CHAPTER 162: CHAPTER 160: ELIZA

Yessa Theme Hotel.

The room was a bit messy, clothes strewn from the door to the foot of the bed.

At this moment, Cari suddenly awoke with a start.

She turned her head to look at the man sleeping beside her, a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, and then she carefully got out of bed.

First, she went into the bathroom and then walked to the balcony after coming out, lightly pulling the balcony curtains aside. A beam of light illuminated her cheek and streamed into the dim room.

The sunlight outside was her longing.

But she couldn’t open the balcony door and could only see the light and sense the light through the glass.

Just like she could see freedom but couldn’t feel freedom.

Perhaps her movements were a bit much, for Nathan Dawn also woke up at this moment.

"What time is it?"

Facing the man’s inquiry, she glanced at the watch on her wrist and said, "Eleven in the morning."

"Hmm." Nathan waved her over, saying, "Come here."

She didn’t speak, nor did she have any intention of going over. After a long pause, she slowly said, "Nathan Dawn, I’m very tired."

"Alright, I understand, come here."

"I won’t touch you."

...

The man eventually lied, Cari lay on the bed without any reaction, as silent as a dead person.

"You rest, I’ll be back later."

After Nathan finished speaking, he left the room. The dull sound of the door closing made her feel more at ease.

A few minutes later, she sat up and picked up the phone by the bed.

...

PM.

Elliana Lyle was led out the door by a man. Being indecisive, she wore a Morandi pink hoodie, white casual pants, and a pair of white sneakers, looking like a well-behaved and spirited girl.

When she sent the photo to Luna, Luna praised her as the epitome of sweet charm.

Once in the car, she started asking, "Norman Bennett, your stepmother will be there too, right?"

Whenever she thought of Mia Clarke, she got uneasy, even beginning to resent Mia.

The man said, "She doesn’t have the right to come."

"Huh?" Could it be that even Granny Bennett didn’t like Mia Clarke?

Indeed, given Mia’s behavior, it was obvious she’s not a good person. It’s quite normal for Granny Bennett not to like her.

Since they won’t meet, she felt relieved.

"Norman Bennett, I haven’t met Grandma yet. Is there anything Grandma doesn’t like, any taboos or such?"

"No." The man gently patted her back to soothe her, saying, "I’m here, don’t be nervous."

She was indeed nervous, perhaps because she hadn’t met Granny Bennett before, or maybe because Grandma Lyle had left her with many shadows.

...

When she awoke, the car had already stopped at the gate of a villa. Elliana felt a bit tense, quickly tidying her sleep-messed hair, then getting out of the man’s embrace.

After getting out of the car, the man unabashedly held her hand and led her inside. In the courtyard, several children were already running around playing tag.

Among them was an older child, Zane Bennett,

Upon seeing the two, Zane’s face lit up with joy: "Bro, why did you guys come back so late? I was back by noon."

"Uncle!"

Eliza Bennett ran towards them and finally stopped in front of Elliana, looking at them holding hands. After glancing with a sly smile, she sweetly called out, "Auntie."

"...Hello." This little girl was so cute. She really wanted to pinch her cheek, but felt it was inappropriate since they were not very familiar.

The man introduced, "My cousin’s daughter, Eliza Bennett."

Eliza affectionately pulled on her, saying, "Auntie, come play tag with us, earlier we were just three, now it’s just right, Uncle is the hen, and Auntie you’ll be the hawk."

This was a bit too enthusiastic, and she wasn’t used to it just yet, only hearing the man beside her gently nod and say, "Go ahead."

Before she could say anything, Eliza was already pulling her towards the open area.

"Uncle, you be the hen." With that, Eliza grabbed Zane’s clothes, and then a little boy she didn’t know clutched Eliza’s shirt too.

Zane was a bit upset, saying, "Shouldn’t I be the hawk? Why make me the hen?"

"If you fail to protect us, then you can be the hawk."

Sure enough, in order to be the hawk, Zane immediately flung the two "chicks" in front of the "hawk" at the start of the game.

"Auntie, now it’s your turn to be the hen."

They played for about half an hour before a woman in a light overcoat came out, whom Elliana noticed immediately.

This casually ponytailed, gentle, and classy-looking person was someone she recognized, Norman Bennett’s cousin Julia Bennett.

Though she hadn’t seen her many times, Julia’s elegant and exceptional features were unforgettable.

"Alright, time to eat soon, take a break." Her voice was gentle as always.

After saying that, Julia Bennett walked over to Zane, scolding him with a glance at his dirt-covered face, "Go wash up!"

"..." Zane was momentarily speechless, not understanding why this cousin was gentle to everyone but harsh with him.

"What are you standing there for? Go quickly!"

"Okay!"

Seeing this, Elliana instinctively swallowed, thinking she’d be next to get scolded...

She hurriedly wiped her face with her hand, yet this small motion was also seen by Julia Lyle.

"Elliana, my daughter just loves playing around, you must be tired, go wash your hands, we’ll eat soon."

The gentle smile and voice instantly put her at ease.

"Alright, cousin." She was indeed a bit tired, sweating from the play, but she had fun—so much fun, the first time in many years she’s enjoyed herself this much.

It seemed as though the only word in her mind while playing was happiness.

Once everyone got inside, Eliza giggled as she ran up to Julia, proudly saying, "Mom, I took good care of Auntie, didn’t make Auntie feel uncomfortable."

"Good, Eliza, and tomorrow you must also take good care of Auntie, this is her first time here, and we shouldn’t let anyone bully her."

Julia gently ruffled her daughter’s hair. She remembered that when she first met Elliana, Elliana wasn’t much of a talker, quite shy.

So she asked Eliza to play with Elliana more, to ease any discomfort.

If anyone in the Bennett Family worried most, it was probably Julia Bennett, whose heart desired for the Bennett Family to get better and for the family to become closer.

Perhaps because of Mia Clarke’s entry into the family, it had caused continued tension between Zane Bennett and Granny Bennett, and as someone who had lived in the Bennett household for many years, Julia cared more about these matters.

Over the years, thanks to Julia Bennett’s efforts, the relationship between Zane and Granny Bennett had improved quite a bit, at least they wouldn’t scowl at each other upon meeting.

"Mom, Uncle is here."

Julia looked in the direction her daughter pointed to and, indeed, Zane Bennett had arrived, but beside him was a woman!

Her eyebrows furrowed tightly, and she instructed Eliza, "Eliza, go inside first."

"Okay."

Watching her daughter go inside, she quickly ran over to Zane Bennett.

"Uncle! How could you bring..." She glanced at Mia Clarke, leaving the rest unspoken.

Zane was a bit displeased, reminding her, "Julia, this is your aunt."

This woman had never been acknowledged by the Bennett Family, and she naturally wouldn’t regard Mia as her aunt. To avoid causing Granny’s blood pressure to spike, she kept a cool demeanor towards this uncle.

Seriousness overtaking her, she said, "Uncle, you know tomorrow is Granny’s birthday! Are you trying to upset Granny on purpose?"

"Julia, is this how your mother taught you to speak to elders?"