The family\u2013friendly restaurant they were going to tonight had a\u00a0<\/p>\n
nice atmosphere, perfect for taking pictures, so Madeleine had\u00a0<\/p>\n
specifically changed into a blue dress she loved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a hazy\u2013blue velvet dress with perfectly pleated hems,\u00a0<\/p>\n
glowing softly in the sunset.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The slim fit outlined her slender waist, and the V\u2013neck perfectly\u00a0<\/p>\n
revealed her delicate collarbones, making her skin look as white\u00a0<\/p>\n
as snow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she got out of the car and just stood by the kindergarten\u00a0<\/p>\n
gate, she quickly became the center of attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was just a few minutes before the kids were let out, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
many adults were waiting at the gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few of the men, in particular, were openly staring at her with\u00a0<\/p>\n
appreciative and probing looks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t look up. Her phone buzzed in her bag, so she\u00a0<\/p>\n
took it out to look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was from Roderick\u2019s secretary, Teresa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [Alert!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chase, the boss is acting weird today!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was confused. Wondering if something was wrong\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Roderick at work, she quickly typed back to ask what\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [The boss didn\u2019t come to the office this morning, and he\u00a0<\/p>\n
just left early. It looks like he has something important to do.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staring at her phone for two seconds, Madeleine couldn\u2019t help\u00a0<\/p>\n
but chuckle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s what this was about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She held back her laughter and typed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [Oh really? When a man\u2019s this quiet, he\u2019s definitely\u00a0<\/p>\n
up to something. He\u2019s probably going on a date.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other person was silent for a full minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A moment later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [!\u00a0<\/p>\n
!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [Alert!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chase, the boss is acting weird today!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was confused. Wondering if something was wrong\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Roderick at work, she quickly typed back to ask what\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [The boss didn\u2019t come to the office this morning, and he\u00a0<\/p>\n
just left early. It looks like he has something important to do.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staring at her phone for two seconds, Madeleine couldn\u2019t help\u00a0<\/p>\n
but chuckle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s what this was about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She held back her laughter and typed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: [Oh really? When a man\u2019s this quiet, he\u2019s definitely\u00a0<\/p>\n
up to something. He\u2019s probably going on a date.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other person was silent for a full minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A moment later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa: [!\u00a0<\/p>\n
!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine stared at the three exclamation points and couldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
help but laugh out loud.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alright, those three exclamation points would probably keep those four secretaries guessing for days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, the cheerful end\u2013of\u2013school song started playing from\u00a0<\/p>\n
inside the kindergarten, and Madeleine immediately looked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since the incident with Nanette at the kindergarten, they\u00a0<\/p>\n
had strengthened security, both in terms of guards and teacher\u00a0<\/p>\n
staffing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not only that, but Madeleine also found out later that Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
had directly invested in the kindergarten, and he did it in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now Madeleine was one of the shareholders, and any changes\u00a0<\/p>\n
at the kindergarten had to get her approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At first, Madeleine thought it was a waste of money.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then she thought about it, and nothing was more important\u00a0<\/p>\n
than her son\u2019s physical and mental well\u2013being.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within the five minutes Madeleine stood at the gate, the\u00a0<\/p>\n
kindergarten immediately got the news, and the principal\u00a0<\/p>\n
personally brought Kevin out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The principal\u2019s smile was a bit fawning as she greeted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine from a distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded back with a gentle smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last incident had terrified the principal, so she had been\u00a0<\/p>\n
working diligently these days and reported to Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
frequently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just checked with a few of Kevin\u2019s teachers. The boy was very\u00a0<\/p>\n
well\u2013behaved today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, really?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine smiled, looked down, and stroked Kevin\u2019s little head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy straightened his back, very happy to hear the\u00a0<\/p>\n
praise. s\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was a bit more sensitive than other children and always\u00a0<\/p>\n
needed more positive feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing how elegantly Madeleine was dressed, the principal\u00a0<\/p>\n
casually asked, \u201cMrs. Livingston, are you taking Kevin to an\u00a0<\/p>\n
event tonight?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA family activity. The three of us are planning to go out for\u00a0<\/p>\n
dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I see. I won\u2019t keep you then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A hint of envy appeared on the principal\u2019s face as she nodded\u00a0<\/p>\n
with a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, say bye\u2013bye to the principal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBye\u2013bye, Principal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he turned his head, Kevin, who had been relatively\u00a0<\/p>\n
calm, beamed with joy, his eyes sparkling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom just said, a family activity\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once in the car, Kevin was still thinking about what had just\u00a0<\/p>\n
been said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy\u2019s face gave everything away. He glanced around\u00a0<\/p>\n
before finally turning his head, unable to hold back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine chuckled and tapped his nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCouldn\u2019t hold it in, huh? Next time, just say what\u2019s on your\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind. Why think about it for so long?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though Mr. Eleanor had said his son\u2019s therapy had made\u00a0<\/p>\n
great progress recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Madeleine still felt it wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wished so much for Kev to be like a normal kid, good at\u00a0<\/p>\n
expressing his feelings and brave enough to share his thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, what\u2019s that family activity you just mentioned?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2019s taking you to a family\u2013friendly restaurant for dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How does that sound?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA family\u2013friendly restaurant?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin paused, seeming unfamiliar with the term.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine thought he didn\u2019t understand, so she nodded and\u00a0<\/p>\n
explained, \u201cIt\u2019s a restaurant with themes that lots of kids like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We can eat yummy food, and after we\u2019re done, we can take\u00a0<\/p>\n
pictures, play games, and there are other kids there too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s eyes sparkled, full of anticipation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 185\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t excited about going to a family\u2013friendly restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But about going with his mom.\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 185 The family\u2013friendly restaurant they were going to tonight had a\u00a0 nice […]<\/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-29482","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\/29482","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=29482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}