Chapter 2 Remarried
Sophia picked up Emily and kissed her fair cheek, her gaze gentle. "Emily, be good. Mommy will play with you."
Watching Sophia and Emily being so close, James felt a mix of envy and sadness, while Michael deliberately turned his face away, not wanting to look at them.
William, elegant and composed, noticed the disappointment on his sons' faces, and his gaze towards Sophia grew colder.
After breakfast, William and Tony went out to find a way to leave. Knowing they would be leaving today, Sophia didn't dwell on the idea of the kids staying a bit longer. After all, even if the children didn't love her, they were still her own flesh and blood.
But looking at the relentless storm outside, Sophia furrowed her brows, feeling a bad premonition.
As she brewed coffee, James carefully peeked out from his room, holding his favorite toy car, and slowly moved towards Emily.
Emily, sitting in her playpen, waved her chubby little hands. "Bro."
Sophia turned at the sound, and James froze awkwardly at the edge of the playpen. Meeting Sophia's eyes, he looked down, shifting uncomfortably. "This is a new toy Dad bought me. I want to give it to Emily."
Seeing that she didn't stop him, James handed the toy car to Emily. "Emily, this is for you."
Emily stood up and walked to the edge of the playpen, happily reaching for James' hand, wanting him to come in and play with her.
Michael shouted, "James, don't give it to her!"
William returned to the sound of Michael crying. His perfectly sculpted features were clouded with coldness as he strode towards the crying Michael.
Emily, cuddling the toy car, nestled in Sophia's arms, puzzled by the stranger's loud crying.
Seeing Michael cry, James immediately tried to comfort him, only to be pushed away, falling to the ground. "I don't want James! Go play with the bad woman's daughter!"
William picked up the fallen James and turned to sternly scold Michael. "Michael! She is still your mother. Apologize! And say sorry to James."
Michael cried louder. "No! She's not my mom. She doesn't love me. Dad, I want Alice. Can you take me to find Alice? James likes the bad woman's daughter. He's a traitor!"
William, about to continue scolding, was interrupted by Sophia's words. "William, he's right. I don't deserve to be their mother."
"It's daylight now. You should leave my house."
The meaning was clear. The storm outside hadn't stopped; it was even heavier than the night before. Driving was out of the question, and visibility was poor even inside the house.
William hadn't expected her to be so heartless, his mood darkening. As the heir to the Smith family, he'd always enjoyed the world's finest resources from birth. A teenage genius and a business legend, he'd never known defeat—except in his five-year marriage to Sophia.
His eyes were cold. "Sophia, they are your own children! In this storm, you would really send them out?"
William's voice was agitated as he tugged at his collar. "Sophia, James and Michael just recovered from a fever. They didn't mean what they said. Are you really going to hold a grudge against a six-year-old?"
James chimed in, "Dad, I gave Emily the toy car you bought me. Michael's toy car is at home. He thought I gave his toy car to Emily, that's why he's so upset."
William had never denied his children's requests for toys. Knowing Michael was upset over a toy car, his gaze turned cold. "Michael, James can decide who to give his toys to. Your tantrum is unreasonable."
Emily, still in Sophia's arms, didn't quite get what the adults were saying, but hearing "toy car," she climbed down and walked over to Michael, holding out the toy car. "Play."
She thought that if she gave Michael the toy, he would stop crying. But Michael turned away, his tears falling even harder.
Whenever Emily cried, Sophia would hold and comfort her. Emily put the toy car on the coffee table, walked over, and hugged Michael, patting his back with her chubby hand. "Brother, don't cry."
Michael, never comforted by a younger child before, felt a bit embarrassed and nestled into William's arms. "But I'm not your brother."
The bad woman didn't acknowledge him as her son.
Emily looked at William, confused by Michael's words. She turned to get her candy jar and went to Sophia. "Mommy, want candy?"
Sophia patted her head and gave her a piece of candy. Emily was about to go upstairs when she ran back and handed the candy to James. "For you."
Emily loved candy, and Sophia only gave her one piece a day. To her, it was the best treat. Seeing her give it to James without hesitation, Sophia was surprised. Emily had never warmed up to another child so quickly.
Noticing Michael's sneaky glances, Emily thought he wanted candy too and generously offered it to him. Michael slapped the candy away. "I don't eat candy from a bad woman!"
William frowned, angry at Michael's rudeness. "Michael! That was very impolite. What do you say to Emily?"
Michael, hands shrinking, looked at Emily, then at Sophia's cold face. He mumbled, "Thank you, Emily."
Emily, with her easy-going nature, laughed and handed the entire candy jar to James. "All for you."
She preferred James; he played with toy cars with her! James, surprised by her gesture, held the candy jar, staring at her.
Emily tugged on his shirt. "James, say, Mommy!"
James looked at Sophia, feeling awkward and shy. He hesitated, making Emily anxious. She always had to call "Mommy" to get candy. If James didn't call "Mommy," how could he eat candy?
She took James' hand to Sophia, pointing at the candy and then at her mom. "Mommy."
Finally, James blushed and softly called out, "Mommy."
Hearing that, Sophia couldn't hold back her tears, her eyes reddening as she looked up to control them. She nodded at him.
Emily beamed. She didn't understand the adults' awkwardness, only knowing that candy made her happy.
Seeing James with a whole jar of candy while he had none, Michael felt unbalanced and glanced at Sophia. Would he get a big jar of candy if he called her "Mommy"?
James took a lollipop from the jar, unwrapped it, and handed it to Emily. He took another for himself, putting the rest back on the table. "Michael, you can have mine."
William, always gentle with his children, patted James's head. "James, since Emily gave you the candy, you should eat it. Michael has his own."
In the Smith family, everything was always shared equally between James and Michael. Emily returned to Sophia's arms, watching William insist that Michael apologize.
Michael quickly apologized to James. But when it came to Sophia, he was awkward, speaking softly without looking at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you a bad woman."
The word "Mommy" stuck in his throat. He peeked at Sophia, hoping she'd come to comfort him like before, but she didn't. Her eyes were only on Emily, making Michael feel even more wronged.