Chapter 121: Babysitting

Maximilian let out a low grunt when the knock sounded. Catherine noticed immediately.

His jaw was clenched, his expression dark with frustration, and for some reason it made her smile. Her eyes flickered down briefly to see that bulge, before she looked back up at him, clearly amused.

“I should have expected this…” she muttered. She slid down from the counter. “Open the door. I’ll get dressed.”

With that, she turned and walked toward her bedroom.

Maximilian watched her go.

Her hair was no longer dripping like before, only slightly damp at the ends. And as she walked away, a realization struck him.

Earlier… when they were kissing… She was not wearing a bra.

When she stayed at his place before, she always had one on, even at night. He had assumed she simply preferred it that way.

But here, in her own house… she hadn’t. And now she was going to change. His brows drew together slightly.

Did she skip it because it was me?

The thought lingered.

And if she did… what does that mean?

He wanted to follow that thought further, but the doorbell rang again. Maximilian exhaled once and walked to the door.

When he opened it, he found William’s eldest son standing there. Richard Preston. Behind him stood his wife, Erica, holding a baby carrier.

“Hello,” Maximilian greeted with a polite smile.

“Yeah, hi,” Richard said distractedly, already looking past him into the house.

He didn’t even step inside. Erica did. She walked in briskly with the carrier in hand. Before Maximilian could process what was happening…

“GIGI!!

”

A little girl shot past them like a rocket. Richard’s daughter ran straight into the house.

At the same time, the toddler boy in Richard’s arms squirmed violently until he slipped down and waddled after his sister.

Within seconds… Chaos ensued.

The kids bounced onto the couch like it was a trampoline. The toddler spotted a Sharpie on the coffee table and grabbed it triumphantly. The quiet house instantly transformed into a battlefield.

Maximilian blinked.

What just happened?

At that moment, Catherine walked out from the hallway wearing a simple house dress. Erica walked straight to her and placed the baby carrier into her hands. Then she leaned close and whispered something into Catherine’s ear.

“Shall we?” Richard asked from the door, as if he couldn’t wait any longer.

Erica clearly had more she wanted to say, but she swallowed it and hurried out. They were gone, just like that, leaving the kids behind.

Maximilian stood frozen.

Catherine, however, looked completely unfazed. She calmly unbuckled the sleeping baby from the carrier and carried him toward a nearby room.

Maximilian followed out of pure confusion.

When he stepped inside, he stopped. Three cribs stood neatly arranged along the wall.

“A full nursery in your house?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

Catherine chuckled quietly. “I’m the family babysitter when the parents go on a date.”

She gently placed the sleeping baby into one of the cribs and pulled the blanket up.

“You could say this is the Preston daycare. Just wait. There will be more kids to come.”

They always did, and she loved it.

They stepped back into the living room.

At that moment, the little girl, Joanne Leigh, was wrestling the Sharpie away from her toddler brother.

“We listen to Gigi. We don’t make Gigi sad,” she said seriously, prying it from his tiny hand. That was what she was told before coming here. And she knew her Gigi didn’t like it if they scribbled on her walls. She needed to teach her little brother.

The moment she succeeded… The toddler inhaled deeply… and unleashed an ear-piercing scream.

Maximilian winced slightly.

“Jasper Raphael Preston,” Catherine said calmly, using the boy’s full name.

The toddler continued screaming as if the world had ended.

Maximilian leaned against the wall, arms folded loosely, watching. He was curious. He had expected her to scold the child, or at least raise her voice.

But Catherine did neither.

Instead, she quietly sat down beside Jasper on the carpet. “Hmm… what do we have here?” she murmured, reaching into the basket of toys.

She didn’t even acknowledge the screaming. She simply began pulling out toys one by one, setting them nearby as if she were casually exploring treasures.

A wooden train… A stuffed rabbit… A bright red truck…

Jasper paused mid-scream, his hiccupping cries slowly fading as curiosity took over. Then his eyes landed on something… A small toy tractor. His hands immediately grabbed it.

Within seconds, the meltdown was forgotten.

Maximilian blinked. That was it?

Catherine smiled faintly and ruffled the boy’s hair before standing up.

Meanwhile, Joanne had wandered toward the turret of the Victorian country house—a cozy round nook filled with shelves of books. The lower shelves were stacked with children’s books. She scanned the spines seriously before pulling out one that looked a little too advanced for her age.

With moderate effort, she dragged it to a chair and climbed in. Then she started reading.

Maximilian approached her a little later. “Hello,” he said gently.

Joanne didn’t even look up.

He waited.

She sighed softly, closed the book with a deliberate thump, and finally lifted her eyes toward him.

The look on her face clearly said: Ask quickly so I can return to my book.

Maximilian nearly smiled. “How old are you?” he asked.

“Six,” she replied.

“And what are you reading?”

“History,” she said simply.

Her answers were short but precise.

Maximilian quickly realized she didn’t enjoy being interrupted. Still, she was sharp. Very sharp.

She loved languages, apparently. New words fascinated her. And instead of using a phone or tablet, she used an actual dictionary to look up meanings she didn’t know.

A physical dictionary. Maximilian found that unexpectedly impressive. After a short exchange, Joanne opened her book again with quiet authority. Conversation over.

Maximilian stepped away. He looked around for Catherine. He found her in the kitchen area.

Jasper now sat in a high chair, happily kicking his legs while eating dinner. Catherine sat across from him, patiently feeding him one spoonful at a time. The boy’s face was full of joy. Every bite came with a delighted grin.

Catherine smiled back at him softly.

And for a moment… Maximilian felt something twist sharply in his chest, like a knife turning.

Her son.

The child she lost in her previous life… He would have been around this age, maybe a little older.

Maximilian didn’t know if Catherine was thinking about it right now. But he was. The thought lingered heavily in his mind.

He looked away slowly.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would meet Charlotte.

And hopefully… End this part of the past once and for all.

Catherine wiped a smear of food from Jasper’s cheek and laughed softly when he tried to grab the spoon.

But when she thought no one was looking… her fingers lingered on the boy’s hair for a moment longer than necessary.

Just a moment.

Then she withdrew her hand and smiled again.

Maximilian saw it.

And his chest tightened.

Within minutes, the doorbell rang again.

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