Chapter 49
Chapter 49 It's Not Easy To Be A Cute Child
Isabella Thompson shook her head to get rid of those thoughts.
Once they arrived at the house, they could hear the youngsters giggling. The atmosphere within was light and warm.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
Sir Graham Lockwood couldn't stand the commotion and went upstairs. He stood on the windowsill on the second floor and looked down. He happened to see Madame Emma Lockwood walking over with a beautiful child in her arms.
The child looked exactly like Draxton Lockwood when he was young.
Wasn't this his precious great-grandson whom he had seen countless photos of?
Sir Graham Lockwood thought he was imagining things. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and finally confirmed that he wasn't. He turned around and ran downstairs.
The commotion stopped when the youngsters in the living room on the first floor saw their great-grandfather. All of them were dumbfounded at the elder's speed. However, they soon understood why Sir Graham Lockwood was so excited.
They saw Madame Emma Lockwood walking over with a cute little doll in her arms. The child had a shy expression.
How adorable!
Especially the two girls, Olivia and Yale Lockwood. It seemed their maternal instincts were aroused by that cute child.
Olivia's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Damn, he is just like my brother when he was young! Ahhh, I can finally trample on a miniature version of my brother in my lifetime!"
Yale's eyes also lit up. "I want to pamper him! I wouldn't mind if there were 10 more of them!" "Damn, this little kid is really exactly the same as Eldest Cousin when he was young."
The youngsters were all stirred, not to mention Sir Graham Lockwood. After all, Madame Emma Lockwood was biased toward her old man. She carefully handed the child to Sir Graham Lockwood and coaxed him gently.
"Ricky, my little darling, be good. This is great-grandpa. He likes you very much. I'll let him hug you, okay?" Afraid that the baby would be afraid of strangers, Madame Emma Lockwood spoke in a soft ad comforting voice.
Kevin Lockwood shivered and got goosebumps. “I haven't heard grandma's gentle voice for a long time. I only recall being treated this way before I was seven years old. After I was seven years old, I only heard her roar!" The younger generation nodded in agreement. That's right, once they were past seven years old, they became too naughty, and hence their great-grandparents stopped doting on them. They couldn't help but send sympathetic gazes toward the cute baby, who was just at that particular age.
"It's not a good job to be loved by these two elders. Just watch. Soon, this cute little baby will be dressed up like a doll!"
"They might even feed him too much food and turn him into a fatty!"
"Yes, I'm sure they'll cling to him every second of the day."
They, who had the same experiences, shivered. It was not easy to be a cute child!
Ricky was in great-grandpa's arms. He was quiet and obedient. His short arms were wrapped around Sir Graham Lockwood's neck. Facing great-grandpa's loving and fiery gaze, he pursed his lips shyly, and his chubby ears turned red.
Madame Emma Lockwood also stayed beside him with a doting and gentle expression. The two elders were so careful that it was as if they were protecting some treasure. They carried the child upstairs and did not even spare the others a look.
Then, Philip Lockwood chased after her. He followed her upstairs, but he was mercilessly locked out before he could enter the room.
Philip nudged his nose and turned around silently. He saw a group of juniors looking at him sympathetically. Wilson Lockwood and Macpherson Lockwood were transplanting cherry trees in the garden. Recently, they had been working on apricot trees, plum trees, and pomegranate trees too.
They seemed to have turned the garden into an orchard. Moreover, a vegetable field had been cultivated beside the flowerbed at one corner. All kinds of vegetables were growing well, and most of the ingredients used by the Lockwood family were grown here.
These two weren't focused on their responsibilities and only thought about planting flowers and vegetables all day long. They would only take the initiative when Sir Graham Lockwood forced them to do so. Afraid that the two of them would lead the younger generation astray, Sir Graham Lockwood chased them out of town.
In the end, the second son, Wilson, bought several fruit trees from a farm outside. All kinds of fruits and wine were gradually produced. He developed a large corporation due to a combination of weird factors. The third son, Macpherson, was even more defiant. He, too bought a farm to grow vegetables, but in the end, he opened a chain of businesses related to agritourism. The two brothers came up with a plan and worked together to build a larger primitive agricultural resort.
The agricultural resort would enable visitors to experience the process of planting, harvesting, and many
more.
As for their family business, the two of them expressed that they were okay with anything as long as they had fields and seeds.
As the Eldest of his generation, Philip was the exact opposite of these two. However, he was not mature enough when he was young and did things haphazardly.
At first, Sir Graham Lockwood was worried about handing over the chieftain position to Philip. However, it turned out that Wilson and Macpherson were even more unreliable than Philip. Hence, he could only appoint Philip as the next chieftain.
And he would urge his eldest son to give birth to a grandson every few days so that he could nurture his grandchildren.
After Philip became the chieftain, he revealed his lightning-fast tactics, decisiveness, and extraordinary intelligence. Sir Graham Lockwood could not help but be dumbfounded. He never expected his good-for- nothing eldest son to be such a genius.
Wilson and Macpherson were relieved that their eldest brother was more suitable for the chieftain position. Then again, once Philip was in power and had stabilized all aspects of the family business, his lazy nature started to show itself again. To free himself as soon as possible and be licentious, he began to nurture Draxton Lockwood as his successor.
Then at the age of 18, Draxton became chieftain. It was when Philip finally had the chance to shirk all his responsibilities.
That's right. He was still the official chieftain, but he left everything to his son.
At that time, Draxton, who had completed his studies, could only take over the heavy workload that his father had shirked in resignation.
When Draxton was 23 years old, Philip finally stopped pretending and passed the title of chieftain to Draxton. To Sir Graham Lockwood's relief, Draxton was more outstanding than Philip in every aspect. Most importantly, this grandson of his was diligent and hardworking. He worked hard to become the chieftain.
Draxton was unlike his three unfilial sons.
After Philip was freed, he traveled around with his wife. That's right. This one didn't like to plant flowers or trees. He loved to travel.
Philip nudged his nose that was almost hit and glared at the juniors who were watching the commotion. Then, he walked towards the kitchen aggrievedly.
The Lockwood family's kitchen was humongous and it was rather clean. It was decorated with flowers, and the atmosphere was elegant and warm.
The three sisters-in-law each had their own duties. Draxton's mother was good at making western desserts. She was a very elegant and dignified noblewoman. She was skilled in dealing with her husband's mischievous nature. Draxton's calm personality was mostly inherited from her, and not his father. This made Sir Graham Lockwood extremely touched.
The second daughter-in-law, Wilson Lockwood's wife, was more feisty. She was good at cooking up spicy cuisines and her family ran a chain of restaurants. She had an extraordinary obsession with cooking. The third daughter-in-law, Macpherson's wife, was a delicate young lady. Her beauty-obsessed habits had reached an insane level. She developed skincare products all day long. She was very interested in all the methods that could make people look more youthful and beautiful.
She would often break down and scream because she could not stand the dirt on her husband, but she would compromise when her husband coaxed her.
When Philip arrived at the kitchen, his wife, Jeanne Lockwood, had just finished making a snack. When she turned around, she saw her husband walking in with an aggrieved expression.
Meanwhile, Ava Lockwood and Mia Lockwood gave them gossipy stares.
"Jeanne. Mom and Dad took our grandson away. I didn't even get to see him up close!"
Jeanne blinked her eyes. "Hubby, what... what did you just say? Our grandson?"
"Yes, Mom and Dad took him upstairs. I wanted to follow them, but they slammed the door in my face."
Jeanne blinked again. Swiftly and elegantly, she put down her plate. She took off her apron and strutted out without sparing Philip a look.
Philip's eyes lit up. "Honey, are you going to stand up for me? Then after you teach Mom and Dad a lesson, can you teach your daughter-in-law a lesson too? She's very unreasonable!" He followed behind Jeanne like a dog wagging its tail.
Draxton and Isabella happened to overhear their conversation.
Isabella gritted her teeth. This man was definitely sowing discord.
Jeanne ignored his words. As soon as she arrived in the living room, she saw Isabella, who was beside Draxton.
The most eye-catching thing about that girl was her mysterious eyes, followed by her clean and spiritual temperament.
The last thing she noticed and was attracted to was her beautiful facial features.
Jeanne's eyes lit up. She looked at Isabella with a fiery gaze and smiled elegantly. However, she could not help but mutter under her breath, "Draxton... What a lucky brat..."
She walked towards Isabella with a friendly smile and said softly, "You're Bella, right? I'm your Mom."
Her tone was gentle and familiar.
Isabella smiled shyly and replied in a sweet, soft voice, "Mom.”
Jeanne's eyes lit up instantly. Her daughter's personality was even wilder than a boy's, so she had always wanted such a sweet and soft daughter. This time, her wish was finally fulfilled.
She looked at Draxton with satisfaction. Her son did well this time.
"Bella, do you like western food? Mommy just baked a portion in the kitchen. Do you want to try it?"
Isabella silently touched her stomach.
Philip sneered and leaned over to Jeanne. "Honey, don't be fooled by her appearance. You may not know this but she already ate the cake that Mom wanted to eat secretly."
Jeanne exclaimed, "Mom did that again?"
Philip complained, "Yeah! She even used you to pressure me and said that she only stole some snacks because she wanted to give them to you. Seriously, you were the one who made the cake in the first place. Why didn't she make up a better excuse?"
Isabella thought Draxton's father was really childish. How did he even win over his wife?
Isabella said softly, "Mommy, grandma said that she guessed that I was coming, so she waited for me there with those snacks. Did you make that snack? It's really tasty!"
Jeanne was overjoyed. "Really? It's good that you like it. We finally have another person who likes western
food
"Other than grandma and me, no one likes Western food here. No one eats the Western food I make. Bella, let me show you a cheese roll I just baked."
Jeanne seemed to have found a soulmate and happily led Isabella Thompson to the kitchen.
Philip was speechless.
He silently followed Jeanne's footsteps, his eyes filled with disbelief. He could not believe that he had been neglected by his wife.
In this family, his wife was his greatest supporter. But now, it seemed that his wife liked that girl more than him and had forgotten about him.
Draxton Lockwood glanced at his father with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. This person had the same personality as grandma. He would go wherever the commotion was. The more Draxton's mother ignored him, the more he wanted to pester her.
As expected, Philip followed them eagerly.
In the kitchen, Isabella was surrounded by three female elders, while Philip stood alone at the side pitifully. Isabella conversed with the three female elders. After eating a piece of freshly baked cake and tasting Second Aunt's pickled fish, and Third Aunt's hibiscus tofu soup, Isabella was led away by the three of them. After they were upstairs, three precious gift boxes were stuffed into her hands. Jeanne said, "Bella, we've been expecting your arrival. This is the gift Mom prepared for you. Open and see if you like it."
Isabella opened the gift box. There was a set of jewelry adorned with rubies, consisting of a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet.
Brilliant and dreamy light was reflected from the jewelry. The heart-shaped shape was exquisite and eye-catching. Isabella's petal-like lips curled up slightly, and her eyes were filled with admiration. "This is stunning!"
Seeing that she liked it from the bottom of her heart, Jeanne felt a sense of accomplishment. "I'm glad you
like it."
Jeanne was elated.
"Thank you, Mommy." Isabella looked at Jeanne with a gentle gaze. Jeanne could not help but feel her cheeks burning. "What a fine child!" she exclaimed inwardly.
On the other hand, Isabella was a little surprised because she recognized this set of ruby jewelry. This was the Heart of Fire, which was comparable to the Lockwood family's heirloom, Star of Cold Light. They had not found the Star of Cold Light yet, and few knew about the ownership of the Heart of Fire.
However, Isabella did not expect it to be in Jeanne's hands. And now, it was given to her.
Isabella suppressed the overflowing emotions in her heart and did her best to remain calm.
Ava and Mia were a little jealous. They thought to themselves, "I'll get my son to get a girl and bring her back home. It'll be best if she's someone like Bella."
They were not jealous because of the jewelry. In fact, this set of jewelry always belonged to the chieftain's wife.
Previously, Draxton did not have a wife, hence, the Heart of Fire was kept by Jeanne. Now that Draxton had a wife, it would naturally belong to Isabella.
Ava smiled and said, "Bella. Look, this is Second Aunt's gift. Open and take a look. I hope you like it."
Isabella opened the box and found a champagne gold diamond brooch lying quietly inside.
Isabella's heart skipped a beat. This was Midnight Sun.