Chapter 43
Caught off guard with a face full of snow, Jayden stood frozen for a second, thinking bitterly, ‘I’m the young master of this house, Lainey’s precious son. Eliana dares to hit me?‘
Eliana, hitting her mark, lifted her chin in satisfaction. She said, “That’s for using your slingshot on Theodore last time. Serves you right.”
Hearing that she not only remembered the incident but even took it upon herself to avenge him, Theodore had a light smile.
Eliana and Jayden were officially at war. She specifically targeted his soft cheeks with every throw, sending him screeching with frustration.
Jayden, of course, was far more agile than Eliana. Soon enough, Eliana was hit multiple times. The crushed snow melted into icy water and seeped into her clothes. She shivered uncontrollably from the cold.
Just then, a snowball was suddenly handed to her from the side. She took it instinctively and then turned to look at Theodore in surprise. “Mr. Russell?”
Theodore flashed a small smile and said, “Aren’t you in a snowball fight? Let me help you.”
That was all she needed. With Theodore as her ammunition supplier, Eliana had an endless stream of snowballs. All she had to do was aim at Jayden.
In no time, the poor boy got pelted nonstop, flailing and yelling, “You bad guys! Ganging up on a kid is unfair.”
Eliana clicked her tongue, saying, “Oh, now you remember you’re a kid? Too late for that.”
After a while, Jayden shrieked, “I’m done playing this damn game.”
He slammed the snowball in his hand to the ground. Then, he wiped the snow off his face and stormed back into the house.
Eliana leaned against Theodore, bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
At that moment, Theodore felt her laughter ripple against him, as if she were the lone burst of color in a world of white.
‘Maybe it’s because her smile is just so warm and radiant,‘ he thought.
Unaware of the shift in Theodore’s gaze, Eliana beamed up at him and gave him a thumbs–up. “Mr. Russell, you did tonight.”
She wasn’t referring to his snowball assists. She meant the fact that he was finally opening up a little,
great
Theodore didn’t know what had come over him either. He wasn’t a child anymore, and yet, when he saw her flustered and outnumbered, he instinctively started forming snowballs for her.
The last time he remembered having a snowball fight like this was before his mother died. Later, he never played the game
anymore.
“Achoo!” The sudden sneeze jolted Theodore back to the present. Eliana rubbed her nose and hunched her shoulders, Jooking adorable.
He glanced down and saw that her clothes were soaked in several places where the snow had melted through. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let’s go back. I’m tired.
“Huh?” Eliana looked at him, confused. She thought, I’m the one who’s been getting pelted this whole time. Why are you
tired?
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12:36 Wed, 11 Jun D
Chapter 43
Still, she knew things had to move step by step, so she simply nodded. “Okay.”
$ ཊཱི 93%[
But the moment they walked into the house, a maid came up and said, “Ma’am, Mrs. Lainey Russell would like to see you.”
+20)
Eliana’s heart sank, and she muttered inwardly, ‘Crap. Got carried away and forgot, besides being annoying, Jayden is also an expert tattletale.‘
She replied, “Tell her I need to take Mr. Russell back to his room first, and then—”
“I’ll go with you,” Theodore interrupted.
“What?” Eliana was shocked. She could already imagine how out of control things might get, and she said, “You’d better not. I can handle that myself.”
Theodore gently squeezed her hand. “It’s alright. Trust me.”
Left with no choice, Eliana took his hand and followed the maid toward Lainey’s room.
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