I have to make it up to him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine muttered to herself, wearing an expression that said,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would never buy sweets for myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick gave a half\u2013smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Madeleine pick out a delicate little cake, he suddenly\u00a0<\/p>\n
said, \u201cBuy another one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, I already said I\u2019m not having any.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine thought he wanted to buy one for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he held back a laugh and explained, \u201cMinerva Hatfield called\u00a0<\/p>\n
me when I was on my way to pick you up. She said she\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
coming over for the weekend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Madeleine\u2019s face. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
coughed and nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, right. It\u2019s for Minerva.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carrying two boxes of desserts, she returned home to find\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva in the living room, doing crafts with Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two were bickering with each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, that\u2019s not how you stick it on! It looks so ugly like that. Let\u00a0<\/p>\n
me do it!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAuntie\u2026 I think this looks even uglier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNonsense, no way. You must have gotten your sense of taste\u00a0<\/p>\n
from your mother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine felt that jab the moment she walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s with the personal attack?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She instantly no longer wanted to give the cake to Minerva.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs my sense of taste really that bad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cool voice sounded from behind Minerva. She turned around,\u00a0<\/p>\n
a little embarrassed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gave a mischievous grin, revealing her two cute canines, looking very adorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just talking nonsense, Madeleine! Your sense of taste is the best, otherwise you wouldn\u2019t have married Roderick, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced at Roderick beside her, who indeed looked puffed\u00a0<\/p>\n
up with pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wondered if he\u2019d secretly paid Minerva off. How could the\u00a0<\/p>\n
little girl praise her and still manage to loop it back into a\u00a0<\/p>\n
compliment for him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, a certain little boy was in a state of confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, what\u2019s a \u2018sense of taste\u2018?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s heart melted at his cuteness. She walked over and\u00a0<\/p>\n
pinched Kevin\u2019s little cheek.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA sense of taste is\u2026 um, knowing what looks good and what\u00a0<\/p>\n
doesn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin blinked a couple of times and immediately said,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2019s pretty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood boy, I declare you have the best taste in the world!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHehe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin beamed, visibly happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick came over and put the small cake on the table, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
the two kids were immediately drawn to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMinerva, are you sure you\u2019re going to eat that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remember you\u2019ve been preparing for the Swan\u2019s Wing\u00a0<\/p>\n
International Youth Ballet Competition, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva nodded while opening the cake box, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m eating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How can I have energy for the competition if I don\u2019t eat? Plus,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m still a kid, I\u2019m still growing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was left speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 you can\u2019t indulge too much, right? This cake is pretty\u00a0<\/p>\n
high in calories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only Roderick understood what Madeleine was really getting at.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He held back a laugh and sat down on the sofa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva scooped a piece of cake into her mouth and mumbled,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just eat half then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf is fine. How many calories can half have, right? Let\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine help you with the other half.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sounding perfectly reasonable, Madeleine went over and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
squatted by the coffee table with Minerva to eat the cake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin, who was beside them, quickly pushed his own cake\u00a0<\/p>\n
toward Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, you can have all of mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo need, Kev. Mommy will just eat your aunt\u2019s. You go ahead\u00a0<\/p>\n
and eat yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva: \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cake wasn\u2019t actually that big, and Madeleine only had a\u00a0<\/p>\n
couple of bites to satisfy her craving.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But even so, she wasn\u2019t willing to slack off, and pulled Minerva\u00a0<\/p>\n
to the dance studio to practice and burn off the calories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Madeleine and Minerva left the living room, Kevin put\u00a0<\/p>\n
down his fork.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy didn\u2019t actually like sweets much; he only ate most\u00a0<\/p>\n
of it because his mom had bought it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pushed the cake away slightly and looked at the craft\u00a0<\/p>\n
project he had just finished with Aunt Minerva\u2013a handmade\u00a0<\/p>\n
collage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin walked over, holding the picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe teacher said we have to take a picture of our craft project\u00a0<\/p>\n
and upload it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick nodded, took out his phone, and had him hold it up for\u00a0<\/p>\n
a picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe teacher said we have to take it with a parent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick: \u201cMe and you? In the picture together?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It sounded weird, but it was true.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick found it strange. \u201cWhy haven\u2019t we taken one before?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten, who was passing by, happened to overhear their\u00a0<\/p>\n
conversation and gave an awkward smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you remember, sir?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before, this kind of school project was always done by\u2026 ahem,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\u00a0<\/p>\n
that bad woman and Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she wasn\u2019t around, it was me and Kevin who took the\u00a0<\/p>\n
picture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, Roderick didn\u2019t say anything, his gaze just quietly\u00a0<\/p>\n
fell on the little guy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\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 153 I have to make it up to him.\u201d\u00a0 Madeleine muttered to […]<\/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-29450","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\/29450","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=29450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}