Chapter 353

353
She checked and found Fryderyk didn’t seem close to any other women .
Little did she know , he liked Aria .
Amanda gave a small smile . “ I see . ”
Amanda smiled and said , “ Ms. Saxon is truly wonderful . ”
After a brief pause , she picked up her fork with practiced ease and , in a deliberately casual tone , said , “ Let’s dig in then . ”
Aria’s gaze swept over Fryderyk , and she was about to speak – but catching the relieved smile on Amanda’s face , she held her tongue .
Fryderyk felt the faint but unmistakable weight of glances settling on him – for the first time , eating felt like pure torture
Derek’s curious stare , Caleb’s assessing look , and a veiled , guarded gaze mixed with wariness .
He didn’t even need to guess whose that was .
Fryderyk decided to straighten things out immediately once this dinner was over and Amanda left .
But just as they finished dinner , Alice arrived to pick up Avery .
Alice immediately noticed the damp spots on her daughter’s clothes and the wiped marks on her face . Her expression tightened . “ Avery , what happened ? ”
Before Derek could get a word in , Avery blurted out , “ It was Derek ! He sprayed water all over my face ! ”
Lexie , Terry , Lennox , and Lennox’s three classmates came over one after another .
At these words , the entire group’s expressions shifted dramatically .
“ Derek ! ” Lennox’s mother snapped . “ If you have a problem with Lennox , just say so . Why take it out on a seven – year – old ? ” Alice’s face darkened .
Lennox darted to his little sister’s side , heart aching as he gently wiped her face . “ This is all my fault , Avery ,” he said guiltily . “ I should have stayed with you the whole time . ”
Derek pressed his lips together and snorted derisively . “ Fine , think what you will . ”
Even if Derek tried to explain , he knew Lennox and his mom would never believe him anyway .
Avery squirmed uncomfortably as Lennox wiped her face , ducking away from his hand . Then , in her clear , childish voice , she piped up , “ It’s not Derek’s fault . He just got scared by Fryderyk ! ”
Upon hearing this , Lexie breathed a sigh of relief . “ At least it wasn’t Derek’s fault , ” she thought .
Lexie approached slowly and asked gently , “ Avery , what startled Derek so much ? ”
While eating , Avery listened in on the adults ‘ conversation . Tilting her head , she said , “ This lady said she came to meet Fryderyk for a date and asked if he wanted a pretend marriage .
“ But Fryderyk said no , because he already likes someone . The lady asked who , and he said , ‘ It’s this lady right here . “ ”
As she spoke , Avery pointed straight at Aria .
The room plunged into icy silence once more .
10:27 Tue 17 Jun
353
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Fryderyk closed his eyes in despair . ‘ Great , now it’s even harder to explain , he thought
Amanda wished the ground would swallow her up in that moment .
Amanda thought to herself , “ I planned for everything … except the clueless kid right here . ”
The others ‘ eyes widened in shock . Even Lennox’s mother completely forgot about her daughter being sprayed with water , her gaze like everyone else’s -fixed on Fryderyk and Aria .
Fryderyk actually had a crush on Aria .
After explaining everything , Avery looked up with curiosity and asked , “ Grandma , what’s a marriage of convenience ? ”
Avery was only seven . She knew what a blind date was , but had no idea what a marriage of convenience meant .
Once again , the room fell into an awkward silence .
Avery suddenly piped up , “ Since Fryderyk likes Aria , don’t make him go on any more blind dates ! She’s so pretty and nice — I want her to be my sister – in-
law ! ”
Aria even asked if she could eat shrimp and crab , checked with Derek , then gave me the peeled ones .
If she became her sister – in – law , Avery bet Aria would treat her
even better .
Owen listened in silence , the corner of his mouth twitching eve
SO slightly .
The best part about being a kid was they didn’t have to overthink things – they just say what they felt , and sometimes they even helped move things
along .
‘ Why doesn’t my family have a little kid to help out like that ? ‘ Owen mused , a bit envious .
Owen blamed his brother for being so unhelpful .
Even with a wife and a kid , he still couldn’t get ahead .
Owen guessed he’d just have to take matters into his own hands .
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