Chapter 261. The Daddy Jack Wants

Chapter 261. The Daddy Jack Wants
Albert reached down and opened the bag beside him. "I brought you a gift."

Jack’s eyes widened immediately, and he cried out in delight, "What is it?"

Albert took out a transforming model, no bigger than a palm. At first glance, it looked like a silver wolf. He set it in Jack’s hand, then pressed lightly on a point beneath its belly. Instantly, the little wolf’s joints shifted with astonishing speed, transforming into a tiny off-road vehicle.

Jack’s mouth fell open.

"Oh my God... this is amazing..."

Seeing that look on the boy’s face, Albert’s lips curved upward. "It’s a high-tech transforming model. I adjusted the structure a little, so it’s sturdier than the ones sold on the market. You can switch it into four other forms by yourself."

Jack nearly jumped with joy. He cradled the toy in his hands like a treasure, his eyes shining. "Uncle Albert, you’re a genius!"

Carol burst out laughing. "That’s a bit too much flattery."

But Jack no longer had the mind to argue. He just kept pressing it again and again, watching it change from a wolf into a car, from a car into a tiny robot, then back to its original form. His face glowed so brightly that even Jacintha could not help feeling happy just by looking at him.

Raphael stood beside the sofa, watching the scene with a face that grew darker and more forbidding by the second. It was one thing for Emma to like Albert. He was handsome, so it was only natural for girls to like him. But for Jack to like him too—that truly irritated Raphael. Wasn’t this brat always so fond of mocking his own father? So why was he suddenly being so warm and attentive to his Uncle Albert?

Albert took out another gift, this time a slim silver bracelet, delicate enough to fit Emma’s wrist perfectly.

"And this one’s for Emma."

Jacintha looked surprised. "For Emma?"

Albert nodded. "It’s a temperature-sensing bracelet. It won’t irritate her skin. It just tracks changes in body temperature and gives a light vibration if there’s anything unusual. If you want, I can set it to send alerts straight to your phone."

Jacintha’s expression changed at once. Emma had just run a fever not long ago, so this gift touched exactly the thing she cared about most.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Albert replied softly. "As long as it helps you, that’s enough."

Emma was lying in Raphael’s arms. The moment she saw the bracelet glinting, she reached out for it. Albert looked at the little girl with gentle eyes. Emma blinked at him for a few seconds, then turned back to fiddling with Raphael’s shirt buttons.

Meanwhile, Jack had already hugged the transforming model tightly to his chest and said excitedly, "Mommy, Uncle Albert is the best."

Before Jacintha could respond, Jack went on innocently, "When I was little, I used to wish Uncle Albert could be my daddy."

The entire living room fell silent.

Carol’s eyes widened. "Jack!"

Jacintha nearly choked on her tea. "Don’t say nonsense."

But Jack only looked utterly sincere. "Daddy hadn’t shown up yet back then. Besides, Uncle Albert always bought me gifts and taught me how to build model kits too."

Raphael ground his teeth in fury. He knew children spoke without thinking, but at that moment he truly wanted to grab Jack and give him a few hard smacks on the backside.

Albert laughed, his voice tinged with amusement. "You still remember something from when you were that little?"

"Of course." Jack hugged his gift tighter, looking absolutely certain. "I remember everything."

At last, Raphael spoke. His voice was calm, far too calm. "Jack is very smart."

Jack was in too good a mood to notice the danger and nodded cheerfully. "That’s right."

The moment Jacintha saw Raphael’s expression, she could not hold it in anymore. She lowered her head and covered her mouth, laughing as his eye kept twitching and his hand clenched into a fist with a series of sharp cracks.

The second Raphael saw her laughing, he turned to look at her. "And you can still laugh?"

Jacintha tried to hold it back, but the corners of her lips still curved upward. "It’s nothing. Jack’s just a child. He says whatever comes into his head. Don’t take it seriously."

"Hmph. Do I look like the kind of person who holds grudges against a child?"

Raphael raised a brow, slid one arm around Jacintha’s shoulders, then jerked his chin toward Jack. "Looks like you’ve still got way too much energy. Fine. Your training schedule just doubled."

Jack’s mouth fell open at once, his eyes clearly saying, how could you do this to me?

Jacintha rubbed her son’s head, signaling for him to hurry up and butter Raphael up. Jack caught on immediately and threw himself into Raphael’s arms, rolling around and acting spoiled, but Raphael was still sour over that line about wanting Albert to be his daddy, so he ignored him completely.

Seeing this, Carol turned and whispered into Albert’s ear, "Looks like Jacintha has to take care of three children after all. Raphael used to be overbearing and impossible, and now he’s all sulky and hard to please. He really isn’t dependable at all."

Albert did not answer, because at that moment, he was looking at Jacintha.

She was smiling, her eyes curved, the corners of her lips lifted in a sweet smile. She looked as though she had truly stepped out of the gray years behind her. Just seeing her like this made something in his heart feel lighter.

He knew she was very happy now, and he was happy for her too. It was just that feelings hidden for too long would not obey reason completely. Every now and then, they still slipped unconsciously into his eyes for a fleeting moment, just like now.

And that look in Albert’s eyes was seen by Raphael in full.

The two men met each other’s gaze for only a brief moment.

Albert did not look away. He held Raphael’s gaze directly.