CHAPTER 298
Chapter 298
“Why is she crying?” Aaron asked.
“Maybe she’s upset,” Kevin guessed, looking equally puzzled.
The group of little children were whispering amongst themselves nearby. They thought their voices weren’t loud enough to be heard, but Stacey caught every word. Hayden also overheard the children’s whispers and decided to take action. He immediately walked over and gently guided them out, leading them upstairs to play. Kelly, or rather Claire, needed rest, and she shouldn’t be disturbed right now.
Once upstairs, Hayden asked the children to play quietly and not to go downstairs to disturb Claire. Meanwhile, Stacey was busy preparing food and drinks for Charlie and Claire downstairs. Claire hadn’t eaten in a long time, but she wasn’t feeling hungry. She just felt miserable and drained.
“Do you want to rest for a while? We’ve prepared a guest room upstairs,” Stacey offered gently. Then, turning to Charlie, she said, “Charlie, take Claire to the room to rest. If you’re tired, just get some shut–eye. Call me if you need anything to eat. I’ll have someone prepare it right away.”
Charlie nodded. “Okay.” Without wasting a moment, he picked Claire up. Stacey led the way, and Charlie followed her upstairs, carrying Claire in his arms. Stacey opened the door to the guest room they had prepared in advance and stepped aside to let Charlie carry Claire in. After they entered, Stacey hesitated for a moment before carefully leaving the room, not wanting to disturb them.
She then went downstairs, prepared some fruits and milk, and brought them back upstairs. She thought they might want something to snack on or drink later. After setting the tray down quietly in the room, Stacey stepped out and closed the door softly. As soon as she came out, she was met with five pairs of curious eyes – Jeremy, Lillian, Kevin, Abigail, and Aaron – all looking up at her with questions written all over their faces. All the children were curious about Claire’s sudden appearance Stacey thought for a moment and decided to bring them downstairs to talk.
“Mommy, who’s that lady?” Kevin asked curiously.
Stacey pondered then said, “She’s the girl your Uncle Charlie likes the most.”
The children’s eyes lit up with surprise and excitement.
Abigail exclaimed, “Someone finally wants Uncle Charlie?”
Stacey was taken aback by this comment but laughed, nodding in agreement. “I guess so.”
“So, will she be our aunt in the future?” Lillian asked happily.
“But why is she crying?
id someone mistreat Aunt Claire?” Jeremy asked with a concerned frown.
Stacey struggled to explain the situation to the children as it was too complicated for them to fully understand. “No one- mistreated her. Aunt Claire… Something happened at home. Her mom… just passed away, so she’s very upset, Stacey said cautiously, choosing her words carefully.
At this, Jeremy’s eyes widened with understanding. He looked upstairs, worried about Claire. The twins, Lillian and Kevin, along with Abigail and Aaron, were too young to fully grasp the gravity of death. They couldn’t comprehend how terrible and sad it could be.
Claire still wanted to return to Yowhayton, but Charlie kept holding her, staying by her side, and constantly comforting her to prevent her from leaving. In the first few days, Claire couldn’t even eat. It wasn’t until a few days later that Hayden informed them that Lydia’s body had been brought here and would be transported back to the country through special channels soon.
Claire was stunned. She couldn’t believe that Hayden could arrange all this. She thought, ‘But… this is the Hoggard family.
With their connections, it doesn’t seem all that impossible. Those people in Yowhayton are probably eager to close the case as soon as possible and bury Mom and the others. Then those collateral relatives can openly compete for the management of Jones Group.’
In the end, Claire decided she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t want to get involved in the chaos within Jones Group at all. All she wanted was to see Lydia’s body one last time.
Just as Hayden had said, Lydia’s body was brought back two days later. When Claire saw Lydia’s body with her own eyes, she couldn’t control herself and broke down in tears. Charlie stayed by her side the entire time, and they prepared Lydia’s funeral together. Given the circumstances, the burial had to be conducted quietly. Fortunately, after Lydia was laid to rest, Claire’s emotions finally began to stabilize.
For the next year, Charlie remained by Claire’s side, providing quiet companionship. A year later, Claire finally emerged from her grief. With everyone’s blessing, Charlie chose Valentine’s Day to set up a romantic proposal. He proposed to Claire, and she said yes. Charlie was so overjoyed that he immediately stood up, hugged her, and spun her around in sheer happiness. After the successful proposal, Claire took Charlie to the cemetery to visit Lydia’s grave. Claire sat in front of the tombstone for a long time until dusk before quietly leaving.
Three months later, the Carter family prepared a wedding for Charlie and Claire in their hometown of Alagua City. Due to Claire’s special identity, the wedding couldn’t be too high–profile, but the family still prepared and decorated the place beautifully and festively. When Charlie was about to get married, all the children in the Carter family eagerly volunteered to be flower girls and boys. In the end, Charlie and Claire couldn’t stop smiling at these adorable little kids. Claire decided to let all the children be flower girls and boys for their wedding, which made the children ecstatic. They huddled around Claire, full of excitement and joy.
On the wedding day, they didn’t invite many guests; it was mostly family members. Although there weren’t many outsiders, the celebration was incredibly lively, and everyone was in high spirits. The whole day was filled with happiness and joy. When the wedding was over and night fell, the Carter family set off fireworks that lit up the sky beautifully all night long. After that night, Charlie finally had his own partner, and their love story reached a new chapter.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Due to their special status, Charlie and Claire couldn’t go on a honeymoon abroad. However, for the two lovers who had been separated for more than ten years, being together was their greatest happiness, and the idea of a honeymoon didn’t matter much.
A few months later, Claire began experiencing morning sickness After a visit to the doctor, they received the joyous news that Claire was pregnant. Everyone was thrilled, but Charlie and Claire were the happiest of all. They were both surprised and eagerly anticipated the arrival of their baby. Charlie decided to take a break from his work in the entertainment industry, turning down drama roles to focus on staying at home with Claire. He devoted himself to taking care of her and learning all about parenting.
Interestingly, as Charlie immersed himself in learning about infant care, he also invested in many baby products, which turned out to be a profitable venture. Charlie thought, ‘I can only properly support my wife and child if I have money. I’m about to become a man who needs to provide for his family!