Contract Marriage: Let's Make It Real, Mrs. Sterling!-Chapter 327 - 326: The Two Children in the Photo

Inside the room, Holly had just put up the couplets over two doors, while Mia and Jensen wrapped up the rest, including the couplets with the "Fu" character and window paper-cuts.

Once they finished, it was time for lunch, which was simple and over quickly. Afterward, they relaxed, with Mia watching TV alongside Ashley, occasionally glancing in a certain direction.

Ashley followed her gaze, smiled lightly, and said, "A few days ago, your dad kept pulling your brother to play chess with him, but you know how your brother is; he has no patience for chess and left after a short while."

"Your dad found someone to play chess with him now."

Mia acknowledged it with a hum, her eyes curving slightly with a smile.

Simon had truly met a worthy opponent, pondering each move for a long time, while on the other hand, Jensen would make two moves then subtly glance at the little girl sitting on the side.

She was without shoes, knees curled lazily leaning on the sofa, resembling a boneless little kitten.

The game eventually ended in a draw. Looking at the pieces on the board, Simon chuckled heartily, about to suggest another game when Jensen’s phone on the side beeped.

Jensen lowered his gaze to check it, and Simon laughed, saying, "Alright, let’s leave it here for today, Julian. I see someone has messaged you, go ahead and handle it."

"This old body can’t sit for too long, so I’m going for a walk," he said, getting up to leave.

...

Jensen sat there, picked up his phone, checked it, his expression indifferent, just as he exited WeChat, someone wrapped their arms around his neck, Mia’s head popping over his shoulder, asking with a smile, "Mr. Sterling, whose message is it?"

Jensen stroked her hair, "Nothing, just a New Year’s greeting from someone."

Mia: "Oh."

After speaking, Mia got off Jensen’s back, tugged at his sleeve, leaned towards his ear, and said with a playful whisper, "Mr. Sterling, do you want me to show you my room?"

The man chuckled softly, stood up, holding the young girl’s hand, "Let’s go."

Jensen put his phone in his pocket, ignoring and not replying to any messages.

The message sat quietly there, it was a voice message from Gavin Sterling.

Meanwhile, at the Sutton family house, Mia happily led him upstairs. Even though no one lived there at the moment, her room was still well-kept. Mia opened the door and brought him inside.

Her room was decorated in a minimalist style, but there were many things inside, the most noticeable was the large pillow on the bed. Jensen noticed it as soon as he entered, reminding him of the pillows at home, including one at the head of his own bed.

"Do you enjoy hugging these while you sleep?"

Mia nodded, walked over to hug it, showing Jensen, "Yeah, because hugging them is comfortable, they’re so soft."

After putting the pillow down, Mia ran over to a corner, took out a photo album from a drawer, and beckoned Jensen over. Jensen walked over to join her.

Mia said, "These are some old photos of mine. Look, this one was taken when I was eighteen, and this one, this one should have been taken with my brother."

Then she flipped through several more pages, and Jensen reached out when he saw a particular photo.

Mia noticed and looked at him in confusion, "Mr. Sterling, what’s up?"

Jensen tapped the photo twice with his finger and said, "This photo is..."

Mia looked down at the photo; it showed a little girl a few months old with a boy around eight or nine standing beside her.

The boy wore a little suit, looking quite cool, but when he looked at the little girl, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, very faint. Even though his lips seemed tightly pressed, there was still a slight arc, and his hand seemed ready to reach up as if he wanted to hug the little baby.

The boy looked like he was usually cold, but now he didn’t know what expression or demeanor to put on for something he liked.

And with the baby being so soft and tender, he seemed even more at a loss.

So helpless.

Mia looked at the photo, then said, "This?"

"I heard from my mom that the boy was a kid from a nearby family, usually very cool, seemed to like kids a lot. Once when my mom placed me in a stroller and pushed me outside, he stood watching from not far away. Seeing how much he liked kids, my mom invited him in."

"My mom said for a long period afterward, he showed up at our house every afternoon."

Saying this, Mia flipped through two more pages, "Look, there are a few more photos here."

Jensen took the album, slowly flipping through it page by page. There weren’t many photos of the boy, but there were about five or six, from his first visit to his last.

The last photo showed him hugging a little girl, visibly taller now, awkwardly holding the little bundle with all the care in the world, his face filled with nervousness. The little girl had grown, wearing an adorable little dress, all pink and fluffy like a little princess, her chubby face not the least bit afraid of people, smiling so happily.

All these years, Jensen remembered that feeling vividly. It was his first time holding the little bundle; she was so tiny, so soft, unbelievably soft, with a faint milky scent.

He had been extremely careful while holding her, like cradling a priceless treasure, afraid he might hurt her if he wasn’t careful, worried he might drop her, even his arms were stiff

Jensen’s fingertips lightly brushed over the photo, a trace of tenderness in his eyes. It was his first time holding her, but also the last.

After that time, he never saw the little bundle there again.

Mia sat beside him and heard Jensen ask, "Did you like that boy?"

Mia propped her chin with both hands, smiling softly, "Probably. My mom said I was a real handful, always mischievous and energetic, but behaved well when I saw him."

"But after growing up, I never saw that brother again. I wonder how he is now."