Chapter 8 Fried Chicken

• When Avery met Zachary's icy cold gaze, she immediately kept quiet.
• Time ticked by.
• “It seems quite awkward here.” The boy was first to break the silence.
• His sister nodded in agreement.
• Avery did not know what to say.
• “Ms. Rumpley, call our father now to tell him that you don't want to look after us,” Zachary continued, and his tone sounded offensive.
• Yet, Avery found the need to clarify things. “I don't think that way.”
• How would she dare to say otherwise? After all, they were her boss' children. She was afraid to face Cayden's wrath if she told him she was unwilling to babysit them.
• “Since you are okay with taking care of us, shouldn't you put more effort and act like it?” Zachary spat coldly, unconvinced by Avery's words.
• Wow, she is stupider than any other woman.
• Still, Avery kept quiet.
• It was my fault for not taking reading my almanac before heading out. Tough luck!
• Noticing how uncomfortable Avery seemed, Rory angrily dragged her brother away. “Zach, come with me.”
• When Avery saw the two children disappear into the restroom, she felt like she could breathe again.
• In the restroom, Rory confronted her brother. “Zach, why did you have to act like that in front of her?”
• “She has a hidden agenda.” Feeling distressed by how clueless his sister seemed, Zachary spoke seriously. “She is willing to take care of us only because she wants to marry Daddy.”
• “She wants to marry Daddy?” Rory did not understand his point.
• “At least other women would have acted like they cared about us and tried to gain our favor. However, this woman is different. She did not even try!”
• If she marries our Daddy in the future, she would not even spare a glance at us.
• Even so, Rory stood her ground and insisted, “Great-grandpa told us not to judge a book by its cover!”
• “I don't care about what you think anymore. Regardless, I will only acknowledge the woman who birthed us as our mother!” Zachary growled in frustration.
• Yet, Rory ignorantly retaliated, “Great-grandpa told me that we were harvested in the vegetable yard!”
• “Silly girl!” Zachary's face was red with anger. Without a word, he left the restroom.
• His temper took Avery by surprise.
• “Sorry, it's my fault. I don't know how to interact with children, and I ended up ruining the atmosphere,” Avery guiltily stated.
• “No, it's Zach's fault!” Rory looked up and whined.
• “Would you like to watch cartoons?” Trying to salvage the situation, Avery spoke in a gentle tone. She got up to pick up the remote control. “Do you want to watch Spongebob Square Pants or the Boonie Bears?”
• “Childish!” Zachary could not help but hiss at her again.
• Instantly, Avery felt awkward, and they fell into an awkward silence again.
• “Do you know how old we are?” Rory innocently asked.
• In response, Avery questioned, “How old are you?”
• “We are both five years old,” Rory replied.
• “Have both of you started school?” If they did, they should be at school since it's a Thursday.
• “Yes, we are attending private schooling. Daddy suggested taking us out, and he even told us there is a huge Ferris wheel in this city.” Rory laid out the details.
• Avery nodded.
• Abruptly, Zachary requested, “Can I borrow your phone? I want to call Daddy,”
• Although Avery was stunned by his request, she still handed her phone to Zachary.
• Without holding back, the little boy grabbed Avery's phone and started to look for Cayden's number. When Zachary couldn't find it in her contacts, he tried looking for his father's WhatsApp. However, there was no history of her conversation with Cayden.
• “Don't you have any way of communicating with our father?” Zachary raised his brows and questioned.
• Shaking her head, Avery answered, “No.”
• “Are you sure?” Zachary frowned in disbelief.
• “I told you she isn't an evil woman who wants to become our stepmother!” Sitting in a corner, Rory shot her brother an annoyed look and pouted.
• Hearing that, Zachary felt slightly guilty. He shifted his gaze to Rory and did not dare look in Avery's direction.
• Finally, Avery understood the situation.
• She knew why Zachary seemed to hate her so much.
• “I have to explain myself.” Glancing at the two children, Avery continued, “Your father asked Mr. Dartsley to look after both of you. However, he had some matters to attend to, so he asked for my help. Your father and I have no personal relationship, and we are strictly in a boss and employee situation.”
• There was a growing sense of intrigue in Zachary's eyes.
• Avery did not stop there. “Your father is not like anybody else. Some people are born into a reputable family, while others have to lead an ordinary life. They typically pursue different things and run in parallel circles. Do you understand?”
• “No...” Rory replied while shaking her head.
• Then, Avery looked at Zachary.
• “You are trying to say that Daddy is from a reputable family while you are from an ordinary family,” he said.
• “Although that sounded harsh, you had perfectly summarized my point. There is a wide gap between your father and me. Thus, you don't have to worry. Even if your father were the only man left on Earth, it would still be impossible for me to become your stepmother. Is that clearer?”
• Rory glanced at Avery and gave a slight nod.
• “All right, let's make things lighter.” With a smile, Avery introduced herself, “I am Avery, and you can call me Ms. Ery.”
• “I am Rory,” the little girl sweetly announced.
• “I am Zachary, and you can call me Zach.” Zachary gave in and stopped being as hostile as he was before.
• Rory?
• Zachary?
• Mysteriously, Avery felt destined to meet these two children.
• After they cleared up the misunderstanding, the two children became more friendly.
• It was almost dinner time when Avery's colleagues canceled their dinner plans.
• Her other two colleagues had to rush off to deal with some work. Therefore, they could only grab a quick bite. On the other hand, Avery's task was taking care of Cayden's children.
• Avery was cautious initially as she did not want them to bump into something and get hurt. If they did, she could not bear responsibility for it. They ended up playing on the carpet, and Avery's heart started aching.
• My child is probably the same age as Rory and Zach.
• It was as though Avery could see her child in Rory's and Zachary's happy faces.
• I wonder if my child has grown up well.
• Soon, it was dinner time, and Avery brought the children out to eat.
• The hotel restaurant had all kinds of services. Rory sat in the restaurant and spotted other children having fried chicken on the table beside them.
• “Wipe that away! It's gross!” Zachary furrowed his brows and chided.
• Hurriedly, Avery took a tissue to wipe Rory's saliva.
• “Does your father forbid you to have fried chicken?” Avery thought Rory looked deprived. If my child wanted fried chicken so much, I would have caved in and made an exception.
• Rory nodded, with her eyes still fixated on the fried chicken placed on the table beside them. In a daze, she did not even realize that the fork in her hands had dropped onto the floor.
• “Excuse me.” Avery waved her hands.
• Ten minutes later, the waiter served two pieces of fried chicken to their table.
• Instead of having one piece each, Zachary gave his share to Rory. Although he wanted to try it, he said otherwise. “You can have this. Daddy said that men have to stick to their principles.”
• Avery said nothing, but she was impressed and taken aback by how much self-control the little boy had over his temptations.
• Some people could embark on extraordinary paths to achieve success. However, their journeys might not be as smooth as they seemed on the surface. Behind the scenes, one would not see how much restraint and discipline they had.
• It probably was the case for Cayden.
• Looking at the boy's cold demeanor, Avery could not help but recall what Nina had previously told her. She said Cayden was a heartless tyrant at work.
• It seemed like Zachary was a replica of his father.