Ch. 1711..1720

Chapter 1711: Face It

Everyone in the Nacht residence had their blood tested. Everyone from the master, underlings, bodyguards, and maids. They got their result on the same day. Everything was fine.

However, the incubation period for AIDS was long. The real results might only come out a few months down the line. Charlotte told everyone to be extra careful in the meantime so they won't infect anyone else. Then she told Raina to send her staff over to check up on them regularly.

She also told everyone to keep the thing about the blood test a secret. “Never in any situation can you talk about it.”

Zachary disagreed. "Why not? We shouldn't keep it a secret. In fact, we should leak it out.”

"Huh? Why'd you say that?” Charlotte asked, then she realized what he had in mind. “Oh, you want Chris to find out about this so he would go to the hospital?”

“The green snake's venom is just like flu. It's not lethal, and he will heal eventually. He won't die even if he gets no treatment. We don’t know where he's hiding, and he’s too careful, so we have to come up with a way to lure him out.”

"Oh, yeah!” Charlotte was excited. “I'll get someone to spread the news right away!”

“Leave it to Bruce. You stay at home.” Zachary didn’t want her to worry. “Get prepared. We're seeing Danrique tonight, and we need to prepare some gifts.”

"What?" Well, that's even more of a headache. “What kind of gifts should I get? I don't think Danrique needs anything.”

“Then give them to Francesca and her kids.” Zachary pinched her cheeks. “You know what they like, right?”

“I do, yeah, but what about Francesca then?”

Charlotte had only met Francesca once, and she didn't know much about her.

"Anything expensive and valuable item will do.” Zachary smiled.

“I see.” Charlotte nodded and went back home to make the arrangements.

“Slow down. You're not in any hurry. You're injured too,” Zachary reminded her gently.

Charlotte waved him down and left in a hurry.

Zachary sent her off and went back to work, then he noticed he had seven missed calls. All of them were from Nancy. He was about to call her back, but she called him again. He took the call immediately. “Hello?”

“Mr. Nacht, this is urgent. Can we meet up?”

"Of course. Come to my office-"

“No, I'm not going to your company. Let's meet up outside.”

“Fine. How does the restaurant across the company sound?”

“Fine by me. Be there in ten.”

"See you then.” Zachary hung up, and he frowned. He had a guess why Nancy was seeing him, and he knew he must be the one to settle things with her. He took Bruce with him to the restaurant, and he called Charlotte while he was on the way there. “Just ignore Nancy on whatever she does. I will deal with her.”

“Oh, I called her though. I wanted to ask her out and make things clear with her.”

“You can't make things clear with her. She's too emotional about this. She won't be convinced by you."

“What should I do then?"

“Leave it to me,” Zachary said adamantly. “Just stay back and take care of the kids.”

“Very well then. Be careful.”

“I will.” Zachary hung up and asked Bruce, “Have you found out everything about the girl?”

"Yes. They're sending the deets over to me. Bruce was holding his tablet, and someone was sending a file over.

When they came to Platinum Café, the first thing they saw was a group of Nancy's men. She was the head of the Gold family, so it was normal for her to bring a dozen bodyguards around.

However, she covered her head with a veil, and she was wearing sunglasses to up the mystery factor. When she saw Zachary, she quickly stood up to welcome him. She was rather excited. “Mr. Nacht!”

"Sit." Zachary looked calm. He gesticulated to his underlings. All of them left while Bruce stayed behind

Chapter 1712: I Am Here

Nancy followed suit. She sent all her lackeys away, save for her two most trusted lieutenants. "What do you need, Ms. Gold?” Zachary cut to the chase right away.

“I heard about Chris.” Nancy looked agitated. “Is he really down with AIDS?"

"And how'd you find out about that?” Zachary frowned. I didn't even tell anyone about that. How did Nancy know? Who told her?

“So it's true.” Nancy's hands were trembling with rage. “That animal!”

“It's unconfirmed yet,” Zachary answered calmly. “All we know is that one of the women he had sex with is diagnosed with AIDS. We have no idea if he's infected.”

“But the chances are high.” Nancy was about to have a breakdown. “What should I do then?” "Don't scare yourself. It's unconfirmed yet,” Zachary assured her calmly. “You should have gotten your blood checked before you came, right?”

"I did, but nothing would show even if I were infected.” Nancy was like a cat on hot bricks. Then she hissed, “Chris is an animal! He has ruined my life! I'm going to haunt him forever! And Charlotte as well!”

Nancy's eyes glinted with cold malice. “She did this to me!”

"And what does this have to do with her?” Zachary frowned.

“When Chris... deceived me that night, she was standing right there, but she didn’t stop him. All she did was watch as he defiled me. She is a vile and wicked woman. Now, do you think she has nothing to do with this?"

Nancy was trembling with anger as she spoke. “I was about to let this slide for your sake, but now I found out that she got a woman to sleep with Chris, and that woman's diagnosed with AIDS! She's doing this to me on purpose!”

“You think too highly of yourself,” Zachary answered solemnly. “Charlotte was in a dire situation back then. She had to face your father, Chris, and her enemies in the company. She had no time for you.”

“Mr. Nacht-"

“Let me finish,” Zachary interrupted seriously. “You were not a threat to her. You have never been a threat to her, nor will you ever be. In fact, you helped her before, so she has no reason to drag you into this. She only hired that woman to sleep with Chris to protect herself, and she didn't know that the woman has AIDS. In fact, Peter only found out about that this morning.”

Zachary paused for a moment, then he squinted at Nancy coldly. “Back to my question. How'd you know about this? Have you been following Peter? Did you abduct and torture him until he told you about it?"

Nancy averted her gaze and chose to keep quiet about it.

“Let him go right now,” Zachary told her imperiously. “Or I will teach you a lesson.”

“Peter's a tough cookie to crack. He wouldn't tell me anything about Charlotte. I only found out about the matter because his men told me about it. I know he’s your friend, so I didn't do anything to him.”

Nancy explained angrily, “But Mr. Nacht, I am your friend as well. When you were in trouble, I helped your wife in secret. I exposed my father because of you, but you don't seem to think of me as your friend.”

"What do you want?” Zachary didn’t say much, and he frowned at her.

“Charlotte and Chris did this to me, and you expect me to let it slide?” Nancy hissed.

“For the last time, your father and Chris did this to you. Charlotte has nothing to do with this.” Zachary was finally getting impatient, and he warned, “As long as I am here, nobody can lay a finger on her.”

 

Chapter 1713 Problem

Nancy lost all hope after hearing that. When she came to the restaurant earlier, she thought Zachary would at least compensate for her loss, but after he gave her that warning, she knew that her life was worth less than a strand of Charlotte's hair.”

He wouldn't care even if she was defiled by Chris, nor would he care if she had AIDS. All he cared about was Charlotte. He only cares about her.

“I know you won't listen to anything I have to say.” Zachary slowed down and advised, “As your friend, I advise you to calm down and get checked. Once the results are out, face it calmly and handle it with finesse.” Zachary gesticulated, and Bruce pushed him out.

Nancy remained in her seat and saw him off quietly, but the flames of hatred flared within her eyes. She thought it was unfair that Zachary didn't care about her. What does Charlotte have that I don't? Why does everyone love her? Why can she monopolize Zachary? I did nothing wrong, but this is what I get? This isn't so fair!

This is so unfair!

Zachary came back to his car, but he was still frowning. He knew that someone like Nancy would never accept this truth. AIDS had an incubation period that could go on for months. The results weren't out yet, so nobody knew if Chris were infected, and by extension, Nancy as well. However, it was that lack of confirmation that could drive people insane.

Nancy's mind and soul would be tortured, and she could do extreme things under that kind of pressure.

“Mr. Nacht, should we get someone to keep an eye on Peter?” Bruce asked quietly.

“Yes.” Zachary nodded. “Send someone to protect him.”

“I understand, sir.” Bruce quickly made the arrangements.

Zachary looked up at the overcast sky, and he had a solemn look on his face. He hoped Nancy would take his advice and handle the matter calmly, but he wasn't sure if she would. All he could do was advise. Some things had to be done alone, and it was her choice whether she wanted to lock herself up in a cage.

Zachary looked at the time. It was sometime past four, so he was about to return to the company to continue with work, but then an unidentified number gave him a call.

He took it curiously, and a cheeky voice said, “It's ya girl!”

"Dr. Felch?” Zachary recognized her voice immediately.

“It's time for your session. Don't drag it on, or you'll kill yourself. My tools and meds are on the mountain, so meet up with me there. I'll treat you there, and we'll go to that b*stard's house tonight.”

"What did you call him?"

"Oh, sorry. It's Danrique.” Francesca switched her attitude immediately.

"So you want me to travel to Southridge?” Zachary was curious. Danrique could have asked his guys to take Francesca's stuff over. Why did she tell me to meet up with her at Southridge? And she said I'd be dead if I dragged this on.

I mean, I can't drag it on for too long, but a couple of hours should be fine, so why does Francesca sound like she’s in a hurry?

"Yeah, yeah. You're going to die if you keep this up. Get to Southridge right now. You have to get treated before sunset, or your wife's going to be a “widow’ soon.”

"Um, okay. I see,” Zachary answered reflexively.

“Hurry up and see you at Southridge. Oh, at half-past five.” Francesca hung up right after that. Zachary told Marino to head toward Southridge. Charlotte texted him while he was on his way. She said that she had prepared the gifts. “So when are we going to go to Danrique’s place?’

Zachary was about to text her back, then realization struck him.

 

Chapter 1714 Inevitable

Wait. Francesca can't be trying to pull something, can she? She slipped into my car's trunk last night when nobody was watching and infiltrated Danrique’s place.

All she had was her backpack. Nothing else. In other words, her money is still at Southridge. She loves money more than her life. She would never give that kind of wealth up.

She can't be using my treatment as a pretext so she can come to Southridge and run with her money, right? Wait, she can actually do that. She must be trying to pull that off. And she actually made that call right in front of Danrique to mask her motive?

Zachary was both amused and annoyed at the same time. Man, Francesca’s going to drag me into a deeper hole at this rate. If she manages to escape tonight, Danrique’s going to kill me.

Zachary told Bruce, “Take your men to Southridge and surround the place. Do not let Francesca escape.”

“Huh?” Bruce paused for a moment, then he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Remember, make sure you hide well and do not alert her. If she tries to escape, get in her way. Try to drag it out until Danrique’s there.”

"Yes, sir!” Bruce switched cars and took his men up Southridge. He even called for some reinforcements in case he didn't have enough men.

Marino wanted to keep up with him, but Zachary said, “Drive slowly.”

“I am sorry?” Marino didn’t understand why Zachary gave that order.

"Are you stupid?” Zachary glared at him. “If we bump into her on our way, we'd be in a dilemma. I can't catch her nor can I let her go away.”

"I see. We can't afford to cross either Mr. Lindberg or Dr. Felch.” Marino realized what Zachary was getting at. “If we bump into her, you'll be in a dilemma. It'll be better if you arent there.”

“You've finally got it.” Zachary closed his eyes.

“But the mountain's big, and there are a lot of beasts. Dr. Felch can escape easily if she wants to.” Marino was still worried. “Should we get Ms. Lindberg to help?”

“No,” Zachary answered slowly. “Danrique must have prepared for this, so we don't have to worry about it. All we have to do is pretend we're helping.”

“Huh?” Marino was surprised. “So you weren't actually sending Bruce in to help?”

“Obviously.” Zachary rolled his eyes. “Do you think Bruce can catch Francesca with just twenty men or so? Gordon, Nancy, Charlotte, and their men didn't manage to capture her then. They sent a hundred men out for Francesca, and they failed. Do you think Bruce can succeed?”

“I see, sir.” Marino nodded. “So you're saying that Mr. Lindberg is all prepared, so Dr. Felch can't escape. You sent Bruce in just to send a message to Mr. Lindberg, saying that you're on his side.” “You're not a total idiot.” Zachary sighed. Ben was still out of commission, so he had a lot on his plate. He wanted Marino to take Ben's place until he was well enough to return, but he thought Marino wasn't good enough.

I'd better pray that Ben gets well quickly.

“Thank you, Mr. Nacht.” Marino scratched his head sheepishly, but he looked delighted.

“Look out, Marino!” the passenger shouted, but before Marino could do anything, he saw a silver flash zipping across him, and it disappeared a moment later.

"Um..." Marino was flabbergasted.

“That's Lindberg.” Zachary smiled. “He came to catch her himself. Looks like he cares about her a lot."

“So what should we do now?” Marino asked.

“Catch up to them. A showdown is about to start.”

"Yes, sir.” Marino floored the accelerator and drove up the mountain.

The sun was setting, and the scenery was gorgeous. Zachary was enjoying the sunset happily, and he knew that Francesca could never escape now. Or ever.

 

Chapter 1715 Mediator

As he expected, Danrique had already captured Francesca when he got to Southridge.

Two bags of money stood on the ground, and Francesca cursed, “Give me back my money, Danrique! Give me back my money!” For some reason, her voice was hoarse, and she had to cough a lot. She couldn't even speak too loudly either.

Because of that, she couldn't summon the beasts to her side, and Danrique managed to capture her easily. Zachary could see that Danrique planned this from the beginning, or he wouldn't have allowed Francesca to come back to Southridge.

“I'll pay you double.” Danrique pulled her up by the collar and tossed her into the car unceremoniously.

Francesca tried to get up, but Danrique held her shoulder and pinned her down against the seat. However, Francesca wasn't scared of him. She cursed, “Danrique, you b*stard!”

"Who is the b*stard here?” Danrique closed in on Francesca, and the air he radiated was terrifying. “I let you come back because you were nice, but what did you do? You took your money and tried to run away. Are you trying to abandon your kids?”

“I don't want to go back to Erihal with you! I don’t want to live in a cage you made for me! I don't want to be your sex slave! I have a right to freedom, and you can't take that away from me! Let me go!” Francesca coughed violently, but she didn't stop punching Danrique.

However, Danrique didn't seem like he was feeling any pain at all. All he did was glare at her furiously. She did what I told her to last night. I thought she finally knows where she stands after everything that has happened. But no. She tricked me and tried to escape my grasp using Zachary as a pretext.

Good thing I forced her to take the medicine that irritates her throat. She can’t summon any beasts now, so no matter how powerful she is, she cant escape me.

“Ahem.” Zachary coughed, breaking the tension. “Let's leave the more private conversation for the confines of home. We have an audience here."

"Save me, Fugly! Save me!” Francesca begged Zachary to save her. He couldn't do anything at Danrique’s place the night before, but he was on his own turf now. She could see that all the bodyguards belonged to Nachts.

“Um...”

“Danrique! Francesca!” Charlotte and her men came as well. When Bruce's men came to summon more men, she knew something was up. Now that she saw what was happening, she could guess what had transpired.

She greeted them sweetly and tried to break them apart. “We can talk about this later. There are a lot of people here. Danrique, let Francesca go.” Charlotte tugged on Danrique. “She's so frail and you're crushing her collarbone.”

Francesca puckered her lips and teared up. “It hurts.”

Danrique frowned. He knew she was just acting, but he couldn't stand that look of hers, so he let her go.

"Come with me to Northridge, Francesca. It's still chaos here. I'll get someone to bring your money and meds there.” Charlotte persuaded Francesca to calm down, “I got some gifts for you and the kids. I was going to give them to you guys later.”

"Gifts? What gifts?” Francesca’s eyes lit up.

“You'll love it. I assure you.” Charlotte took her out of the car and gave Danrique a reassuring look. She was trying to say, Don't worry, Danrique. She's with me. I won't let her run away.

"Wait! My money!” Francesca refused to leave just yet. She dragged her bags of money with her, and when she saw the notes falling out of the bag, she quickly picked them up and wiped the dirt off them using her shirt before stuffing them back into the bag.

Chapter 1716 ReflectionDanrique couldn't stand for that, and he was about to fly into a rage, so Zachary quickly stepped in "Danrique, bring Alpha, Beta, and Gamma over. We'll hold the gathering here. It's Mid-Autumn Festival today.”

“No-"

"Sure, of course. That'd be lovely!” Francesca agreed before Danrique could say anything. “The kids love it here. They say it's a comfy place, not like that cold dungeon Danrique calls home.”

"Well, Danrique can decorate their rooms according to the style here. They'll love it.” Charlotte held Francesca's hands. “Francesca, if you don't mind, you can stay at my place for the night. We can have a little chat.”

“Sure!” Francesca loved that idea. Anything that could put some distance between her and Danrique was a good thing.

Danrique was speechless. I haven't said a thing, and she’s already agreeing to everything. I thought I'm the boss here.

"Hey, you gotta be flexible when the time calls for it.” Zachary saw through Danrique, and he smiled. "We're the boss out there, but we can always take a step back at home. A happy family takes priority.”

"Why should I take a step back?” Danrique didn't like to take any step back.

"A happy home means a happy life.” Zachary advised, “Or to be precise, a happy wife means a happy life. Get on your wife's nerves and she'll wreck the whole family. You don’t want that, do you?”

“That's nonsense!” Danrique still wouldn't take the advice. “If she doesn't want to listen to me, I'll just control her. She won't get the better of me.”

Zachary was speechless. Wow, you're so stubborn and egotistical. If you can control her, we wouldn't even be needed here.

"Zachary, pick up the pace!” Charlotte turned back and shouted at Zachary.

"Yes, honey,” Zachary answered quickly and told Bruce to put Francesca’s stuff in the trunk, then he followed his wife. Before he left, he said, “Let's go, Danrique.”

Danrique didn't want to, so Zachary added, “Northridge is the Lindbergs’ turf as well.”

Danrique’s eyes lit up, and he followed the team. The gathering was going to be held at Danrique’s place, but it was changed to Northridge at the last minute.

Thanks to Zachary and Charlotte's persuasion as well as Francesca’'s adamant demands Danrique asked his men to take the girls over as well.

The girls cheered up the moment they came to Northridge. They pranced around and wouldn't stop talking. Also, they took their mother on a tour. They acted so differently compared to how they were at Danrique’s place.

Francesca was delighted to see her children so happy, and she was thankful for Zachary and Charlotte. She knew that the Nacht couple truly treated the girls well, and that was why they loved the place so much.

When Danrique saw how differently the kids acted the moment they got to Northridge, he had mixed feelings about it. He started to reflect on himself. Am I a bad father? Is that why the kids don't like me? Even Francesca is more friendly toward Zachary and Charlotte.

Maybe I'm born to be a lone wolf. That's why my kids and wife don't like me. Danrique felt crestfallen, and he went to the backyard alone. He sat under the cherry blossom tree and had some tea.

“Danrique.” Charlotte followed her brother and came in with some snacks she made. She smiled. “Francesca is treating Zachary, so the dinner might have to be delayed. Here, have some snacks.” “No.” Danrique was still as cold as ever. He stared down at the ground and didn’t even look at Charlotte

Chapter 1717: Danrique Tells A Story

“The kids made this.” Charlotte placed the snacks on the table.

“I'll put it here. Eat it if you want to.”

Danrique looked at the snacks on the plate. They were of different shapes and sizes, and he felt touched. He could imagine how happy the kids must have looked when they were making the snacks. They might not like him, but they'd always save all the good food for him

“The kids are in the garden. Do you want to see them?” Charlotte asked.

Danrique shook his head quietly.

“No matter how busy Zachary is, he'll always take spend some time with the kids at night. Even if he can't play with them now that he's sick, he still tells them bedtime stories.” Charlotte smiled.

“You can ask the girls to tell you stories as well. They know a lot of them.”

Charlotte left quietly after that.

Danrique looked at the plate of snacks. When he heard the kids’ laughter, he was reminded of his own childhood, and suddenly, he thought that he had to make some changes.

He thought about the thing his aunt told him before. She told him that most children didn't have a happy childhood. Some had even become drifters and lived in slums, while some had to be alone for a long time, for their parents were not there for them.

Some of them might share similar childhoods, but they might grow up differently. Some would grow up to be sensitive and vulnerable. All they knew was to take and never give.

However, some remained strong even after going through the ordeal. Those would know how to give out love and warmth, and they would receive the same in return.

Some might end up vulnerable but eventually become strong people, while some might never change. Change was a perpetual process, and it would take a lifetime for some to realize that. “Daddy!” a young voice called out to him, breaking his thought process.

He looked up and saw Alpha holding a glass of juice. Beta was holding some snacks, while Gamma was holding a book. All of them came up to him carefully.

"Aunt Charlotte asked us to send these to you,” Alpha said. “I made this apple juice myself.”

"And I picked these snacks,” Beta looked up proudly. “I saved some for Mommy and you.”

“I chose this book.” Gamma placed the book on the table. “I don’t know a lot of the words in there, but Uncle Zachary would read it all the time.”

Danrique picked it up. The Art of War? I thought it was supposed to be a self-help book.

“We're going back to the courtyard, Daddy. Wanna come?” The children stared at him.

“I...” Danrique wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that Charlotte told him about how Zachary would always spend some time with their kids no matter what. He'd tell the kids stories even when he was sick.

He preferred a quiet surrounding, so he couldn't run wild with his kids. He suggested, “I'll tell you a story.”

"Yay!"

It was the first time Danrique ever told them a story, and the girls were excited. Alpha even called Zachary's kids over, and the kids sat on the bench, their chins on their hands. They waited eagerly for Danrique to tell his story.

As Danrique faced the children’s anticipating looks, he started feeling nervous. He cleared his throat and started telling the story.

"Once upon a time, a car crashed into a man and tore his body apart. His limbs flew in every direction...”

The kids looked horrified halfway through, and they looked at one another.

Danrique, thinking that he was being a good storyteller, felt accomplished, so he stood up straighter and continued, “The officers came and cleaned up the scene...”

Chapter 1718: Ghost Story

“They found the brain on the scene, his torso further up the road, while the man's body is crushed under the car. Now tell me, where is the man’s hand?” Danrique even interacted with the kids as well.

However, the kids were stunned. They stared at Danrique dumbly. Ellie and the girls looked pale, and they trembled in fear.

“You don’t know, do you?” Danrique still didn't realize that the story had gone horribly wrong. “Do you want me to tell you the answer?”

Ellie and the girls didn't want to answer that, while Robbie looked at Danrique darkly. What the heck is this?

Only Jamie raised his hands curiously. He wanted to know the answer. Well, hope he knew why curiosity killed the cat because he would probably be traumatized in three seconds.

A smile curled Danrique’s lips and he stretched his hands out. “The hands... are right here!” “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!ttii”

The kids screamed in horror and ran away.

"What is it? What happened?” Charlotte quickly came after she heard the screams.

Ellie and the kids quickly hugged her and started crying. They trembled in fear, and they became a mess of tears.

“Mommy!” Jamie looked white as a sheet, and his legs were trembling. He didn't cry, but he was surely tearful.

Only Robbie looked slightly fine. He stood on the side and crossed his arms as he tried to calm himself down, but he looked somber.

Danrique stared at the kids dumbly, still having no idea how wrong the storytelling session had gone.

“It's alright now. I'm here. I'm here,” Charlotte gently calmed the children down and wiped their tears away. She asked, “Alright, what happened?”

Jade and Emma had been around for the session, so they knew what happened, but they hung their heads low and kept quiet.

“What happened?” Charlotte was starting to panic, so she asked Danrique, “What happened, Danrique?”

“I have no idea at all.” Danrique shrugged. “I was telling them a story, and they suddenly ran away.” The girls cried louder after Danrique brought that up. Ellie puckered her lips, but she was still tearful, and she looked at her mother for comfort.

“Uncle's a meanie!” Jamie sniffled. “He told us a ghost story, and it's really scary!”

"Err..." Charlotte was petrified. What the heck? Danrique told the children a ghost story? Is he for real?

"And it's super scary and bloody too!” Robbie added indignantly. “And he even stretched his hands out to scare us even more!”

Robbie was always the mature one, but not even he could stand it this time. He complained to his mother, and his eyes were full of anger.

"Yeah!" Jamie looked at Danrique, and he shivered in fear. Then he hid behind his mother. “Mommy, Uncle Dan is a big meanie!”

“Daddy is a big meanie!” Alpha sniffled and complained.

“I'm going to tell Mommy about this!” Beta rubbed her eyes, and she kept crying.

“Yeah! I'm telling Mommy too! She'll know what to do!” Gamma wiped her tears off and quickly went to find her mother.

Her sisters followed. They wanted to snitch on their father.

“Hey, girls!” Charlotte chased after them.

"Wait for me, Mommy!” Ellie looked at Danrique and shivered, then she chased after her mother. "Wait for me too!” Jamie followed them, worried that he might be left behind.

Only Robbie didn't leave. Instead, he frowned at Danrique. He looked crestfallen, and Robbie couldn't leave him like that. He sighed and gave him some advice, “Uncle Dan, that is not how you're supposed to spend time with children.”

Chapter 1719: Heartbroken About Hubby

With that, Robbie walked away as well, leaving Danrique alone in the courtyard

Watching the children leave, the dejected man murmured to himself, “But that's the only story I know.”

Danrique did not have anybody telling him stories when he was younger, so the only one he had to share with the children was the one he heard from somebody a few years ago. However, he never expected that it would scare them.

Suddenly, Danrique felt helpless and realized that taking care of children was more difficult than going to war.

“It's okay. Don't cry. I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose.” Charlotte tried to comfort the three little ones.

With faces as pale as a ghost, the children still had tears welling up in their eyes.

Even though Ellie felt much better, she was still clutching her heart, trying to stop it from beating so fast.

“It's okay, children. You don't have to be scared. Why don’t I make you guys some tea? I'm sure that'll calm your nerves.” Hanna then handed the children each a cup of ginger tea. With a cup in their hand, they sat down on the couch and sipped the tea.

Seeing how pale they remained even after drinking the tea, Hanna decided to get them some hot cross bunnies.

Luckily, colors slowly returned to the children’s faces afterward.

At that moment, Morgan appeared and reported that Zachary's treatment had concluded and that Bruce and Marino were helping him get changed.

Charlotte then immediately instructed Hanna to look after the children before rushing to see Zachary. On her way, Charlotte bumped into Francesca, who was just on her way out of the backyard.

“Is the rogue gone yet?" inquired Francesca in a panic.

“Well, not exactly because I asked him to stay for dinner,” replied Charlotte with an awkward smile. Displeased with the answer, Francesca pouted in response. “Why isn't he gone yet? He hates crowds.”

“I know he’s kind of an introvert, but this is his home too. Besides, you and the children are all here, so where's he supposed to go? You're my sister-in-law; that makes you family, so I want you to feel at home too.”

“Can you not call me that?”

“Sure, my dear sister-in-law. Now, I have to go check on my husband, so why don't you spend some time with the kids? And do help yourself with the snacks. I'll be right back.”

Charlotte was in a hurry to see Zachary, so she quickly left after ordering Emma, “Please show Mrs. Lindberg the way.”

“Yes, ma'am.” responded Emma before turning to smile politely at Francesca. “This way, Mrs. Lindberg.”

Left with no other choice, Francesca followed Emma to the children.

At the clinic, Charlotte was heartbroken when she saw how weak Zachary was as he lay on the bed. Bruce and Marino had already helped Zachary change into a fresh set of clothes and were about to dry the man’s hair.

“Let me do it. I need some time alone with my husband,” informed Charlotte with a hoarse voice. “But he’s quite heavy, Madam. You might not be able to move him on your own,” stated Bruce concernedly.

“It'll be fine. Don't worry about it.”

"Okay, Madam.” Since Charlotte insisted on being alone with her husband, Bruce dared not to say anything else. The man then left the room with Marino but stayed within shouting distance.

After getting Zachary's hair nice and dry, Charlotte was about to pull the blanket and let her husband have a good rest when the latter regained his consciousness and suddenly voiced, “Thank you, Wifey.”

Charlotte then gently placed her hand on the man’s cheek. “Awake already? Why don't you rest some more? I'll take care of everything else.”

“But I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm starving,” uttered Zachary with a smirk.

“I'll have Hanna bring you dinner. Just—"

“That won't be necessary. Your hubby is not that weak,” interrupted Zachary, gazing gently at his wife while holding her hand.

“Hubby...”

Suddenly, tears rolled down Charlotte's cheeks, so Zachary quickly reached out to wipe them away. "Why are you crying? I'm getting better every day, and it shows. Heck, we might even be able to do the deed by tonight.”

Upon hearing that, Charlotte could not help but chuckle while her face was still tear-stained.

Chapter 1720: One Big Family

“Now that's what I want to see; that lovely smile of yours,” uttered Zachary as he gazed deeply into his wife's eyes.

Charlotte then threw herself at Zachary and embraced her husband tightly. “You have to get better soon, okay?”

In response, Zachary nodded and patted his wife on the back, assuring her, “I will, so don’t worry. Now help me get up, and let's join the others for dinner.”

"Okay." After helping Zachary to his wheelchair and tidying up his appearance, Charlotte pushed her husband out of the room

“Mr. Nacht!” immediately greeted Bruce and Marino, standing by just outside, when they saw Zachary.

However, Zachary gestured for the two to skip the formalities and be at ease.

When the four of them reached the living room, Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie quickly ran over. “Daddy! Mommy!”

"Hey!" Even though Zachary had not fully recovered yet, he put on his brightest smile to greet the children, as if trying to set an example for his children.

"Are you doing okay, Mr. Zachary?” asked Hanna concernedly, her eyes brimming with tears. “Never been better!” Zachary jokingly curled up his arms to show vitality.

The butler could not help but chuckle at the unexpected response before quickly wiping her tears away. “Good. I'm glad to hear that.”

“Shall we have dinner? The children must be starving!” commented Zachary.

“Yes, of course. I'll go set the table right away.”

“I'll go get Danrique. Here, Jamie. Get your father to the dining room,” instructed Charlotte before walking away.

“No problem!” As ordered, Jamie grabbed hold of the wheelchair and pushed Zachary with his siblings’ help.

Smiling, Zachary was glad to see how helpful the children were. “Be careful now, guys. Don't hurt yourselves.”

“We will, Daddy. Don't worry.”

Charlotte first went to Francesca and the three little ones before going to Danrique, who was still mulling in the courtyard with a cup of tea.

“I don't eat dinners,” responded Danrique when Charlotte asked him to join them.

"Come on. It's not every day we get to gather like this. Just come join the chat,” insisted Charlotte with a smile.

“What's there to chat about?” Danrique then checked his watch before adding, “Let me know when you guys are done.”

The man planned to take Francesca and the kids home as soon as they were done with dinner. "Danrique—" Before Charlotte could say anything else, she heard a childish voice calling out to the man. “It's dinnertime, Daddy!"

Then, Danrique turned around to see Alpha standing not too far away with her hands nervously clamped together.

“Yeah, Daddy. It's dinnertime!” Beta, too, called out while hiding behind a pillar, afraid that her father would scare her again

Gamma was the only one seemingly unafraid of the man. “Come on, Daddy. Everybody's waiting for you,” said Gamma with a fierce look.

Hence, Danrique helplessly set down his teacup and got on his feet.

However, the children screamed and scrambled away before the man had even taken a step toward them.

Baffled by the scene, Danrique furrowed his eyebrows tightly. Just what on earth is going on? I didn't even do anything!

“Let's go, Danrique.” Charlotte tried to pull the man by the hand, but he quickly withdrew it because he was not used to physical contact.

Charlotte did not mind the cold response, though. Still smiling, she quietly followed Danrique as they made their way inside.

When they reached the dining room, Zachary was telling the children a joke, and it got them bursting into laughter. Even Francesca was laughing because of how funny it was.

"How childish!” Danrique rolled his eyes unbearably at the scene.

“That was way too funny. Give us another one! We want another one!” chanted Francesca along with the children.

“Now is time for dinner, guys,” responded Zachary before turning to Danrique. “We were all waiting for you. Come. We saved you a seat.”

Since Danrique was older than him, Zachary decided to give the man the best seat at the table.