Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Photo Album

Buck drove them to a large seaside villa in his hovercar.

It wasn’t until she stepped out of the hovercar that Lu Xiao truly believed what Ares had told her: his life with his Father hadn’t been difficult.

’She’d been wrong to pity him so much.’

It was clear that Buck was extremely well-off. As they walked, he gave them a tour. “Miss Lu Xiao, do you enjoy swimming? This entire stretch of the sea is mine, so feel free to enjoy it. If you prefer hiking, that’s an option too. That mountain over there is also mine. It’s covered in fruit trees.”

Lu Xiao listened to Buck and replied obediently, “Alright, Father.”

“I knew you were coming, so I hired the best chef. I can also cook, you know, if…”

“That won’t be necessary, Father. Letting the chef handle it is fine,” Ares cut in before Buck could finish, clearly knowing what his father was about to suggest.

Buck’s shoulders slumped a little. “Alright. But my cooking really has gotten much better. I’ve hired so many tutors while you’ve been away. I’ve definitely improved.”

If Lu Xiao hadn’t understood why Ares interrupted his father before, she certainly did now after hearing Buck’s crestfallen reply.

They made their way into the villa, and the moment she stepped inside, Lu Xiao was stunned.

The interior of the villa was simply breathtaking—a dazzling, golden palace.

Even the staircase was glittering gold.

“Miss Lu Xiao, I’ve had your and Ares’s room prepared. I’ll let Ares take you up. You can rest for a bit, and then we’ll have dinner.”

“O-Okay, Father. See you in a little while.”

After they parted ways with Buck, Lu Xiao tilted her head back to take in the villa’s interior. ’Even the Imperial Palace can’t be this grand,’ she thought.

“Ares, has your home always had… this kind of style?”

Ares saw the shock on his little female’s face and couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead. “He thinks it reflects his… unique personality.”

Sensing Ares’s exasperation, Lu Xiao let out a laugh and hugged him. “I think your Father is adorable.”

“As long as you don’t hate it.” Ares shrugged.

“Of course I don’t. Your Father is wonderful. And I finally believe you when you said you didn’t have a difficult childhood. Is this all solid gold?”

As she spoke, she couldn’t resist running her hand over the glittering golden banister.

Ares nodded. “Yes. He owns over a dozen gold mines.”

The implication was clear: if Buck wanted to build a house of solid gold, he could.

Lu Xiao suddenly felt her understanding of Old Buck had been far too superficial.

Ares led her to their room. She had expected the bedroom to be just as golden, but thankfully, when he pushed the door open, it looked perfectly normal inside.

The room was spacious. A photograph of a younger Ares hung on the wall; he looked much more boyish than he did now.

Lu Xiao walked over to it immediately. Honestly, Ares was just a scaled-up version of his younger self.

Ares walked over. “What are you looking at?”

“You were so handsome even back then. How old were you here? Had you just come of age?”

“I had just come of age.”

Lu Xiao nodded. “So boyish back then, Vice Admiral Ares. Are there other photos?”

“A few.” Ares went to a cabinet, opened it, and took out a photo album.

There were a lot of them. ’This isn’t “a few” at all,’ Lu Xiao thought. ’It’s more like “a few hundred million.”’

“Did your Father take all of these?”

“Yes. A lot of them were candid shots he took without me knowing.” Lu Xiao could hear the exasperation in his voice, but no real annoyance.

Hearing that, Lu Xiao could instantly picture a little roly-poly Ares, tired of having his picture taken. He must have been incredibly cute.

’If she were Buck, she probably wouldn’t have been able to resist taking candid shots either.’

Sure enough, as she opened the album, she saw that adorable roly-poly boy. A tiny figure squatting on a beach, digging in the sand with a small shovel. He looked so soft and precious.

Ares had been handsome since he was a child; he’d never gone through an awkward phase.

Looking at the photos of young Ares, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but wonder if a child of hers and Ares’s would look just like this.

A smile played on her lips as she flipped through the album, page by page.

Ares didn’t disturb her. He quietly unpacked their clothes and put them away in the closet. Even though they wouldn’t be staying long, he wanted everything to be convenient for Lu Xiao.

There were too many albums for Lu Xiao to look through at once, but after flipping through just one or two, she noticed a common theme: in every photo, young Ares was playing by himself.

His small, skinny figure looked so lonely.

Lu Xiao looked up from the album at the tall, strapping man Ares had become, her eyes filled with a pang of heartache for his younger self.

Sensing her change in mood, Ares’s heart tightened. “What is it? Are the pictures bad? You don’t have to look.”

He moved to take the album from her, not wanting to see that look on his little female’s face.

Lu Xiao placed her hand over his to stop him. “They’re wonderful. It’s just… Ares, were you always alone when you were little? Weren’t you lonely?”

He hadn’t expected that to be the reason. A warmth spread through Ares’s chest. “It was fine, really. I’m not a fan of crowds anyway, and I wasn’t used to this place when I first arrived. Father was busy back then, but he still spent time with me whenever he was free. I don’t really remember how I felt, but I figure if I can’t remember, it must not have been too bad. So you don’t have to feel bad for me, Xiao Xiao. My life wasn’t difficult.”

In fact, his life was much better than most people’s, aside from never having met his mother.

But for him now, that was all in the past.

Lu Xiao reached out and hugged him. “I wish we could have met sooner. I definitely wouldn’t have let you play all by yourself.”

Ares smiled at her words. “Having you with me now is just as good.”

After looking at the albums for a while, Ares and Lu Xiao went downstairs to the dining room. Buck had already poured the red wine to let it breathe. When he saw them approach, he smiled, stood up, and filled their glasses. “Xiao Xiao, may I call you that?”

“Of course, Father. I’d be happy if you did.” Lu Xiao was genuinely pleased. Buck didn’t have the same reserved stiffness that other males showed around females. It made her feel much more at ease with him, and she didn’t have to constantly worry whether something she said might wound his fragile heart.

In fact, she found it hard to imagine a male like Buck being abandoned by a female. On the contrary, she felt that with his personality, Old Buck would be the one to leave his female partner.

He had his own independent thoughts and principles, not to mention his own standards and wealth.

Even without relying on a female, he could still live a spectacular life—perhaps an even better one.

And that was, in fact, the case.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep