Ch. 711..720

Chapter 711 Sulking

“Okay, Mommy!” The kids exchanged glances, and they noticed the weird vibe Benjamin and Arissa were giving. They couldn’t help but gaze at both of their parents back and forth.

“Focus on your dinner and stop looking around,” Arissa urged. Upon hearing that, the kids quickly retracted their gazes and ate their dinner obediently.

Benjamin shot her a quick look before focusing on his dinner as well. The dining room was rather quiet, and only the soft sounds of them chewing on their food could be heard.

While Arissa was eating with her head hung low, Benjamin noticed she had only taken the food placed right in front of her. Hence, he took some food from the other side of the table for her.

Upon seeing that, Arissa froze momentarily. What is he doing? He was angry at me, wasn’t he? Why is he being so nice to me now?

She didn’t eat the food he gave to her.

Benjamin frowned when he noticed that. In a deep voice, he said, “Eat up. Don’t waste food.”

Arissa ignored him.

The kids were weirded out when they saw Arissa ignoring Benjamin. Are Daddy and Mommy fighting?

They sneaked a peek at Benjamin but quickly retracted their gazes when he caught them looking at him.

Arissa finished two portions of pasta in a blink of an eye and continued watching the kids eat.

Benjamin glanced at her bowl before finishing the food she left untouched.

“Are you full already? You’ve only eaten so little,” he asked.

“I am,” Arissa answered flatly.

Benjamin merely glanced at her in response. I’ve already tried being nice to her. Why is she still sulking?

He was annoyed, so he stopped talking.

The moment he was done eating, he got up and went to the study.

Arissa watched him leave, and when she turned back, she saw six pairs of eyes filled with curiosity staring at her.

“Mommy, are you fighting with Daddy?” Gavin was worried.

Arissa patted his head. “I’m not.”

What she said was the truth as she was simply not in the mood to deal with him because she was still pissed at how he talked to her on the phone back when she was at the hospital. Until now, I still have no idea why he threw a tantrum! Who on earth would cheer up so quickly after being treated like that? I can get angry too!

Gavin glanced at her.

Zachary wasn’t convinced. “Mommy, since you guys aren’t fighting, why won’t you talk to him?”

“I’m not in the mood, that’s all.” Arissa simply gave them an excuse. Well, we aren’t fighting. I just can’t stand his attitude, and I haven’t regained my composure yet.

“Are you really okay?” Tim asked, his eyes filled with concern.

“I’m fine.” Arissa smiled and urged, “Eat up, okay? After dinner, go rest for a while. And after that, go shower and go to bed. You guys still have to go to school tomorrow.”

Unlike Tim, the other kids looked surprised, and they didn’t seem keen to go to school.

That was when Arissa realized she hadn’t bought stationery and a schoolbag for Tim.

She checked the time and saw that there was still enough time to head out and buy the required items.

Arissa stood up and said, “Sweethearts, carry on eating, okay? I need to head out for a while.”

“Where are you going, Mommy?” Jesse looked up at her.

Arissa pinched her cheek and replied, “I need to go buy something. So carry on with your dinner.”

“What are you buying?” Oliver asked.

“Just things.” Arissa then told Edwin to watch the kids before rushing out.

“What is Mommy buying? Why did she leave in such a hurry?” Gavin was perplexed.

“Could it be that she had gone out to buy a schoolbag for Tim?” Zachary uttered.

Gavin thought that was most probably the case.

At the same time, Tim’s eyes lit up.

“But why didn’t Mommy bring us along if she wanted to buy a schoolbag?” Still chewing on his food, Jasper glanced at the others and added, “Could it be that she had gone out to buy pads?”

“What?” Edwin grew curious.

Jasper giggled.

“You know, the thing Mommy uses! Umm… What are those things called again? Oh, yeah! Sanitary pads!” Jesse smiled and explained.

Edwin was stunned momentarily because he just realized something. He then recalled the time he saw Arissa’s sanitary pads when he was packing her luggage for her.

Regardless, he was too shy to continue the topic, so he simply kept mum.

 

Chapter 712 Come To The Front

“I, too, think Mommy had gone to buy a schoolbag.” Oliver chuckled, agreeing with Zachary’s words. Gavin smiled. “I think so, too. Otherwise, why else would she be in such a hurry? I mean, she’s probably worried that there won’t be enough time tomorrow.”

Just then, Benjamin came out and saw the kids eating. He soon noticed that Arissa was nowhere to be seen. “Edwin.” Edwin hurried over and asked, “What do you need, Mr. Graham?”

“Where’s Arissa?” Benjamin asked in a deep voice.

Edwin glanced at him before answering, “Mrs. Graham has gone out to buy something.”

“What is she buying?” Benjamin stared at Edwin.

“Mrs. Graham didn’t say,” Edwin answered cautiously.

Benjamin pursed his lips and turned toward the study. Just when he was just about to head toward the study, he turned around and asked again, “When did she leave?”

“Just a while ago. A few minutes at most.” Edwin looked at him.

Benjamin then strode toward the entrance and asked the bodyguard, “Who drove Arissa out?”

“Seventeen, sir,” the bodyguard answered.

“Give me his location now.” With that, Benjamin got into his car.

Shortly after, he drove out of Yaleview.

The kids looked at each other when they heard the sound of a car’s engine.

“Did Mr. Graham go out to find Mommy?” Jasper asked.

“Who knows?” Oliver uttered.

Gavin chimed in, “I think that’s most probably the case. Daddy asked Mr. Whitley where did Mommy go, didn’t he?”

Zachary glanced at them. “If Mr. Graham has gone out to look for Mommy, that means he has done something wrong.”

“What did he do wrong?” Tim asked.

“Well, I have no idea either,” Zachary replied.

While eating, Jesse looked at the others and murmured, “Could it be that Mr. Graham is worried about Mommy?”

Upon hearing that, all five of the boys turned to look at their sister.

Jesse shrank back in response.

Amused, Edwin looked at them and said, “Let’s stop guessing, all right? You guys can just ask Mrs. Graham when she comes back later. So eat up, boys. And Ms. Jesse, would you like me to feed you?”

Since Benjamin wasn’t around, Edwin was eager to feed Jesse.

“Mr. Whitley, you shouldn’t do that! She might end up getting used to it. Let her eat on her own,” Zachary rejected Edwin in all seriousness.

Jesse cast her brothers an innocent look.

Edwin smiled sheepishly and said, “Just this once, okay?”

Zachary looked at Edwin and sighed. “Fine. Just this once.”

Edwin was elated.

He took Jesse’s bowl and started feeding the little girl patiently.

Jesse was just as happy, if not happier. Edwin’s heart melted when he saw her mouth stuffed with food and her cheeks puffing up like a hamster’s.

“Slow down. There’s still plenty of food left,” Edwin said.

“Thank you, Mr. Whitley! The dishes you make are delicious!” Jesse uttered cutely.

While feeding Jesse, Edwin was still serving food to the boys. “Eat more, okay? I can cook some more if we run out of food.”

“Okay!” The kids ate their dinner happily.

Just a while after Arissa left, Benjamin managed to catch up to her and stopped his car in front of hers.

Seventeen turned around and said, “Ms. York, that’s Mr. Graham’s car!”

Arissa was puzzled when she saw Benjamin.

When Seventeen saw Benjamin rolling down his window, he quickly rolled down his window as well. “Mr. Graham,” he called out respectfully.

“Get Arissa to come over,” Benjamin uttered in a deep voice.

Arissa heard him and was left confused. She glanced at him but didn’t get out of the car.

“Ms. York, Mr. Graham is asking for you.” Seventeen relayed the message, but Arissa was still not moving. Hence, he steeled himself and urged, “Ms. York, please just go over to him. Mr. Graham wants to drive you himself.”

The corners of Arissa’s lips twitched.

At that moment, Benjamin called out impatiently, “Hurry up!”

Nonetheless, Arissa didn’t feel like having him drive her.

“Ms. York, just go over, won’t you? It’s getting late now, and the shops might close up soon. Not to mention I can’t go anywhere with Mr. Graham’s car parked in front of us,” Seventeen uttered apologetically.

After delaying for a while, Arissa got out of the car and got into Benjamin’s car’s backseat.

With a grim expression, Benjamin ordered, “Come to the front!”

 

 

Chapter 713 Explanation

Arissa raised her gaze to look at Benjamin before turning away after seeing how angry he was. “Just say what you want to say.” Benjamin stared at her and his frown deepened when he saw the indifferent look on her face.

In a deep voice, he asked, “Where to?” Arissa was stunned momentarily before answering, “I want to buy a schoolbag.”

A glint flashed across Benjamin’s eyes. “I’ve already asked Ethen to buy one. He’ll send it over in a while.”

Arissa got upset because she wanted to buy the bag for Tim herself.

Benjamin noticed it, so he said, “Maybe he had picked up an ugly one. You can still go and have a look. We can always buy another for Tim.”

Arissa mulled over his words. Since Ethen has already bought one, wouldn’t it be a waste of money?

“That’s not necessary. Why should we buy more than one? It’s just a waste of money,” she said.

“We can go buy other things, then.” Benjamin glanced at her before turning the steering wheel to drive away.

Casting a glance at him, Arissa thought it would be ideal to buy some stationery for Tim.

While they were on the road, she saw a stationery shop and asked Benjamin to stop the car. “There’s a shop there. Let’s just buy there.”

She wanted to go home right after she bought the stationery.

“We’re going elsewhere to buy.” Instead of stopping, Benjamin kept driving.

Arissa glanced at him in confusion. There’s a shop right here. Why must he go somewhere further?

It wasn’t until they arrived at a high-end commercial area that Benjamin stopped the car. Right then, she understood what was on his mind.

“Let’s go.” Benjamin glanced at her before getting out of the car.

Arissa got out of the car as well.

“The stationery here are better,” Benjamin uttered before bringing her in.

When he tried to grab her hand, however, she shied away. Regardless, he proceeded to grab her hand forcefully and held it tight.

Arissa looked away.

While gazing at her with his narrowed eyes, Benjamin asked, “Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“I wouldn’t have the guts to do so.” Arissa scoffed.

Benjamin’s eyes gleamed. He then reached out his hand to pinch her cheek. “You wouldn’t have the guts to do so? Well, you should look at your puffed-out cheeks, then!”

She glared at him in response, and her gaze swayed a little when she met his darkened gaze. Is this man crazy? Did he forget he was angry at me at noon?

Upon seeing that she was ignoring him, Benjamin explained, “I wouldn’t have gotten angry if you didn’t say those words to me at noon.”

Arissa was stunned. Since he had mentioned it, she turned toward him and asked, “Why were you mad?”

Benjamin simply looked away and led her to the stationery shop.

Arissa didn’t want to ask again upon seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it.

“Let’s shop first.” Benjamin brought her into the shop to buy stationery for Tim.

They ended up buying a lot of stationery, and they even bought some for the other kids.

The corners of Arissa’s lips twitched when she saw the amount upon paying.

Benjamin noticed it. With a smile, he uttered, “I’ll pay for it.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Arissa declined resolutely. If he pays, it would mean that he’s the one who bought it for them.

Benjamin merely glanced at her and let her pay.

Arissa took out her phone to make the payment before leaving with a huge bag of stationery.

Benjamin took the bag from her and held her hand. “Is there anything else you would like to buy?”

“No,” Arissa answered.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

Shocked, Arissa glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “No.”

Benjamin sized her up and said, “Let’s go home, then.”

Arissa was okay with that. She didn’t want to go for a walk because she had had a tiring day at the hospital.

She just wanted to get home early so that she could give the kids a shower and bring them to school the next morning.

Benjamin led her to the front passenger seat and opened the car door for her.

Arissa looked at him before getting into the car and fastening her seatbelt.

He then closed the door for her.

After getting into the car himself, he didn’t start the car. Instead, he just stared at her.

Arissa gave him a look and said, “Well? What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

“How long did Dad cry for?” Benjamin suddenly asked.

Arissa glanced at him and answered, “Quite a while.”

 

Chapter 714 Do Not Infuriate Me

Benjamin snorted. “Mood swings are common among elderlies. You don’t have to mind him.” Arissa was stumped. Why didn’t he say this previously, then?

“That’s easy for you to say because you weren’t there. He was crying his eyes out in sorrow!” “Have you never considered the possibility that he’s doing that on purpose?” Benjamin scoffed.

Arissa was taken aback. She gazed at him in disbelief. “How is that possible?”

“You don’t understand my dad.” Benjamin frowned. “He is quite adept at putting on exaggerated acts whenever necessary.”

Arissa was utterly shocked. She could never convince herself to believe that Darius would behave like that.

Sensing her doubts, Benjamin reminded, “Don’t bother to entertain him next time. He’ll be fine if no one pays him any attention.”

She looked at him. “Don’t you ever think he may be truly upset?”

“You don’t believe me? Fine. You’ll see his true colors in due time,” he uttered indifferently.

Benjamin did not believe Darius was genuinely sad. After all, similar incidents had happened too many times.

Arissa stole a glance at him before asking in curiosity, “Were you mad at him or me in the afternoon?”

Benjamin regarded her with a solemn expression. “Are you really reluctant to register our marriage?”

Arissa was surprised. He was mad because of this?

She looked away and said, “Aren’t you unwilling to register our marriage too?”

Benjamin arched his brow. He turned her head to meet his eyes and fixated his piercing gaze on her.

“I’ve never said that to you.”

Arissa’s heart began to race. “In that case, you…”

He scratched on her nose with his slender finger affectionately before saying, “I’ll bring you there tomorrow.”

What?

Arissa was dumbfounded.

Benjamin turned to face the front and started the car to drive back home.

Arissa stared at him in a daze. She only regained her senses after the car moved for some time. Where is he bringing me and why?

She stammered, “A-Are you bringing me to register our marriage?”

“Am I not allowed to?” Benjamin glanced at her in a proud and overbearing demeanor.

Arissa’s heart leaped into her throat as contentment surged within her.

He said he’s bringing me to register our marriage. He said it himself.

“There’s no need to be in such a hurry, actually.”

“What did you say?”

Benjamin suddenly slammed his foot on the car brake and turned to glare at her.

Arissa cowered in her seat and looked timidly at Benjamin, who was enraged.

“Do not infuriate me, Arissa York!” he growled.

She was stunned. He’s mad just because I uttered a sentence.

Her lips curved upward uncontrollably into a smile.

She chirped, “Benjamin, don’t you know how to communicate nicely? You have such a short temper. It’s no wonder no one wants to marry you!”

Benjamin’s handsome face darkened at the sight of her cheerful expression.

“Isn’t it great that I’m saving the spot for you?”

“Pfft!”

Arissa hurriedly covered her mouth when she sensed his rising fury.

“Well, thank you for that then, Mr. Graham.” Her mood brightened up. “Hmm… But I seem to recall someone telling me to stop my wishful thinking previously.”

“Arissa!” Benjamin snapped. Hostility resonated in his deep and baritone voice.

Arissa immediately shut her mouth. On second thought, she decided it was wiser for her not to provoke him.

“Let’s go back. Edwin won’t be able to take care of all the kids at home single-handedly,” she said softly.

Benjamin snorted before continuing the drive home.

Arissa leaned against the back of the seat, watching Benjamin contentedly as he focused on driving the car.

“Benjamin, do you like me?” She blushed.

He pursed his lips in silence.

Arissa grinned.

Benjamin glanced at the rearview mirror. His eyes gleamed at the sight of her beaming reflection.

Arissa rolled down the car window, enjoying the night breeze brushing against her skin while taking in the scenery outside.

She dozed off before they reached home.

Noticing that she had fallen asleep, Benjamin swiftly rolled up the car window, parked the vehicle on the side of the road, and helped her to lower the back of the seat.

Then, he covered Arissa with his coat before resuming the drive back to the Graham residence.

Arissa was still sleeping soundly when they arrived home.

After waiting for a while and coming to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, Benjamin got out of the vehicle and opened the door to the front passenger seat.

He bent down to unbuckle her seat belt before gently carrying her in his arms. Then, he turned around and walked into the house.

 

 

Chapter 715 Where Is Mommy

“Mr. Graham!” Benjamin glared at the bodyguard when the latter greeted him. The bodyguard quickly fell silent. Benjamin walked toward the house with Arissa in his arms. She woke up when they arrived at the door.

Realizing she was sleeping in Benjamin’s embrace, she hurriedly got down after regaining her senses. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” She glanced at him and quickly averted her gaze.

Benjamin stared intently at her and snorted. “Isn’t it a good thing that you’re able to sleep a little longer?”

She gave him a once over and realized that he was not carrying anything else. “Where are the things?”

He glanced at her. “They’re still in the car.”

The corner of Arissa’s mouth twitched. She hastily turned around and went to retrieve the things.

Benjamin tucked his hands in his pockets and waited for her at the door. His eyes followed her figure as she walked back to the car.

The six children, who were hanging out in the living room, ran over when they heard the voices at the door.

“Mommy!”

“Is Mommy back?”

They froze momentarily when they saw Benjamin standing at the door alone.

“Daddy, where’s Mommy?”

Gavin looked around outside the door, searching for Arissa.

The other five kids followed suit.

“She went to take some things.”

The kids immediately ran outside.

“Let’s go find Mommy!”

“Mommy!”

Benjamin frowned at the sight of his children darting away happily. Why aren’t they as excited to see me?

Arissa had just grabbed the shopping bag from the car when the six kids jogged up to her side.

“Mommy!”

“Mommy!”

Arissa quickly hugged the kids when they surrounded her. She said tenderly while wearing a smile, “Hey, slow down!”

“What did you buy, Mommy?” Jesse’s eyes shone as she stared at her mother.

Jasper chimed in, “Mommy, what did you buy? Hurry up and show us!”

Meanwhile, Oliver was already opening the shopping bag and peering inside at the content.

Arissa beamed. “I bought some stationery for you all!”

The corner of Zachary’s mouth twitched. “And here I thought you bought something interesting.”

“That’s right. We already have many of these!” Oliver said disdainfully while shaking his head.

Gavin and Tim, on the other hand, were delighted.

“Mommy, what did you buy? Did you buy for me too?” Gavin stared at the shopping bag in anticipation.

“Yes, I did. I bought stationery for everyone.” Arissa gazed at Zachary and the others and chirped, “If you guys don’t want these, I’d just give them all to Tim and Gavin.”

“Sure!” Zachary said magnanimously without looking at the items.

“Did you buy the same things for all of us?”

Arissa smiled awkwardly. “Yes. Aside from Tim having an extra pencil box, all of you will receive the same set of items.”

Oliver laughed in amusement. “In that case, I doubt Tim would be able to use all of the stationery by himself. We’ll use it ourselves then. You can buy more for us after we use up our supplies.”

“All right.”

Arissa opened the shopping bag, took out Tim’s belongings, and handed them to him.

She purposely bought a pencil case for Tim as well as some commonly used stationery such as pencils, sharpeners, and others.

“Tim, this is for you. Do you like the design?”

Arissa had purchased a cool-looking pencil case with a picture of a robot printed on it.

Tim hugged the present and nodded excitedly. “I like it very much. Thank you, Ms. York!”

“Haha, you should say ‘Thank you, Mommy.’ instead!” Jasper poke fun at Tim by correcting his brother.

Tim’s tanned face turned slightly crimson.

Arissa patted his head affectionately. Although she yearned for Tim to address her as ‘Mommy,’ she also knew that it was a process that could not be rushed. As such, she decided to take it slow.

“Here, Gavin, these are yours.” She handed the boy his gifts.

Even though Gavin already had those writing materials, the significance behind the new stationery was different since Arissa bought them for him.

“Thank you, Mommy!”

Gavin was overjoyed as he gave her a big smile.

Arissa tousled his hair joyfully before turning to look at the other four kids with a smile.

“Do you still want these? I’ll just leave them here or let Gavin and Tim have them if you all don’t want them.”

“Hehe. I think I’d better check and see if I have these things or not.” Jasper peeped into the shopping bag before exclaiming, “I just remembered that my eraser is broken!”

Arissa sniggered. “You’ve used up so many erasers in one semester. What did you do with them?”

 

Chapter 716 It Was Given By Mommy

“Mommy, he wasted the eraser by rubbing it on the table!” Oliver said. Arissa was deeply amused. Still, she distributed some stationery to each of them and reminded them, “If you have extras, you can share them with Gavin and Tim.”

“I don’t need them. I still have a lot of these. I can share the other stationery I have with Tim, but not this set because Mommy bought it for me!” Gavin uttered cheerfully.

Arissa could not help but feel touched. “Tim, this is for you!” Jesse handed her box of color pencils to Tim.

“I already have a box of color pencils,” Tim said sheepishly.

“You’ll use up them very quickly. So just take it. I still have plenty!” Jesse stuffed the box into Tim’s hands.

“Thank you, Jesse!”

Tim held the box of color pencils while gazing tenderly at his sister.

Jesse grinned.

Zachary gave Tim a lot of stationery as well. Arissa bought various writing materials for each of them, but Zachary merely took two pencils.

“I already have—”

“Take them. I’ll use yours after I’m through with mine,” Zachary said with a smile.

Tim nodded. “Okay!”

Oliver and Jasper offered their new stationery to Tim as well. In a blink of an eye, Tim had so many writing materials he could barely carry them with his arms.

Still, he held all the stationery steadily, feeling touched by his siblings’ gesture.

Oliver and Jasper chortled when they saw how Tim was struggling. Then, they helped carry some of the stationery Tim was holding.

“We’ll help you carry them for now and give them to you when we’re back in the room later.”

Tim smiled in response.

Arissa felt content when she saw how the other kids cared for Tim.

Benjamin strode over when he realized all of them were still outside.

Noticing Arissa had handed out the stationery outside the house, he asked, “Why didn’t you wait until you’re inside before you give them the gifts?”

She looked at him.

“They were impatient, so I figured I would distribute the stationery in advance.”

Then, she turned to Tim and said, “Tim, place the things in the shopping bag for now. I’ll bring them inside.”

Tim squeezed the present in his embrace and was reluctant to let it go.

“Put it in here. We’ll take the stationery out upstairs and arrange them into your bag,” Arissa coaxed him gently.

Zachary’s eyes gleamed. “Mommy, you bought a bag for Tim?”

Tim was staring at her with glistening eyes as well.

Arissa tousled Tim’s hair fondly and said to him, “Your daddy’s the one who bought the bag. I only purchased these stationery.”

Tim gazed at Benjamin and said softly, “Thank you, Mr. Graham.”

Benjamin chuckled. “You’re welcome.”

Arissa turned to him. “Have Mr. Frank brought the bag over?”

He glanced at her. “I’ll ask him.”

Benjamin took out his phone and called Ethen. Coincidentally, Ethen arrived at the gates at that moment. The car he was driving turned into the compound of the house.

A glint flashed across Benjamin’s eyes as he uttered, “He’s here.”

Arissa saw the lights from the car headlamp. She turned around and made sure it was indeed Ethen arriving before saying happily to Tim, “Sweetheart, your bag will be here soon!”

“Okay!” Tim nodded.

His eyes followed Ethen’s car closely.

“Hehe, you’ll also have a bag now, Tim,” Gavin chirped while still holding on to his set of stationery.

“Hurry up and put the things into the bag. We’ll split the items when we’re back in the room later,” Arissa urged her children.

Zachary placed the pencils into his pocket. “There’s no need to put mine into the bag.”

Oliver and Jasper placed the stationery they were holding into the shopping bag. Then, they took the writing materials Tim was hugging and put them into the bag as well. “These are all Tim’s. There’s no need to split the things later.”

“Jesse, let me help you,” Jasper said to Jesse.

“Thank you, Jasper.” Jesse was delighted.

Jasper received the items and passed a portion of the things to Oliver. “You take some too!”

Arissa found their interactions to be comical. “All right. You can carry those by yourselves.”

Benjamin swept his gaze over all his children. When he saw Gavin holding quite a few stationery, he uttered softly, “Gavin, don’t you already have a lot of stationery? Let your brothers have those.”

Gavin glared at his father. “Mommy bought these for me.”

He was unwilling to give Arissa’s present away.

“I’ll buy more stationery for you if you like them,” Arissa told Gavin.

“Hehe. Thank you, Mommy!”

Gavin was delighted. He even sneakily shot Benjamin a dirty look, rendering the latter speechless.

 

Chapter 717 New Bag

The children cheered joyfully when Ethen brought the car to a halt. “Mr. Frank, hurry up and show us the bag!” “Hurry up, Mr. Frank!”

Ethen was pleasantly shocked. That was the first time the kids had welcomed him in such a lively manner. He quickly retrieved the bag from inside the car.

“Here it is! This is Tim’s new bag!”

Ethen beamed at the children.

Gavin stepped forward to receive the bag before passing it to Tim.

“Here, Tim, hold this.”

“Okay!”

Tim hugged the bag fondly as his eyes sparkled with delight.

Arissa’s lips curved into a smile at the sight of the boy’s jolly reaction.

She crouched down and asked gently, “Do you like the bag, Sweetheart?”

“Yes. I love it!”

Tim glanced at her. Then, he looked down at his bag, unwilling to part with it out of adoration.

Arissa grabbed the bag, wanting to assist Tim in shouldering it. “Sweetheart, try putting on the backpack. I’ll help you adjust the height.”

The other five children—Gavin, Zachary, Oliver, Jasper, and Jesse—surrounded Tim, urging Tim to put on the bag.

“Hurry up, Tim.”

Tim gazed at them shyly before turning on his heels.

Arissa swiftly slung the bag on his shoulders.

Tim appeared cuter as he carried the bag on his back.

Even the bodyguards were staring intently at him.

Benjamin regarded Tim with a tender expression as well.

He then strode over, lifted the bag, and said, “The straps are too long.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Arissa responded before helping Tim shorten the bag’s straps so that it would hang higher on his shoulders.

She glanced at Benjamin, hinting at him to let go of the bag so that she could adjust the length of the straps.

Once Arissa thought the bag was nicely positioned, she asked, ”Sweetheart, is it comfortable carrying the backpack like this? Does it feel too high?”

“It’s just nice!”

Tim grasped the straps with his tiny hands in ecstasy.

Arissa patted his head lovingly.

“If you feel the bag is too high or too low, you can pull here. If you pull, the straps will become shorter, and the bag will go higher. If you want the bag to be lower, you can loosen the straps to make it longer.”

She demonstrated the technique to adjust the bag’s straps to him.

“Okay!” Tim nodded.

Oliver stared at Tim cheerily. “You look so handsome carrying the bag, Tim.”

Tim blushed at that.

Arissa was also sizing Tim up. He looks extremely adorable, shouldering the backpack with his petite figure.

Noticing the price tag on the bag, she wanted to remove it.

Ethen handed her a lighter.

“Here’s a lighter, Ms. York.”

Just as Arissa reached out to receive the device, Benjamin stretched out his hand and cut across her. Then, he took off the price tag directly.

After that, he tossed the lighter back at Ethen.

The latter hurriedly caught the lighter before stepping forward to collect the price tag in Benjamin’s hand and tossing it into a rubbish bin.

“Let’s go in,” Benjamin reminded after glancing at Arissa and the six kids.

“Let’s go in, Sweethearts.”

Arissa stood up while holding Tim’s hand, the latter still shouldering the backpack. In her other hand was the bag of stationery.

“Mommy, we’ll help you.”

Zachary and Oliver walked up to her and offered to take the shopping bag.

Oliver placed Jesse’s writing materials into the bag. Then, he and Zachary each grabbed one side of the shopping bag.

“Can you two manage?” Arissa gazed down at the two kids.

“Yes.” Zachary smiled at her.

Arissa let go of the shopping bag, allowing them to bring it inside the house.

Gavin put his belongings into the bag and helped out as well.

“Count me in!”

Jasper joined his siblings in carrying the shopping bag. “Me too. Me too!” Jesse chimed in.

It became difficult for them to even walk properly as the five children shared the weight of the shopping bag.

Arissa laughed. “That’s enough. Two or three people will be sufficient to carry the shopping bag. There’s no room to walk if all five of you are crowded together.”

The five kids giggled.

Seeing how the children were fooling around, Benjamin stepped forward and seized the shopping bag.

The kids turned to look at him instantaneously.

Benjamin’s eyes casually swept past them. “Let’s go inside.”

Upon noticing Benjamin lending a helping hand, Arissa held Tim’s hand while urging the other five children to enter the house, “Come on, Sweethearts, let’s head in. Just let your daddy carry the shopping bag.”

 

Chapter 718 Precious Moments With Her Children

The five kids stopped fighting and dashed in together. “Come on, Mommy!” “Hurry up, Tim!” Arissa responded as she ran after them with the boy.

Benjamin also followed after them. As for Ethen, he volunteered to carry the shopping bags in. “Let me, Mr. Graham.” “I’m good,” Benjamin replied.

Since it was getting late, Arissa asked her six children to go upstairs to get ready for a shower. Before going up herself, she turned around and took over the shopping bags from Benjamin.

“It’s okay. You can go get busy. I’ll bathe the kids,” Arissa said.

Ethen obviously came to talk about business with Benjamin.

“Go check on them, Edwin,” Benjamin said to the butler.

“Right away, Mr. Graham,” Edwin said smilingly.

With everyone dismissed from his presence, Benjamin headed for his study, expecting his assistant to follow suit.

“What are you doing? Hurry up!” he reminded Ethen, who was still looking longingly in the direction of the children.

“Sure, Mr. Graham.”

Ethen went in after him and started filling him in on the progress of work.

Meanwhile, Arissa brought the children back to their room, and the kids started packing their schoolbags.

“I’ll sharpen the pencils for you, Tim,” she said gently as she helped him pack.

Arissa took the sharpener and clamped the pencil on it. “Mm? Why’s it not working?”

The children started giggling when they saw their mother having difficulty with the device.

“Mommy, you have to turn it manually. You didn’t buy the electric one,” Jesse pointed out.

Arissa felt awkward and replied smilingly, “What was I thinking? You know, back then, we didn’t even have anything fancy like this when we went to school.”

Edwin couldn’t help chuckling.

“Let me do it for you, Tim!” Oliver offered, taking one of Tim’s pencils.

Beside him, Arissa and Tim watched on intently.

“Oliver, do a few more for Tim,” Arissa said, giving more to him while she kept those that were already sharpened.

“No, I wanna do it on my own!” Tim exclaimed in excitement.

“All right. Oliver, let him have a try.”

“So this is how you do it…” Oliver demonstrated it another time to make sure Tim knew how to do it properly.

Having seen how it was done twice, Tim felt confident.

“You need to turn it faster, Tim,” Zachary interrupted as he did a circling gesture to show Tim how it should be done.

Tim nodded and did as he was told.

“All good?” Arissa asked encouragingly.

Tim took out the pencil carefully. “Yay! My pencil is sharp now! I can also do it on my own!”

The boy was exhilarated when he saw that he did well.

“What about another one?” Arissa asked, passing Tim his other pencils as she kept those that were already sharpened.

Edwin and the children came closer to have a look at Tim maneuvering the sharpener.

After having another go, Arissa decided it was time for them to sleep. “All right, we’ll leave the rest for next time. You can sharpen them when they become blunt.”

Tim agreed and helped Arissa keep the rest of his stationery back in his schoolbag.

Then, Arissa got up to pack a set of clothing, pajamas, and a pair of sandals for him.

“Sweetheart, remember to change your clothes if you get dirty. I’m putting in your pajamas too.”

“Yes. Thank you, Ms. York,” Tim replied gratefully.

Smiling, Arissa gave him a pinch on his cheek before she turned toward the others. “What about you guys? Are you all done packing?”

“Yes! We have everything inside, Mommy,” Zachary reported.

“Mommy, everything is in my schoolbag too. Even my water bottle is inside,” Jasper added endearingly, trying to get Arissa’s attention.

Arissa went through their schoolbags one by one to ensure they have everything they needed.

“Where’s your pajama, Oliver?” She suddenly stopped at one schoolbag.

The boy smiled at her cheekily. “I’ll put mine in tomorrow, Mommy.”

“No. You’re gonna forget it tomorrow.”

With that said, Arissa went to take Oliver’s pajama, and Edwin folded it.

“And the last one. Jesse, are you not putting in your toy? I’m not sending it to school for you tomorrow.”

Arissa was surprised when she realized that the girl did not put her favorite toy in her schoolbag.

“No, Mommy. I’m not sleeping without it,” the girl replied, smiling.

 

Chapter 719 I Want To Shower With Them

“Then should I pack you another one?” Arissa asked. “No. This is the only one I’m bringing,” the girl replied while shaking her head. Since there was nothing Arissa could do with her, she went on to check on Gavin. She was impressed that the boy had arranged his things immaculately.

“Gavin’s a good boy. Everything in his schoolbag looks neat!” A big smile broke out on Gavin’s face.

“I rearranged everything just now.”

Arissa caressed his head lovingly and turned to look at Zachary, Oliver, Jasper, and Jesse.

“Make sure you guys learn from Gavin, all right? Look at his schoolbag. Everything inside is well laid out.”

The children, including Tim, went over to see for themselves if that was true. What they saw took their breath away.

It was as if Gavin’s schoolbag was one of those displayed in a shop.

“Everything’s so neat!” His siblings could not help but compliment him. “You’re so good at it, Gavin.”

Looking at the impressed lot, Arissa and Edwin could not help but smile.

“All right, children. It’s time to shower and go to bed. You guys have to be up by half-past six tomorrow for school,” Arissa instructed as she went over to the dressing room to get their pajamas.

“Gavin.”

“Thanks, Mommy,” the boy replied politely, taking his clothes from his mother.

“Tim.” Arissa handed the pajama over to Tim.

The child quickly ran over. “Thanks, Ms. York!”

“Zachary and Oliver!”

Arissa handed them their clothes in two hands.

“Jasper?” Arissa turned toward him.

“Thank you, Mommy!”

“Okay! Shower time!” she said.

Edwin brought the boys into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with water.

After settling the boys, Arissa took Jesse’s pajama and went to another bathroom with her.

“Mommy, can I shower with them?”

“Well… Okay!”

Arissa put down Jesse’s pajama and brought her to the first bathroom. The boys were startled when they saw Arissa and Jesse.

“What are y’all looking at? I’m bringing Jesse’s foldable tub here.”

She asked the girl to wait for her and went off.

Edwin was tidying up the bedroom when he saw Arissa walking in.

“The boys refused to let me help,” the butler informed.

Arissa laughed. “Well, they don’t let me either. Just leave them be. You should go get some rest, Edwin. I’ll tuck the children in after they’re done showering.”

“Sure. I’ll get them some milk then.”

“Sounds great.” Arissa nodded as she walked back toward the bathroom.

The six children were having a jolly good time in the bathroom when she got back. The five boys made bubbles on their heads with the shampoo and then did the same for their sister.

“Stop doing that! It’s gonna get in your eyes!” Arissa warned.

They laughed and washed the shampoo away when they were scolded.

Arissa pulled Jesse over and put her on her lap. She lowered the girl’s head so she could clean her hair.

“Close your eyes.”

Jesse closed her eyes, smiling. Meanwhile, Arissa kept eyeing the boys to make sure they were not up to any mischief.

“You okay, Tim?” she asked. “Do you know how to clean your hair?”

“Yes!” the boy said confidently.

Zachary, Oliver, and Jasper knew how to clean themselves.

When Arissa saw that Gavin was cleaning himself adeptly, she was relieved.

“Be quick. Don’t catch a cold,” Arissa reminded.

“Yes, Mommy!”

They quickly washed off the shampoo from their hair before entering the bathtub.

Then, they scrubbed one another’s backs.

Arissa was glad to see that the boys were helping one another.

“Let’s see who’s the fastest!” Jesse suddenly shouted.

“You’re bathed by Mommy, so you’re gonna be the last for sure, Jesse,” Zachary joked.

“But I’ll be the cleanest among all of you,” Jesse said begrudgingly.

“Well, we soap and shower properly too!”

Jesse ignored the boys. “Mommy, hurry up.”

Arissa smiled at the girl. “Yes, Jesse.”

As requested, Arissa cleaned the girl and helped her put on her clothes. When the boys were done, she put on their pajamas for them as well.

 

Chapter 720 Stay The Night With Us

“Children, come out and dry your hair!” Arissa had already gotten the hair dryer ready when she shouted at them to go over. They sat down on the couch while their mother plugged in the hair dryer.

By that time, Edwin had gotten the milk ready. When he saw that they were occupied, he left the glasses of milk on one side and went to clean the bathroom.

“Mommy, you’re so much better at it than Daddy and Grandpa. You’re so gentle,” Gavin praised smilingly as Arissa blow-dried his hair.

Beside him, Tim nodded in agreement.

Arissa was happy to hear their compliment.

“I like you better too, Mommy,” Zachary added.

“Me too! Me too!” Oliver, Jasper, and Jesse cried out in unison.

The smile on Arissa’s face deepened.

“Go and have some milk. Mr. Whitley left it on the table. Go to bed after that. It’s past ten already,” Arissa instructed as she kept the hair dryer after she was done drying the children’s hair.

Gavin took the glasses of milk and passed it to his brothers and sister.

“Mommy, this is for you.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

When she was done keeping the hair dryer, Arissa went over to the table to join the kids.

After they finished their milk, Arissa hurried them to bed.

After tucking them in, Arissa found the children blinking their round eyes at her in anticipation.

“Mommy,” Jesse called out, “could you sleep with us tonight?”

“Yeah, Mommy. Sleep here,” Gavin insisted.

Seeing that the children were longing for her accompaniment, Arissa agreed to it readily.

“All right. I’ll go shower, and I’ll be back. Okay?”

“Okay!”

The children were glad that Arissa agreed to spend the night with them.

Although Tim did not say anything, the smile on his face was enough to show his happiness.

“Hurry up, Mommy. We’ll be waiting,” Jasper urged.

It had been a long time since Arissa slept in their room.

“Sleep first. No more games,” Arissa replied as she went over to pick up the empty glasses.

It so happened that Edwin had just finished cleaning the bathroom. When he saw Arissa wanting to wash the glasses, he came over to relieve her.

“You should go shower, Mrs. Graham. I’ll do it.”

Arissa nodded. “Thanks, Edwin.”

Edwin smiled at her and went off to the kitchen.

As for Arissa, she returned to the master bedroom to shower. When she came out to dry her hair again, half an hour had already passed.

She rushed over to the children’s bedroom when she was finally done.

When she got there, Edwin was reading them a bedtime story, and despite how interesting the story was, Arissa could tell from the kids’ faces that they were struggling to keep their eyes open.

“Edwin, you should go rest. I’ll take over.”

“Sure. Goodnight, Mrs. Graham,” the butler whispered with a smile.

“Goodnight, Edwin,” Arissa said.

After Edwin closed the door, she lay on the bed with the children.

“Mommy! Come over to the middle!” Gavin beckoned.

The children moved apart, making a room for Arissa right in the middle.

“Over here, Mommy!”

“All right,” Arissa replied gently.

When she lay down, she put her arms around the children and planted a kiss on their foreheads.

“Goodnight, my sweethearts.”

“Goodnight, Mommy,” the five kids said. Tim, too, replied, “Goodnight, Ms. York.”

“Sweet dreams!”

Arissa pulled the blanket over them and closed her eyes.

With their mother beside them, the children fell asleep in no time.

Likewise, Arissa dozed off very soon in the familiar scent of the children.

Meanwhile, Edwin went downstairs to get Benjamin a drink.

He whispered, “Mr. Graham, have some water. Are you resting anytime soon? It’s late.”

“Yeah, I’ll be done soon. Are the children asleep?” Benjamin asked.

“They were almost asleep when I left. Mrs. Graham took over after I came down,” Edwin replied.

Benjamin nodded. “You should also call it a day, Edwin. I’ll go to bed soon.”

Edwin nodded and left quietly, since Benjamin was still engrossed in work.

Not long after the butler left, Benjamin received a call from Darius.