Chapter 81

Elysia glared, her voice tinged with concern, “How could you just take off on your own in a place you don’t know, you…

Before she could finish, Evan sidled up to her and, with a smacking sound, planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Mommy, don’t worry. You know I’m super smart. I won’t get lost or cause any trouble. I just missed you so much since you were gone for so long.”

Elysia was at a loss for words. The scolding she had in mind dissolved in her throat.

Evan knew exactly how to play her.

Deciding not to reprimand him, Elysia asked anxiously, “Did you run into someone who looks like you while you were out?”

Evan guessed she was talking about someone specific.

He had, indeed, encountered him, and not only had he ruined their birthday cake, but he had also managed to douse him in a little… accident.

Thinking this, Evan earnestly replied, “Nope, the only person who looks like me is my brother, and he’s been in the private room the whole time.”

Relieved, Elysia breathed a sigh of relief and pinched Evan’s cheek. “From now on, you must talk to an adult before you do anything, okay? Do you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

But Evan’s agreement was only lip service, as he settled next to Elliot.

As the waiter brought in the dishes and Elysia was engaged in conversation with Blossom, Evan whispered to Elliot, “I just got back at that jerk Tarquin for Mommy. I peed right on his face.”

Elliot furrowed his little brow, glanced at Elysia to make sure she wasn’t listening, then whispered back, “Tarquin?”

“Yep!”

“What happened?”

“Well, I saw Mommy talking to that jerk Tarquin, and she looked super upset. He must’ve been bothering her again. Someone was delivering a birthday cake to his room, and I planted a little firecracker inside. Kaboom! Cake everywhere. Then, when Tarquin went to clean up, I ‘accidentally‘

bumped into him, and, oh boy, did he get a surprise!”

Elliot frowned, his gaze shifting back to Elysia.

Did Tarquin cause that bruise on Mommy’s neck?

“Did you see him get physical with Mommy?”

“Nope, they were just talking, but both looked pretty upset. Mommy was definitely not happy, and he looked mean. He must’ve been scaring Mommy.”

“Did he recognize you?”

“Nah, I had my mask on.”

“Does he know it was on purpose?”

“No way, they think the cake explosion was just a prank.”

Elliot was silent for a few seconds before heading to the restroom. Once inside, he locked the door and quickly whipped out his high–tech smartwatch, which looked like any other kid’s toy but was packed with features He hacked into the restaurant’s security system, copied the surveillance footage, and then cunningly erased the video evidence.

He knew Tarquin was a formidable man, and he couldn’t let him find out about Evan.

After dealing with the security footage, Elliot returned to the table. The copied videos would have to wait for a more thorough inspection later.

“What’s up, Elliot?” Evan asked softly, sensing something was off.

Elliot replied in a low voice, “Let’s eat now; we’ll talk tonight.”

After dinner, they strolled through the nearby promenade before heading back to Elysia and the kids‘

place.

Blossom didn’t want to part with Elysia and insisted on sleeping with her, playfully declaring that she was going to stick to her for the night.