Chapter 1371: Chapter 1371: Stealing Fragrance
Charlotte wrinkled her nose in slight frustration.
How could she have forgotten that she came upstairs just to find Justin Battleson for dinner?
But earlier she had ended up...
"Yes, dinner is ready. Let’s head downstairs," Charlotte cleared her throat and said.
Justin’s gaze swept across Hank Thompson, who was still standing at the doorway trying to sneak a peek, and he silently muttered that the kid had picked the most untimely moment to show up.
Then Justin stood up, and taking advantage of Charlotte’s distraction, he wrapped his arm around her waist and swiftly stole a kiss from her red lips.
This scene was perfectly caught by Hank, leaving him frozen in place.
No wonder he’s my dad.
"Justin Battleson! The kids are still here!"
Charlotte immediately covered her lips with her hand. Though her gaze was meant to be full of reproach as she glared at Justin, it somehow looked more like coquettish teasing.
Justin, on the other hand, displayed an utterly innocent expression, saying, "Really?"
At this moment, a certain clever little lamp—aka Hank—instinctively covered his eyes, then turned around and rushed away while loudly shouting, "I didn’t see anything!"
This left Charlotte blushing even more. She couldn’t help but pinch Justin on the side of his waist.
When Charlotte and Justin walked downstairs side by side, they found the little ones gathered around Hank at the dining table, whispering about something in hushed tones.
As soon as they noticed Justin and Charlotte coming, they quickly and neatly returned to their seats.
Recalling the previous scene, Charlotte’s gaze froze on Hank, and she shot him a warning look.
Hank pressed his lips together and, with an utterly innocent expression, lowered his head to stare at his utensils.
Leaving behind the exhausting scheming of the corporate world, only when Charlotte returned to Stardust Garden and spent time with the children did she truly feel at ease.
After dinner, Justin and Charlotte sat with the children, watching the movie projected onto the wall.
The children discussed the movie’s content one after another.
The boys liked the thrilling and adventurous moments, while the girls focused more on the beautiful scenery and exquisite costumes.
Charlotte sat next to Justin but soon unknowingly felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her body swayed lightly, and eventually, she couldn’t resist her fatigue any longer and leaned against Justin’s shoulder, breathing evenly as she drifted into sleep.
Looking at Charlotte beside him, Justin let out a helpless smile and gently pulled her into his arms.
His chin rested against the top of Charlotte’s head, and his soft gaze landed on her serene sleeping face.
"Mommy, look..."
At this moment, Grace Thompson turned her head, wanting to share something interesting from the movie with Charlotte, only to realize that Charlotte had already fallen asleep leaning against Justin’s chest.
Justin turned his gaze to Grace and quietly raised his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.
Grace immediately covered her mouth, blinking her big eyes at Justin, then turned to alert the other siblings to Charlotte’s slumber.
The children, who had been chattering away noisily moments ago, instantly quieted down. Even their breathing became softer, leaving only the sound from the movie filling the room.
Cyrus Thompson then carried his laptop over and turned off the projector, restoring tranquility to the room.
The children thoughtfully stood up one after another and began filing out of the room.
Before leaving, each child smiled at Justin and silently mouthed "Good night."
Justin lowered his gaze and gently scooped Charlotte up into his arms.