Theron was generally well-behaved, except for the countless times he tried to convince me to get him a tattoo.
I ruffled his hair and smiled. "Alright then!"
I looked him over, unable to resist pinching his cute cheeks. "Have you been working too hard? You seem to have lost weight! Tell me, what kind of soup would you like? I'll make it for you on Thursday."
Theron stiffened. "Seraphina, can't I skip the soup this time?"
I sighed inwardly. Ah, he's the only one of my six children who doesn't like the soup I make.
A very picky child, indeed!
But—
"Everyone else drinks it. If you don't, then you're not being a good child!"
After having tea at Theron’s store, I sat in the Maybach Caspian arranged for me and headed home.
On the way, I was filled with worry, sighing repeatedly.
The challenges of raising children were piling up, each issue bigger than the last. What was I going to do?
Caspian Thornfield, the miser, spent his days hinting at me to stay away from anything his father left him.
Lysander Hale, who didn’t care much for hygiene, loved playing with dangerous tools—especially knives, which he insisted on handling while talking to me.
Morwen Blackwood, always up to mischief, constantly sought ways to provoke me.
Theron Ashford, picky with food. Well, compared to the others, that was a minor issue.
Then there were Orin Holloway and Dorian Flint, the two just coming into adulthood—one delicate, the other wild...
As I thought about these two troublesome ones, the scenery outside the car window blurred for a moment.
"Why are the two of you together?" I asked.
Orin, ahead of Dorian, ran toward me with his arms wide open.
"Mother, it's been so long! I want a kiss!"
His chubby little face and soft, fair skin, enhanced by the charm of a child, made me melt.
Yes, I adored Orin. He was the very definition of a mother’s idea of the cutest four-year-old son.
Every time he appeared, I was sure any mother would stop in her tracks and feel an overwhelming urge to shower him with love.
Just as Orin leaned in to press his face against mine, Dorian yanked him back so forcefully that he nearly stumbled to the ground.
"What are you doing? We agreed to meet Seraphina together. Why are you ahead of me?"
Orin wiped at his eyes, the threat of tears just barely held back. "But I can’t live without a kiss from my mother!"
And of course, his golden hair made him look like a soft, fluffy puppy—utterly adorable and easily spoiled.
I frowned. "Dorian, don’t bully your brother."
Dorian rolled his eyes dramatically. "What? Who’s even his brother?"
I comforted Orin softly, before turning my attention to the matter at hand.
"Is there something you two need?"
Dorian blushed, avoiding my gaze. "We came over because we wanted to drink the soup Seraphina makes."
A wave of relief washed over me as I smiled.
I knew it—my secret weapon, the nourishing soup, was bound to win them over.
Still, I couldn’t help but touch Dorian’s muscular arm. "Have you been overdoing it with the supplements?"
He was the biggest of all six children, his muscles so defined that even a tank top couldn’t contain them.
Seeing Dorian and me getting along so well, Orin pressed his face closer to mine. "Mother, you still haven’t kissed me."
He fluttered his lashes and spoke in a soft voice that made it hard for me to resist.
But I remembered Caspian’s warning.
A kiss in private was fine, but if I dared kiss him on his turf, he'd break Orin’s legs.
Just then, like clockwork—
"Seraphina Vale, did you think my words didn’t matter?"
Caspian’s tall figure loomed behind me, enveloping me like a giant monster.
