Theodore looked somewhat innocent when Harvey questioned him. "I'm here all the time. What's weird about that? I'm even staying over tonight!"The moment Theodore finished speaking, Harvey turned on Elara. "How can you let him stay at your place? Didn't you break up with him? Even if you two are dating, you can't just let some guy move in!"Before Elara could answer, Theodore jumped in, "I'm not as dangerous as you are. You're the one who uses drones to steal underwear. God, some people are seriously creepy!""I never stole… her underwear!" Harvey's voice clearly lost some of its intensity by the end of that sentence.Elara steered the conversation back on track. "I called you here because I want you to take Niamh with you."The moment she spoke, Niamh panicked."Elara! You can't hand me over to him! If you're going to turn me over to anyone, it should be Harvey's parents."Elara looked at Niamh. "If Elizabeth and Zachary really wanted you to be the Fisher family's daughter-in-l
Elara's gaze fell on the dirty canvas sneakers on Niamh's feet. Her hair was disheveled, and traces of sweat were visible on her face."It looks like you already went to see Harvey with your pregnant belly," Elara said. "Let me guess his reaction."Niamh stared at Elara in shock, feeling like her heart was plummeting into a bottomless pit. For the first time, she felt like she didn't recognize Elara at all. Her survival instincts kicked in, sending warning signals as goosebumps rose on her skin.A voice in her head seemed to be screaming, "Run! Get out of here!"But Niamh's legs wouldn't cooperate—she was rooted to the spot."Even after you told Harvey that you used his frozen sperm from the hospital to get pregnant, he still doesn't want this baby. He must have taken you to the hospital to get rid of it, right?"Elara moved to Niamh's side and noticed a large, angry red scrape on her elbow."You sensed something was wrong and jumped out of the car to escape. So, you ran here lo
The moment Elara finished speaking, Finnegan snapped his fork in half. His face turned frighteningly dark, radiating menacing energy."Harvey, is such a bastard! I'm going to tear his head off!"Elara quietly reminded him, "Don't swear in front of Merida."Merida quickly finished cleaning her plate. Though she only half-understood the adults' conversation, she knew her presence was stopping them from talking freely. She hurriedly finished eating and slid down from her chair."Eat slower," Elara reminded her. Merida's cheeks were puffed out like a hamster as she chewed dramatically in front of Elara dozens of times.Elara grabbed a napkin to wipe her face. "Skip the playground downstairs tonight and watch some cartoons in your room instead."Usually after dinner, Merida would go down to the playground to hang out with other kids. Even though Niamh couldn't get into the complex and Merida wasn't afraid of her, Elara didn't want her daughter bothered by any drama."Okay, Mommy." Af
"I did eat something—something terrible!" said Finnegan.Merida asked curiously, "What was it?"Just then, the glass kitchen door slid open, and Theodore came out carrying a steaming plate of pasta. He sat down next to Finnegan while Elara sat with Merida."Smell this pasta Elara made for me." Theodore held the bowl up to Finnegan's face.Before Finnegan could even take a breath, Theodore pulled the plate away."Finny's probably had Elara's cooking before, so you've probably gotten tired of it by now. But for me, getting to eat something Elara made with her own hands is really special."Merida caught what Theodore was saying. "Mommy's cooking never gets old!"Theodore said, "Well, your Uncle Finn has been living with your mom longer than you have."Finnegan glanced at the pasta on Theodore's plate and let out a cold laugh. "That pasta doesn't have an egg on top, which means it was made for a guest. When Elara cooks for family, it doesn't look like that."Merida recalled it too
Finnegan glared at Theodore with pure warning in his eyes. Even though Elara knew this was Theodore's deliberate guilt trip, she couldn't actually let him stand outside eating a burger."Let me make you some pasta then."Elara was about to get up when Finnegan said, "I'll do it."Theodore spoke up, "I want Elara to cook for me personally!"As he spoke, there was obvious smugness gleaming in his eyes. Finnegan warned him, "Don't push your luck!"Elara had already gotten up and headed to the kitchen, with Theodore following right behind."Finny says I shouldn't push my luck, so how about I give you a shoulder massage instead? You cook for me, and I give you a massage. That's fair trade, right?"His voice was incredibly enticing, making Elara's ears burn."You really are shameless," she said with a laugh."Oh, you don't want me to massage you?" If Theodore were a dog, his fluffy ears would definitely be drooping right now.Elara warned him, "Behave yourself, or my brother really
Finnegan was cooking when they heard the sound of the front door being unlocked. Merida pushed open the door."Mommy! I'm home!"Elara was sitting at the dining table, working on blueprints, with her laptop and tablet spread out in front of her. She'd been swamped with company business lately and had originally planned to help Finnegan with dinner, but he'd been thoughtful enough to tell her to focus on work first.Elara turned around to see Theodore following behind Merida. He was carrying her backpack and kicked off his shoes at the entrance.Finnegan came out of the kitchen carrying a freshly made pasta primavera, and seeing Theodore's casual smile, alarm bells started going off in his head."What are you doing coming in? You can drop Merida off and leave."Theodore tilted his head with an innocent expression. "I'm here to join this family. Finn, aren't you going to welcome me?"Finnegan radiated dark, ominous energy. Just then, Elara spoke up from behind him, "Let Mr. Snapp