Chapter 170
We all looked at her.
Aura held James's hand with one hand and pointed at Cecilia with the other, speaking in that innocent and straightforward voice typical of her age: "Does she want to be my new mommy? She keeps looking at you and always tries to get close to you."
"And that mean old woman last time said you should spend more time with this woman. Does she want this woman to be with you and be my new mommy?"
Cecilia's pitiful face instantly turned bright red.
She probably never imagined her intentions would be called out so directly by a three-year-old child.
"Aura! Don't talk nonsense!" She denied it urgently, her voice becoming shrill. "I just think you're cute and I like you. I don't have any other intentions!"
She looked at James in panic, her eyes even redder. "Mr. Smith, the child doesn't understand and is talking nonsense. Please don't misunderstand. How could I possibly have such thoughts..."
"Children are like blank slates. If adults hadn't taught them, how would they know about these things?"
"Ms. Brown, being too mature isn't good for a child's development. You should stop saying all sorts of things in front of the child."
Her gaze drifted toward me, carrying a hint of resentment she couldn't hide.
I sneered inwardly. Whether I said anything or not, she could always find fault with me.
I couldn't be bothered with her. Talking to someone like her was just a waste of breath.
James ignored her and just looked down at Aura, asking calmly: "Why do you say that, Aura?"
Aura blinked her big eyes: "That's how it is on TV. Stepmoms who want to marry the daddy pretend to be nice to the kids."
Her logic was so clear that it even surprised me a bit. Seems those videos she watches aren't completely useless after all.
Cecilia's face looked even worse. She forced a smile and tried to touch Aura's head: "Aura, you've misunderstood. I really just..."
"I don't like people touching my head." Aura dodged, her little face very serious. "And my mommy is right here. I have a mommy. I like my own mommy. I love my mommy. I don't need a new mommy."
At these words, Cecilia's outstretched hand froze completely in mid-air. She didn't know whether to pull it back or keep it extended.
The corner of James's mouth curved up almost imperceptibly. He picked up Aura and said to me, "Let's go play on the big slide."
He had no intention of engaging with anything Cecilia said, as if she were just air.
This complete disregard was more humiliating than outright rejection.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cecilia standing there.
She watched the three of us walking away hand in hand. I could feel her gaze from behind, almost burning a hole in my back.
But what surprised me was that even after all this, she still hadn't left.
I withdrew my peripheral vision and stopped paying attention to her.
James and I took Aura to the large combination slide. Aura excitedly broke free from James's hand and climbed up under the staff's supervision.
James and I stood below waiting for Aura.
Before long, Cecilia followed us again. She stood a few steps away from us, not saying anything.
She just watched Aura slide down, then showed a gentle smile. If Aura bumped into something, she would frown with concern.
Anyone who didn't know better might think from her behavior that she was Aura's real mother, and James and I were bad people kidnapping the child.
"Look, she still hasn't left. She is determined to have you," I said to James in a low voice, half-joking.
James frowned slightly, clearly finding it annoying too.
"Today's main task is to play with Aura. Don't let irrelevant people affect the child's mood," he said flatly. "Just ignore her."
After sliding a few times, Aura spotted the climbing wall nearby.
She ran over and pulled James's hand: "Daddy, I want to climb that!"
"Okay, Daddy will protect you from below." James looked at the children's version of the climbing wall, assessed it, and agreed with confidence, following her over.
I walked over too.
Cecilia followed us like a shadow, moving with us to the climbing wall area.
Aura climbed very seriously, with James fully focused below, hands extended protectively.
Just as Aura was about to reach the top and ring the victory bell, Cecilia, who had been standing quietly nearby, suddenly ran forward and very "accidentally" twisted her ankle. She cried out softly and fell limply toward James.
"Mr. Smith..." Her voice was delicate, her hand seeming to reach for support.
James's attention was entirely on Aura. Sensing someone falling toward him, he instinctively stepped aside while keeping his arms steadily extended toward Aura to prevent any accidents.
With a thud, Cecilia fell hard onto the padded floor, looking quite embarrassed.
She was wearing a skirt today. With this fall, her knees and shins scraped against the mat and immediately turned red, looking rather alarming.
Tears instantly filled her eyes. She looked up at James, her voice choked: "Mr. Smith... my foot, I think I twisted it. It hurts so much... could you help me up?"
She extended one hand, looking pitifully at James.
Aura had just rung the bell and was happily turning back to share her victory with James. Seeing this scene, the smile on her little face faded.
I watched Cecilia's pitiful act and stood aside smiling, enjoying the show.
James first confirmed that Aura had been safely brought down by the staff, then turned around to look at Cecilia sitting on the ground, on the verge of tears. His face showed no emotion. He didn't help her up, didn't even bend down, just raised his hand slightly toward the nearby staff.
"She's injured. Handle it," he said matter-of-factly, without any extra emotion.
"Mr. Smith..." Cecilia looked at him in disbelief, as if she hadn't expected this reaction.
Two uniformed staff members immediately ran over and supported her from both sides, polite but firm as they lifted Cecilia from the ground: "Miss, please come to the rest area. Our medical staff will be right over."
"I... I can walk by myself..." Cecilia struggled a bit, but her foot did seem to hurt, and she stumbled.
"We'd better support you to avoid further injury." The staff members didn't take no for an answer and half-supported, half-escorted her away from the play area toward the distant restroom.
Aura ran over and hugged my leg, asking quietly and curiously: "Mommy, what happened to her? Why are so many people carrying her away?"
"She accidentally fell and got hurt. The staff is taking her to the hospital," I said, stroking her head.
Aura nodded.
James came over and took Aura's hand again: "What else do you want to play? Today, Daddy and Mommy will play with you as much as you want."
"I want to play everything that's left," Aura said happily, bouncing up and down.
James supported her unconditionally: "No problem, let's go."
Without outsiders to disturb us, Aura played even more enthusiastically, and James and I relaxed, accompanying her through many activities.