Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ricki had been like that his whole life. He wasn\u2019t as mischievous\u00a0<\/p>\n
as when he was a kid, but his core personality hadn\u2019t changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still just as competitive!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin tugged on Madeleine\u2019s hand. \u201cThe fishies look like they\u2019re\u00a0<\/p>\n
falling asleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine snapped back to reality and looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh no, oh no!\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fat Koi Carp were so stuffed they were floating belly\u2013up\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick appeared behind her, reaching past her to take the fish\u00a0<\/p>\n
food.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not sleeping. These fish are about to die.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin looked up, horrified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDead?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Koi Carp can\u2019t handle anything sour. Too much of it\u00a0<\/p>\n
will kill them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin stared doubtfully at the fish food in his dad\u2019s hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Dad, is the fish food sour?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick held back a laugh. \u201cThe food isn\u2019t, but the air is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At first, Madeleine was confused and had no idea what\u00a0<\/p>\n
nonsense Roderick was talking about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then it clicked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hey, he was obviously saying she was the one being sour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nonsense, she wasn\u2019t being sour at all!\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that thought, Madeleine huffed and turned around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t realize they were so close, and as she moved, the top\u00a0<\/p>\n
of her head slammed right into Roderick\u2019s chin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d calculated the distance perfectly. He\u2019d stand right here,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
she\u2019d turn and bump into him, and he could smoothly catch her\u00a0<\/p>\n
in his arms\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOuch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was the one who yelped, clutching her head and\u00a0<\/p>\n
blaming Roderick for standing too close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick took two steps back without a word, just raising a\u00a0<\/p>\n
hand to rub his chin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That really hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here? Done with your important business?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was exasperated. \u201cRebecca is the daughter of a\u00a0<\/p>\n
company director. Her father and my dad have been business\u00a0<\/p>\n
partners for years, and Rebecca holds an important position at\u00a0<\/p>\n
the company. She was here to talk business.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It sounded like an explanation, but the way he kept saying\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca\u201d made Madeleine uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she couldn\u2019t let it show. If she did, it would just prove\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick right about her being sour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No way. Absolutely not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wouldn\u2019t admit it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only Kevin was still worried about the Koi Carp, squatting by the\u00a0<\/p>\n
pond with a concerned look on his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle fish, little fish, are you guys okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you dead?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine turned back and squatted guiltily beside Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She asked Roderick worriedly, \u201cThey aren\u2019t really going to die,\u00a0<\/p>\n
are they?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, they\u2019re just having some indigestion. Come on, we should\u00a0<\/p>\n
head back for dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHead back?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not eating here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The staff had already prepared a full table of food, but Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
turned down the offer to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca and Madeleine already didn\u2019t get along, so it was best\u00a0<\/p>\n
to minimize their contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before leaving, Roderick took another look at the fat Koi Carp in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the pond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hmm\u2026 I\u2019ll ask the old man later how many died. I\u2019ll have\u00a0<\/p>\n
someone send over some more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While they were out for dinner, Madeleine was bursting with\u00a0<\/p>\n
questions for Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like how Owen got together with Mrs. Miller.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And why Rebecca didn\u2019t like her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And\u2026 what her past relationship with Roderick was really like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But most of these questions weren\u2019t exactly G\u2013rated, so every\u00a0<\/p>\n
time Madeleine wanted to ask, she would glance over at her\u00a0<\/p>\n
son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Never mind. For the sake of her little boy\u2019s well\u2013being, she\u2019d just\u00a0<\/p>\n
have to hold back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick sat across from the mother and son, eating elegantly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
pretending not to notice Madeleine squirming in her seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He guessed what was on her mind, but with his son there, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t bring it up either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He slowly cut his steak, a faint smile playing on his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Madeleine went to the restroom, Kevin hopped off his\u00a0<\/p>\n
chair and snuck over to Roderick\u2019s side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, let me tell you a secret.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin beckoned for his dad to lean closer, cupping a small hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
to his mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy was just peeking at you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick couldn\u2019t help but smile. \u201cYou saw that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mommy was being sneaky, so I waited until she left to tell you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick smiled and patted his son\u2019s head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, I know you want Mommy to like you, right? You should eat\u00a0<\/p>\n
more meat. Mommy likes strong guys.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s smile faded a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Little rascal, still hung up on that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression turned serious. He pulled Kevin closer and said,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can say that stuff to me, but don\u2019t say it to anyone else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stuff?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike\u2026 that Dad isn\u2019t strong, or that I\u2019m not good enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy nodded seriously. \u201cGot it, Dad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, he quietly returned to his seat to eat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that evening, the family returned to the villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick saw how eager Madeleine was to get home and\u00a0<\/p>\n
thought she couldn\u2019t wait to have a good long talk with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 81 Chapter 81\u00a0 Ricki had been like that his whole life. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}