Chapter 260
At ten o’clock the next morning, Kingsley headed straight to Lucy’s hotel.
Lucy was still in front of the mirror doing her makeup, while Seven was happily working on a bottle of milk.
The doorbell suddenly chimed. Seven tugged on the nanny beside him and asked brightly, “Go see who it is!” The nanny walked over to the door.
When she looked through the peephole and recognized the figure standing outside, she couldn’t help but gasp softly, “Mr. Sherwood p>
“Who’s Mr. Sherwood?” Seven pressed, tilting his little face up.
The nanny didn’t know how to explain it for a moment, so she offered vaguely, “It’s someone you know p>
“Am I friends with him?” the little guy persisted relentlessly, already on his tiptoes, trying to turn the doorknob.
Hearing the commotion from the inner room, Lucy called out, “Seven, do you know the person outside p>
“It’s Mr. Sherwood,” Seven called back over his shoulder. The moment Lucy heard those words, Kingsley’s hard, stoic face instantly flashed through her mind.
She reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear and instructed evenly, “Throw the bottle away when you’re done. Go wipe your mouth. It’s time to leave p>
Seven nodded obediently. “Okay!” he chirped, tossing the empty bottle into the trash before running off to grab a tissue and wipe his mouth.
Lucy double-checked the room to ensure nothing was left behind before grabbing her suitcase. Seven trailed behind her, his small hand resting lightly on the edge of the luggage.
When she opened the door, Kingsley was still standing outside. Without a word of preamble, he took the suitcase from her grip and stated confidently, “We’ll go together. I’m heading to Switzerland too p>
“I already called a car,” Lucy said, her tone utterly flat, refusing to even look at him.
Xavier seamlessly stepped in and took the suitcases from both her and the nanny. Seven reached out with a tiny hand to tug at the hem of Lucy’s shirt, calling out in a soft, sweet voice, “Mommy p>
Kingsley glanced down and offered the boy a smile, but Seven completely ignored him, turning his face up to Lucy. “Mommy, are we going home p>
Lucy nodded, her voice warm. “Yes, we’re going home. Mommy has to go back to work, and you have to go back to class.” Seven suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up. “Mommy, I need to learn the alphabet, and read storybooks p>
“Alright,” Lucy agreed as the group piled into the elevator and rode down to the lobby. By the time she finished checking out, her requested car had just pulled up. Kingsley escorted them to the vehicle, watching it drive off before turning around and sliding into his own car.
Inside, he tapped his fingers lightly against his knee and asked softly, “Is Jules Holt in Switzerland p>
Xavier responded immediately, “No, he’s currently on a business trip in the UK p>
A meaningful smile tugged at the corners of Kingsley’s lips.
“Tell Phil to swap cars and come pick us up.” Xavier nodded quickly in agreement.
“Yes, sir p>
Fifty minutes later, the group arrived at the airport.
Initially, Seven trudged along on his own little legs, but when he got tired, Lucy scooped him up into her arms.
Xavier handled the check-in process while Lucy took Seven and the nanny to the lounge to wait. Kingsley returned with a glass of orange juice for Seven, a hot coffee for Lucy, and casually set some snacks on the table.
Seven sat in the chair, his little legs dangling and swinging back and forth. He picked up a chicken nugget and glanced at Lucy, his eyes full of question. “If you want to eat, just eat. You don’t have to ask Mommy,” Lucy said gently.
Seven nodded and immediately shoved the nugget into his mouth, chewing tiny bites like a little hamster. After finishing the first piece, he grabbed two more, offering one to Lucy and one to the nanny.
Finally, he looked over at Kingsley
and chirped, Mr. Sherwood, you eat
one too.” Amusement rippled
through Kingsley’s eyes as he
accepted it. Alright. Thank you
Seven. Seven took a huge gulp ofer
orange juice and looked around
curiously before suddenly asking,
“Mommy, are we ever going to come back here p>
Lucy grabbed a tissue and gently wiped a crumb from the corner of his mouth. “Yes. When we have time, we’ll come back p>
After a flight of over a dozen hours, the plane touched down smoothly. Seven had been far too excited to close his eyes for the entire trip, but now, he finally crashed. A heavy wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Lucy was just reaching out to carry him when Kingsley stepped in front of her, effortlessly scooping the little guy into his arms. “I’ve got him,” he said smoothly.
“You really know how to seize an opportunity, don’t you?” Lucy scoffed, her tone laced with mockery. Kingsley ignored the jab.
He just gently patted Seven’s back and murmured softly, “Go to sleep.” Seven forced his heavy eyelids open for a split second to look at him, then went limp against his shoulder, his eyes slipping shut as he swiftly drifted off to sleep.
Lucy grabbed her carry-on and trailed behind them at a leisurely pace. Once they were outside, the driver, Phil, immediately rushed over. He efficiently loaded all the luggage into the trunk. When he spotted the sleeping child in Kingsley’s arms, he couldn’t stop a warm smile from spreading across his face.
After sliding into the car, Lucy looked toward Xavier in the passenger seat and said evenly, “Xavier, whenever you have a moment, have someone draft up a Stock Purchase Agreement and email it to me p>
Xavier froze, his eyes instinctively darting to Kingsley in the backseat. Kingsley spoke up coolly, “Have the lawyers draw it up. The amount is a thousand dollars p>
“Right away,” Xavier quickly agreed, looking down at his phone to fire off a message and the necessary files to the legal team.
Lucy wasn’t tired, taking this time to start adjusting to the time zone difference. Scrolling through her work chats, she noticed a message from Jules Holt: [Did you land yet?] Her fingers flew across the screen.
[Landed. Already on my way back.] With the message sent, Lucy caught a glimpse
of Seven sleeping soundly in Kingsley’s arms.
The words she’d been about to say
died in her throat-talking to him was like talking to a brick wall. It was
entirely pointless. For the rest of ride, she simply kept her eyes shut, pretending to nap. The car pulled up to the estate.
The moment Lucy stepped out and reached to take Seven, Kingsley cut her off. “I’II carry him inside p>
“Kingsley, don’t push your luck,” Lucy demanded, her voice cold. Give this man an inch, and he’d take a mile.
Kingsley repeated himself, “I’m just carrying Seven inside. I won’t ask for a drink, and I won’t linger p>
Lucy grabbed her suitcase and marched straight toward the house, tossing back one last freezing insult over her shoulder, “As if you even deserve a drink in this house p>