For the past thirty years, Cooper had led a low-key life. Now that he had let go of that, his entire being seemed to be different all at once. He had even started to go on some social activities occasionally.
Moreover, he would listen to music at home and even chose a big black dog to accompany him for a walk every night. Along the way, he would grab some supper before returning home.
Sometimes, he attended photography exhibitions, went to see the opera, and even took the dog to Sophiaâs shop and bought something for it there.
He owned more than 20 black dogs, and he was one of Sophiaâs biggest spending customers in the pet industry. Almost half of the sales of the Riverdale branch were credited to him alone.
It was obvious that he had forgiven himself and found a new way of life, for he no longer monitored his daughter as strictly as before too.
Sophia had moved to The Imperial to live with Michael, but she still went back to her family occasionally to check in with Cooper. On the other hand, Cooper also occasionally walked his dog over half of Bayside City just to visit her.
Seeing how her father spent most of his time with animals, Sophia felt that she should begin to look around for a suitable candidate to take the role of her stepmother.
I think it wouldnât do for Dad to continue living like this and spend the rest of his life with a bunch of black dogs!
However, Michael felt that his young-looking father-in-lawâs current situation couldnât be better. It would be even more perfect if Cooper could bring a flask of wolfberry water to the park every morning and do Tai Chi there, then join the older ladies in their dance aerobics classes in tight-fitting workout pants at night.
In that way, he would no longer be able to pay much attention to Michaelâs family of three, and Michael would be able to concentrate on asking Sophia for a second child.
It was September soon, and Michael had already obtained leave from the kindergarten as Carmen was slated to shoot the TV show âWhere Are We Going, Dad?â with Michael. She was so excited that she kept running around like a joyful puppy every day.
Celine had given birth, and Sarah from next door had given birth too. The births of their babies were just a few days apart, and they were now all in confinement.
Sarah was very disappointed that she had given birth to another son whose skin was even darker than that of her firstborn. But Harry felt that it was all the same to him, whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
Besides, they also had an adopted kid, Poppy. He was happy enough with the three kids.
Grinning from ear to ear, Justin carried his newly acquired chubby baby daughter. He was elated that he had both a son and a daughter now.
Nathan came to visit his little sister early in the morning. He was followed by two other kids, Lorelei and Drew Fletcher.
âLola, Drew, you guys came!â
Sophia happily welcomed Drew and Lorelei in.
When Drew was mentioned, Nathan looked impatient and frustrated. Drew was so clingy that he followed Nathan wherever he went as long as the latter was at the Fletcher Residence.
He didnât seem to have inherited his fatherâs aloofness and wisdom at all.
On the contrary, he was just like Stanley. Stanley had been this attached to Michael back then.
Lorelei had arrived here for some time now. Although she was still rather distant, she obviously looked more cheerful this time. As expected, the Fletcher Residence was the most suitable place for her. She had become friends with the other kids at the Fletcher Residence and could even speak simple words in the Cethosian language.
Lorelei happily rushed off to see her sister. Celine, who was still in confinement, tenderly looked at her little daughter, who was sleeping in the crib, and then glanced at Lorelei. For some reason, she had always felt that this girl was rather different.
Since the birth of Celineâs daughter, Justin had been keeping watch over her by the side. After all, Celine had given birth at an older age, and so she needed much rest. Justin had been taking care of her all the time without taking a break. Right now, he was sitting by the bedside and naturally saw Lorelei coming in.
The expression on his face when he saw her was extremely complicated. It was not possible for him to wholly accept Lorelei, but he could not find it in him to harbor hatred for such an innocent kid either.
With a sigh, he picked up his baby daughter and said to Celine, who was in bed, âThis is Lorelei from Joelâs family. Sheâs also known as Lola. If you like her, feel free to ask her to come and visit you often.â
Celine smiled. âSure, sure.â
Lorelei was eating the jelly given by Sophia. Her dark eyes were fixed on Celine as a nonchalant smile graced her lipsâ¦
Since the birth of Celineâs daughter, there had been waves after waves of visitors from the Fletcher Family and the Mitchell Family. Sophia was overwhelmed by having so much on her plate; she had to entertain guests while working from home at the same time. It was extremely tiring for her.
A few days before Michael went over to the set for the reality show, Sophia was curled up in bed one morning, trying to catch some much-needed sleep. There would be no guests for the day, so it was an exceptionally pleasant day for her. Besides, Carmen had also been sent to attend cram school, so she hurriedly took advantage of the peace and quiet to get some sleep. In her drowsy state, she heard Michael say, âIâm going out to meet a fan, so donât wait for me for dinner. Iâll be back later at night.â
Sophia turned over in bed; her bare thighs were stretched out as she continued to sleep under the quilt, only responding to him with a mumble.
It wasnât until Michael went out and closed the door gently after him did Sophia suddenly remember something and leaped up from bed.
What? Michael is going to meet a fan?
When it came to the issue of meeting fans, Sophia subconsciously thought of female fans who were barely 20 years old, with figures that she would kill for, and all were looking beautiful and sultry.
She immediately rolled out of bed and drew the curtains. Downstairs, Michael, who was dressed to the nines, was accompanied by Hale and others as they went to the garage and then drove out. His styling team was here too, and after finishing their jobs, they also left in their cars.
What the hell?
He usually wears shorts at home and doesnât even bother to shave his beard. How dare he call over his personal styling team just for a meeting with a fan?
He only dresses up like this when attending important events, such as the movie premieres and the New Year Dinner Gala.
Even when he visited his young-looking father-in-law, I never saw him make such a fuss either!
Who exactly is this fan?
After Michael left, Sophia was feeling so jumpy that she appeared distracted when she went to look for Sarah next door.
âLook, Sour Face is really super big for his age. There wonât be another boy like him! If you donât seal the deal now, Iâll pair him up with that girl Maisie from Stanâs family.â
Sarah held Sour Face and pushed him vigorously toward Sophia, trying to get the latter to be interested in him.
Sour Faceâs expression remained dark as usual.
Thanks to his motherâs forceful marketing efforts, the celebrities with kids in the entire Bayside City all knew about how big he was.
Sophia tried her best to refuse. âNo, no, Carmen is still young. Letâs talk more about it after she grows up.â
Suddenly, Carmenâs soft and adorable voice came from one side. âGodmother, Sour Face is not my type.
Just give up!â
Sarah was extremely disappointed that she had failed to market her son againâ¦
Seeing that Sophia had been frowning quite a lot today, Sarah asked her if something was up. Only did Sophia stammer, âItâs about M-Michael. H-He said that heâs gonna meet a fan? D-Does Harry often go out to meet fans all dressed up?â
âWhat?â Sarahâs voice was so loud that the roof almost blew off. She sprang up and shouted, âHe went out all dressed up to meet a fan? How can such a thing happen? Letâs go and destroy him right now!â
Rushing upstairs, she changed her clothes and came down. Then, she pulled Sophia along and hurried out of the house. âIâm telling you, men will start taking things easy after they get a woman. You see, it hasnât been long since your dad agreed for you two to be together. Yet now he has overstepped his boundaries by going to meet a fan! Come, letâs go and catch him red-handed. Weâll see if he dares to meet any more fans in the future!â
Sophia hesitated. Michael would definitely not wrong her, but she also wanted to know what kind of fan he had gone to meet!