Chapter 334

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Benny clicked his tongue . “ Come on , Teresa , don’t be so modest . ” He knew precisely how much Teresa could drink .
Teresa waved it off , remaining calm . “ Forget it . I’m done for tonight . You guys go ahead . ”
Jonathan’s eyes fell on Teresa . He sensed that something was wrong . “ What’s going on ? ” he asked , “ You used to be the one who partied the hardest . ”
Jiang Tong thought about the baby . She pressed her lips together , then glanced at Miriam , avoiding the question . “ It’s all Miriam’s fault . She scared me so much that I’m still not over it . ”
“ I’m sorry . ” Miriam leaned her head on Teresa’s shoulder . “ Seeing you worry about me makes me feel better . I was really scared you didn’t care about me anymore . I promise , I won’t freak you out like that again . ”
“ Just make sure it doesn’t happen again ,” Teresa said .
Benny poured himself another drink and joined in , saying , “ If you ask me , if we’re putting on a show , let’s go all out – just lure Teresa back to Nareigh She’s the only one left here anyway . ”
But as soon as Benny finished , Teresa’s smile faded and she frowned . She wasn’t the only one here .
Teresa’s phone started ringing . She glanced at the caller ID , stood up , and walked out to answer . “ Hello , Ivy ? ”
Ivy said , “ Teresa . This little guy you left me at preschool won’t stop crying . He keeps asking if you don’t want him anymore and won’t come with me , no matter what . I can’t calm him down . Please come . ”
Teresa’s heart tightened . “ Okay , I got it. I’ll come right away . Where are you ? ”
Ivy said , “ I’m at my place . I sent you the address on WhatsApp . Are you free now ? ”
Teresa said , “ I’m free . I’ll be there right away .”
After hanging up the phone , she turned around . At some point , Jonathan had come up behind her . Noticing how anxious and tense she looked , he asked
what was wrong .
Teresa gripped her phone tightly . “ I thought Miriam’s accident was really serious , so I left my friend’s child with a former colleague . But the child won’t stay with her and has been crying his eyes out . I need to go check on him . ”
Jonathan knew who she was referring to and offered to drive her , but Teresa said she could go alone . Jonathan said , “ I’ll go with you . I’ll let Benny know . ”
“ Alright , ” Teresa agreed . At that moment , her mind was entirely focused on Michael . She couldn’t help but worry whether Michael was crying his eyes out . The more she thought about it , the more anxious she became .
On the road , Jonathan glanced at the anxious Teresa as he drove . “ No wonder , he’s not your kid . You handed him to an old coworker without a second thought . Cold – hearted , aren’t you ? ”
Teresa explained , “ What else could I do ? I don’t know anyone else around here . ”
Jonathan asked , “ Why didn’t you just leave him with me in the first place ? ”
Teresa said , “ I called you , but you didn’t answer . That’s why I asked my old coworker . I thought something really bad happened to Miriam . ”
Jonathan finally checked his phone at a red light . “ You called me right when my mom was trying to get in touch with me . ”
Teresa didn’t bother thinking about what he was doing or who he was talking to . It had nothing to do with her . She leaned her head on i tired .
nd , looking
When they got to Ivy’s building , Teresa opened the door and got out first . Jonathan was still parking , and when he caught sight of her with nothing in her
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hands , he frowned .
He wanted to call after her , but Teresa was already running upstairs . Ivy lived on the second floor . As soon as Teresa knocked , Ivy opened the door . “ Where’s Michael ? ” Teresa asked .
The moment Michael heard Teresa’s voice from the living room , he rushed over and threw himself into her arms , sobbing , “ I thought you didn’t want me anymore . ” Tears streaked his face , and his little hands clung tightly to her .
Teresa hugged him tightly , gently wiping away his tears and stroking his hair . “ How could I ever not want you ? Your Aunt Miriam had an unexpected matter come up . I thought she’d been in a car accident . I was so frightened . ”
Michael looked up at her, his eyes still full of tears . “ Did Aunt Miriam get hurt ? ”
Teresa wiped away his tears again . “ She’s fine now . She’s just having dinner nearby . We can go and see her tonight , okay ? ”
As she spoke , Teresa held Michael close and turned to Ivy . “ I’m sorry for all the trouble . Let me send you a little something as a token of gratitude- ”
“ Don’t worry about it , ” Ivy sighed , watching as Michael clung to Teresa’s clothes , refusing to let go .
Ivy said , “ After school , I went to pick him up . He wouldn’t come . I showed him our messages and managed to get him out , but he started crying on the way , kept asking for you . I really don’t know how to comfort him . ”
Teresa looked down at Michael , then back at Ivy . “ Sorry he gave you such a hard time
“ Let me take him . I’ll calm him down , ” Jonathan’s deep voice sounded right by her ear . Teresa turned and realized he was already standing behind her, even though she hadn’t noticed when he arrived .
Michael let go of Teresa and dove straight into Jonathan’s arms . “ Mr. Lime . ”
Jonathan bent down , picked up the little fellow , and gently patted his back to soothe him . “ Hey , little guy , why are you crying so much ? Come on , if you keep crying , you won’t look cool anymore . ”
Jonathan had a natural way with kids . In his warm embrace , Michael quickly calmed down . Ivy glanced at the tall and handsome Jonathan , with the little one clinging to him , and then at Teresa .
“ Teresa , if you don’t mind me asking . That kid , are you sure he’s not yours and this handsome guy’s ? You two really aren’t a couple ? ” Michael was right there , resting quietly on Jonathan’s shoulder . Teresa simply shook her head at Ivy , skipping the explanation .
Jonathan handed over the coffee beans he was holding . “ Just a small token , please accept it . Thanks for taking care of the kid . ” He had noticed that Teresa hadn’t brought anything , so he helped her return the favor .
“ It’s no trouble , ” Ivy said , but her cheeks turned red as she accepted the gift . When her fingers brushed Jonathan’s , her face flushed even more .
Jonathan turned and carried Michael out , with Teresa following close behind .
Once they got in the car , Teresa didn’t sit in the front this time . Instead , she took the back seat . Michael lay across her lap , holding her hand tightly and refusing to let go .
Teresa gently kept stroking Michael’s head . It was part comfort , part apology , and part guilt . Under her soothing touch , he soon drifted off to sleep . Even in his dreams , he still held onto Teresa’s thumb ,
Jonathan carried Michael into the room at Jadeleaf Apartment and tucked him in . He teased , “ His mom must really trust you , leaving him with someone as absent – minded as you . ”
Teresa stayed silent . Jonathan glanced at her . “ You sure you can handle this on your own ? I can stay with you if you want . ”
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