"Mommy, when are you going to come back?" came Venus's voice from the other end of the line.
Then, the three other younger children began butting in. "Aunt Carla, Aunt Carla, come back quickly to tell us bedtime stories!"
"All right. Aunt Carla will be back soon. I'm on my way, " Carla coaxed gently. "Shower first, okay? Then you can wait for me to come back to tell you stories."
"Okey-dokey!" the three children sang in unison.
"Mommy, are you with Daddy?" Even Josh had come over to ask. "Will you be coming back together? Could you ask Daddy if he can bring my Transformers over?"
"We won't—"
"Of course, " Zayn interrupted. "We'll be there in half an hour. I'll bring your Transformers over."
"Okay, thanks, Daddy!" Josh cheered.
"My laptop too, Daddy, " Randy reminded. "I've forgotten about it this afternoon because I was in a rush."
"Got it, " Zayn said to the children. Unbeknownst to him, the look on his face had softened. "Shower first. Daddy will be there soon."
"Okay. Bye, Daddy."
"Daddy, Mommy, we'll be waiting for you."
"All right."
After the call ended, the gentle smiles remained on their faces until they looked at each other. Almost immediately, their expressions turned solemn.
"Who told you to say yes to them? I didn't agree to let you come to my house, " Carla hissed out.
"Then are you planning to walk back?" Zayn retorted.
"I…" It was then Carla recalled that she was not driving; She and Freda were riding Zayn's car.
"So what?" Carla then turned to Freda and instructed, "Call Rogan and tell her to pick us up."
"Understood, " Freda answered as she took out her phone.
"Do you really have to do this?" Zayn frowned. "Firstly, this will waste your time. Secondly, it'll affect the children's moods. Moreover, your hand's hurt. You can't even hold a book, so do tell me how you're going read them bedtime stories."
Carla realized that he was right. When Zayn heard nothing else from her, he instructed Benard, "Get someone to send Randy and Josh's stuff over."
"Yes, Sir." Benard chanced a glance at Freda before making a call.
Carla did not stop him, thinking, I guess it'll be good to have the kids be happy for a night. Zayn's only doing this for the kids. All we need to do is to make sure we keep a distance from each other.
Soon, they reached Northridge. By then, the Giblo family's bodyguard had brought Randy and Josh's stuff over.
After Zayn stepped out of the car, he turned around to help Carla out.
Nevertheless, Carla rejected his offer. He rolled his eyes at her before walking straight toward the house.
"Daddy!"
Josh and Venus were waiting in the living room. When they saw Zayn and Carla entering the house, they ran toward them.
The two were exceptionally excited, a stark contrast against Randy, who seemed calm. In fact, Randy seemed to be quietly studying Zayn.
"Mommy!" Venus beamed at Zayn before launching herself into Carla's arm. However, Zayn swiftly pulled her toward him. "Mommy's hurt, so Daddy's going to be the one to read you your bedtime stories tonight. Don't disturb Mommy, okay?"
The three children quickly huddled over to anxiously ask, "What? What happened to Mommy?"
"Mommy's fine. It's just a scratch, " Carla reassured them. "Don't worry. It's all right."
"Ah! Mommy's hand is hurt!" Venus shrieked when she saw Carla's bandaged hand, her face Whyte as sheet.
"Let me see!" Randy and Josh then took Carla's hand and carefully checked it. "What happened?"
"Your mommy was really brave. She was the damsel who saved the hero, and that's why she's hurt, " Zayn joked.
"Was that hero you, Daddy?" Josh asked curiously, his head tilting upward to look at him.
"That's right. It's me." He nodded.
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