Chapter 306 Epilogue: Sibling Rivalry II

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    “Mommy, Mina said your pendant was so pretty, so I wanted to show it to her. But then she said she really liked it…”

    Richard’s voice cracked, his small frame trembling. “Mommy, I’m sorry!”

    With that, he burst into tears, his sobs echoing through the room like a thunderstorm.

    Cecilia pouted, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Mommy, Richie’s got a crush on Mina.”

    Kaia was floored.

    Richard is only five years iold/ii. /iiHow /iicould /ihe get a icrush/ii? /i

    “Richie, is Cici telling the truth?” she asked, her tone a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

    Richard nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks. “But

    Mommy, I don’t like Mina anymore! I’ll go get the pendant back!”

    Kaia took a deep breath, kneeling to meet his gaze.

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    Chapter 306 Epilogue: Sibling Rivalry II

    “Richard, listen. First, lying is never okay.

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    “Second, even though I’m your mom, you can’t just take my things without askingb. /bIf you want to borrow something from home, you need our permission, got it?

    “And third, you never take things from outside unless they’re paid for. Understand?”

    Richard sniffled, nodding solemnly. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I know I messed up. You can punish me. I won’t eat tonight!”

    Kaia shook her head.

    “No cartoons for a week,” she dered firmly.

    Richard’s eyes widened, his world crumbling.

    “Mommy!” he wailed, as if she’d banished his entire universe.

    Kaia wasn’t fooled. Richard had just scarfed down yogurt that afternoon, iso /iskipping dinner was his sneaky way of avoiding real punishment.

    Richard shot Cecilia a resentful nce.

    Cecilia hummed, fishing two gold pendants from her pocket

    ith a smug grin.

    with

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    Chapter 306 Epilogue: Sibling Rivalry II

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    “Look, Mommy! I’m so popr. Breck gave me this one, and Ernst gave me that one.”

    Kaia’s jaw dropped. “What?!”

    “They insisted!” Cecilia chirped, her innocence almost too perfect. “I tried to say no, but they wouldn’t take them back.”

    Kaia spotted Lucien strolling in and waved him over frantically. “Lucien, get over here! I can’t handle these two anymore.”

    One kid was a hopeless romantic, and the other…

    Cecilia stood there, practically preening with pride.

    Kaia was at her wit’s end.

    The next day, Lucien took Cecilia to apologize to her ssmates for epting their expensive gifts.

    Kaia, meanwhile, had to deal with Mina Ramos‘ father, who kept bowing and apologizing.

    “It’s fine,” Kaia said with a warm smile. “Kids will be kids. My boy’s got some learning to do, that’s all.”

    She crouched down to Mina’s level, holding out a sparkly haigpin. “Sweetie, how about Richard gives you this instead?”

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    Chapter 306 Epilogue: Sibling Rivalry II

    Mina’s pout melted into a beaming smile.

    “Thank you! I love it!”

    &

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    Kaia nced at her son. “This ising out of your allowance, Richie.”

    Richard nodded solemnly. “Thanks, Mommy!”

    H H H H H

    Back in the car, Lucien pulled out two items.

    “These are from Cecilia’s ssmates‘ moms.”

    Kaia nearly choked. “Are those for Cici, or are they love tokens for you?”

    She didn’t mean to be difficult, but the gifts—a sleek ck fountain pen and a wristwatch–were hardly suitable for a little girl.

    Lucien slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close with a yful grin.

    “Jealous, darling?b” /b

    Kaja scoffed, brushing him off, “As if.” 478

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    She was not jealous. Not at all.

    “Alright,” he chuckled, “but we’ve got to straighten these kids out. Cici knows she messed up. I’ll have another talk with Richie tonight.”

    Kaia nodded. “Sounds good. You handle it.”

    They’d agreed long ago: when one parent disciplined, the other stayed out of it.

    At least in front of the kids, their authority was a united front.

    *****

    Landon caught wind of Cecilia’s “gold” fiasco and couldn’t resist teasing, “Lucien, I hear that gold turned into a fancy watch. Still got that charm at nearly forty, huh?”

    Lucien bristled. He hated it when they brought up age.

    He was thirty–nine, and his wife was only thirty–two.

    “Landon, are you looking for a fight?”

    Alyssa, watching the two grown men bicker, rolled her eyes. “They’re all middle–aged men and still acting like kids.”

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    Kaia popped a grape into her mouth, smirking. “Who knows what gets into them?”

    *****

    Outside, the nanny was keeping an eye on the three kids at y.

    Dolores noticed Cecilia’s unusual quietness and knelt beside her.

    “Cici, is everything okay? Someone picking on you at kindergarten?”

    Cecilia’s lips pursed, and Richard’s ears perked up, ready to defend his sister.

    He was just as worried.

    Despite their constant bickering at home, he’d never let anyone outside mess with her.

    “Who’s bullying you?” he demanded.

    Cecilia sighed dramatically, “Nobody. It’s just… Next year we’re going to elementary school, and I’ll have to say goodbye to my best friends. It makes me sad.”

    Dolores smiled reassuringly.

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    “Don’t worry, Cici. You’ll make tons of new friends in elementary school.”

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    Richard, though, wasn’t so sure. He fretted over whether he’d end up in the same school as Cecilia.

    That night, he tiptoed into his parents‘ room, his voice barely above a whisper.

    “Mommy, Daddy, can I be in Cici’s ss next year?”

    Lucien raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t want to share a

    ss with her.”

    Richard squirmed, his cheeks flushing. “I changed my mind! I have to be there so no one picks on Cici.”

    Kaia and Lucien exchanged a fond nce, their hearts swelling with pride.

    Lucien ruffled Richard’s hair. “Alright, buddy, we’ll figure it

    out.”

    Richard scampered off, and minutester, Cecilia bounded in, her twin braids bouncing.

    “Mommy, make sure Richie’s in my ss next year! He’s such a goof. He’ll get tricked by girls if I’m not there to watch out for

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    him.”

    Kaia bit back augh, and Lucien shook his head.

    Once both kids were tucked in and fast asleep, Kaia nudged Lucien with her elbow. “So, who do you think Richie got his hopeless romantic streak from?”

    Lucien’s lips twitched, but he stayed silent, dodging the question with a kiss.

    Whoever it came from didn’t matter. Those two were their precious treasures, quirks and all.

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