Chapter 502

Chapter 502

Stanley fell silent, staring at the two pairs of eyes filled with "expectation" and "hurry up and make something up." He had no choice but to abandon his proud business logic and start over.

"Once upon a time... there was a rabbit... it got an urgent notice to go to a faraway place for an important meeting about the five-year development plan for carrots..."

The expressions on the two little faces instantly changed from expectant to bewildered, clearly saying: What is this nonsense?

Outside the door, Diana, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't hold back and almost burst out laughing.

She was about to push the door open to rescue the nearly desperate Stanley when she saw him take a deep breath, as if making a determined decision, and even his voice softened a few degrees.

"Alright, let's try another one. I'll start over."

"Once upon a time, there was a little bear named 'Expedition' and a little rabbit named 'Noah's Ark.' They got a mysterious mission to find the legendary Honey Planet made of honey and cream.

So, they piloted a spaceship made of star fragments, flew over the shimmering Moon River, and dodged meteor showers..."

Stanley probably squeezed out every last bit of his meager, dormant imagination.

The story was disjointed and illogical, filled with hardcore elements from the adult world.

But his voice was so deep and steady, like the melody of a cello, carrying a strange, soothing magic.

By the time the first flawed interstellar story ended, Daniel was already clutching the corner of the blanket, his little mouth slightly open, breathing long and evenly.

Halfway through the second even more absurd adventure story, William was also smacking his lips, completely silent, and had drifted into dreamland.

The room finally quieted down, with only the glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling emitting a soft, gentle starlight in the darkness.

Stanley sat by the bed for a long time, like a knight guarding a treasure, until he was sure they were both sound asleep. Then he carefully stood up, moving so gently that he barely made a sound.

He leaned down and placed a light, gentle, yet incredibly precious kiss on each of their smooth, full foreheads.

After completing this, he turned around, like a general who had just won an epic battle, carrying a sense of exhaustion and supreme glory, silently left the children's room, and softly closed the door.

The master bedroom door was ajar, with the soft, warm light from the bedside lamp seeping through the crack.

Stanley pushed the door open and saw Diana already lying down, turned to her side, facing away from the door, her long black hair spread like seaweed on the pillow.

Beside her, the wide bed was empty.

It was like a silent, ultimate invitation.

Stanley took a quick shower, washing away the fatigue and the scent of milk, changed into his pajamas, lifted a corner of the blanket, and lay down steadily.

The soft mattress sank slightly under his weight.

He extended his long arm and gently but dominantly pulled the familiar body into his embrace.

Diana wasn't asleep.

She turned over, resting her cheek comfortably against his warm, firm chest, feeling the steady, powerful heartbeat.

"Thank you, Mr. Visconti, our children's rookie dad."

Her voice was filled with a mix of laughter and tenderness.

"Alright."

Stanley responded softly, his arm instinctively tightening, pulling her closer, as if trying to embed her into his life.

His voice carried a hint of post-battle hoarseness.

"Indeed, it's a thousand times more exhausting than signing a billion-dollar contract."

Stanley closed his eyes, his nose filled with Diana's unique, comforting scent.

Holding her warm body, listening to her steady breathing.

The day's noise, fatigue, and helplessness all settled at this moment, transforming into an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility.

Diana's breathing gradually became long and even.

In the final moment before drifting into sleep, Stanley clearly felt the soft lips pressed against his chest curve into a satisfied smile.

The morning sunlight turned into a golden thread, stubbornly piercing through the heavy curtains.

Stanley's consciousness was precisely awakened by this ray of light with an unprecedented force.

It was a new awakening experience.

No longer jolted awake by the midnight assistant calls from a tense shallow sleep.

Nor was it the suffocating anxiety of an impending life-or-death negotiation.

But a heavy, heartfelt sense of responsibility, like a warm tide, gently lifting him out of his dreams.

He very slowly, very carefully withdrew the arm Diana had been resting on all night.

The dense tingling sensation surged like an electric current, but in the lingering pain, he strangely tasted a hint of sweetness.

He didn't get up.

He just slightly turned to the side, his gaze greedily tracing every inch of the sleeping face beside him.

The dim light couldn't hinder him from sketching her soft, gentle facial contours in his mind, feeling the barely noticeable rise and fall of her chest with each breath.

This tranquility, this softness, was a treasure he had never dared to hope for in his thirty-plus years of a tough life.

An hour later, a precisely timed small storm erupted in the children's room.

"Dad! Where are my dinosaur socks? I want to wear the ones with the T-Rex!" Daniel, barefoot, was anxious in front of the huge wardrobe.

"I want to wear the jacket with the bear!" William pointed at the mirror, his little mouth pouting high.

Stanley held William's pants in one hand and Daniel's blue jacket in the other, the veins on his forehead silently throbbing.

He finally realized that putting them to sleep was just the beginner's task in the newbie village.

Waking up two top-tier "low-pressure" human cubs with morning grumpiness and getting them dressed and out the door on time was a true epic battle testing leadership and crisis management skills.

"Don't worry, kids, look at me." Diana's gentle voice, like a spring breeze, instantly calmed the impending chaos.

She seemed like an elegant magician, effortlessly pulling out the bear jacket from the wardrobe.

She then bent slightly and retrieved the dinosaur socks from the shadows under the bed, which had been kicked away by little feet at some point.

Stanley watched her, his deep eyes reflecting a mix of admiration and a hint of subtle defeat.

In this completely unfamiliar territory, his proud business logic and thunderous execution were utterly powerless.