Chapter 546
Hearing this, Jacqueline shook her head. “Probably nothing sinister.”
“Whenever he comes over, he just helps Aaron and me with chores. If I’m
gardening, he stands by carrying bags of fertilizer. If Aaron goes out back to fish, he carries the tackle box.”
“If you ask me, he just can’t let you go. He’s hoping Aaron and I will put in a good word for him.”
Jacqueline aimed the last sentence directly at Elissa.
Elissa pressed her lips together. “If he shows up again, just let me know. I’ll call him
and tell him to stop bothering you two.”
Initially, she thought Frank might have been visiting for business.
After all, the Atwater Group had pharmaceutical investments. If he wanted to
discuss industry matters with her mentor, and Aaron was willing, she had no right to interfere.
She hadn’t realized it was all about her.
“Alright.”
Though Jacqueline felt a slight pang of sympathy for the man, she agreed. She then shifted the topic to the pregnancy. “Have you had a checkup recently? Is the baby doing well?”
“The baby is perfectly healthy.”
A soft, radiant glow returned to Elissa’s face. “I even heard the heartbeat last time.”
Tanya practically vibrated with excitement, eagerly jumping into the conversation. “It was beating so fast and strong! You can already tell this little baby is going to be tough as nails.”
As she spoke, Tanya subconsciously reached out to gently stroke Elissa’s stomach, her eyes filled with boundless anticipation.
She had never been this excited for any of her own cousins’ babies.
But from the exact moment Elissa found out she was pregnant, Tanya had been thrilled, slowly filling online shopping carts with a mountain of baby supplies.
Seeing the young girl he had watched grow up now preparing to become a mother, Aaron felt a deep wave of nostalgia. “What does that Murphy boy have to say about it?”
Surely they weren’t going to let the baby be born without finalizing their marriage plans.
Elissa sheepishly rubbed her nose. “I haven’t told him yet.”
Aaron was rendered speechless.
A rare flare of temper rose in the old man’s chest. “What exactly is going through your head…”
Sensing his rising frustration, Elissa quickly clarified, “I just haven’t had the chance! He’s been on a business trip abroad for the last few days. I’m going to tell him the second he gets back.”
Aaron let the matter drop, though Elissa could distinctly sense that the old man’s mood was oddly heavy today.
It wasn’t until it was almost time to
leave, when Jacqueline went
upstairs to retrieve the gifts she had
bought for Elissa and the baby-with
Tanya tunning up to help carry
them that Elissa
finally found a
moment alone with Aaron
She was just about to ask what was wrong.
Unexpectedly, Aaron let out a long sigh and spoke first. “I used to think that boy owed you far too much.”
Elissa froze. “Are you talking about Rowan?”
“Who else?”
Aaron shot her a pointed look. “You think I’m talking about Frank? Frank doesn’t just
owe you; he has literally never done a single right thing by you.”
Even if Frank wanted to turn back time now, it was far too late. It was utterly pointless.
Even as an outsider, Aaron felt zero pity for the end of Elissa and Frank’s relationship.
Since she felt no emotional ripple at the mention of her ex-husband, Elissa simply
asked, “Then why bring up Rowan all of a sudden?”
“Tanya told us earlier why Rowan truly pushed you away back then.”
Aaron paused, his eyes turning
distant as he recalled the past. “Do
you know why, even though I had
zero intention of taking on an apprentice, I still agreed to give you an interview?”
Elissa was stunned. Back then, Rowan had told her that Mr. Blaine happened to be looking for a student and wanted to test her aptitude.
Rowan had been just a teenager in a crisp white shirt. He had grabbed her hand, rushing her to the Blaine residence with breathless urgency to secure the apprenticeship.
She dug her nails into her palms. “Why?”
Aaron laid the truth bare. “Every single day after school, the moment he dropped
you off at home, he would run straight to my house to do manual labor.”
“He was far more sincere and
desperate than Frank has been lately. Frank still cares about his dignity Rowan didn’t care about anything would scream at him, and he would just flash me a wide, stubborn grin.”
“That reckless boy just wore me down. He ground away at me until your mentor’s wife and I finally caved and gave in.”
Hearing this, Elissa’s entire body went rigid. It felt as though her heart had been submerged in a suffocating wave of lemon juice, aching with an unbearable tartness.
She had been only nine years old. And how old was Rowan?
He was barely fifteen.
At an age defined by teenage pride, arrogance, and rebellion, he had willingly
swallowed his pride and begged for her sake…