After mentioning all of the family members, Peter asked Wayne a bit impatiently, “So, what are you doing back here?”
Peter didn’t seem to welcome Wayne. When he realized no one was behind Wayne, he immediately turned away, acting as if the man in front of him was not his grandson but a stranger.
Because Henry was too embarrassed to mediate between them, Natalie had to be the one to tell Wayne the brutal reality. “I told you before, my dear nephew, that the Wrights never keep idle men. Because you haven’t worked in years, you must bring your family with you whenever you come here.”
“Really? Am I idle?” Wayne asked, his gaze calmly fixed on Natalie.
Meeting his gaze, Natalie shrank behind Peter, shivering with fear. In fact, she was the idlest member of the family.
Wayne was not here to gossip, so he said, “Grandpa, I need to talk to my mom.”
“Go on,” Peter replied, not raising his head.
After Wayne walked into the house, Natalie drew a chair and sat down. She smiled and said to Peter, “Aren’t you being a little harsh on Wayne, Dad? He only comes home once in a while.”
“What? Do you think I’m too harsh on him?”
“Yeah. You are harsher on Wayne than you are on Ryan or me. Isn’t that right, Henry?” Natalie winked at Henry, who was standing beside her.
With a smile, Henry nodded and said, “Wayne’s always been a loner because he did not grow up around Mrs. Wright. Peter did discipline him sternly over the years, but it was for his own good. But now that Wayne has stopped working, he…” When Peter looked up at him, he immediately shut his mouth.
Peter began to whine, “I once thought he left the group because he had other better things to do. However, three years have passed since he quit his job, and he has done nothing but stay at home every day. Although Matthew is still young, Wayne rarely teaches him how to run the business. I’m not trying to be harsh, but I don’t like how he lives.”
Hearing that, Natalie and Henry exchanged glances, neither daring to say anything.
“Father, what are you worried about? Are you worried that he won’t be able to keep up with Anna?” Natalie asked, fiddling with the chessboard. She was telling the truth.
Frowning, Peter had no choice but to agree with her. And he added, “Anna’s business has been doing well in recent years. Her company successfully raised funds and go public and established a good reputation. In addition, Anna’s career is progressing well, and she has been promoted to the chief doctor. Meanwhile, Wayne’s career has stalled. How is it possible that I won’t be worried about Wayne?”
“You know Wayne better than I do. Do you think he’ll lose his ambition and spend the rest of his life idly at home?” Natalie said.
“And what does he want to do?” Peter asked.
“Relax, dad. He’ll come around You’ve been retired for years, so you’d better stop caring about what young people want to do with their lives. Let me play another round with you.” Natalie said, dropping a piece on the board.
***
on the windowsill in the living room, a wooden easel was placed there, and the paints were neatly arranged next to it. The paint on the brushes had not yet dried, indicating that the person who had used them had not left long.
Wayne had just entered when he heard someone leave the restroom. At that time, Jennie had just finished washing her hands. When she saw Wayne, she smiled awkwardly and said, “Sorry, it’s a little messy here. I wanted to take a break, so I didn’t clean it up. I have no idea you were coming back today.”
Hearing that, Wayne remained silent. Then Jennie walked to the easel, explaining, “I’ll put it away. I only moved in here the day before yesterday to paint. I used to paint in the study, but Henry has been reorganizing it recently. So, here I am.”
“Just leave it here,” Wayne advised.
Surprised, Jennie turned to face him. She and Wayne reconciled with each other and worked out their misunderstandings. But they didn’t know each other well, because they hadn’t spent much time together. As a result, Jennie still felt sorry for Wayne and she was always nervous in front of him.
In the past, Jennie often traveled to other cities to paint to escape reality, leaving James and Wayne alone. And Wayne used to get upset whenever he saw her paint, so she worried he would still feel that way. In fact, she would not have dared to paint at home again if it weren’t for Anna and Tammy’s encouragement.
“Are you painting the yard?” Wayne asked.
“Yeah,” she said, snapping back to reality.
“If you move to the study, you won’t be able to see the yard,” Wayne said.
Jennie froze, unsure of what he was saying.
“Can you give me this painting when you finish painting it?”
“Huh?”
“Anna said that there should be a painting on my mantel.”
“Do you want this painting?”
“Yes. Or do you intend to give it to someone else?” Wayne asked calmly.
Eventually, Jennie snapped back and said, “No worries. I’ll frame it and send it to your house after I finish it.” As she looked at her son’s calm expression, Jennie finally breathed a sigh of relief. She thought, Perhaps Ryan was correct. Wayne is indeed much gentler than before. It seems that he has already put the grudges he held against me behind his mind.
“Did you eat breakfast? I’ll have them prepared for you.” Jennie sat on the sofa, took the tea set, and poured Wayne a cup of black tea.
Wayne sipped his tea and replied, “Yes, I have. I came to see you because I needed to ask you a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Would you mind looking after a child for me?”
Jennie choked on her tea and coughed several times after hearing this. She looked at Wayne, surprised, and asked, “Huh? Is Anna expecting a child?”
“No,” Wayne frowned and said flatly, “It’s Gary.”
“Gary? You mean Isabella’s adopted child?”
“Yep. I might need you to look after that kid for a while,” Wayne said, nodding.
After a brief pause, Jennie frowned and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Ever since Ada disappeared three years ago, Isabella began raising Gary, and they had been living abroad with Jasper for the past few years. And Jennie heard that Gary was doing well over there. So, Jennie found it strange that Jasper would decide to ask someone from the Wrights to take care of Gary.
“You see, Jasper is the president of SG Group and faces numerous business rivals from around the world. He frequently encounters competitors. And recently, Jasper’s in a bit of trouble. So, it’s not very safe for Gary to stay with him,” Wayne explained as he set his cup down.
“I see,” Jennie said thoughtfully, nodding, “No worries. I have plenty of free time every day, so I can take care of this child. Tomorrow, I’ll have the maids set up his room.”
“There’s something else I need to ask you,” Wayne said, nodding.
“What thing?” Jennie became worried after learning what had happened to Jasper.
“Can you bring Anna lunch at noon?”
Hearing that, Jennie immediately relaxed and smiled, saying, “No problem! I’m glad Anna enjoyed the food I made. I’m going to cook for her right now.” Jennie then stood up and went to the kitchen.
Wayne sipped his tea as he gazed at the painting on the easel. The painting was already halfway done. Jennie had painted a winter garden scene, yet it was very colorful. In the painting, there was a clear sky and golden sycamore leaves. Under the tree, an old man and a girl were playing chess on opposite sides of a chessboard. For a long time, Wayne kept staring at the painting, then his gaze softened.
***
A new patient arrived at the hospital where Anna worked just as it was lunchtime.
“When did he arrive?” In a hurry, Anna asked the nurse.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.