Chapter 179 You Treat Me the Best
Emily trotted over and wrapped her arms around William's legs..
She called out softly, "Mr. Smith."
William didn't pick her up right away. He just looked down and asked, "What's wrong?"
Emily pressed her lips together. "I can't see."
Just as she was about to climb up William's leg like she usually did, he lifted her and set her on a nearby chair instead.
William kept his hand on her arm, protectively watching over Emily.
His voice was low. "Sit still."
Emily looked at him in confusion. Why wouldn't he let her sit on his lap?
William hadn't been like this before.
What had changed?
She bit her lip, thinking about the change in William's attitude. Being smart, she quickly came up with a guess.
Could it be because...
She called Benjamin by his first name, but called him 'Mr. Smith's?
To test her theory, Emily tugged on William's arm and said sweetly, "Mr. Smith."
Noticing William's expression soften, she continued, "Benjamin is nice, but I like you the most!"
"You're the best to me."
With Emily's talent for sweet-talking, there wasn't anyone she couldn't win over.
Sure enough, William's expression changed.
Emily thought to herself, "William is definitely jealous!"
She thought for a moment, then climbed down from the chair and said on purpose, "I'll go ask Benjamin to hold me."
Just as she expected, she hadn't taken two steps before William scooped her up.
Emily got her wish and ended up sitting on William's lap.
William pinched her chubby cheek."Just like your mother."
He had to admit, Emily was a really smart kid who knew exactly how to read and manage adults' emotions.
Worried Emily might fall if she moved around, William held her with one arm.
He looked up, and his eyes met Sophia's onstage, where she was presenting awards to James and Michael. He wondered who Emily's biological father really was.
Sophia was smiling as she gave awards to James and Michael, but when she saw Emily nestled in William's arms, her smile froze for a moment. As Emily grew older, her resemblance to William became more and more obvious.
Noticing Benjamin looking over, William's sharp gaze swept across and caught the doubt in his eyes.
Just moments ago, Benjamin had caught Emily's movements out of the corner of his eye and watched the whole process of her "trapping" William, which had made him smile.
But when she sat in William's lap and they both looked up at the stage together, Benjamin's gaze froze.
William and Emily… their side profiles looked exactly the same!
He stiffly looked away and turned toward the stage like they did, only to see Sophia looking down thoughtfully.
A bold guess formed in his mind.
After the awards, there were parent-child activities.
The first activity was a guessing game.
Children would find objects based on clues on a board, then have their blindfolded fathers guess what they were.
The group with the shortest time and the most correct guesses would win.
Next to William was Benjamin, whose identity had been introduced when he went onstage to give Missy her award.
He was filling in for Ronnie, who was supposedly sick.
But everyone in their social circle knew better.They all had Missy's dad's contact information.
Ronnie had posted a video yesterday of himself skiing abroad with his mistress.He wasn't sick at all—he just didn't want to come.
Everyone knew, but nobody said anything.
From the first day James and Michael came to this kindergarten, Missy had really liked them, but they'd rather play with Juan, who wasn't even likable, than play games with her.
Seeing how nice they were to Emily, feeding her water and snacks, made Missy feel even worse.
The game started.
At first, all the dads guessed what their children handed them.
As it got harder, eventually only William and Benjamin were left.
Michael and Emily kept cheering for William and James.
Sophia stood nearby, handing them cups of water.The two kids looked even more excited than the competitors themselves.
The clue on the board read: "Mom's hand."
Sophia's lips twitched slightly.
Emily, who hadn't started school yet, couldn't read what it said.
She quietly tugged Michael's hand and asked, "Michael, what does it say?"
Michael leaned close to her ear and told her what the board said. Emily nodded in understanding.
The kindergarten's final round was meant to strengthen the bond between parents and children.
But given William and Sophia's current relationship, it was somewhat awkward.
Selene had already been pulled onto the stage by Missy.
James walked up to Sophia and said hesitantly, "Mom, if you don't want to, I can just give up."
Not wanting to disappoint her child, Sophia touched his head. "It's okay."
This was the first parent meeting since the kids started at the new kindergarten. She naturally didn't want to disappoint James and Michael.
It was just touching hands - to her, it wasn't a big deal.
The second Sophia's hand touched William's palm, and he recognized it. Where she touched felt burning hot. He instinctively gripped it tightly and could feel her stiffen.
Next to them, Benjamin smiled and said Selene's name.
But the teacher said that was wrong.
The second chance to answer had to wait until after William gave his answer, but he just stayed silent like he'd gone mute.
All the parents and children looked at William and Sophia. Their outstanding looks made them especially pleasing to the eye, standing together, waiting for William's answer.
Sophia's hand was held by William, but he wasn't saying anything. Finally, she scratched his palm with her fingertip.
William chuckled and gave the correct answer.
Sophia fell silent.
This round, William won.
He and Benjamin both removed their disposable blindfolds. William looked down at her, Benjamin turned to look at her, but Sophia ignored them both.
As soon as the game ended, she immediately pulled her hand back and took James back to their seats.
Michael and Emily rushed over and hugged her legs, happily saying, "Mommy's so great!"
William, who had fallen behind, looked like he was in a really good mood.
This warm, harmonious scene before him made him happier than closing a big business deal.
Just as Emily was about to jump into Sophia's arms, she felt herself being picked up. Her little legs kicked a few times, then she was in William's arms.
Their eyes met, and she kindly reminded him, "You have to wait in line for hugs."
With that, she struggled out of William's arms and threw herself into Sophia's embrace. "Mommy, hug me."
After acting cute in Sophia's arms for a while, Emily stepped back and took James and Michael's hands, sitting down on the chairs.
She patted the chair next to her. "Mr. Smith, you sit here."
William was silent.
Once he sat down, Emily quickly and skillfully climbed onto his lap. She didn't even need William's help - she'd already found the most comfortable position, nestled in his arms, watching the other kids compete.
William felt like he was being manipulated.
Missy, following behind Benjamin, was unhappy about not winning the competition. She didn't even hear Benjamin's comfort, her eyes fixed on James in Sophia's arms.
For the next few rounds of games, kids raised their hands to sign up.
Michael was very enthusiastic about participating.
Sophia and William each took him for one or two rounds of games, and without exception, they all won first place. He and James had the most prizes of all the kids.
The final activity.
All the dads would compete by doing push-ups.
William took off his coat and left it on the sofa, unbuttoned his white shirt cuffs, and rolled them up. Every movement radiated a unique charm.
Many new yoga mats had been prepared on the floor. Benjamin looked like a gentle, refined gentleman. He and William were once again in adjacent positions.
"I see everyone's ready. Now, please have the children sit on your dads' backs, and let's start the competition together."
James and Michael weren't the only twins at the school. The teacher said any one child could sit on dad's back, and the score would count for both.
James knew Michael loved to play, so he said generously, "Michael, you go."
"Thanks, James!"
As soon as Michael was settled, William saw the desire to participate in Emily's eyes.
And James... although James didn't mind, he didn't want him to feel left out either.
William said, "James, Emily, you come too."
Emily looked shocked.
Was William actually going to show off his strength?