Samuel took a warm shower and lay down beside Nicole.
Nicole had a good sleep and didn't get up until 11 am. Perhaps it was because she felt relieved at
Samuel's return, or because she was too tired.
Looking at the clock, Nicole thought that her eyes were deceiving herself, or that the clock was broken.
The hunger forced her to get up.
On the bedside table were loose-fitting pajamas, and there was a pair of thick slippers on the ground.
Was Samuel serious? He treated her as a woman who needed to be babysitted.
Unwilling though, Nicole put on the slippers and went downstairs.
"Mommy, you finally get up! You sleepyhead!"
Zoe sat on the sofa and played with the toys that Samuel had bought for her, with some snacks by the
side.
Nicole blushed at Zoe's words.
"Where's your daddy?"
"Daddy went out for grocery shopping. He said he would cook coke chicken wings for me."
Zoe's eyes lit up when she talked about food.
"You little foodie! Is the fever gone?"
Nicole touched her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief when she found everything was alright.
"I feel well. Mommy, when did Daddy come back?"
"Last night."
Nicole touched Zoe's head and poured herself a glass of water.
Zoe pouted and said, "What if Daddy had come back earlier. I wouldn't have been bullied by Miss
Jaylen."
Nicole felt a little sad.
"Mommy and Daddy will take you to kindergarten later. Do you want to go to another kindergarten?"
"Mommy, can I stay away from kindergarten? I don't like it at all."
Zoe said with disgust.
Nicole knew that it hurt Zoe.
She didn't know how to talk about it with a child.
"Baby, we all have to work on our own stuff. Daddy needs to earn money. Mommy needs to manage
the company. Your brother needs to study. Naturally, you also need to go to kindergarten."
"But I can have a tutor."
Nicole felt somewhat overwhelmed by Zoe's resistance against socializing.
At that moment, Samuel came back.
"What are you two talking about? Sweetheart, come and take a look!"
"Wow, blueberries! Pitaya! Mangosteen! They're all my favorite! Daddy, I love you!"
Zoe was quickly distracted by food from her talk with Nicole. She hurriedly ran over, opened the bag in
Samuel's hand, and let out a series of exclamations of surprise.
That was what children did. They were easily cheered up by what they liked.
Nicole hoped that her daughter could keep her innocence forever.
Seeing that Nicole looked at Zoe with a complicated expression, Samuel smiled and said, "Here you
are. I bought you durian, your favorite."
"I have no appetite."
Nicole sighed with concern.
"What's wrong? Did Zoe upset you?"
"No, I didn't. I'm a good girl, Daddy!"
Zoe immediately defended herself.
Samuel said, "Go and wash the fruits before eating them."
"OK!"
Zoe carried the bag and ran away.
Samuel sat down beside her and held her in his arms.
"What's the matter?"
"Zoe refuses to go to kindergarten now. What should we do? If she doesn't go to kindergarten, how can
she go to elementary school later? A lack of experiences in community will lead to character flaws."
Nicole said frankly.
Samuel smiled and said, "Don't worry. She is just a child. She was bullied in kindergarten. It is natural
for her to get defensive. Don't worry. I got this."
"How?"
"You'll see."
Samuel didn't tell her at once. Seeing that Nicole was wearing the thick slippers, he nodded and said
with satisfaction, "Whenever you're at home, wear them. By the way, I have asked the decorator to set
under-floor heating in the afternoon, so that the floor won't be cold."
Nicole felt a bit annoyed.
"Samuel, it's almost New Year. The heating will stop working in a month. Why did you decide to set
under-floor heating now? I can only enjoy it for a month and then it will be warm. You really don't have
to do this."
"I have to. You're still weak. Ashley said it would take a long time for your body to recover. You cannot
afford to catch a cold before your recovery. It only takes two or three days to set the heating. How
about living with grandpa for several days?"
Nicole didn't know how to retort.
"I'm good. Don't worry. Every woman is weak after childbirth."
"I don't care about other women. My wife must be safe and sound. We're going to spend the rest of our
life together, don't we? Tell me, Your Majesty, what do you want for lunch? I've cooked porridge in the
morning. Do you want to have a bowl of porridge first?"
Samuel knew that she had just gotten up.
Nicole shook her head and said, "No. I'll just have lunch. Before you cook lunch, I have some questions
for you."
"Alright."
Samuel put the stuff aside and sat on the sofa waiting for Nicole's questions.
Nicole suddenly was amused.
"Why are you behaving like a good boy?"
"Blair told me to be obedient to my wife."
"Seriously?"
After returning from the police station, Samuel seemed better at sweet talk.
Samuel smiled gently and looked at her affectionately.
Nicole coughed and said, "How did you get out of that? You said the senior officials of police station
decided to dwell on this, did you?"
"Yes, I did. However, after Lillian informed Zayn of this case, Zayn forced them to compromise and let
me go."
Samuel's words surprised Nicole.
"Do you know Zayn well? Is there any other cooperation between you? I heard that you promised Zayn
to take me to visit his mother. Why? Who's his mother? Does she have anything to do with us?"
Samuel didn't reply Nicole's questions immediately.
He didn't know if he should tell Nicole the truth.
He had tried to protect Nicole from the troubles of the Freemans. After all, once Nicole's identity was
exposed, more problems might emerge. He only wanted to live a peaceful life with Nicole.
But things had gone out of his control.
If he didn't tell Nicole the truth, she would be left in the dark and might suffer losses.
Nicole knew that Samuel was hesitating. She did not rush him but waited quietly.
Samuel finally sighed and said, "There is something I didn't tell you."
"About Tami?"
Nicole still remembered her.
They were very honest with each other. If there were secrets, they must be related to Tami.
Samuel nodded.
"Tami is the daughter of the nanny of the Freemans. She came to me because she knew something
about Zayn. She wanted to take the advantage to stand out in the entertainment industry. However, she
did something misleading. So I got rid of her," he said.
Nicole was shocked, trying her best not to think about the implications of his words.
"What's the relation between you and Zayn?"
"To be exact, it's not about me. Zayn might be your brother."
Nicole was greatly astonished.
"Wait, what did you say? Brother?"
"Yes."
Samuel looked at Nicole and whispered, "I don't know what is hidden behind this. But he swore that
you are his biological sister and even showed me the paternity test results."
Nicole felt totally confused.
"Wait, the paternity test? For me and him? The test results say we are related?"
"I'm not very sure. But the rate was over 60%. Generally speaking, you're very likely to be related."
Samuel's words shocked Nicole a lot.
"Over sixty percent doesn't mean that we're related, right? How can it be possible? I didn't even know
who he was before!"
Samuel was not surprised by her reaction.
He held Nicole's hands and comforted her, "Nicole, the rate will reach 99% only when it comes to
parents and kids. 60% usually occurs in the case of siblings."
"How can it be possible? My mother only gave birth to one kid. That's me. She gave me to Mr. and Mrs.
Bush. Then she adopted a boy. Was that boy Zayn? It doesn't make sense. An adopted son will not be
related to me. Wait!"
Something occurred to Nicole.
Audrey told a different story.
Audrey said that the child of Mr. and Mrs. Bush had died, so she took the opportunity to give her kid,
Nicole, to them. She was also afraid that the Don family would find her child, so she adopted a boy
from the orphanage.
Even if Nicole left aside the identity and whereabouts of that boy, she was confused why Melissa
appeared. If the child of Mr. and Mrs. Bush had died, who was Melissa?
That was what Nicole was thinking about.
"OK. Let's talk about Melissa first. Has she been sent back by Zayn?"
"Yes. She's in the Seapolis City. You can meet her anytime. What's the matter? Have you figured out
how to get revenge? If you can't do it, I'll do it for you."
When Samuel thought that the wounds on Nicole's back were caused by Melissa, he wished he could
kill her.
However, Nicole shook her head and said, "No. I remember very clearly that my mother said that the
child of the Mr. and Mrs. Bush died, so she gave me to them. Are the results of paternity test for
Melissa and them reliable?"
Samuel did not know that. Samuel was absent when Audrey talked to Nicole. Nevertheless, Samuel
totally believed in Nicole's words.
If Nicole wasn't mistaken, Melissa's identity was indeed doubtful.
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