His hair was still dripping wet from his shower. In contrast to his usual immaculate self, there was sort of an unkempt handsomeness to him.
With the two little ones all over Nell, his face turned sullen as he yelled, “Go play by yourselves and leave your mother alone.”
Sitting straight in front of the dining table, Lizzy put on a serious face. “Daddy, you had Mommy all to yourself for so many days. It’s our turn with her today. You’re an adult. You can’t compete with us children.”
Gideon was provoked to the point of laughter by her blunt words. “Compete what? You have no right to fight for my wife.”
Lizzy pouted. “Daddy, that’s not right! She’s also our Mommy.”
“Ha!” Gideon gave a chilly smile.
Nell was unable to hold back from laughter when she witnessed the adult and the children turning red in the face while going at it. She pulled Gideon by the arm. “Alright now. What are you saying to the kids! Let me play with them for a while while you do what you have to.”
Gideon frowned. “But your health...”
“I’ve been feeling fine.” Feeling a warmth in her heart, Nell nudged him. “Go get busy.”
Helpless, Gideon took his leave.
Nell played with the kids the whole morning, and in the afternoon, she received a call from Vickie. She was still quite worried about the situation Vickie was in, so she asked about their progress the moment the call connected.
However, Vickie sounded a bit down. “We have verified that the intel was a fake. The jade that was uncovered wasn’t the Arcane Jade, just an ordinary one.”
Nell was surprised and felt sorry all at once because she was aware of what the news meant to Vickie.
It was only three more months until the New Year.
Jeff demanded that they sought everything out by the New Year. Otherwise, he would stop providing Vickie with the medicine.
At present, they had only found a piece of the jade. At this rate, they would not be able to complete the set that was still missing five pieces.
With that in mind, Nell frowned. “Do you have any other clue on hand?”
“We have one, but it needs to be verified. There’s been a bit of a problem in Lin City, so we’re going there to take care of that first.”
Nell nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll be able to gather all six pieces before the New Year as long as we work together.”
Despite her concerns, she comforted Vickie as such.
Vickie grinned. “I know, and thank you.”
The pair chatted for a white until it was time for lunch when Nell ended the call.
After hanging up, she dwelled on her thoughts before sending a message to Janet and Liam to keep an eye on anything on the Arcane Jade.
Liam and Janet knew about Vickie’s illness. After all, they had been present at the wedding. However, while they were aware that Vickie was sick, they were unfamiliar with the illness she had or the negotiation with Jeff.
Janet even poked fun at Nell for enquiring about the Arcane Jade’s whereabouts.
With his old buddy, Old Master Garrett, passing away and his friends around him going off one after another, the old master was advancing more into the life of seclusion these past two years. He barely asked about anything going on in the family.
Fortunately, the old madam was there for the old man. Sure enough, Old Madam Quinton was not in the best of health either, but she was in way better circumstances than the old master.
She was long-time besties with Old Madam Griffin. Old Madam Quinton’s urge to travel abroad was probably to get together while she still could at her old age, hence why she was so adamant about venturing out.
However, Old Master Leith would definitely not stay put at home once she was gone as he would want to travel together. Nevertheless, it would put a toll on his health, which was Gideon’s concern.
Nell fell into consideration before answering, “We can’t stop Grandma from realizing her wish. If you’re having qualms about it, we can find a trustworthy team of doctors to go with them. Instead of taking a commercial flight, they can take the private plane over. I’m sure it will be fine with the doctors there and the Griffins looking after them.”
Gideon nodded. “I share the same thoughts. Let’s do that as a last resort if Grandma insists on it.”
Nell gave a nod.
The couple did not say another word. Once they were home, Aunt Joyce had the maids prepare dinner.
Nell took the two children to wash their hands before having a meal.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the brightly-lit chateau, Gregory looked glum after reading the latest report delivered by his subordinate.
Sitting beside him, Vickie was not looking too good either. She asked with a frown, “What’s the meaning of this? The four-month deadline isn’t over yet. Why are they pushing us?”
Adopting a sullen countenance, Gregory stared at Shimon who was standing in the living room.
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