Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 233

Adeline was struck by a sense of urgency, realizing she couldn’t just sit back and let this situation unfold.

‘How could she be so completely lacking in caution?’

It was no secret that Lisa was a child who had been showered with love. Having known nothing but affection, Lisa was fond of nearly everyone she met. Even when meeting someone for the first time, she would approach them without hesitation and strike up a conversation.

Ever since she had begun speaking, Lisa had been chatting away with a slightly garbled pronunciation, asking questions and talking incessantly. The truth was, Adeline could only understand about half of what Lisa said.

Whether Lisa wanted to show off her ability to talk or simply satisfy her curiosity, she didn’t care if the other person understood her or not. She would just say whatever she wanted.

It was no different now.

There was no way Lisa could remember someone she had seen as a newborn, making Jeff practically a stranger to her.

Yet, even after two years apart, Lisa had climbed into Jeff’s lap and was happily swinging her feet.

Not only was she utterly unreserved, but she also lacked any semblance of fear.

It didn’t even take a bribe of snacks to win her over. A single sentence like, “Lisa, shall we play together?” could probably suffice for someone to whisk her away.

Jeff was no exception. He had only needed to meet her gaze and say, “Hello, Lisa. Do you remember your uncle?” and Lisa had immediately responded with a radiant smile, as if a flower were blooming on her face.

Jeff was melting.

He was melting like ice cream left out in the sun.

Compared to him, Lloyd, whose lips were only slightly quivering, was faring far better.

Lloyd seemed to be feeling betrayed by Lisa, who had abandoned him and eagerly jumped into Jeff’s arms. Sulking, Lloyd didn’t even look at her as Lisa asked,

“Whas youw name?”

“Jeff. Call me Uncle Jeff, Lisa.”

“Jeb!”

Lisa beamed, tugging at Jeff’s shirt. Jeff helplessly leaned closer, completely at her mercy, his mouth hanging open like a fool.

“You’re so smart, my niece. Lisa, look at this. Uncle brought you some presents.”

“Uncow Jeb, pwesens fow Wisa?”

“Oh… of course, sweetie. I’ll give you all the presents I brought for the past two years!”

At Jeff’s nod, the boy assisting him, whose expression couldn’t hide his exasperation, carefully set the gift boxes he was carrying down on the floor.

Lisa stared at the boy for a moment before toddling over to him and saying,

“Thane yew fow pwesen.”

“…You’re welcome, young miss.”

The boy stepped back awkwardly, clearly unsure how to handle her gratitude. Jeff chimed in.

“Ashad, take a seat and rest. Adeline, can you get him some snacks?”

Before Adeline could respond, Lloyd had already left the room to fetch refreshments for the boy. Adeline glanced at Lloyd’s retreating figure, clearly sulking with jealousy, before speaking.

“Take it easy, Jeff. You’re going to spoil her completely…”

“Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of all the bragging letters from our brother and parents?!”

“I don’t want to know…”

“It’s not like I wanted to stay away for two years!”

“You’re making a big deal out of just two years.”

“Just two years? If I’d known how much babies could grow and change in two years, I would’ve dropped everything, abandoned my business, and moved to Delmuz for good!”

It was horrifying to realize that he was only half-joking.

‘He should put that effort into dating Rachel instead…’

Jeff hadn’t even reached out to Rachel during his return. The only notice he had sent was a single-line letter to Adeline informing her of his visit.

At this point, Jeff looked ready to get down on his knees. His face had softened into a goofy grin, his eyes curved downward in a disarming smile, and any hint of dignity or composure was long gone.

Even Ashad, Jeff’s assistant, seemed stunned by his boss’s disgraceful behavior.

“You must have it rough, Ashad.”

“Not at all. Thanks to Mr. Bertrand, I live quite comfortably.”

“Are you sure he isn’t giving you a hard time…?”

“That’s the same thing Your Grace’s older brother asked me to tell him. Don’t worry. Despite how he may seem, Mr. Bertrand treats me kindly.”

While Ashad said this, it was hard to imagine dealing with Jeff’s whims and mood swings was ever easy.