Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Ian Wants to Be Extra Good to Mom

The Kensington family departed in disgrace. Suddenly, Ethan Shaw’s gaze landed on Caleb Bishop, lingering for a short while.

’This man… why does he look so familiar?’

The wail of an ambulance siren filled the air. The moment Jackson Kensington stepped outside, he was placed on a stretcher and taken away for treatment.

The banquet hall had descended into chaos, especially around the speaker’s platform, where the floor was a complete mess of spilled wine and blood. The guests saw no reason to stay. Their biggest takeaway from the event had been watching the drama unfold. Some tried to approach Ethan Shaw to bid him farewell, but his bodyguards blocked them again, so they had no choice but to leave.

Naomi Kenway noticed Ethan Shaw’s gaze. When she followed it and saw it was fixed on Caleb Bishop, her mood instantly soured. “Why are you staring at him? Are you that interested in him?”

Ethan Shaw looked back at her. “I got the feeling he was the one staring at you.” He frowned, a hint of offense in his voice. “Do you know him?”

“I suppose.” The thought of that man made Naomi feel a wave of nausea. “He’s a social-climbing scumbag.”

Seeing the look of disgust on Naomi Kenway’s face, Ethan Shaw decided not to press the matter.

“Thank you for that. You can head back to the office now.” With the matter resolved, exhaustion was suddenly plain on Naomi Kenway’s face. She’d been suffering from insomnia for days, a heavy weight pressing down on her chest.

“I’ve already handled things at the company. Let’s go home.”

Naomi Kenway seemed to remember something. “I think I have an interview this afternoon.”

“I’ll have Liam Sherman reschedule it for you. Take the day off and rest, Nina.”

Naomi Kenway paused, slightly taken aback. She only just realized Ethan hadn’t called her Nia, but Nina.

“You…”

A stray lock of hair fell across Naomi Kenway’s forehead, obscuring her eyes. Ethan Shaw reached out to brush it aside. “I heard Uncle Lennox call you that. It has a nice ring to it, so I decided to try it. We’re husband and wife, after all. You wouldn’t want me to use your full name in public, would you?”

“Call me that if you like.”

Naomi Kenway left the hotel and got directly into Ethan Shaw’s car. Liam Sherman was driving. She and Liam exchanged a nod by way of greeting.

Naomi Kenway settled into the back seat, then a thought occurred to her. “What’s Ian up to at home?”

“He should be doing his homework with his tutor.”

Naomi Kenway nodded and leaned her head back against the seat. Moments later, she was sound asleep.

“Liam Sherman.”

“President Shaw?”

“Turn off the stereo.”

Liam Sherman complied.

Ethan Shaw’s WeChat was blowing up. Shareholders were demanding to know why he’d left the meeting midway through. He calmly skimmed the messages, selecting a few of the more important questions to answer.

Suddenly, he felt a soft weight on his shoulder. Ethan Shaw’s body went rigid. He glanced to the side and saw that Naomi Kenway’s cheek was resting against his shoulder. Her breathing was light and even; she had leaned on him unconsciously.

Ethan Shaw let out a soft breath, put his phone away, and remained perfectly still.

’For the first time, he realized how easily distracted he was.’ His gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward Naomi Kenway. Noticing the faint dark circles under her eyes, he gently reached out and brushed a finger against them.

’How long has it been since she last slept well?’

*

The tutor tried to get Ian Shaw to do his homework in his study, but Ian refused. He insisted on working in the living room.

“People are always coming and going in the living room. It’s not quiet at all. You should do your homework in your study, Ian,” Nanny Warren coaxed from the side.

Ian Shaw shook his head. “No, I want to be here. I want to wait for Mommy here.”

With that, he found a spot in the living room and motioned for the tutor to sit beside him.

The tutor looked to Nanny Warren, as if seeking her opinion.

Nanny Warren was getting on in years and always found it hard to deny any of Ian Shaw’s requests. “Then let him stay here. Ian is so eager to learn, it makes no difference where he studies.”

The tutor nodded.

Ian quickly finished his math homework. It took him all of three minutes.

The tutor was stunned. “So fast? You didn’t just guess the answers, did you, Ian?”

Ian shook his head, looking somewhat listless.

Nanny Warren, who was keeping them company, added, “Please check his work, won’t you? If there are any mistakes, could you explain them to Ian? Our Ian can be a little slow to grasp new concepts, but he always remembers things if you explain them a few times.”

The tutor nodded. The next moment, he was astonished to find that Ian had answered every question correctly. This was completely out of the ordinary. Ian usually got more than half of them wrong. His memory and comprehension skills were considered weak for his age. He often didn’t understand the tutor’s explanations, and in the end, it was always the lady of the house—Ian’s mother—who had to explain things to him.

“Ian…” The tutor’s eyes were filled with surprise. “You got every one right this time. Congratulations, Ian.”

Hearing this, Nanny Warren’s face lit up with a huge smile. “Oh, I just knew our Ian was a smart boy! He’s just a bit of a late bloomer.”

The boy in question, however, didn’t seem particularly pleased. His fair, round cheeks remained puffed out, showing no sign of happiness.

The smile on the tutor’s face faltered slightly. He felt that Ian was actually quite a precocious child, one who only acted like a lively, adorable kid when he was with the lady of the house.

“You’ve made so much progress, Ian. Did one of your teachers at school go over the problems with you?”

“It’s because Mommy is very tired. I don’t want her to have to explain my homework to me today.”

The tutor didn’t quite understand and looked to Nanny Warren for help.

Nanny Warren didn’t understand either. “Well, children have their own inner worlds, you know. I heard an expert on TV say their world is completely different from ours!”

Ian took his other assignments out of his little bookbag. As he gripped the green pencil, his thoughts turned to his mother again.

’Mommy seemed really down today…’

A noise came from the entryway, and Ian Shaw immediately ran over. “Mommy!”

The butler put a finger to his lips. “The Madam is asleep.”

Ethan Shaw carried Naomi Kenway upstairs. Just as he laid her down on the bed, he saw Ian tiptoe into the room, holding a cup of herbal tea.

Ethan Shaw sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned Ian closer. “Did you make this yourself?”

Ian nodded, his big eyes round and bright. He said, “Grandma passed away, so I have to be extra good to Mommy!”

Ethan Shaw’s heart softened. He smiled and patted the boy’s shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Ian. But Mommy’s asleep. The tea will be cold by the time she wakes up.”

Ian’s little face scrunched up in distress. “You’re right, it’ll be cold when Mommy wakes up. So…”

“So, you should make her a fresh cup when she wakes up.”

Ian nodded.

Ethan Shaw cleared his throat and hinted, “Daddy’s a little thirsty, too.”

Ian Shaw held out the cup of herbal tea. “Here, Daddy. You can have it.”

“Daddy doesn’t like herbal tea. Why don’t you go make me a different kind?”

Ian Shaw paused for a second, then turned and trudged reluctantly out of the room.

Ethan Shaw couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed he had finally figured out his place in the family hierarchy.

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