However, thinking about Gwyneth's family's schemes, a wave of fear surged in her heart.
She looked up at Raymond's tired face and softly said, "We need to be more careful from now on. We can't let them have another chance to hurt us."
A cold glint flashed in Raymond's eyes. He tightly held Melinda's hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
The two of them fell asleep in each other's arms, the moonlight outside the window casting a silvery veil over them.
It was the weekend, and at nine in the morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Raymond slowly opened his eyes and saw Melinda sleeping peacefully beside him. A gentle smile curved his lips.
He got up quietly and walked out of the room, heading to Sam's bedroom door.
Pushing the door open, he saw Sam sleeping soundly.
Raymond tiptoed to the bed and looked at Sam's adorable sleeping face, his heart filled with deep fatherly love.
He reached out and gently pinched Sam's nose, causing Sam to groggily open his eyes.
"Daddy!" Sam exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Raymond.
Raymond laughed and picked him up. The two of them played and laughed in the room, filling it with joy and laughter.
The warmth of family made Raymond feel incredibly content and happy.
He knew that everything he worked hard for was to provide a peaceful and serene life for his family.
Meanwhile, a phone rang, waking Claire from her sleep. She answered it groggily, hearing Sabrina's voice on the other end: "Claire, I'm in the elevator and will be at your place soon."
Claire sat up abruptly, looking around in a panic.
She suddenly remembered that Dennis was still sleeping in the guest room. She quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the door, pushing it open forcefully.
"Dennis, wake up!" she shouted.
Dennis was startled awake by her voice, removing his sleep mask and blinking groggily.
Seeing Claire's anxious expression, he couldn't help but tease, "What's wrong? Is your mom coming over, and you're afraid she'll find out we're living together?"
Claire had no time for jokes. She urged, "Get up quickly and hide in the closet." She reached out to pull him.
Dennis dodged her hand with a smile and then sat up, saying, "Alright, alright, I'm getting up."
After some scrambling, they finally managed to hide Dennis in the closet.
Claire stood in front of the closet, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
She hurriedly folded the blanket on the bed and stuffed it into the closet, pulled off the sheets and pillows, and hid them in her own bedroom closet, along with Dennis's clothes.
She didn't forget to spray some air freshener to cover Dennis's scent.
After doing all this, she was sweating profusely. She straightened her clothes just as Sabrina's urgent knocking sounded at the door: "Claire, are you still sleeping in?"
Claire quickly jumped back into bed, pulling the blanket over herself to feign just waking up. "Mom, why are you here?" she asked.
Sabrina pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Claire lying in bed with a slightly flushed face. She frowned, "Claire, have you been staying up late again? How many times have I told you that staying up late is bad for your skin?"
"Mom, I know. I'll be more careful next time," Claire said, sitting up and pretending to yawn lazily.
Sabrina shook her head at Claire's behavior, saying, "You never let me rest easy."
She then turned to head towards the guest room. "I'll go check if the clothes you hung in the guest room are dry."
"Mom, no..." Claire tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Sabrina had already opened the guest room door.
Claire ran barefoot after her, only to see the closet door wide open and the window open, a cold breeze blowing in, making her shiver.
Where was Dennis? Did he climb out the window? This was the eighteenth floor!
Thinking of this, Claire couldn't care about anything else. She rushed out the door, shouting, "Dennis! Dennis!" Her voice trembled with fear.
Just then, footsteps echoed from around the corner. Claire turned to see Dennis standing there unharmed, holding an empty water bottle.
Seeing Dennis safe, Claire let out a sigh of relief, tears streaming down her face. "Dennis, you scared me! I thought you..."
Dennis, seeing Claire like this, felt a pang of guilt. He quickly walked over and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't mean to worry you. I just went downstairs to get a bottle of water."
Feeling Dennis's embrace and warmth, Claire's anxiety slowly subsided. "You scared me to death. I thought... I'd rather my mom find out than see you get hurt."
Dennis gently patted Claire's back. "I know, Claire. I won't let anything happen to myself. I have to protect you for a lifetime."
After a moment, Claire lifted her head from Dennis's embrace and said, "No, I need to get you some clothes and take you to a nearby hotel to hide."
She turned to head back home.
Dennis grabbed her hand. "Claire, I'll go with you."
"No, my mom is still at home." Claire shook her head. "You wait here. I'll be back soon."
She broke free from Dennis's hand and ran back home.
At the door, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Dennis, who was following not far behind. "Don't follow me!"
Seeing Claire's expression, Dennis couldn't help but smile and stood still, watching her go back inside.
Back home, Claire greeted Sabrina in the kitchen, "Mom, I'm going out to meet a friend. I'll be back soon."
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her car keys and left. In the underground garage, she saw Dennis already dressed and waiting by the car.
Seeing Dennis, Claire was momentarily stunned.
He was wearing the white shirt and black pants she had bought for him, with black leather shoes. He looked clean, sharp, and incredibly handsome.
Feeling Claire's gaze, Dennis turned and smiled at her. "What's wrong? Are you mesmerized by me?"
Claire snapped out of it and glared at him. "Narcissist!" But she couldn't help blushing.
She opened the car door, got in, and fastened her seatbelt, ready to start the car. But Dennis was still standing outside, not moving. She frowned, "Why aren't you getting in?"
Dennis walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in. "I don't trust your driving. Let me drive."
Hearing this, Claire felt a bit annoyed. "Hey! What do you mean by that? Are you saying my driving is bad?" Though her driving skills weren't great, she didn't want to lose face in front of Dennis.
Dennis just smiled at her without saying anything.
They switched seats, and Dennis leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt.
His movements were gentle and careful, as if handling a precious, fragile item, making Claire's heart race.
Looking at his face so close to hers, Claire suddenly remembered something and mumbled, "Hey! You haven't kissed me yet..."
Before she could finish, Dennis leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "Good morning, my girl."
His voice was deep and magnetic, making Claire's heart race as if it would leap out of her chest.