Chapter 52 Hoist with One's Own Petard
When Rebecca walked out of the mall, the Maybach was already waiting for her by the curb.
In front of the passenger door, Frederick stood quietly, seemingly watching a few children chasing and playing in the plaza.
Looking back, Rebecca's eyes flickered with understanding.
Frederick must be missing his son!
Alex!
Like a light bulb going off, her gloomy mood instantly brightened. Rebecca rushed forward and tugged at Frederick's sleeve, "Are you missing Alex? Let's go see him at the old mansion, or we could bring him home with us."
Having a kid around the house would help shift the focus.
Then things between them wouldn't be so awkward, right?
Frederick raised an eyebrow slightly.
When Rebecca walked out of the mall, she still looked worried and down. He had only turned to look at the candied apples at the corner, wondering whether to buy them for her, and her mood had already cleared up?
Alright then.
Frederick nodded, opened the passenger door for Rebecca to get in, then walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat.
The car headed straight for the Windsor Mansion.
As if not expecting Frederick and Rebecca to come, at the dining table, Elizabeth looked at Frederick with a smile, then at the sweet and well-behaved Rebecca, beaming with joy.
Indeed, having a wife makes all the difference!
"Grandmother, we'll head back in a bit. Alex will come back with us too."
His gaze sliding over Rebecca, Frederick looked up at Elizabeth and said, "Becca will take good care of him!"
She wanted to say, I have to go to school, I don't even live at home, how would I have time to take care of him?
She also wanted to say, he won't even talk to me, okay?
A stepmother and stepson—such a sensitive relationship, maybe better not?
Rebecca blinked, looking troubled, when she saw Frederick say in a gentle tone, "Grandmother, it was actually Becca who suggested coming to see you today and bringing Alex home. Don't worry!"
"I knew it."
Elizabeth looked at Rebecca with satisfaction, "I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
Rebecca fell silent.
Could this be called shooting yourself in the foot?
As darkness fell, Frederick headed out again, holding Rebecca's hand with one of his and Alex's with the other.
Rebecca's right to sit in the passenger seat was also taken away.
Frederick went straight to open the back door, "You sit in the back with Alex."
"Okay."
Rebecca obediently got in the car.
The car drove through the quiet night, the cabin silent.
She wanted to talk to Frederick, but worried that Alex might be sensitive and think she was deliberately ignoring him.
She wanted to talk to Alex, but Rebecca didn't know where to start.
All her inner struggle was written on her face.
Rebecca used to be great with kids. During holidays, the Getty family villa would be full of relatives and friends from Empire City's elite circles.
The older kids would act mature—boys gathering together to talk about which car was coolest or which school had the prettiest girls, girls getting together to compare whose manicure looked best or whose boyfriend was more handsome.
The four, five, six, and seven-year-olds would all be looked after by Rebecca.
Going to the lawn at the Getty family estate to fly kites.
Throwing a tank of little fish into the fountain pool and rolling up their pants to catch them.
Or simply giving everyone a small shovel to dig for treasure in the grass.
The kids had a blast. After each outing, they'd all gather around Rebecca, calling "Becca" this and "Becca" that. When it was time to leave, one would grab Rebecca's arm, another would hug her leg—nobody wanted to go.
The adults would tease her about being the "kid whisperer."
But Rebecca never imagined that she, the kid whisperer, would one day be at a loss.
Who told Alex to be Frederick's son?
With those little kids, if they bumped or scraped themselves, she could coax, cajole, and sweet-talk her way out of it, and she wouldn't get questioned or blamed by the adults.
If Alex got hurt, even without him saying a word, Frederick's death stare would be enough to terrify her.
In the silence, the Maybach came to a smooth stop in front of the Pinewood Mansion villa.