The man on watch stood rooted to the spot , worried that something might have happened to Darrell . " Mr. Darrell ? Mr. Darrell ! " Yet the large lump under the blanket turned out to be nothing but a giant stuffed toy . Darrell had already opened the window and escaped . By the time the man rushed over to the window , all he could see was a red - haired " monkey " leaping swiftly from a branch before landing steadily on the lawn . Darrell casually brushed the dirt from his palms , walked toward the gate without looking back , and gave a middle fin- ger behind his back . The man shouted , " Mr. Darrell , if your parents find out about this , you'll be in serious trouble ! " But Darrell paid him no mind . He thought , " Mom and Dad are getting a divorce . They don't have time to care about what I do , OK ? " Mom's been lecturing me on a whim these past few days , but I'm sure she'll get distracted by something else soon enough . " If she really wanted to discipline me , she would've done it a long time ago . " She wouldn't have let me run wild for so many years . " I should be used to it by now , shouldn't I ? " What everyone says is true . I grew up without a mother's guidance . That's just how it's always been . With that , he pushed the gate open without hesitation and sprinted toward his destination . Cordelia was choked awake by thick smoke . The moment she opened her eyes , she found the room filled with the smell of burning cigarettes . The smoke was so dense that she could hardly see anything . As soon as she stepped out of bed , she almost tripped over her slippers . Fortunately , a pair of large hands reached out from the smoke and caught her by the waist in time , preventing her from twisting her ankle . " Declan ... " Were we robbed ? " 0.0 % 09:32 Chapter 5 Just as she wanted to ask more , she was interrupted by a violent coughing fit . Declan helped Cordelia out of the room , only to find the hallway even smokier . The servants were busy fetching buckets of water , apparently trying to put out a fire . " What happened ? " 1288 iVouchers Hearing his question , the man in charge of watching Darrell immediately stepped forward and reported , " I'm sorry . Mr. Darrell lit up all the cigarettes in his room ... " Cordelia was immediately seething with rage . " That brat ! He's done for ! " She broke free from Declan's support and stormed into Darrell's room , only to find it empty . " Where is he ? " she demanded . The man wiped his sweat nervously . " H - He jumped out the window and ran away ... " Seeing the distance between the window and the tree , Cordelia gave a wry smile . " Maybe we should sign him up to be an athlete in the future . " Throughout it all , Declan silently watched as Cordelia rushed around frantically like a headless chicken , shielding her with his body , worried that she might fall . Yet , the next second , she suddenly turned to him , blaming him for everything . " Declan , you always do everything by the book . How is it that your son is nothing like you ? He's so wild and impul- sive ! " Declan lifted his head to look at her and said flatly , " Perhaps he takes after his mother . " Furious , Cordelia stormed around the living room . Meanwhile , she was puzzled . How did Declan always manage to get under her skin with just a few words ? Were they really born sworn enemies ? Fueled by fury , she began searching everywhere for the wooden stick . " That brat has some nerve messing with me . I swear I'm going to teach him a lesson ! " However , with the stick in hand , she suddenly realized something - she had no idea where Darrell had gone after he jumped out the window . Declan poured her a glass of water . " Have some water . Calm down . " The sight of him enraged her even more . " Our son is missing at this hour ! Calm down ? How am I supposed to calm 22.7 % 09:32 Chapter 5 down ? You're his father ! How can you be so irresponsible ? " She didn't take the water , so Declan could only set the glass down in front of her . She snatched it up , threw her head back , and gulped the water down without hesitation . 1288 ¡ Vouchers Just then , Declan noticed that their youngest son , Elton Beasley , who had been hiding in his room , had come into the living room . Clutching a painting with his small hand , he timidly walked over to Cordelia and poked her arm . The moment she turned around , she was met with an adorable face . His gentle temperament was worlds apart from Darrell's arrogance . She immediately realized this was her third son , Elton , whom she hadn't met until now . Putting on a gentle smile , she pinched Elton's cheek . " Elty? What's the matter ? " Without a word , Elton handed her the painting . She took it and saw that he had drawn an abandoned dock , on which stood a red - haired man . The man, with his hands on his hips , looked as fierce as a gangster. " Is this ... Darry ? " she ventured . Elton nodded carefully . Puzzled , she turned to Declan and asked , " What does this mean ? " Why does Elty use a painting to communicate ? Why doesn't he say anything ? He's so introverted . " A wave of complicated emotions surged through Declan . After a few seconds , he said slowly , " Elty can't talk . " She failed to process his words . " He can't talk ? What is that supposed to mean ? " she blurted out . Without saying anything , Declan just looked at her . After what felt like an eternity , the truth crashed down on her . She sprang to her feet , realizing the agonizing fact . Her youngest son was mute . The harsh reality was so overwhelming that it made her dizzy . Her eldest son was autistic , her second son was rebellious , and her youngest was mute . What had she done to deserve this ? Just as she was reeling from the shock , Declan studied the painting and deduced , " Elty is telling us that Darry has gone to the abandoned dock on Kelmire Street for a gang fight . " 48.6 % 09:32 Chapter 5 His words instantly snapped Cordelia back to reality . " What are we waiting for ? Let's go ! " With that , she made to stride out , the stick in hand . The servants had just finished clearing the smoke . 1288 ¡ Vouchers The moment they saw Declan's face , they all lowered their heads and covered their mouths , straining to stifle their laughter . Only then did Cordelia see the dunce cap she had drawn on Declan's face - the marker surely held up well . Horrified , she hastily cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment . Noticing something off , Declan asked , " What's wrong ? " Is there something on my face ? " Naturally , the servants knew Cordelia was the one who had drawn the dunce cap . But they were utterly clueless about the current state of her relationship with Declan . They could only bow their heads in tense silence . Norma Gibson , the longest - serving staff member , finally pointed timidly at her own face . 面 " M - Mr . Beasley , " she faltered , feeling awkward , " perhaps ... you would like to take a look in the mirror ? " The moment Declan stepped into the bathroom , he saw the enormous dunce cap drawn across his chiseled features . He stood frozen , frowning at his reflection for a long time, yet he still couldn't recall when Cordelia had managed to do it . Back in the living room , Cordelia stood clutching the stick . She couldn't help but imagine Declan's reaction in the bathroom , and a laugh almost escaped her . However , when Declan came back after washing his face , he was completely composed , as if nothing had happened . " Let's head to the dock . " As he sat in the car , he finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked , " Why did you draw a dunce cap on my face ? " In the past , when they had had an argument , Cordelia had cursed harshly , smashed things , and even once deleted a crucial document of his . But drawing a dunce cap on his face ? She had never resorted to such a childish trick before . Cordelia shrugged and blurted out without thinking , " For fun , of course . " 74.3 % 09:32 Chapter 6