James rubbed his lower back and took a vicious bite out of the egg, muttering, "Just you wait, one day I'll make you need to 'recharge' too."
He felt as if his manhood had been questioned and was itching to prove himself.
Amanda chuckled, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She cast him a flirtatious glance and cautioned, "Don't go taking any pills. They're bad for you."
"Don't worry, I don't need any pills," James insisted, though a bit defensively.
He noticed that Amanda seemed much more cheerful than before.
Previously, she had been reserved and calm, almost indifferent to everything except Timmy.
But now, her smiles were more vibrant, her words had a feminine charm, and she even teased him.
"Is Uncle sick?" Timmy asked, overhearing the word "pills" and looking concerned.
Amanda gently patted Timmy's head. "Uncle isn't sick, don't worry," she reassured her.
"Oh~" Timmy lowered her head and continued to eat her bun, her eyes darting around thoughtfully.
James focused on his food, trying to quickly replenish his energy.
After finishing breakfast, Timmy turned on the TV and settled on the couch to watch cartoons.
She had probably refrained from watching earlier because her mom was asleep. The thought of it made her all the more sweet and considerate in James's eyes.
James leaned against the kitchen doorway, taking a moment to rest.
Watching Amanda busy herself in the kitchen, he felt his strength slowly returning.
He walked over, closed the sliding door to the kitchen, and wrapped his arms around Amanda, who was only wearing a thin silk nightgown, from behind.
"Hehe, aren't you afraid of going up in smoke?" Amanda teased, referencing his earlier statement.
"Nope, not for our child," James declared boldly, his hands starting to wander. But he could feel himself weakening. He had used a lot of energy with Tailsa over the past few days; a single egg was definitely not enough!
"Stop it, behave," Amanda said, wiping her hands and turning around to face him, stopping his advances.
Seeing that his efforts were futile, James stopped fooling around.
He held her close for a while, inhaling her faint, sweet scent, before voicing a concern, "Sis, what if we can't have a baby?"
"Hehe, well, that won't be my fault. Timmy is proof that I can have children. If there's a problem, it's definitely on your end," Amanda teased, her eyes filled with gentle mischief.
"I..." James was taken aback. He wanted to prove himself, but without the "super physique" upgrade, he felt a bit insecure.
Amanda gently cupped his face with her cool hands, reassuring him, "Don't worry, medical science is very advanced these days. If you're really impatient, we can try IVF."
James felt a sudden wave of nervousness.
The way Amanda said it, it sounded like they could have a baby any minute now.
The feeling of impending fatherhood was both exciting and terrifying, like needing to pee but not being able to.
Amanda studied him for a moment, then asked softly, "Do you want a boy or a girl? Or maybe twins?"
"Can we choose?" James asked, bewildered.
Amanda smiled enigmatically. "I don't know. You can ask the doctor," she replied teasingly.
"L-let's just leave it to fate. As long as the child is as well-behaved as Timmy, I'll be happy," James stammered.
"What? Don't you have confidence in your genes?" Amanda tilted his chin up with her fingers, a playful smirk on her face.
Their bodies were pressed close together, and even through the thin layers of their clothes, James could feel the softness of her body.
He puffed out his chest and declared, "Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a super baby."
Amanda challenged him, "Hehe, I'll be waiting to see that."
"Just you wait."
James knew he was losing this battle of wits. He dropped a tough line before making a hasty retreat to watch cartoons with Timmy, ignoring the soft, teasing laughter that followed him.
James watched cartoons for a while and found himself enjoying "Paw Patrol," a show about a boy and five rescue dogs who helped others. It was positive, action-packed, and engaging. Timmy enthusiastically shouted the names of the charactersâ"Rubble, Chase... to the Lookout!"âas she watched.
Amanda brought over a bowl of washed grapes and joined them.
James found himself surprisingly enjoying the simple act of watching cartoons.
A gentle wife, a well-behaved daughter...
If it weren't for the troubles of the outside world, he could imagine living like this peacefully forever.
But life was never without its complications.
James's phone started ringing off the hook.
The first call was from Jay Johnson, saying he had picked up the car and that Tailsa was also at the dealership. He asked what to do.
What to do?
You're asking me? I don't know.
After much deliberation, James finally decided to have Jay ask Tailsa if she wanted to come over and watch cartoons.
Jay dutifully asked, and the reply came back that Miss Evans seemed quite angry and had driven off.
James hung up the phone, sighing.
Just as he was about to text Tailsa to comfort her, the second call came in.
It was Winnie Morgan, saying she agreed to be the housekeeper and asking for her work schedule.
James hadn't even bought the villa yet, so there was no schedule.
He told Winnie to come over first so they could meet and discuss picking up and dropping off Timmy in the future.
The third call was from the real estate agent, confirming that the landlord was ready to sign the contract at 1 PM.
The fourth call was from Anna Rivera, saying she was alone in the hospital and craving bubble tea.
"???"
James was utterly confused. What the hell?
Why was she telling him about her bubble tea cravings?
"Excuse me, who are you? Do we know each other?" James asked, bewildered, earning curious glances from Amanda and Timmy.
"James, I know you still love me. I've seen how you've been acting these past few years. You've been trying to make me jealous, haven't you? You want me to dump everyone else and be with you, right? Fine, I agree. From now on, I'll only be devoted to you..."
Desperate, James activated his hypnosis, hoping to make her forget him.
But he quickly realized that hypnosis required direct eye contact, which was impossible over the phone. He felt a headache coming on.
Cutting off Anna's rambling confession, he pleaded, "Look, I'm sorry I ever had feelings for you. I won't even ask for the money back that I spent on you over the years. Let's just leave each other alone, okay?"
But Anna's voice only got louder, turning into a shrill, piercing shriek, "I've already deleted everyone else! What more do you want from me? Do you want me to strip naked and stand in front of you before you forgive me?..."
James really wanted to tell her: Even if you peeled off your skin, I wouldn't even glance at you.
"Stop, Anna Rivera, I'm telling you one last time. I don't want to see you again. Please don't bother me anymore," James said firmly.
"James, are you even a man? Your girlfriend gets beaten up and ends up in the hospital, and you don't even care to visit, and you want to break up?"
"We were never in a relationship, not even for a penny. I'm warning you, don't talk nonsense," James retorted, his voice cold.
"Fine. If you want to deny our relationship, then give me two million dollars. After that, I'll never bother you again," Anna demanded.
"You should take a look at yourself in the mirror. What makes you think you're worth two million?" James laughed, incredulous. Could such a shameless person really exist? After all she's done, she actually came to ask for money? Does she think the world revolves around her?
"You have three days. If I don't get the money, be prepared to become famous online," Anna threatened before hanging up.
James gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white as he listened to the dial tone.
In that moment, he felt a surge of rage, a primal urge to make that woman pay.