Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 663

No wonder I hadn't seen Hiram around these days. The back gate was bolted shut, and the front door was off-limits to him, with lies fed that I had gone back to Rosemont.

These days, Hiram was attending school in Eldoria, living the life of a local student with early mornings and late returns, barely visible in the daily hustle. According to Russel, Neil had him buried under a pile of homework and even arranged for extra tutoring sessions.

Hiram, having been schooled abroad, found the local educational pace a bit overwhelming and struggled to keep up, resorting to cram sessions to catch up - thankfully, he was quick on the uptake.

"Hiram." Neil's voice cut through the air, chilling and firm, stopping Hiram in his tracks.

At the sound of Neil's voice, Hiram's face fell, anxiety over a potential scolding evident. Reluctantly, he let go of me and turned to face Neil, "Mr. Whitmore, I was just hoping to play a little longer with Ms. Finch and little Serena."

Speak of the devil, Serena had already squirmed out of my arms, cheekily reaching up to tousle Hiram's hair, causing me a moment of panic, fearing she might topple over. I let her go, and she immediately went to poke at Hiram, clearly taken by the handsome 'big brother'.

Seeing this, Brandon made a fuss about getting down from Russel’s embrace.

"The rain's coming, Hiram, why don't you play inside?" I suggested to him.

Hiram looked pleadingly at Neil, hoping for permission to stay. That’s when Kitty came out, chiming in, "Neil, let Hiram stay and play for a bit."

Neil's face remained stoic, but Kitty persisted, "Aren't you curious too? Every time there’s laughter and chatter by the back gate, you sit by, listening in."

Turns out, Neil had been secretly enjoying the children's company from afar, never making his presence known.

Catching Neil’s embarrassed glance post Kitty’s revelation, his usual cold demeanor momentarily wavered. Then, Brandon rushed over to Neil, reaching out for a hug.

"Brandon!" I called out, reaching for Brandon to come back.

"Hold on," Neil suddenly interjected, his gaze softening as he looked at Brandon, unable to hide his affection in front of the child.

"What’s up?" I feigned ignorance.

"I… could I hold him?" Neil gestured towards Brandon. Despite his physical limitations, his upper body strength allowed him to hold a child without issue.

I didn’t object, releasing Brandon’s hand. The little guy had a strong connection with Neil and scampered back to him the moment he was free. Neil then lifted him, settling Brandon on his lap, allowing the curious child to explore his face with tiny fingers. Neil didn’t flinch; instead, a soft smile graced his lips.

As Brandon grew, he resembled Neil more and more, unlike Hiram, who wasn’t Neil’s biological son and had started to look less like him over the past year.

Russel once shared that Karina Aaron had adopted Hiram because of his striking resemblance to Neil. She had even resorted to medication and minor cosmetic procedures to enhance the likeness, risking her medical license in the process.

Thankfully, Hiram’s health had improved significantly over the year.

Watching the tender moment between Neil and his son, I felt a sense of contentment. Despite a year apart, Serena and Brandon’s bond with Neil remained strong.

At that, Hiram flashed a compliant smile.

But little did he know, I wasn't going to marry the perfectly suitable Mr. Russel. It was all a façade. And Russel, upon hearing Hiram's words, must have felt a tinge of sadness, I supposed.

I tried to read Russel's expression, but it was like trying to decipher a poker face; he simply continued to work on the invitations in silence.

Right then, the doorbell chimed. Chelsea had come to pick up Hiram. Glancing at the clock, Neil really didn’t spare Hiram an extra minute.

“Ms. Finch.” Hiram suddenly looked at me, then gestured for me to come closer. “Can you walk me to the door?”

I knew then that the kid must have something he wanted to say to me privately.

I nodded and walked him to the door. On the way, he clutched my hand. “Ms. Finch, are you really going to marry Mr. Russel? But Mr. Whitmore will be heartbroken…”

“He won’t be heartbroken. He’s got Kitty, hasn’t he?” I replied with a forced smile, trying to sound nonchalant.

“But he loves you!” Hiram whispered conspiratorially, sounding wiser beyond his years. “You have no idea. He still keeps your wedding photo by his bedside. Once, Kitty accidentally packed up the photo album and couldn’t remember where she put it. He was furious, absolutely livid!”

In this version, I've incorporated more casual and colloquial language to fit a Western context, replacing Chinese cultural elements with Western ones to avoid cultural discrepancies and shocks. The setting now feels more localized to a Western audience, with names and dynamics adjusted to match.