"Cutie?" Debbie couldn't knock off the feeling of goose bumps all over her body. Yet, the smile playing on her lips had already said it all. "Knock it off," she snapped. "Ask someone to bring some fresh fish here. I'll make some soup for Rika."
"Yes, honey." Carlos had always been obedient to his wife.
In the evening, Owen drove Erica to the manor first. He didn't leave until he made sure that the CEO's wife was safe inside the house.
In the living room, Debbie was already waiting for her. She had prepared a plate of fresh fruits, beautifully-shaped desserts and peeled nuts for her.
Seeing her come in, the older woman stopped whatever she was doing and walked towards her. "Rika, you're here. Come and eat some fruits first."
A sweet smile threaded across Erica's lips. "Dad, Mom!"
"Sit down first." Carlos nodded in greeting.
As if she was taking care of a little baby, Debbie pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit down. Finally, she placed her hand on the young woman's already bulging belly. "I've always been wondering why you're showing so early," she stated. "It turns out that you're carrying twins!"
"I didn't expect that I'd be carrying two babies either. I wonder if they're two boys or girls," Erica said thoughtfully. It was still too early to figure out their gender, so everyone was free to guess.
Debbie sat down next to her and handed her a slice of melon. "Do you want them to be boys or girls?"
"Well," she started with a pout. "Boys. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so guilty if I discipline them." If they were girls, she probably wouldn't have the heart to hit them. Knowing Matthew, he'd also be more inclined to spoil them to death.
Debbie also smiled. "If you want boys, then they will be boys." She waved her hand. "Given your genes, they'll also be handsome when they grow up."
"Thank you, Mom!"
Thinking of Matthew, Carlos sat opposite them. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "I think girls will be nice," he commented. "Maybe they'll be like Rika—all lively and adorable."
"Please, we all know you just want granddaughters." Debbie snorted.
Erica giggled. She had already guessed that her father-in-law would want a granddaughter rather than a grandson.
"Just take Gwyn, Godwin, and Godfrey as examples," he defended. "Look how obedient Gwyn is compared to the two boys. She's less troublesome."
"Matthew had been obedient when he was a child, and you know that." Debbie pursed her lips.
Matthew took after his father in terms of his temperament. He had always been considerate and thoughtful ever since he was a young child, which made Debbie sympathize with him more. Even then, Carlos never really looked his way. On the contrary, Terilynn had always been naughty, but Carlos never had the heart to yell at his daughter.
The man picked up a slice of mango with his fork and handed it to his wife. "Have some fruit, honey."
Amused, she took the fork. "You know you can't win, so you just want to silence me with food." She chuckled. "Besides, this platter is for Rika. I won't be eating it." She handed the fork to Erica, who shook her head.
"Mom, please eat it." Erica laughed. "I can't finish this massive platter."
Staring at the large fruit platter she had prepared, Debbie had to agree with her. Instead of insisting that Erica take the mango, she ate it herself.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair chatted happily as they showed each other pictures from their phones. Sitting opposite them, Carlos listened to their conversation after he was done dealing with a few matters.
He would offer some juice to them from time to time.
Just as he was about to go upstairs to handle some documents that needed signing, he heard Erica muttering, "I wonder who this 'Can't Do Anything' is! He's been following my Weibo account for a long time. Although we've never met, I feel like he knows me enough. But I haven't updated my account recently, and I don't talk to him much too."
Carlos turned back at the younger woman who had already busied herself with her phone. "Rika, what did you say his username was?"
"What?" She tilted her head.
"The one you mentioned—your follower."
"Oh!" Her eyes widened in realization. "His username is 'Can't Do Anything.'"
Carlos returned to his seat as a smile spread across his face. "Do you know that his username was inspired from a poem?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Really? I didn't know that!" 'Please forgive my ignorance. I'm not that knowledgeable in poems.' She could already feel her cheeks flushing from her ignorance.
Carlos didn't mind enlightening her. His face brightened. "There's a poem from The Legend of Qin. It goes like this: In the northern forest lived a pack of wild geese, with feathers as white as snow. Against the icy wind, they flew towards the south, wing to wing. As rain poured and broke her wings, she couldn't do anything but mourn her lost dreams.*
(*TN: This line of the poem contains the Chinese characters of Erica's name.) Waiting in the gust of howling wind, he vowed to never forsake or leave."
Being a slow student herself, Erica wasn't quick to understand the depth of the poem. In fact, she grew even more confused. "Dad, I'm not that good at understanding poems," she said sheepishly. "Do you mind explaining it to me."
He didn't mind. "The first line describes how a group of wild geese were living in the forest located in the north.
Due to the cold weather, they flew to the south. It's part of their animal nature. Whenever the weather approaches winter, they would have to migrate to the south.
However, that's not the point.
The third line is about how one of the female wild geese had broken her wings from the heavy rain. What else could she do but wait for her death? Upon seeing her, a male wild goose stopped his flight and stayed with the wounded animal. Under the howling wind, he confessed his love for her and vowed that even if her wings were destroyed by the rain, he would never leave her. If my memory serves me right, the poem is about a man expressing his love for a woman who he falls in love with at first sight."
'I will never forsake or leave you... Wow! Who knew my son is capable of being such a hopeless romantic? Like what Sheffield had said, my son was as unpredictable as he seemed, ' Carlos thought with a shake of his head.
"What?" Erica exclaimed. 'A man expressing his love for a woman?' She was completely dumbfounded. That was when she thought of another problem. 'Does that mean that Can't Do Anything loves me?'
She explained to the two elders, "Dad, Mom, please don't misunderstand. I don't even talk to him that much. If you didn't tell me just now, I wouldn't even know what his username means."
Amused by her defensiveness, Carlos reached out his hand to stop her. "Don't worry, dear. We trust you." His eyes glinted. "Besides, I know who the man is."
Debbie furrowed her eyebrows. "You do? Who is he? Why is he so mysterious?"
"I have the same questions! Who is he? Please tell us, Dad." The two women both stared at Carlos with their eyes wide with expectations.
However, Carlos simply stood up from his seat and said, "Rika, there are so many wonderful things in life just waiting for you to discover them. For example, there's a person in this world who loves you very much."
'Alas! The brat actually hid his feelings well!' He laughed to himself.
Back then, when he angrily asked Matthew to keep his distance from Phoebe, the young man didn't bother to explain himself.
If it weren't for Carlos opening Matthew's safe to get an important file, he wouldn't have seen Erica's picture. It was then that he came to know that his son had fallen in love with the young girl a long time before.
They all said that Carlos didn't treat his son well, but in fact, he had just given his son the best thing in the world.