Chapter 104
At some point, a figure suddenly darted out from the kitchen.
Emily looked over and saw Rodolfo standing there, smiling at her. "Mr. McCoy, I..."
Just as Emily was about to speak, Rodolfo gently shook his head, his voice calm. "I made breakfast. Eat something first, and we'll talk in a bit."
With that, he turned and went back to the kitchen to continue his work.
Emily watched his retreating figure, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes.
Since that incident, Rodolfo's health still hadn't fully recovered, yet she had been so inconsiderate of his condition, leaving the children in his care for the entire night. And now he was making breakfast for them himself.
She was really being thoughtless.
At this thought, Emily quickly patted Nina, telling her and Oscar to go play, then walked into the kitchen and took over what Rodolfo was doing.
"Mr. McCoy, let me do it."
Seeing Emily walk in with her head down, Rodolfo looked at her deeply but didn't ask much, simply handing her the spoon he was holding.
He had already made porridge that morning and now just needed to serve it.
Without saying much, the two worked together to bring the breakfast to the table.
After the three children finished eating, they each went back to their rooms, very sensible and not wanting to disturb their conversation.
"Come with me." Rodolfo pointed to the balcony and walked in first.
Emily followed, closing the balcony door behind her, looking at Rodolfo before guiltily lowering her head.
"Mr. McCoy, it's all my fault. I dragged you into this." Before Rodolfo could speak, Emily spoke first.
Rodolfo didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her words. "Some things are meant to happen, while others can't be forced. This disaster was my fate all along. Why do you need to take all the responsibility on yourself?"
Hearing his comfort, Emily felt even worse.
"But if it wasn't because of me..."
Before she could finish, Rodolfo raised his hand to stop her.
"Emily, don't let this one thing blind you to the bigger picture. If those people wanted to cause trouble, they would have found an excuse sooner or later. You're just an excuse they're using as cover."
Rodolfo spoke about the matter with complete calm.
He paused, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "By the way, you left in such a hurry last night. What happened?"
"My mom was taken away by Brian." Emily briefly described what had happened.
After hearing this, Rodolfo let out a deep sigh.
Those people really wouldn't let her go.
If he hadn't come over last night, the three children would have had no one to look after them.
"So now, what are you planning to do?"
Facing Rodolfo's question, Emily shook her head, looking down at the ground, her voice somewhat hoarse and bitter.
"I don't know. What can I do now..."
If it were before, she could still ask William for his opinion.
But now, besides bearing it herself, there was no one else who could help her.
Rodolfo patted her shoulder. "Good girl, you need to pull yourself together now. You don't just have your mother—you also have three children. But I've noticed Mr. Brown seems to have a pretty good relationship with you. Why don't you ask for his opinion?"
Previously, by chance, Rodolfo had learned that Emily was in contact with William and that their relationship was fairly good.
Hearing this, Emily shook her head, a bitter smile spreading across her lips. "I'm just an ordinary person. How could I get someone like Mr. Brown to help me? I've called him several times already, and he hasn't answered. I guess he doesn't want to get involved in this mess."
Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of resentment, along with a trace of barely noticeable disappointment.
"He's not that kind of person. Maybe he's tied up with something else." Rodolfo noticed her disappointment and tried to comfort her.
Emily didn't argue with him about it. "Whether he's that kind of person or not, the facts are right in front of me. Mr. McCoy, don't worry, I'm fine."
Instead, Emily ended up comforting Rodolfo, their roles seemingly reversed in an instant.
"You've always liked to keep things bottled up inside. But you need to know that people's ability to endure has its limits. Never mind that—these next few days, you do what you need to do, and leave the children to me." Within his capabilities, Rodolfo gave her the greatest help he could.
"Mr. McCoy, thank you."
Meeting Emily's grateful gaze, Rodolfo gently shook his head.
"Though we're not father and daughter, we're as close as one. No need for such formal thanks."
Emily nodded firmly, and the two fell into silence.
In a corner they didn't notice, a small figure hid in the shadows, tightly covering their mouth, eyes already brimming with tears.
So William refused to help?
If William had been willing to help, would Amelia still have disappeared?
Hiding behind the curtain was Aiden.
He had originally wanted to find Emily to ask about the situation, but unexpectedly overheard her conversation with Rodolfo.
Learning that William had chosen to stand by and do nothing when Emily needed him most, he felt both sad and guilty.
In his eyes, William had been an all-powerful hero, but at the very moment Emily needed him most, he was hiding like a coward.
No, he had to get William to help!
At this thought, Aiden clenched his small fists tightly, wiped away the tears on his face, his expression incredibly determined.
Seeing signs that the balcony door was about to open, Aiden quickly ran off and hid in the bathroom to wash his face.
When he came out, he acted as if nothing had happened.
"Aiden? What are you doing here?" Emily had just opened the balcony door when she saw Aiden standing outside.
"Aunt Emily, I came to say goodbye today."
Hearing "goodbye," Emily was immediately shocked. "Goodbye? Where are you going? Have I been so busy with other things these past few days that I've been neglecting you?"
Seeing Emily guess in the wrong direction, Aiden quickly shook his head.
"No, that's not it. My grandpa just called me and said he misses me. I've been away from home for so long, and now that my grandpa misses me, I need to go back and see him." Aiden repeated this, nodding firmly as if everything he said was true.
"Can't you stay a bit longer?" Emily asked reluctantly.
But Aiden shook his head. "Aunt Emily, you and Oscar and Nina have already spent so much time with me. You're busy these days anyway, so if I go home, I won't be adding to your troubles."
At this moment, Aiden seemed to have suddenly matured, speaking and acting like a little adult.
But seeing him like this, Emily felt even more heartbroken.
At this moment, she felt her throat tighten.
She knew in her heart that letting Aiden return to the Brown Mansion was the best choice right now.