabel is fine now. I'll take her back to change her clothes. You should also change into some clean clothes so that you don’t catch a cold.”

Thomas looked relieved. “Okay.”

Sylvia quickly carried Isabel back to the house.

Liam also followed them.

She dried the little girl’s hair, changed her into some clean clothes, and met Liam in front of the door. The little boy's face was impassive and cool as he stared

at Isabel.

Isabel pouted and called out, “Liam.”

Liam extended a small hand toward her. She immediately placed her chubby hand in it.

He said, “Follow me. You’re not allowed to stay more than half a meter away from me.”

He clearly still had a child’s voice, but his tone was overbearing

Sylvia pursed her lips. For a moment, she did not know whether to feel happy or helpless.

Chapter 620

Worried about the possibility of further accidents, Aunt Tonya and Theodore moved the barbecue grill and ingredients over to the front yard.

Sylvia and the two little ones saw them just as they came out of the living room.

When she got a whiff of the fragrant barbecue, Isabel immediately forgot that she had just fallen into the lake playing with the water. She immediately wanted to run over with her little legs so she could eat the meat, but she was pulled back by Liam’s hand.

She pouted unhappily.

Liam frowned.

Instantly, the little girl put on an obedient expression and said earnestly, “Liam, | want to eat some meat.” Liam hummed in reply. Then, he led her to the table and got her to sit down before allowing her to eat. When she observed this scene, Sylvia did not know whether to laugh or cry.

After a while, when Isabel had almost eaten her fill, Thomas came out of the house.

He had changed into a loose gray sweater and a pair of

trousers. His blow-dried hair casually hung down at his temples.

However, his face looked even paler than before.

Feeling like something was wrong, Sylvia went up to ask him, “Thomas, did you catch a cold?” Thomas replied, “I’m fine.”

She frowned. “Your voice sounds a little hoarse.”

“I'll be fine after drinking some water.” He smiled at her. With that, he went to sit in the other chair and poured himself a cup of warm water.

Sylvia saw that there did not seem to be anything wrong, so she did not dwell on it. After dinner, she took the two little ones to their room as usual.

Although Isabel seemed hale and hearty, she had fallen into the water earlier. Thus, Sylvia was worried that she might get sick and gave the girl some medication to prevent a cold.

Then, she gave Isabel a bath before tucking both Liam and her into bed.

It was already late at night.

She was just about to wash up when she suddenly remembered how Thomas had jumped into the water to save Isabel. ‘| wonder if he took any medicine to prevent a cold.’

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go ask him.

He lived on the third floor. Sylvia left her room, walked up the stairs, and quickly arrived outside his room door. Knocking on the door, she asked, “Thomas, are you asleep?”

After two seconds, a hoarse male voice sounded from inside. “What is it?”

Something was obviously wrong. She hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” “I'm fine,” he replied. Sylvia immediately pressed the door handle.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked, so she opened it and walked in.

Only the wall lamp was on in the room. Under the dim light, the man’s slender figure lay on his side on the bed. When Sylvia came in, he propped himself up with his arms.

His face was pale, and all the blood seemed to have left his lips.

She immediately went to his bedside and reached out to touch his forehead. It was scalding hot

He obviously had a fever.

“Wait here. I’ll go get some medicine for you.” She was just about to turn around and go out. However, she found that her wrist had been grabbed by him.

She turned back to look at him.

Thomas looked at her with a somewhat disorientated gaze and said hoarsely, “I’m fine. You can go back and rest. Don’t worry about me.”

Sylvia suddenly felt a little annoyed.

He had fallen ill because he had saved Isabel. How could she not care about him? Yet he had even told her to go and rest? He really did not care about himself!

Sylvia insisted, “I’m not sleepy now.”

Then, she shook his hand off and quickly walked out.

There were medicines for treating colds and fevers in the medicine box.

Sylvia took the pills, got the thermometer , and poured a glass of water before going back to Thomas’ room. He was already sitting up and leaning weakly against the bed

She took his temperature first.

Fortunately, it was not that high. “Hold out your hand,” she said.