Just as Nicole was about to reveal their travel plans, she was interrupted by Evan. âWeâre discussing some important matters that kids shouldnât get involved in,â he said sternly.
âDaddy, weâre already fifteen. Weâre not kids anymore,â said Maya.
Meanwhile, she grumbled in her heart. Hmph, what does Daddy mean by âkids shouldnât get involved?â I clearly heard them talking about traveling the world just now. Why wouldnât he want me and Nina to know about this? Could it be that he doesnât want to bring us along?
âIt doesnât matter whether you are still kids or not. What Iâm discussing with your mother has nothing to do with you two.â Evan gave them a calm yet stern look.
Maya and Nina exchanged glances. Seeing how Evan didnât want to tell them the truth, they decided to ask their mother instead.
Maya turned to look at Nicole and asked, âMommy, I overheard you talking about Paris and Venice just now. Why are you going to those places?â
Nicole remained silent. She couldnât figure out why Evan didnât want the kids to know about their travel plans.
After a while, she gave Evan a glance before telling her kids the truth, âYour father and I are planning to travel for a while, and those are the places we plan to visit.â
After Nicole finished speaking, Maya glared at Evan unhappily. As expected, Mommy is more reliable! Daddy just wants to hide the truth from us!
âMommy, can you bring me and Nina along? We want to go too,â she said.
Nicole was taken aback by her request. âBut donât you two have school to attend? Weâll be away for quite some time and wonât be back anytime soon.â
Evan gave Maya a piercing glare, knowing full well that the reason why she and Nina suddenly darted into the study room was because they wanted to tag along.
âWe can apply for leave of absence, Mommy,â said Maya.
âYeah, we can do self-study while traveling,â Nina concurred.
The two girls eagerly wanted to travel.
However, Nicole felt that it wasnât a good idea to put traveling before their studies. Not to mention, they would be away for several months. She glanced at Evan quietly and finally understood why he didnât want to tell the girls about this.
When Maya and Nina first came into the study room, Evan already had a hunch that they wanted to tag along.
âThe two of you are not coming with us.â Evan glared at Maya and Nina.
âBut Daddy, why canât you bring us along? We wonât interfere in your and Mommyâs private time. Weâll go sightseeing with you during the day, and weâll steer clear of you and Mommy at night. I promise we wonât bother you, please?â Maya pleaded.
Evan looked at her eager face, and simply answered in one word, âNo.â
âBut why not, Daddy?â Maya tried to coax her father by putting on a whiny tone.
She then turned to look at Nina anxiously. Say something, Nina! You should be putting your wits to good use right now!
Sensing Mayaâs inner thoughts, Nina added, âMommy, Daddy, are we really not allowed to tag along?â
âNina, weâll be away for seven months. The two of you should focus on your studies during this time. Once we come back, Iâll organize a press conference for your product launch. I hope youâll put these seven months to good use so that your product launch will be a success,â Evan replied.
In response, Nina simply nodded her head and said, âOkay, Daddy.â
On the other hand, Maya widened her eyes and looked at her sister in disbelief. Come on, Nina. We canât give up this easily. I tried so hard before I finally convinced you just now.
âMaya, make sure your food plaza runs smoothly. If itâs a success, Iâll get you a new outlet when we return. You can choose any place you like, and I will fulfill your other wishes too,â said Evan.
Maya pouted her lips grumpily. Hmph, Daddy is willing to do anything just so we donât follow them on their travels!
Evan then added, âYour mother gets to travel because her husband kindly offered. When you get married in the future, you can ask your husband to take you anywhere you like!â
Maya was rendered speechless.
Heâs even coming up with these illogical excuses now!
âFine, weâll stop asking. You donât have to keep nagging us!â said Maya.
âYeah, we donât want to go anymore,â Nina echoed.
Satisfied with their responses, Evan said, âAlright, itâs getting late. Itâs time for the two of you to go to bed now.â