Chapter 182: Bad Dada!
Dylan didn’t respond to her immediately.
His silence like that made Adelyn pause, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her mind as she wondered if she had said something wrong ...
However, just as she was about to explain herself—
She saw him finally nod.
A quiet breath of relief escaped her.
Not wasting another second, she quickly said,
"Then, Mr. Warren, I won’t keep you any longer. Bye~"
And the moment the words left her lips, she ended the call.
The screen went blank.
And only then did she exhale fully.
Patting her chest lightly, she tried to steady herself. Her composure was never so easily shaken—
Yet somehow, around Dylan, she found herself losing control.
Every time.
He had a way of making her flustered, stirring a strange nervousness deep in her stomach —something unfamiliar ... something she had never experienced before.
Her hand moved unconsciously, rubbing lightly against her arm as her thoughts spiralled.
Was it because she felt guilty toward him?
Was that why his presence always made her uneasy?
Or was it the pace at which things were escalating between them?
She had never intended for things to get this close—
Yet somehow, she wasn’t able to pull away.
Something kept drawing her toward them ... toward him —an invisible force she couldn’t fight.
She had tried, but her resistance didn’t really feel enough.
"Adelyn ... you need to draw the line while you still can. Otherwise, you’ll end up causing more harm than you already have."
She muttered the words to herself under her breath.
Just then—
Her phone buzzed again.
She glanced down at it—
Only to realize the battery was almost drained.
Of course. It would be drained.
She had been on a video call the entire night.
What was she even thinking ...
A sigh almost escaped her—
But it stopped midway. Because the next second—
Eira’s smiling face from last night surfaced in her mind.
And suddenly ...
She didn’t feel like sighing anymore.
A small call like that—
And the girl had been so content.
It was worth it.
Shaking her head lightly, she walked over and plugged her phone into the charger before getting out of bed to begin her morning routine.
Meanwhile —
On the other side —
After the call ended, Dylan placed the tablet aside and connected it to the charger.
When he turned back—
He found his daughter staring at him, arms folded across her chest and her expression ... it clearly demanded an explanation.
Dylan raised a brow slightly.
Eira pouted, letting out a small, disgruntled sound.
"I didn’t steal her away from you," Dylan said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
Eira narrowed her eyes at him.
"You slept here with us."
Even if he hadn’t taken her mama away—
He had still intruded on her time.
The time that belonged to her.
Her mama had asked her to sleep together.
But Dada had joined them too.
Dylan understood exactly what she was thinking. Still, he remained calm.
Getting down from the bed, he adjusted his clothes and said, "We agreed to share her, didn’t we?"
He turned to leave—
But then, paused just long enough to add, "Don’t pout over something like this. Get used to it ... because it will happen again."
And with that, he walked out.
Behind him, Eira pouted again and flopped back onto the bed with a huff.
"Bad Dada!" she muttered loudly enough for him to hear.
But Dylan didn’t stop.
He simply smiled and continued walking out of her room.
—————
At Scott Villa —
Charlotte paced restlessly across the living room. Her expression was lined with worry —brows furrowed, eyes unsettled.
Every now and then, she glanced toward the door.
When the faint sound of a car approaching reached her—
She turned quickly to Matilda and asked,
"Is it them?"
Matilda looked out through the window before shaking her head.
"No, Madam," she replied, her tone slightly tired. "That’s the neighbor’s car. Should I try calling the young masters again?"
Charlotte frowned and sat down slowly.
Dark circles under her eyes made her look even more exhausted.
"You’ve been calling them since last night, Matilda. If they haven’t answered until now, calling again won’t change anything."
Matilda’s expression softened with concern.
"Madam ... maybe you’re worrying too much." She said gently. "The young masters are old enough to take care of themselves. They might just be caught up with work. They’ll return soon."
Charlotte shook her head.
She was concerned for her sons—
After all, they hadn’t returned since yesterday morning ...
But that wasn’t what was troubling her the most.
It was Clara.
"It’s not them I’m worried about," Charlotte said, lifting her gaze. "It’s my daughter. Clara hasn’t come back since yesterday either ... and she’s not answering my calls."
Her voice tightened slightly.
"I’ve been calling her since last night —but she hasn’t picked up even once."
"Maybe Young Miss is busy as well—"
Before Matilda could finish, Charlotte shook her head firmly.
"No. She isn’t like that," she said. "You know her too. She never ignores my calls. Even during shooting, she always answers. She knows I worry, so she makes sure I don’t."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"This ... this isn’t like her."
Matilda hesitated before offering another possibility.
"Madam, Young Miss went to the company yesterday. She might be with the Second Young Master. With him around, she’ll be fine. He cares for her a lot."
Charlotte didn’t doubt Liam.
But since even he wasn’t answering—
Her unease only deepened.
Just as she was about to respond—
Her phone rang.
She looked down immediately as hope flickered in her eyes. But it faded just as quickly.
It wasn’t her children.
It was Maria —Clara’s assistant.
Charlotte frowned.
Why was Maria calling her?
Was Clara with her?
That thought made her react instantly. She picked up the call without delay.
"Maria, is Clara with you?" she asked, not even waiting for the other side to speak.
Maria, on the other end, didn’t speak immediately. She heard the worry in Charlotte’s voice before hesitating,
"Madam Scott, Ms. Scott ... she —"
