Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son In the taxi, Yakira's expression darkened as she recalled everything carefully. Why would Brayden call Abel "Daron"? "Sir, could you drive faster?" She was very anxious. She had a speculation, and she had to confirm it. "Mommy!" Upon seeing Yakira, Minnie threw herself into Yakira's arms at once happily. "Minnie, where's Abel?" Yakira asked at once because she didn't see Abel. "He's in the room," Minnie answered. Hearing the sound of her coming back, Daron opened the room door and walked out. Yakira stepped forward, studied him, and pulled him into her embrace, breathing a sigh of relief. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son She was so glad her suspicion was wrong. Abel was at once. Her sudden embrace caught Daron off guard. After a slight pause, he hugged her back. "Minnie, Abel, have you two been at home this whole time?" Yakira asked. The kids' hearts skipped a beat at the same time, and they exchanged glances. Then Minnie said quickly, "Yeah. We've been waiting for you to come back, Mommy. What's up?" "Nothing," Yakira smiled. She thought, "So, Daron isn't Abel. "Then why would Brayden call Abel 'Daron'? "Forget it-I shouldn't dwell on it. "That's what Brayden always does; he blames me for everything. "He's never trusted me. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son "Chances are, someone said something this time to make him target me again." "Mommy, when are we leaving? Abel and I are packed already," Minnie said sweetly. Yakira ruffled her hair and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Minnie, Abel. Something came up at the last minute, and I'm afraid we can't go back to Peraham today. We'll have to stay here for a couple more days." Sharlene's treatment must continue. And she wouldn't let Brayden ice out CK Design Studio because of her. Minnie was both confused and happy because she wouldn't have to part with Abel anymore; she could see him whenever she missed him. On the contrary, Daron seemed preoccupied, saying nothing. "Minnie, Abel, we'll go back after I'm done dealing with work here, OK?" "OK." Minnie nodded obediently. Daron nodded hard, too. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son She patted their heads with a smile. "Alright then. Go play for a while. I'll fix something for you." "Yay!" Minnie nodded happily. Yakira went to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Minnie pulled Daron back to the room. Then she called Abel right away to tell him the news. "What? You're not going back to Peraham for now?" Abel was shocked. She said, "Mommy said she had work to do." "That's not true. Bad Daddy forced her to stay here," Abel huffed. She asked, "Then what should we do now, Abel?" "Play it by ear," he said, as mature as an adult. Nodding, she said, "Alright. I'll call you right away if anything comes up." "OK" Brayden heard Abel talk to someone and pushed open the door Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son to come in. Abel immediately hung up and tossed the phone watch aside. "You're rude. Don't you know you gotta knock before entering someone's room?" Yakira would never do this. Being lectured by his son irritated Brayden, but he didn't say anything thinking about Daron's condition. "Who were you talking to?" he asked. He overheard Abel talking to someone-a girl, judging by the voice. Given Daron's condition, he had been home-schooled all these years and had never attended school. Polly was his only playmate. But he disliked her and wouldn't even talk to her. "My friend. Can't I have friends?" Abel said impatiently. He kept thinking less and less of Brayden. Brayden choked upat Abel's question. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son He suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Daron went to Herschel's law firm with Yakira's daughter. He thought, "Was Daron talking to her? "Does he know she's his half-sister? "They share a mother." Trying his best to be patient, he sat next to Abel and asked, "Daron, can you tell me why you don't wanna see your mother? You've always wanted to see her, right?" "Because I don't want you to bully her," Abel said angrily. Brayden was at a loss for words. Abel stood up and looked at Brayden with his hands on his hips. "Daddy, if you don't like Mommy, why did you have ... me?" He almost blurted out the word "us". Brayden didn't know how to answer. "Daddy, you're so irresponsible," Abel accused. Brayden remained silent still. "Enough said, Daddy. Go out. I don't wanna talk to you right now!"' Abel turned around. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son If Brayden stayed here any longer, he might lose it and lash out at Brayden. He knew how smart and shrewd Brayden was; once Brayden knew he wasn't Daron, everything would be over. Brayden took a deep breath and walked out. Only Daron could make him feel so stifled. The next day arrived. Yakira made breakfast for Minnie and Daron, asked them to stay home and behave, and then headed to the Blanchard Group. Though Abel and Minnie were only five, they were sensible enough, and she trusted them to be home alone. She'd come back at noon to check on them. Arriving at the Blanchard Group, she looked up at the grand skyscraper and the imposing sign. Little did she know she'd stand here as the Blanchard Group's partner one day. Taking a deep breath, she walked inside. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son "Ms. Wilkinson," suddenly, someone called out to her. Patricia was standing behind her. She turned back. Patricia's expressionless face was devoid of any warmth. "Ms. Wilkinson, you broke your promise. What a disappointment."" "I'm very sorry, Ms. McDowell, but this is beyond my control," Yakira explained. Patricia scoffed with contempt in her eyes. Yakira knew Patricia didn't believe her but didn't say anything else to explain. It wouldn't be necessary. "Ms. Wilkinson, using too many schemes will backfire and make people despise you." Yakira put on a fake smile. "Likewise." Patricia pulled a long face at once and then strode inside. Yakira arched an eyebrow and then followed her. Deon had been waiting for Yakira in the lobby. At the sight of Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son her, he walked over. "Ms. Wilkinson, Mr. Blanchard wants you to report to the Design Department directly," he said. "OK." She nodded. She had come here a lot five years ago; to get to know Brayden better, she had wanted to know more about the Blanchard Group. So, she knew where the Design Department was. She went into the elevator to the Design Department and stopped in front of the director's office. Then she knocked on the door. "Hello, Ms. Barrera. I'm a designer from CK Design Studio and am here to participate in the logo design of the new product." Fiona Barrera looked up and glanced at Yakira, the sharpness and contempt in her eyes identical to that of Patricia. Yakira had heard about Fiona. Fiona was extremely talented in designing and had worked at the Blanchard Group for around eight years. It only took her two years to be the director of the Design Department. Chapter 21 Lectured by His Son She designed everything for the Blanchard Group, from new product logos down to packaging details. "Tina, take her to Group One and give her our design proposal," Fiona ordered. Then she looked at Yakira. "Ms. Wilkinson, I expect to hear about your insights on the new product by the end of today!" "OK" Yakira nodded. Then Tina Middleton, Fiona's assistant, led her out of the office. Right after they left, Patricia entered the office. Chapter 22 The Whole Package