Chapter 36 Out
The voice made Jack pause for a moment. He hadn't really noticed the mother and her two kids who were leaving, but now his curiosity was piqued.
The woman's slender back seemed oddly familiar to him.
But as he stood there, lost in thought, the waiter returned with a smile. "You two can sit here. I'll clean the table right away."
Cassandra Macdonald tugged on Jack's arm, guiding him to sit down. "Jack, do you like those kids? That little girl kinda looks like you."
"Really?" Jack's eyes followed Alison's direction again, but by then, the mother and her kids had disappeared into the staff corridor next to the restroom.
Jack shook his head, dismissing the thought. It couldn't possibly be the woman he despised so much. Besides, she couldn't have two kids that old so soon. He hadn't looked closely, but those kids seemed at least three years old.
"Don't be ridiculous. I don't like kids," Jack said, a bit impatiently.
"But I do," Cassandra said, shaking his arm, ignoring the curious glances from people around them.
"Cassandra, have some ice cream," Jack said, feeling annoyed. Just because she had been with him for three days, she thought he was in love with her and couldn't live without her? If they weren't in public, he would have shaken her off and told her to leave.
But Jack was a public figure; he had to maintain his image.
Cassandra, oblivious to his irritation, clung to his arm. "Jack, I really love kids."
Jack struggled to keep his cool, his expression turning icy. He finally stopped talking, which made Cassandra realize something was wrong. She quickly shut her mouth.
"Jack, I'm sorry. Don't be mad. I was just saying," Cassandra said, starting to feel scared. She had heard that no woman had stayed with Jack for more than three months, and she thought she would be the exception since it had been four months already. But seeing Jack's dark expression now, she was terrified.
"Eat," Jack said curtly. He didn't even want to talk to her anymore.
The idea of having kids with her? Dream on.
He hated the idea of illegitimate children, so unless it was with his official wife, he wouldn't let any woman have his child.
But so far, he had no plans to marry and hadn't met a woman who moved him.
In his life, there had only been one.
But she was also the only one he hated with a passion.
After finishing his ice cream, Jack took out his black wallet, pulled out a blank check he always carried, and gently pushed it in front of Cassandra. "Cassandra, take this and go home. It's for the cab fare."
Cassandra stared at the two hundred-dollar bills and the check in front of her. It was more than enough to take a cab around the city twice. Jack handed a hundred-dollar bill to the waiter and left the ice cream shop without looking back, saying, "Keep the change."
Cassandra watched Jack's retreating figure and the check, finally realizing she had crossed a line. She stumbled out of the shop, understanding she was out. The girl who looked so much like Jack was etched in her memory, filling her with resentment because it was that girl who had made her slip up in front of Jack.
Cassandra staggered out of the ice cream shop, her eyes fixed on Jack's white Lamborghini. Even though she couldn't see him anymore, she felt like Jack was hiding a woman in his heart, a secret no one knew.
Meanwhile, Alison led Sophia and Ethan out the back door of the ice cream shop. Sophia reached out her small hand to wipe Alison's sweat, saying tenderly, "Mommy, you're sweating. Let me down."
Hearing Sophia's words, Alison's anxious heart gradually calmed down. She didn't feel Jack's presence, which was a relief. She kissed Sophia's little face and said, "Alright, Sophia, you're such a good girl."
Ethan watched Alison kiss Sophia and felt a bit jealous, waiting for his turn. So, after putting Sophia down, Alison bent down and kissed Ethan's face too. Ethan smiled contentedly. "Mommy is the best."
"Sophia, did you know? That man looked just like you, Ethan. Exactly like you! But Mommy wouldn't let me talk, or I would have told you," Sophia said seriously.
"Really?" Ethan scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Sophia, you're not lying, are you?"
"I'm not lying. Mommy saw it too. Ask her if you don't believe me," Sophia said confidently, turning to Alison.
"Sophia, was he really that similar? Mommy didn't notice," Alison said apologetically. She didn't want her kids to have any false hopes.
"Mommy, you saw him," Sophia pouted, a bit upset.
"Next time, Mommy will pay attention, okay? Let's go to the flower shop, and then Mommy has to go to work," Alison coaxed Sophia, her mind already on her night shift at Rebel. The kids would be asleep by then, so it wouldn't affect their time together, but it meant she would lose a few more hours of sleep.
All the way, Sophia kept talking about how much the man looked like Ethan. Alison, though a bit annoyed, knew she couldn't stop Sophia. She thought, once she wasn't around, Sophia would eventually tell Ethan.
Oh well, let the kids talk. Their hearts were pure, like blank canvases. Saying too much would only leave shadows in their minds. She just hoped they wouldn't run into Jack and Aidan again, as they looked too much alike. In fact, Sophia and Ethan also resembled Aidan, as she had seen him and knew their similarities.
Laura had prepared dinner for her at the flower shop. The shop had grown quite a bit, now over two hundred square feet, filled with all kinds of flowers. Laura had even hired a local helper, and business was still booming. Laura was so dedicated that Alison felt comfortable leaving the shop in her hands.
With this flower shop, they wouldn't be rich, but it was enough to ensure her two kids had no worries about food and clothing. That was enough for her.
As night fell, she tied her long, wavy hair into a short style, instantly transforming into a captivating beauty in the mirror.
She put on a lake-blue stage dress, accentuating her slender waist.
Once she stepped onto the stage, she was no longer the dignified Alison of the day but the enchanting Alison Bruce.