Joel tensed up and he asked nervously, “How are the results?”
The previous generation of the Smiths had three sons, and Ian was the youngest. They didn’t have any sisters.
No one had given birth to any daughters in their generation, either. Though, Ian had adopted a daughter. Should Nora really turn out to be their cousin, that would be great.
Besides, this would also give Ian the courage to live on.
Joel received a reply from Quentin while he was thinking about it. The reply took him by surprise. His upturned eyes slowly became downcast. A short while later, he said, “I see.”
After he hung up, Joel turned to look out the window and went into deep contemplation.
Some time later, he finally retracted his gaze as if he had made up his mind about something. Students started to exit the kindergarten after that.
Joel got out of the car.
Golden Sunshine Kindergarten students were all children of the rich and powerful. Therefore, the parents picking up their children were also all either rich or of high social status.
In the past, it was Mia’s mother who had picked up Mia and Brandon from school. However, Joel was the one coming over every day now, which caused the other parents to also start picking up their children themselves.
“Oh, are you here to pick up your child too, Mr. Smith? Nice to meet you!”
“What a coincidence, Mr. Smith! Are you here to pick up your child from school?”
“I’m the general manager of Glory Group, Mr. Smith. Nice to meet you…”
“…”
When Tanya, who was holding Pete’s hand, was about to leave the kindergarten, she was greeted by the sight of directors from various corporations standing in a row at the door.
The teachers in the kindergarten couldn’t help but marvel.
“Oh my goodness, those parents usually send nannies or bodyguards to pick up and drop off their children. Why are so many of them here in person today?”
“Anyone I hit with a random toss of a ball will probably have a net worth of millions of dollars!”
“I bet you don’t understand why, right? Can’t you see? Everyone’s here for Mr. Smith!”
“Mr. Smith is so handsome! No wonder Mia is so good-looking even though she’s so young. She must have inherited her looks from Mr. Smith! He’s also so graceful, gentle, and elegant… Sigh, I’m so envious of Ms. Lynn! If only Mr. Smith would say something to me!”
“I know, right? Ms. Turner, you’re a dance teacher, right? Why don’t you go and have a word with Mr. Smith?”
Tanya, “…”
She lifted her head and glanced at the door. The graceful figure standing across the crowd seemed to stand aloof from the world and gave off an air like that of a noble gentleman.
Even after five years had passed, that man still shone so brightly and radiantly.
Five years ago, she had said, “I want to hide you away and not let anyone else see you. You’re simply too outstanding; I’m afraid that someone will take you away from me!”
But he had ultimately still become someone else’s husband.
When she thought of how he and Hillary were married, she immediately retracted her gaze.
Pete, who had caught a glimpse of her expression, became puzzled, and he asked, “Why aren’t you teaching Mia how to dance, God-mom? I think she dances very well.”
Mia was thinner than most other children, and she didn’t have much baby fat on her small face. She had a small oval-shaped face and a pointed chin. When she danced, her form was very light and weightless as though she were a butterfly.
Pete felt that it would be a huge pity if she didn’t dance.
Tanya touched Pete’s head and replied, “It’s because her parents don’t allow her to dance.”
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have been exposed to dancing when she was already five?
Besides, she also really didn’t want to be involved with the Smiths anymore.
Pete tilted his head and nodded as if he had understood something.
Tanya took Pete to the roadside after they exited the kindergarten. The unreliable Nora had left with the car in the morning after she woke up, so the two of them could only take a cab home now.
The kindergarten was relatively far from the area where they could hail a cab, so they walked one street down and went to another road.
Joel had already spotted Tanya a long time ago.
She was a dancer, after all. Her legs were long and her waist slender, making her look as charming as ever despite just wearing ordinary-looking clothes.
He’d thought that they would at least make eye contact, but unexpectedly, Tanya didn’t take even a glance at him and took the child straight to the other side of the street.
Light flickered in his upturned eyes. After clenching his fists a little, he picked up Mia and got into the car with her.
While Tanya and Pete were waiting for a cab, an extended Lincoln suddenly stopped in front of them. The door opened, and Joel’s astonishingly good-looking visage appeared in front of them. He said, “Where are you going? I’ll give you guys a ride.”
Tanya was so shocked that she immediately looked around. When she saw that no one had noticed them, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she took Pete’s hand, took a step back, and said with an air of resistance, “No, it’s fine.”
But as soon as she said that, Joel uttered a domineering reply in a gentle voice, “Don’t make me get out of the car and kidnap you.”
Tanya, “…”
The parents and teachers nearby were about to walk over. Tanya didn’t want to cause any trouble, so she could only pick up Pete and quickly get into the car.
The car door slowly closed. Mia called out happily, “Cherry! Ms. Turner!”
Tanya smiled at her.
Pete took the initiative to sit beside Mia.
Tanya’s brows knitted together—she could only sit next to Joel now. Nevertheless, she shifted away from him and put some distance between them.
Joel frowned at the sight.
He lowered his gaze and asked, “Your address?”
Only then did Tanya finally react. After she gave him the Andersons’ address, Joel looked at her and asked, “Are you staying with the Andersons?”
Tanya nodded.
Joel cast his eyes down. “It’s not very convenient staying in someone else’s home, right? Don’t you have anywhere else you can stay at?”
Tanya turned away and replied, “That doesn’t seem to be any of your business, Mr. Smith.”
She was calling him Mr. Smith again…
Joel took a deep breath and said, “That’s true. We have nothing to do with each other.”
Tanya clenched her jaw.
Indeed, they had nothing to do with each other.
In fact, that man must even hate her, right?
That was why he didn’t allow his daughter to dance—because she was a dancer, right?
Tanya didn’t expect that Joel would hate her that much. It was just that if he hated her so much, then why was he sending them home?
In the midst of her hesitance, Joel said, “It was my misunderstanding the other time.”
The other time? Was he talking about that time in the hospital when he misunderstood that she was Mr. Hunt’s lover?
With a cold look on her face, Tanya said sarcastically, “It’s not your fault, Mr. Smith. It’s because I look too much like someone’s mistress.”
Joel, “…”
He knew that she was dissing him, but from Tanya’s reaction, he instead caught vague shadows of what they were like in the past.
He took a deep breath and said, “You don’t have to say that about yourself. That’s not what I meant, either… Never mind. I’m taking you home because I wanted to apologize to you.”
“You can save the apology, Mr. Smith,” Tanya replied coldly, “It’ll be fine as long as you stay away from me in the future, lest I become an eyesore to you!”
Joel, “!!”
The kindergarten was very close to the Andersons’ villa, so they had already arrived while they were talking.
The chauffeur even felt as if his boss had given him a cold look when he stopped the car.
“Let’s get off.”
Tanya was about to get out of the car with Pete when he suddenly looked at Joel and asked, “Mia’s Daddy, why are you forbidding Mia from learning how to dance?”
