Chapter 165
As soon as Nina's soft voice finished, Aiden chimed in.
The atmosphere at the dining table was instantly filled with warmth.
Only Eleanor's fingers tightened slightly around her water glass, and the smile in her eyes faded a bit.
But given the situation, she could only force herself to maintain appearances without showing any emotion.
William saw through the children's little scheme, warmth spreading through his heart.
He got up and walked to Emily's side, gently reaching out to hold her wrist, his tone filled with genuine and intense concern.
"Did you burn your hand? Why didn't you tell me? Is it serious? Let me see."
The moment his warm fingertips touched her skin, Emily's heart skipped a beat.
She instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it firmly.
Emily looked up and met William's deep eyes, where the worry was impossible to hide.
The refusal on the tip of her tongue, Emily swallowed it back down. She just shook her head gently and replied with a faint smile, "It's nothing, just a minor burn, no big deal."
"How can it be no big deal? I'll have the family doctor come over later to apply some ointment, we definitely can't let it scar."
William frowned, his tone carrying a hint of reproach, but more than that, it was heartache.
Seeing this, Nina immediately spoke up, her little voice crisp and clear.
"Daddy treats Mommy the best. Last time Mommy had a cold, Daddy stayed with her all night without sleeping."
Aiden quickly nodded too.
"And, Daddy bought Mommy beautiful dresses that look even better than the ones in the mall."
The children chimed in one after another, each talking about how good William was to Emily.
Their obvious assistance made Emily's cheeks flush slightly, the bitterness in her heart quietly replaced by sweetness.
William reached out and ruffled Nina's hair, affection overflowing in his eyes.
Raymond sat at the head of the table, stroking his beard, smiling with crinkled eyes, full of contentment.
Eleanor sat to the side listening to all this, her fingertips almost digging into her palms. But she could only pretend not to care, picking up her water glass and taking a small sip to hide the unwillingness in her eyes.
Just then, Aiden frowned and added seriously.
"Not only that, Daddy also secretly bought Mommy a villa! Even bigger than this mansion! He said he wants Mommy to live comfortably without any grievances."
As soon as these words came out, the dining table instantly fell silent.
The smile on William's face froze, his mouth twitching as he looked at Aiden with complete helplessness.
Was this kid helping him or causing trouble for him!
He actually let this slip!
originally, William had wanted to find the right moment to tell Emily himself, but now the surprise was ruined.
Emily looked completely shocked, her eyes wide open, full of confusion as she looked at William.
"Villa? What villa? How come I don't know anything about this?"
She was totally confused, never having imagined that William would secretly prepare all this for her.
Her heart was both surprised and puzzled, with a hint of indescribable excitement.
After speaking, Aiden also realized he'd spoken too quickly. Meeting William's half-smiling gaze, his heart sank and he tried to run toward the stairs.
"Stop."
William's voice rang out calmly, carrying an undeniable tone, though without real anger.
Aiden's steps halted. He slowly turned around, head lowered, tugging at his clothes, he looked exactly like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to meet William's eyes.
William walked forward, bent down and picked him up, gently bouncing his little body, his tone carrying some teasing.
"You little rascal, such a quick mouth, daring to say anything. Looks like you've been too idle lately, need to teach you a proper lesson."
With that, he carried Aiden and headed upstairs, showing no signs of going easy on him.
Seeing this, Emily's heart immediately tightened. Afraid that William would really be harsh on the child, she quickly followed, trying to persuade him.
"Don't be hard on him, he just speaks without thinking, he didn't mean to let it slip."
She walked hurriedly, the worry in her eyes impossible to hide. She didn't notice Eleanor's face darkening behind her, nor did she see the knowing smile in Raymond's eyes.
In the bedroom upstairs, William placed Aiden on the soft bed, with no intention of actually punishing him.
He just reached out and tapped Aiden's head, his tone quite helpless.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
Aiden looked up, blinking his big eyes, looking entirely innocent.
"Daddy, I didn't mean to. I just wanted everyone to know that Daddy treats Mommy the best."
Looking at him like this, how could William not know he had done it on purpose?
But he wasn't angry at all. Instead, warmth spread through his heart.
This kid was even more eager to help than he was.
"Alright, I know you meant well. Just wait here for now. I need to talk to your mommy for a bit. Don't run around."
William ruffled his hair without any reproach.
Aiden nodded obediently, sitting on the bed swinging his legs, his eyes full of mischief.
Just then, Emily pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Aiden sitting perfectly fine on the bed without a scratch, the weight on her heart finally lifted.
She then frowned at William, her tone tinged with reproach.
"You didn't do anything to him, did you? He's still young and doesn't know better. Don't scare him."
Seeing her worried expression, a hint of amusement flashed in William's eyes.
He stepped forward, gently grasped her wrist, pulled her to his side, and closed the door with his other hand, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"Don't worry, I couldn't bear to lay a hand on him. I just deliberately brought him upstairs to get you to come up here."
Emily was stunned for a moment, then realized she'd been played.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red. She tried to pull her wrist free but couldn't, her tone becoming embarrassed and annoyed.
"William, you did that on purpose."
"Yes, on purpose."
William admitted it frankly. Looking at her slightly flushed cheeks, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowed.
"I knew you wouldn't be comfortable downstairs and would have a lot of questions. I wanted to explain things to you properly - about Eleanor, and about the house."
At the mention of Eleanor, the flush on Emily's face faded a bit, the sweetness in her heart replaced by sourness.
She looked up at William, her tone more probing.
"What exactly is your relationship with her? She said you're childhood sweethearts who grew up together."
William knew her concerns. He sighed softly, reached out to pull her into his arms, letting her lean against his chest, and explained in a gentle tone.
"We did grow up together. Her family has a good relationship with the Brown family. She used to come play here all the time when we were kids, so I guess we're childhood friends."
He deliberately downplayed it, replacing "childhood sweethearts" with "childhood friends," just wanting Emily to worry less.