The waiter swiftly escorted Bryce out.
He seemed sad, but when he spotted Justin and Tina, his eyes brightened, and he exclaimed joyously,
“Mom! Dad!” and ran straight into Tina’s arms. “Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?” When
Bryce heard this, he was perplexed and said, “They didn’t do anything to me. They brought me
someplace to eat and said Dad would pick me up later.” This wasn’t what the manager had told them
earlier. Instantly, Tina’s face darkened, and she turned to look at the manager and waiter.
“I hope you both understand that we were simply doing our job. We didn’t want him to get lost because
he was on his own,” the two said, with the same smile hanging on their face.
That was what he said, but they all knew that he was instructed by Weston to do so.
Tina didn’t say much and accepted that she was just unlucky.
As long as Bryce was fine, there was no need to care about these little things anymore. She held his
hand and shot a glance at Justin. “Solve the rest. I’ll take him to the car.”
Justin didn’t say a word and nodded with a sullen face. Bryce was perplexed and turned to Justin,
asking, “Dad, why are you not leaving with us?” He paused before adding, “Where’s the miss?”
Justin gently patted his head. “Go inside the car with your mom first. I’ll come later. As for the miss, she
suddenly has an errand to run. We’ll see her next time, okay?”
Hearing that there was a next time, Tina instantly huffed in dissatisfaction.
She didn’t say anything, but her face was scornful. She didn’t want to say anything hurtful to her kid.
“Come on, hurry up. Later, we’ll celebrate Bryce’s birthday.”
Bryce’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “Really?” He was only a child, yet he was so mature. Tina was
heartbroken at how understanding Bryce was, and she held him softly. “Of course, I took the day off
just to celebrate with you.” “Can I sleep with mom tonight?”
Justin scratched his brows awkwardly. He was about to reject him but when he saw the happy and
content look on Bryce’s face, he couldn’t say it. “Alright. I’ll be quick,” he sighed. Tina nodded and took
Bryce out.
Justin glared at the private room on the second floor, and his eyes darkened as he walked over. He
stood before the door but didn’t have the courage to go inside. Thus, he merely knocked on it “Ella, I
know you’re in there.”
On the other side of the door stood a downtrodden Stella.
Only when she heard the man’s voice that she gain a bit of emotion. “Justin, are you okay?”
Justin felt his heart tighten instantly. After a while, he hummed and asked, “How are you now?”
She side-eyed the man beside her. He didn’t return her gaze. He simply sat there minding his own
thing, seemingly unbothered about what went on around him.
But she knew that if she said anything to Justin that provoked him, he would immediately make her
regret it by punishing her.
She paused before responding hoarsely, “I’m good. I just know that today’s Bryce’s birthday. Go
celebrate with him.” For a moment, Justin was at a loss for words. Then, a deep sense of self-loathing
rose in his heart.
“Ella, I am powerless…”
“Don’t say that.” She clenched her fist tightly. “I’m still thankful to you no matter what.”
She smiled and continued, “Tell Bryce I said happy birthday. There’ll probably be no chance that I’ll see
him again.”
Justin opened his lips instinctively, eager to say something, but the words were lodged in his throat as
though someone was suffocating him, and he couldn’t get a single syllable out.
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