Duke held Adinaâs hand tightly, and she was unable to move away.
She gritted her teeth and said, âYou said that we just needed to act like a couple in front of your mother.
Youâre going against the agreement!â
Dukeâs expression was indifferent. âHarold and Mel want us to be together. Do you want to disappoint them?â
Adina turned around and looked over. She saw Harold and Melody standing together and talking. The childrenâs eyes were as bright as the lights in the night sky.
Her heart melted for some reason.
Her initial intention of letting Duke be her boyfriend was also for the childrenâs sake.
âUncle Duke, what are you doing?â
Alden walked over, and his face was full of anger. He pushed Duke away with great strength. âLet go of my mom!â
Duke did not want to fight a child, so he released Adinaâs hand.
âMom, is he harassing you?â Alden bit his bottom lip and looked mature as well as headstrong, which did not fit his age.
âNo, Uncle Duke didnât harass me.â Adina stroked his head.
âI saw him dragging your hand by force, Mom. You couldnât move out of his grip after you struggled twice.â Alden sounded gloomy. He was still too young, and he could only watch when others mistreated his mother.
âNo, thatâs really not what happened.â Adina tried to explain, âI was just having fun with Uncle Duke.â
Alden widened his black eyes. He did not understand why this was considered fun when Duke was clearly forcing his mom to do something she did not like.
Before he could ask again, Duke walked over again and put his hand on Adinaâs shoulder.
Adinaâs body froze.
She suddenly regretted suggesting that this man be her boyfriend.
He had promised not to cross the boundary, but he never stopped touching her ever since they stepped out of the concert hall.
She initially wanted to move away, but she saw Alden glaring at Duke with his black eyes, and his face was full of rage. He looked like a lion cub that was ready to attack.
âAlden, donât misunderstand. Actuallyâ¦â Adina paused for a while before she resumed, ââ¦Iâm in a relationship with Uncle Duke, so itâs normal for us to hold hands and hug. Uncle Duke didnât harass me, so donât be angryâ¦â
Aldenâs anger turned into shock. âMom, what did you say? Youâre in a relationship with him? Why?â
âItâs becauseâ¦â Adina tried to explain, ââ¦we like each other, so weâre trying to be a couple. Alden, I hope you can understand meâ¦â
âWow! Aunt Adina, is that true? Are you really in a relationship with my dad?â Harold jumped really high. âDoes this mean I can call you âMom?ââ
Melody tilted her head and asked, âCan I call Uncle Duke â Daddy?ââ
She rarely spoke, so her voice was hoarse. But her words were clear. Her soft voice was clean, and it was filled with suppressed excitement.
Adina wanted to nod because she was Haroldâs motherâ¦
Because Duke was Melodyâs father.
But she dared not nod.
She slowly turned to the side and looked at Duke.
The manâs usually cold side profile appeared gentle, and he slowly said, âMel, didnât you call me Daddy in the past? If your mommy doesnât disagree, you can always call me that.â
Melodyâs eyes lit up. She looked at Adina, and her gaze was filled with expectation.
Adina struggled before she nodded. âYes.â
âDaddy!â
Melody happily rushed into Dukeâs arms, and she was so delighted that she danced.