Chapter 526: 0524 Sometimes forgiveness equals self-harm [This Chapter is sponsored by: zZuoZ for an additional update - 2/5]
"Who is he?" The little boy, only five years old, dressed in formal attire, looked up at his mother.
Today’s tailors really know how to do business, clothes like the little boy’s which can be worn to formal occasions are priced almost equal to adult men’s attire of similar quality.
If you don’t have them tailor-made, it’s hard to find fitting clothes in stores. Kids this age, young men growing before adulthood are always changing sizes, and in just two or three months, their size might alter.
This is why most well-known brands don’t enter the children’s clothing market—they might ruin their brand. To get a suitable formal outfit for kids in this fast-growing age, you have to get tailor-made clothes.
A five-year-old child wearing a small suit looks like an adult being juvenated, quite amusing and cute.
Vera changed into an equally fitting outfit and got dressed up, thanks to Lynch taking her out of the company earlier, otherwise, dinner time might have been delayed.
"That’s mommy’s boss, the person who pays us, who makes our current good life possible," she explained carefully, making it clearer than just a name or a title. She didn’t want her child to get the wrong idea.
The little boy excitedly looked at Lynch, then turned to Vera, "So, is he the new dad?"
In an instant, Vera’s face turned red, while Lynch laughed heartily; he couldn’t help but find amusement as Vera’s explanation didn’t seem problematic from an adult’s perspective.
Only hard work can earn the boss’s approval; once the boss approves, you get a substantial salary. With this enviable salary, a five-year-old can, even in this economic slump, have tailored suits made every three to five months that might not even be worn.
Well, that’s not quite right either; he’ll definitely need new clothes for the opening ceremony.
But overall, without this money, a woman could never afford the expensive cost of living in this era.
The community she lives in and every service she enjoys are all paid for, including the nanny in their home.
To the child, these explanations translated into another narrative: fathers provide for the family, which is something kids often encounter; people in society say this, and schools also instill this idea.
Don’t think that just because there’s a feminist movement, it means women have truly risen; society continually instills the dominance of males from the time people are children.
Whether it’s cartoons, fairy tales, little stories, or anything else aimed at children, the protagonist is always male!
So now Lynch paying Vera wages and ensuring their good life—doesn’t that mirror the role only fathers take on?
This made the child a bit thrilled; after Gap was arrested, Vera didn’t tell him the full truth, which was also Gap’s intention. After all, being in prison is not a glorious affair. To avoid the child realizing he had a criminal father, she even transferred him to another school.
Even if it made the kid think Gap abandoned them, it was better than knowing he had a criminal father, which is a societal issue.
So he felt ashamed for himself and Vera and hoped for some change; if it were Lynch...
He sneaked a look at Lynch’s handsome face and his contagious smile, which seemed to make others want to smile involuntarily, thinking he didn’t seem difficult to approach.
"Don’t worry about me, I think he’s very suitable. I’ll listen to you guys and get along well with the new dad..." The child said a bit excitedly.
After the initial awkwardness, Vera quickly calmed down. She looked at her child and shook her head, "No, that’s not it, you’ve got it wrong. I’m his employee, he’s my boss, that’s all we are, nothing more, understand?"
She looked at the child with a serious and earnest expression, the previous incident made her quite embarrassed, her blush slowly fading, having a special allure under the light.
Just then, the waiter began serving food, a young waiter who started from Lynch’s side to serve the dishes. He first called out "Sir" and began serving Vera, but suddenly hesitated.
He looked at Vera, then Lynch, and finally at the child sitting between them, suddenly unsure how to address the lady at the table.
Calling her "Madam" implies she’s the wife of the other man, but Lynch seems too young, and although Vera also appears young, she is over thirty.
She no longer has the youthful innocence, only mature charm, and the few-year-old child doesn’t seem to be theirs unless the gentleman was only a teenager when the child was born.
Thinking about it... why suddenly so invigorated?
"Madam..."
With one sudden sentence, Lynch solved the waiter’s awkwardness, pulling him back from his wandering thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief, bowed slightly, "Madam..." while serving Vera.
Then came the "little gentleman," Vera’s child. The restaurant had a whole set of methods for addressing different guests.
Perhaps this "Madam" phrase had some special effect, as Vera didn’t explain anything to Lynch, and the pleasant dinner began.
At the dinner table, Lynch talked a lot about Nagariel. For women and children who grew up in the traditional society of this era’s Federation, adventure is always the most attractive story, which is why various adventure and expedition themes have become trends.
However, those stories were never as exciting as Lynch’s. He was good at organizing language and rearranging some potentially dull and uninteresting storylines into thrilling and exciting stories.
For instance, he talked about chasing lions on the prairie and being chased by lions. Both the big and the small person would constantly gasp softly at Lynch’s story, expressing their strong emotions.
Laughter and exclamations became the main themes of the meal, so much so that neither of the other two wanted the dinner to end so early.
An old saying goes well, even stones can be gnawed away eventually, let alone a hearty and tasty dinner. Finally, the dinner came to an end amidst the little gentleman’s reluctance.
After dinner, Lynch escorted the mother and son back to their home, where the whole neighborhood seemed pretty good. After the first and second waves of bankruptcies, many people moved out, and some new residents moved in, making it look less desolate and empty.
The guards at the gate were still working normally, and there were patrol security teams on the road.
After coaxing her child to rest, Vera returned to the living room, "I don’t know how to say this, but thank you. I haven’t been this happy in a long time, nor has he!"
The "he" she referred to was her child. Since he moved back from his grandparents’ house, he hadn’t been this happy until today.
This long-lost joy seemed to be quietly changing some of her and her child’s emotional issues, which she found most touching.
"It’s what I should do. You work so diligently for me. I merely invited you and the little boy for a simple dinner and shared a few stories. If anyone deserves thanks, it should be me," Lynch said as gentlemanly and humbly as ever.
He then shifted the topic, "I once heard you hired a maid, but now it seems..." He glanced elsewhere, "I don’t see your servant."
"I dismissed her and found a part-time worker through the community," Vera sighed a bit as she spoke about this, "The previous resident servant was caught stealing by me, so, for my child’s safety and mine, I dismissed her."
Vera didn’t call the police. The maid pleaded repeatedly for Vera’s forgiveness, claiming she stole only to support her family.
Kind-hearted Vera eventually didn’t report to the police, merely dismissing the maid.
After listening, Lynch frowned slightly, "When did this happen?"
Vera didn’t pay much attention to it, but she thought seriously for a moment, "It’s been over a week. Actually, I’m not sure if that was the first time; it might have happened before, but I only caught her that time."
Lynch frowned slightly after hearing this, "You should have reported this to the police; it might bring danger to you."
Seeing Vera’s seemingly indifferent expression, Lynch explained a little, "If that was her first theft, the problem isn’t too serious. You discovered and stopped it in time, so her greed hasn’t expanded."
"But if it wasn’t her first time, and she had been getting stable extra income through theft before, now that you’ve dismissed her, her financial problems will suddenly become complicated."
"If she can’t find a solution, she might eventually target you again."
Lynch looked around, "She is especially familiar with this place, knows when you leave in the morning and come back in the evening, knows what time your child goes to school and comes back, even personally picking him up."
"When she desperately needs money and can’t find a legal way to get it, you will become her best target."
"She could kidnap your little boy or sneak in here based on your habits, and after getting what she wants, there’s a high chance she will..."
"Because you know her and know who she is, if you report to the police, she won’t be able to escape!"
Before Lynch’s explanation, Vera hadn’t felt anything terrifying about it. It was simply dismissing a thieving resident servant.
But as Lynch mentioned these things, her back suddenly broke out in cold sweat, and she helplessly clutched Lynch’s forearm, seemingly asking what she should do.
Lynch seemed to hear her unspoken plea and offered a comforting solution, "I’ll stay here tonight, and tomorrow I’ll help you find two suitable people, possibly freshly retired female soldiers. They’re safe and reliable..."