Chapter 105
Gavin held his chin, looked at the drunk Madeline, and raised his hand to pinch her cheek.
It felt warm and soft.
Nolan’s gaze was gentle and doting. Nolan took her phone and hung up. “60 dollars a day? It’s not enough for Maddie to buy a dress.”
He rubbed Madeline’s head and asked, “Are you sleepy? I’ll take you back to your room so you can sleep, okay?”
Madeline raised her hand and grabbed Nolan’s hand. Then, she looked at the indifferent Caleb.
She pointed at him and said, “No, I want him to accompany me to pick persimmons. He has the worst temper. He’ll be my foal! I want a foal!”
Gavin was almost scared to death. Gavin quickly covered Madeline’s mouth. “Stop it! Are you asking Caleb to be your foal? He’ll beat you up.”
Nolan smiled and turned to look at Caleb. “Accompany Maddie to pick persimmons. Madeline probably remembered what happened when she was a child.”
Caleb turned the glass in his hand, and the bright red wine swayed. The liquid reflected colorful lights, but it could not illuminate the depth and loneliness in Caleb’s eyes.
He remembered what happened when they were young.
Caleb lowered his eyes. “In the past, there was a persimmon tree in the corner of the orphanage. Maddie was too young at that time. Madeline used to be last and couldn’t have enough food. Madeline was waiting for the persimmon to become ripe, but I plucked it. At that time, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I didn’t expect her to cry for hours.”
Caleb looked up at Madeline, whose cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were full of memories. “Back then, I promised her to give her persimmon every autumn.”
Gavin did not expect something like that to have happened.
He looked at Caleb curiously. Then, Caleb raised his hand and held Madeline’s hand with his hand that wore rosary beads.
He did not mind that Madeline was drunk.
He looked tall and strong as he held her hand and walked toward the backyard.
Gavin looked at their backs and was worried. “Are they really plucking persimmons?”
“Maddie likes it. Let her be.” Nolan’s sleeves were stained with the scent of osmanthus. Nolan did not like it because it was too sweet.
However, Nolan was satisfied with the scents of osmanthus and wine from Madeline.
He smiled and said, “She still has a childish heart, but she has had a hard life.”
Hearing that, Gavin was immediately caught off guard. Gavin cursed the Larsons in his heart.
It was them who made Madeline suffer.
The backyard of the manor was a small grove.
Unlike other people’s manor, the place was too down to earth.
There were grape racks, chestnut trees, peach trees, and plum trees while the tall persimmon trees were in the corner.
Madeline felt warm, and even her breath was warm. However, her eyes were brighter than ever.
She held Caleb’s hand tightly and followed him to the persimmon tree.
The breeze blew through, making the hem of her blue dress flutter.
Her skin was tanned, and Madeline felt slightly cold.
The housekeeper brought a big wool shawl.
11:45
Chapter 105
Caleb took it and wrapped the shawl around Madeline. “Is it a bit cold?”
“Yes.” Madeline sounded a little fragile, and she grabbed Caleb’s wrist.
Her hand subconsciously fiddled with the rosary beads on Caleb’s wrist.
“You promised me that the persimmons would belong to me. You can’t go back on your words.”
Caleb raised his head and glanced at the persimmon tree. Fortunately, the tree was not too tall, but it would be over six and a half feet if he wanted to pluck a persimmon.
He stretched out his hand to pluck the persimmon that almost turned red.
Madeline hurriedly jumped. “I want to pluck it myself. You can’t take it from me anymore.”
Her voice sounded a little wrong.
She felt like dreaming. When she was a child, she could talk to Caleb unscrupulously.
Caleb was helpless. Caleb pulled his suit pants with a compromise on his face.
“Get on. Don’t tell anyone. You’d better forget it after you sober up.”
His deep and cold eyes were mixed with a hint of embarrassment.
Madeline rushed over and hugged Caleb’s neck. “Haha.”
The sweet fragrance on her body wafted toward Caleb. Caleb lowered his head as if he had given up.
It was worse than death for a man to lower his head.
However, if Madeline wanted, Caleb really could not refuse, even if it was to be a foal for her.
On the second floor, not far away, Gavin was holding a glass of water and leaning on the railing to look at them.
He saw Caleb, who was usually arrogant, actually squat and kneel on the ground, acting like a foal for Madeline.
Gavin spit out the water.
Cough! Cough!
As if seeing a ghost, Gavin looked at the man, who stood up and acted like a horse for Madeline, carefully moved toward the place where the persimmon was hung on the tree.
He hurriedly shouted, “Nolan! Nolan, come here! Caleb really abandoned his dignity to coax Maddie!”
Nolan came over and watched the scene. Nolan was slightly stunned before he smiled.
“I hope he won’t feel this is unacceptable in the future when he remembers.”
Zooming in using his phone, Gavin wanted to take a picture of Caleb. When he took the photo, Caleb and Madeline looked like childhood sweethearts and a match made in heaven.
Gavin gritted his teeth in anger.
He wanted to delete it in anger, but it was a precious photo. Thus, Gavin still–kept it.
The persimmon tree was huge that it covered the sky.
Madeline looked at the persimmon above and stretched out her hand to reach it with a chuckle. “Closer, I need to get closer. I got it!”
She was so happy and held the persimmon carefully in her hand.
Hazel came over in a hurry with the basket. Seeing that, she almost fell to her knees.
She gulped and thought that Caleb might kill her.
She shivered. “Mr. Simmons, the basket…”
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Chapter 105
Caleb hummed in response. With a faint smile, he said in a mild tone, “Maddie, there’s one on your left.”
Madeline handed the persimmon to Hazel and said, “Take it carefully. Don’t break it.”
Hazel dared not to break the persimmon.
If she damaged Madeline’s persimmon, she reckoned Caleb would kill her.
“Ms. Larson, don’t worry. I’ll handle it carefully,” replied Hazel.
Standing under the tree, Caleb held Madeline on his shoulder to pluck persimmons.
He was full of patience, and his tone was firm and indulgent.
Madeline grinned and spoke in a more cheerful voice.
Soon, she filled a basket of
persimmons.
Madeline was put down. Madeline leaned on the persimmon tree and sat on the grass. Madeline held the basket as if she was holding some great treasure.
She smiled happily. “Caleb, do you want to have a persimmon?”
Caleb looked down at her. The light shone on her cheeks, making her look attractive.
“I promised you that all the persimmons would belong to you, Maddie,” responded Caleb.
Madeline picked up a persimmon and handed it to him. “I’ll give you one.”
Caleb looked at the soft hand. Nolan reached out, held her hand, squatted halfway, and was at the same height as Madeline’s sight. There was a rare silence in his deep eyes.
His gaze was too deep, like an endless abyss that could suck people into the dark void.
“Maddie, thank you for coming back to me. I’ll protect you for the rest of your life.”
Madeline hesitated before asking, “Really?”
Caleb nodded. “The one who can’t keep his word will live forever in eternal fire and suffer from the burn.”
In the Christian scriptures, hell was an eternal fire.
Caleb regarded protecting Madeline as his discipline.
If he violated the discipline, he would never enjoy peace.
