Chapter 55 I'd Rather Stay

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Shall we deal with them first? I really want to sleep," Sofia said. Charlotte looked at her, surprised. "You were sleeping every day on Tropis Island. Haven't you had enough sleep yet?" Sofia met her gaze. "How long was that?" Charlotte pondered for a moment. "Didn't you skip an entire afternoon yesterday? Even when Caelan called you for dinner, you refused to come out." Charlotte hadn't expected the intense sweetness of the newfound love between Sofia and Caelan. She and Luke had also just started a relationship, but they were not as demonstrative; their affection was strong, yet it didn't manifest so overtly. Moreover, Charlotte hadn't considered the extent of Sofia and Caelan's recent exertions in their room. "That's strange. I remember you weren't so fond of sleeping; why are you so tired these days?" Sofia's face flushed instantly. She didn't want to share these details with her close friend. Burying her head in washing dishes, she hoped to skip the topic. "Maybe it's just the exhaustion from work these days, without proper rest. Now that I finally have a chance to relax, of course, I want to sleep well." Charlotte glanced back. "Then you'd better go out and talk with them. Denise is assisting me here." Wanting to say she could manage alone, Denise remained silent. "I don't want to; I don't have experience in conversing with elders. Let Caelan face them alone. I believe he can handle it." At home, when it was just the four of them, Charlotte and Luke's help wasn't needed. But today, with more people around, they worried Denise might be overwhelmed, so the two of them decided to step into the kitchen. Besides, it was somewhat awkward outside. The family was engaged in conversation, and they couldn't really join in, so they opted to escape to the kitchen. Sofia thought the same and had slipped into the kitchen when no one was paying attention. Miya watched her daughter start to learn cooking and felt very satisfied. At home, Sofia was usually not involved in such chores. They had raised her all these years without ever tasting a meal cooked by Sofia, and today they were fortunate to have that chance. Charlotte, finding Luke in the way, decided to send him out. "You should go too. You're kind of in the way here." Luke, worried they might be overwhelmed, didn't want to leave. "I'd rather stay and help out." Charlotte quickly ushered Luke out. "We don't need your help here. You can go check on the kids, in case they need something. It's not good to always have others do it." "Alright, then I'll go out. Call me if you need anything." "Okay, okay, just go!" Charlotte finally managed to send him out. "This man, really." "That's good, isn't it? He's so nice to you even before you're married. You should know, these days, people who are truly happy in marriage are rare." Charlotte remembered her previous unhappy marriage. Frank was all talk and no action; she had been charmed by his sweet words, feeling happy then, but now she realized that Luke's kind of love was what really mattered. She felt fortunate to have found the right person. "In the future, you should be good together with him; Caelan seems quite dependable. How have you felt these past days?" Sofia reflected for a moment. "The day he saved me from a stranger in the bar, I thought he was pretty good. I felt guilty for disrupting his time to relax, but then I remembered how he couldn't control himself that night, and the guilt lessened." "That's good, though he seems like a fun-loving person, it's not a problem as long as he settles down in the future." Sofia nodded in agreement with her words. "I understand. You don't need to tell me all this. I'm not a child. I know what you mean." Charlotte smiled at Sofia and didn't say more; as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. The three of them busied themselves in the kitchen for a full hour before serving the meal. Luke and Caelan also actively helped carry dishes from the kitchen. Emma and Robert were very pleased to see their son being so sensible. At home, Caelan had never done anything like this. Now in love, he knew how to care for others, and it would be great if he maintained this attitude. Miya was also very satisfied with this son-in-law, as few people nowadays knew how to do housework. Robert, watching the children bustling about, said, "Come sit down and eat. You must be tired after such a long flight, and then you've been busy since getting home. I really appreciate it. Next time, I'll take you out for a meal." Lorna always felt that this occasion wasn't quite right for her; she really shouldn't have come, but now she had no choice but to steel herself and join the family meal. Robert and Emma watched Luke and Charlotte with smiling faces; Luke was like a child they had watched grow up. Initially, Emma had thought of matchmaking her daughter with Luke, but after the recent debacle at the company, she felt too embarrassed to bring it up again. Had it not been for Robert's advice — that children should create their own happiness — Emma wouldn't have abandoned the idea. Charlotte held Lilya, urging her to eat quickly, but Lilya kept running around, unwilling to sit still. Finally, Andy called her back. Lilya complained discontentedly, "Why so fierce just for eating? Andy, you're so mean. You can't be this mean to me in the future." "As long as you behave, I won't be so fierce." This was an example of sibling authority! Charlotte, watching her daughter now sitting obediently, gave her son a thumbs-up. Indeed, it seemed that a big brother's influence was necessary. Charlotte softly coaxed her child, saying, "Eat to grow up so you can wear high heels." Miya watched this scene and imagined what it would be like if her daughter had children. She found it hard to imagine Sofia, known for her temper, being so gentle with kids. This thought made Miya sigh and worry about Caelan. Unaware of her mother's thoughts, Sofia was eating heartily. "Now that the two of you have decided to be together, if you feel it's right after a while, you should consider getting engaged soon."