Chapter 787: Enchantingly Handsome Little Boy (part one)

Tonight, it was cool as usual in the mountain. What was unusual, though, was the many figures hiding in the dark. A fierce match of strength and wisdom was going on between the two sides of Daisy's troops. The soldiers lurking in the shrubs were waiting for their chance to get an advantage over the false enemy. Victory was supreme glory to soldiers. Each side tried their best to win. The training didn't stop even when they heard the gunshots in the afternoon. Soldiers must follow orders. Before they received a formal order, everything had to be carried out as planned.

Daisy didn't attend to her injuries. They were too common for her and not serious enough to require her attention. As a servicewoman, she didn't spend much time on superficial things such as clothes and appearance, as other women might do. She hadn't felt bad last time when her face was cut by Jessica. But she had been worried she might not be pretty enough for Edward, whose face was more beautiful than those of most women! Daisy had been cooperative throughout the treatment Tom had offered to help her, just to make sure that when she and Edward were together, they would still look like the perfect couple.

Edward's face flashed into her mind at night, tempting her. She missed him. She understood why it was so hard for Jessica to let him go. To women, he was like a poppy, seemingly charming yet intoxicating. Once they got close to him, they all hopelessly became enamored and were never able to leave him.

All humans pursued good things. People tried so hard to get them that in the process they destroyed the very thing they were chasing. Daisy disapproved of that, but she had been lost too once, and had worked hard to make her dreams come true. That was how she got her position in the army.

In contrast to the cold in the mountain, the city seemed warm at night. Edward sat on the balcony, swishing the contents of his glass as he sipped the wine. The sorrow on his face was evident.

When Daisy wasn't around, he felt extremely lonely. He was always thinking about her. Only the wine could dispel his loneliness. But this was his life now! Days like this would come and go, again and again in the future. He must learn to get used to them. He had been unable to deal with loneliness before. It used to make him feel suffocated. But after Daisy had come into his life again, he had begun to feel peaceful. Daisy had filled up the emptiness in his heart. As he sat there and sipped the wine, he recalled the moments he and Daisy had shared in their lives. The wine tasted a little bitter, but all he felt was the sweetness around him.

"Daddy, are you thinking of Mommy?" Justin got into Edward's arms. He looked keenly at him, with a gorgeous smile.

"Little guy, have you finished your homework yet?" Instead of answering Justin's question, Edward put him in his lap and pinched his tender cheek affectionately.

"Yes, I finished it early. It was easy. Daddy, you haven't answered my question yet," Justin said, shaking his father's arm.

What question?" Edward pretended he had no idea what Justin was talking about. He felt a little embarrassed to answer the question.

"The one I just asked you. Are you thinking of Mommy?" Justin persisted. Apparently, he was not going to give up until he got an answer.

"You tell me first. Do you miss your Mommy?" Edward smiled. Justin was too smart, so he had to be careful before he answered his query.

"Of course I do. I miss her so much every time she is on a mission or can't come home because of training." Justin pouted. In the past, when his Mommy was not around, his babysitter had been his only company. He was okay if his Mommy was away for a short time. But when she had to be away for a long time, he would cry in secret by himself.

"Whom were you staying with when your Mommy wasn't home?" Edward touched Justin's head tenderly. He always hated the way his parents had neglected him when he was a little boy. Nonetheless, his son was apparently experiencing exactly what he had gone through. He wouldn't forgive himself for letting that happen to Justin.

"It was my babysitter when I was little. Then when I was older, it was Uncle Mark, Uncle Kevin, and sometimes the commander." Justin sounded calm, yet what he had said made Edward's heart heavy. He held Justin tighter.

"I bet they all liked hanging out with you." Edward couldn't help but give Justin a kiss on his forehead, his eyes filled with love.

"Yes. They were all good to me. Mommy used to say I was getting bigger every time she came back home and saw me." Justin was reminiscent of the past. Although Edward had been absent back then, it was one of his happy memories.

"I see. You have been an enthusiastic eater since then. You must have eaten a lot of snacks to be that big."

Edward shook his head, amused. No wonder Justin was delighted whenever there was delicious food. It was the outcome of years of cultivation by the people around him.

"Daddy, you are good! How did you know? Mommy never buys me snacks. She says they are all junk food. So I would ask Uncle Mark and the others to buy them as soon as Mommy was not around." Justin seemed very complacent about his counter-measures. Those had been good days for him.

"Weren't you worried that Mommy would find out about it?" Edward asked with a smile. Daisy could sometimes be careless, while Justin was clever. Edward could imagine that Justin would succeed in his little trick. He thought, 'As perceptive as Daisy is, did she really sense nothing suspicious?' He didn't believe it.

"She wouldn't. I would eat up all the snacks before she came back, even the crumbs, leaving no trace at all."

Justin gave him a cunning smile. He would throw the package away as soon as possible. So he had never got caught.

"Kiddo, did you ever think about this possibility? Maybe your Mommy knew about it all along. She just didn't want to expose your little trick." At that point, Edward was more convinced that Daisy had known about Justin's trick. More often than not, pretending to be ignorant was a wise strategy to mislead your opponent. Suddenly, it occurred to him that it was Daisy who was the smart one in the family. And she was the cunning one too. She did an excellent job hiding it from the others.

"But since Mommy didn't expose me, it means she was okay with it and I don't have to worry about it anymore, right?" Actually, Justin had thought about the possibility that his Mommy knew what he had been doing. But he had chosen to ignore it. Snacks were too appealing to him. As long as his secret was kept, he would still have snacks to eat.

"You have an answer for everything. Be careful, you might become a fatty one day." Edward didn't think it was good parenting to be too strict with children. He believed strictness only caused rebellion. Children from a strict family tended to defy their parents sooner or later. Hence, he never forbade Justin from doing anything, But he didn't agree with indulging children either. Everything had a limit. There should be a line.

"How so? Like you, I never get fat no matter how much I eat or what I eat. I have good genes." Justin was an excellent suck-up. To flatter his dad, he lied. He always thought he got those good genes from his mom.

"Well said. No wonder you are the smart one. Okay, time for bed. You have school tomorrow." Edward got up, carrying Justin in his arms toward his bedroom. Although Justin often acted maturely, he was a kid after all. Kids needed to be loved by their parents.

"Wait. Daddy, since Mommy is not home today, can I sleep with you tonight?" Justin looked at Edward in earnest. He seldom asked to sleep beside his parents at night. He knew he was already a big boy. But since his Mommy wasn't around these days, it fell on him to keep his Daddy company and take care of him. Besides, there were too many women who were jealous of his Mommy and wanted to steal away Daddy. He had to stay close to his Daddy and protect him from those women.