novelxo Chapter 1287
Karen felt sorry for Karen Joy but was also glad to see her daughter being so understanding. "Karen Joy, it's good that both of you understand each other. That's how you stay together for a long time." "I understand, Mom. Don't worry about me." In the past, Karen Joy had thought that she could never find Lionel. Hence, to her, finding Lionel was the luckiest thing she had experienced in her life. She would cherish the days with him.
"My daughter is really a smart girl," Karen said while stroking Karen Joy's head. "Anyway, don't forget about your father. Who knows he is looking at you on the balcony now?"
Upon hearing her mother's words, Karen Joy looked up instinctively at the house. Sure enough, she saw a person standing on the balcony in the distance. It couldn't be anyone but her father. Karen Joy curled her lips and said, "Dad is so hard to get along with. Only you can stand him, Mom."
Karen also looked over, but only saw Kevin's back as he walked back into the house. She smiled and said, "We have been together for more than twenty years. I kind of got used to his bad habits." "Now that you mentioned it, all of us are actually used to his reserved and difficult personality." Karen Joy felt lucky that Lionel was gentle and considerate. He would always talk to her nicely. Unlike her father, who would always let others guess what he was thinking.
"Well, other than this, your father is perfect." Karen would only allow herself to talk bad about Kevin. No one else could, not even their daughter.
Karen Joy understood that her mother was eager to protect her husband. So, she changed the topic sensibly, "Mom, where is our Little Precious? Why didn't he come out to welcome me today?"
In the past, when Julien found out that Karen Joy was coming home, he was more excited than anyone else. He would always wait for Karen Joy at the gate. However, he was nowhere to be seen that day. "He's playing chess with your grandfather." At this time, Karen spotted someone walking toward them out of the corner of her eye. She motioned Karen Joy to look over and said, "Lionel is here." "Lionel..." They hadn't seen each other for only ten minutes. However, at the sight of Lionel, Karen Joy rushed toward him and threw herself in his arms. "Why did you go for so long?" Lionel hugged her and asked, "Did I?"
"Of course. Every second without you feels like a year to me. What's more, more than ten minutes have passed. I feel like I haven't seen you since forever."
"Look at you, Mom is still here. You should mind yourself." Then, Lionel opened the packet of sour candy and stuffed one into Karen Joy's mouth. "Does it taste good?"
"Everything you bought for me is delicious," Karen Joy smiled at him. "Brother Lionel, one isn't enough to satisfy my cravings. Can I have another one?"
"You shouldn't eat too much of it." Lionel didn't want to give it to her. However, his heart softened when he saw the eager look in her eyes. He stuffed another candy into her mouth and said, "That's enough for now."
"Brother Lionel, can you give me just one more, please?" The two candies were not enough to satisfy Karen Joy's craving. She stared at Lionel with puppy-dog eyes, trying to make him change his mind. However, Lionel stood his ground and said to her sternly, "You can have two more of it after lunch."
Karen Joy was rendered speechless.
She was acting coy but didn't work this time.
Lionel put the packet away and said, "Don't look so aggrieved. These candies are not good for your health. I can't let you have too much of it."
Karen Joy remained quiet.
She felt that she had been mistreated.
All of a sudden, she was a little mad at him.
Watching the loving couple, Karen felt happy from the bottom of her heart. She smiled and looked at them without saying a word.
Then, Lionel held Karen Joy's hand and walked over, "Mom, we are here to trouble you again."
"It's only troublesome if you didn't come." Karen thought that if they had missed the weekly family gathering, Kevin would definitely be in a bad mood. The point was, he would only keep people guessing for the
reason.
"Mom, is there anything we can help?" Lionel asked.
"There's nothing much. You should go to Grandpa. After Grandma left, he became much more quiet. Most of the time, he would stare blankly at the sky alone. It hurts me to see how much he misses Grandma."
Karen Joy held Karen's hand and said, "Mom, don't be sad. Grandma and Grandpa were so close. It's normal that Grandpa was not used to spending time without Grandma. We can only spare more time to keep him company so that he will not feel too lonely."
"Yes..." Karen let out a sigh. "We should also cherish our loved ones. Life is short."
"You're right, Mom." Karen Joy looked at Lionel and said, "Lionel, did you hear that? You have to cherish me. In this world, no girl would love you as much as I do."
Karen Joy had never tried to hide her feelings for Lionel.
"Stop fooling around, Karen Joy!" Lionel felt embarrassed that Karen Joy was flirting with him openly in the presence of Karen.
Seeing Lionel's awkward face, Karen said, "Lionel, go and see Grandpa with Karen Joy."
Lionel nodded. Then, he grabbed Karen Joy's arm and left.
Karen watched them leave. She only turned around and headed for the kitchen after she could no longer see them.
"Julien, aren't you playing chess with Grandpa? Why are you sitting here alone in a daze?" On their way to see Hale, Karen Joy ran into Julien who was supposed to be playing chess with Hale.
Julien remained silent and drooped his head. His facial expression was exactly the same as Kevin when he did not speak. Karen Joy walked over and patted him on the head, saying, "My lovely brother, why are you upset?"
Still, Julien did not say a word.
"Let me guess... Well, you feel lonely because no one could match your intelligence in your studies. Am I right?" Karen Joy sat down beside Julien and put one hand on his shoulder. "I have also experienced the loneliness of standing on the top. There is nothing to be depressed about."
"That's not the case. I'm worried about Jayden." Julien would not be affected by such a trivial matter. He was worried about Jayden's health. However, Karen Joy had no idea what he was talking about. At the sudden mention of Jayden, Karen Joy threw a glance at Lionel instinctively. She then turned to Julien and said, "Tell me, Julien. What's wrong with Jayden?"
After thinking it over, Julien decided to tell Karen Joy about their brother's illness as it was caused by the incident when he tried to save her. "Sis, the gunshot wound that Jayden suffered a few years ago had caused some problems to his body. It would flare up whenever the weather gets cold. If it's not serious, it would lead to unconsciousness as a result of high fever. No one knows what will happen if it gets serious."