Chapter 263 - Was It Really Because Of Him?

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When Neil arrived home, he found Hazel in the living room with the parts of the Gundam model on the table. The little girl lifted her head to look at him and her eyes widened with joy.

Seeing the cheerful expression on her face brought a smile to his face. Neil walked over to Hazel and sat down beside her. His hand stretched out to touch her head before Neil leaned to kiss the top of her head. "Hazel, what are you doing?"

The little girl did not answer, but only lifted the Gundam box on the table.

Neil looked at the box and then to parts that Hazel was working on. "I've never seen this one before. Is this new?"

Hazel looked at him with a sparkled eyes and nodded.

It would be a lie to say that he was not disappointed to see that Hazel did not speak to him. Neil thought that he missed hearing Hazel's cheerful voice whenever he stepped into the house.

The place seemed a little quiet without Hazel's voice.

"Have you had your dinner?" Neil asked.

Hazel nodded before she continued to work on the model. 

When Hazel looked away, a trace of disappointment flashed on Neil's face. His heart ached when Hazel continued not to speak.

"Then you stay here. I'll look for Auntie Edith, alright?"

The little girl nodded again and Neil stood up to enter the kitchen to find Edith. The moment he arrived, Edith looked up and flashed him a smile. He walked over to her, slid his arms around her waist, and pecked at her lips.

"Did you have dinner yet?" Edith asked when they parted. "I left some dishes for you. Would you like to eat them?"

Neil let out a chuckle. "Alright." He took off his jacket, put them on the chair, and slid into the stool at the bar counter. "Hazel seemed a little happier today."

Edith replied with a soft hum. "Lily and Alex came over to visit Hazel this evening." She put a few plates of side dishes on the table and turned around again. "Alex brought a new model and gave them to Hazel. I think Hazel was happy to see Alex. The two were playing along just fine."

A slight frown appeared on his face when Neil thought of that little boy who seemed to like holding hands with his niece. Though he did not like Alex that much, Neil was glad that the boy had made Hazel happy.

"The boy… he did not mind Hazel's condition?" Neil asked with a hushed voice. 

"Lily explained to him about Hazel's situation before they come over," Edith said. "Alex understood that Hazel is unwell and he did not mind when Hazel did not respond to his questions."

A chuckle escaped her as Edith recalled the way Alex had continuously complained about his school life while Hazel listened to him patiently. 

Now that she thought of it… the two children were always like this. 

Hazel and Alex both were quiet children. But whenever they were together, Alex would talk a lot with Hazel. Mostly about the Gundam model.

The first time Edith heard how Alex had explained to Hazel about those models with enthusiasm, Edith thought that Hazel would be bored. But the little girl continued to listen patiently and soon, she too became interested in those models.

Alex had this habit where he liked to hold on to Hazel's hand as he led her to play elsewhere. When Edith had casually asked Alex about this, the little boy had said that Hazel is a year younger than him. Therefore, as the big brother, it was his responsibility to look after his younger sister.

The two kids were cute together and sometimes, Edith would wonder if Lily's wish would come true—that Hazel would someday become her daughter-in-law.

Realizing that she was thinking way too far, Edith quickly dismissed her thought.

Alex and Hazel were still children and it was best to let them be kids and enjoy their life. They had a long way ahead of them and once they grew up, perhaps, they would no longer be as close as they were now.

Edith glanced at the clock and noticed that it was late. "I'll go and accompany Hazel to bed first."

Neil nodded. "Go ahead. Don't worry about the dishes. I'll clean up everything when I'm done."

…

After checking at the monitor beside the bedside table, Edith tucked Hazel in bed, planted a kiss on the little girl's forehead, and slowly retreated out of the room. 

Neil stood, facing the french window with a phone pressed at his ear. His body turned when he heard the door swung open and Neil flashed Edith a smile before he continued to speak something in a low voice.

Seeing that he was still preoccupied, Edith went into the bathroom to wash her face and dealt with her nighttime skin routine. When she walked out again, Neil was sitting on the bed with his phone in his hand.

"My parents will be coming over this weekend," Neil announced.

Edith paused for a few seconds before she nodded. Sophie and Lucas were both Hazel's grandparents and has been worried over their granddaughter for days. Now that Lucas' health was slightly better, the two decided to head over to L City to look at their granddaughter.

"Is your father well now?"

Neil answered with a soft hum. His lips tilted into a small smile when he saw Edith's worried expression. They both knew about Lucas's health and that he could not be agitated, but Neil decided to tell his parents the truth about Hazel.

After all, it doesn't make sense to lie to them. Neil's parents are both smart and would figure out that something was wrong sooner or later.

Edith slid under the cover and stared at the ceiling. "I still cannot figure out why Hazel would be frightened of the General Attorney. Was it really because of him? Or perhaps there's something else that we don't know about?"

She can only wish that Aaron would help her to look into the General Attorney and contact her soon. Edith did not like the feeling of not knowing what was going on with Hazel.

If she knew more, perhaps, there would be something that she can do to help Hazel deal with it better. But at this time, Hazel refused to say, or tell them anything.

Neil hesitated as he heard Edith's words. He turned to look at her and spoke, "There's something that I did not tell you." 

Edith turned her body to face him and her expression gradually changed as she continued to listen to what Neil had told her.

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