She was about to say something to comfort him, but the sound of footsteps from outside caught both of their attention, and they both looked at the door.
Shortly after, the glass door was swung open, and the clear voice of a little girl was heard.
âMelon!â
Melon lifted his head in confusion, but when he saw Adele, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise, âAdele!â
He jumped off his chair and ran over to hug her.
Seeing the two children happily hugging each other near the door, the teacher was quite shocked.
Wasnât Melon the only child of Ariana? How come he had a sister now?
Just while the teacher was still lost in her thoughts, Ariana walked in.
But she wasnât alone.
Behind her, a handsome man followed.
The teacher was even more astonished at the sight of Holden.
She had seen Melonâs mom before but had never seen his dad.
She hadnât expected him to be so good-looking as well.
She glanced at Melon, then at the little girl.
Her eyes darted between Ariana and Holden standing behind the two children.
She couldnât help but marvel at how good-looking the parents were.
No wonder these two children were so beautiful even at a very young age.
After a while, Melon looked behind Adele and spotted Holden.
Gazing at the large man, he stopped in his tracks.
He was about to call him Mask Man, but Holden beat him to it.
Holdenâs large hand lifted him up.
Then, he smiled and said, âLong time no see, Melon.
Did you miss me?â
As Melon soared sky-high, joy bubbling within him, he let out cheers that could rival a stadium in full swing.
Holden, seizing the moment, twirled him around before cradling him in his arms.
Wearing a grin as radiant as a sunbeam, Melon, with arms wrapped around Holdenâs neck, whispered in his ear, âYouâre not fooling anyone, you know? I know itâs you whoâs been pretending to be my father.
Holden, chuckling, opting not to acknowledge that, just tousled the boyâs ha
ir.
Setting Melon down gently, he said, âTime to head home.
â
Ariana, silently observing their departure, couldnât help but break into a smile as she watched Melonâs sheer delight.
With Holden leading the way and Ariana trailing, tugging Adele along, the teachers in the lounge caught the infectious wave of happiness radiating from the four.
On the journey back, Ariana, initiating a conversation with Melon, suggested, âAdeleâs celebrating her birthday today.
How about a joint celebration when we get home?â
âSounds good!â Melonâs eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
âBut, Mommy, a heads-up about Adeleâs birthday wouldâve been nice.
Iâd have prepared a gift.
â
Before Ariana could respond, Melon, smacking his forehead dramatically, said, âWait, I got it! Iâll give Adele that toy she likes.
â
Ariana, smiling, didnât dwell on it; Melonâs generosity towards Adele was always unmatched.
Back at the villa, they celebrated Adeleâs birthday.
Ariana decided to whip up some dishes in the kitchen.