He drank wine, which they all claimed to be “liquid courage,” but in spite of that, he still felt like a
coward.
Adina returned after finishing her song, only to find that a big portion of the freshly-opened champagne
had already vanished.
Duke’s eyes were already unfocused.
She was speechless.
He claimed to be here to help look after the kids, did he not? He was, however, getting drunk instead.
She gave him a quick look before deciding to keep a safe distance from him.
The children were having a great time. They were singing, dancing, and playing around, and it was
soon ten o’clock at night.
After turning off the music, Adina clapped and said, “All right, time for bed, now. Line up and go take a
bath, one by one.”
The children were really obedient. The three boys proceeded to shower in Alden’s room, while Adina
took Mel to the upstairs bathroom.
The four kids were already sound asleep in their beds by
ten thirty at night. When Adina went downstairs to clean up, she saw Duke leaning back on the couch,
his eyes closed and the wine glass still in his hands.
That man had downed the majority of the champagne , and it had long since finished.
“Hey, wake up…”
Adina approached him and called him twice , but he did not respond.
She removed the glass from his hands and helped him lie down properly on the couch. She then went
upstairs to grab a thin blanket and cover him with it.
Duke slept soundly on the couch; his face serene. He had obviously consumed a bit too much wine.
Adina could not help but sigh.
He had agreed to come and help her take care of the kids, but in the end, she had ended up taking
care of one adult and four children all by herself!
She accepted her fate and continued tidying up the living room. There was a lot of stuff scattered on
the floor. She picked them up one by one and threw them in the trash before sweeping and mopping
the floor. As she was busy cleaning, she heard someone calling her name.
“Addy…
“Addy…”
He called her again and again, softly at first, and then the volume increased.
Adina thought Duke had awakened, so she turned to look at him, but his eyes were closed, and his thin
lips were moving to call her name again and again. She felt as if her heart had taken a dip in boiling hot
water, and she froze on the spot.
“Addy!”
Duke’s hand grabbed at the air, and he managed to catch Adina’s arm with precision,
When she saw the man suddenly open his eyes, she was shocked and wanted to escape instinctively.
Those eyes were filled with hazy drunkenness, and it was totally different from the usual eyes Duke
had. It appeared as though he had suddenly taken off his tough armor, revealing his raw, genuine self.
His gaze focused on Adina, and he slightly tightened his hold on her.
“Addy, I have something to tell you.” Duke slowly said in a raspy voice, and Adina could not help but
stop herself from trying to run away.
She pursed her lips and asked nervously, “W-what are you trying to say?” “Addy, do you know that
you’re the first woman I care about so much?”
Upon hearing that, Adina’s heart suddenly stopped beating, and then the next second, her heart started
to beat faster. She felt as though her heart was almost beating out of her chest.
Her suspicions were true; the man had come here tonight to confess.
He did not dare to confess, so he had downed the champagne to gain courage. She stayed still, biting
her crimson lips, and put all of her focus on her ears as she listened carefully to the man’s voice.
“I don’t remember when I first became so concerned about you… At first, I had no idea who the father
of your children was, and I was so jealous of that man. I felt really envious of him…”
Duke’s voice was hoarse, and his words were a little slurred.
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