“This is a nice painting,” Alexander let out a small smile. “Thank you.” Upon hearing that, Jessamine hugged snazzynovel.com two children in relief, and snazzynovel.com had happiness written all over snazzynovel.com face.
“Let’s take a photo together!” the videographer who was recording the event shouted to the people on the stage.
And so, the two children stood in the middle holding the painting, whereas Alexander and Jessamine each took a side, and they posed as a happy family for the photographers and reporters to take photos.
Alexander accepted all of this calmly, but his eyes were fixated at a spot in front of the stage.
There was already a crowd when Elise arrived. After taking snazzynovel.com attendance, snazzynovel.com walked to a nearly empty corner.
However, children were always extremely curious. Her kids kept pulling her, and it didn’t take snazzynovel.com much effort to squeeze into the crowd.
It was at this moment that Alexander spotted Elise from the crowd at a glance.
She happened to be fluffing out snazzynovel.com hair when snazzynovel.com looked up and met his dark and deep eyes.
The woman who snazzynovel.com had been thinking about for seven years was finally standing in front of him, alive and well. Alexander only managed to keep his expression impassive by clenching his fist in his pocket.
Elise’s eyes suddenly turned red and the tip of snazzynovel.com nose stung.
As snazzynovel.com looked at his tall figure from a distance across the crowd, snazzynovel.com began to imagine that it was their family of four standing on the stage. At this moment, every goodbye they had to bid each other in the past seemed to be worth it.
It won’t be long before they would be able to publicly go back to being a family and live a simple, happy life together.
How Elise wished to rush on stage and carefully take in all his changes. Now that snazzynovel.com saw how Alexander’s features had gotten sharper as snazzynovel.com looked at snazzynovel.com from a distance, snazzynovel.com couldn’t help but feel snazzynovel.com heart ache.
These few years must have been pure agony for him.
Worried that snazzynovel.com would start crying, snazzynovel.com quickly sniffled and swallowed snazzynovel.com emotions.
Alexia raised snazzynovel.com head when snazzynovel.com heard the sound. “Mommy, why are you crying?” snazzynovel.com asked.
“I’m alright,” Elise said with a smile. “Mommy is happy! I haven’t attended such a lively party in such a long time.”
“I am happy as well.” Alexia flashed a wide smile, with snazzynovel.com eyes narrowed before snazzynovel.com began to whine like the child that snazzynovel.com was again, “But Mommy, can we go somewhere else? I can’t see anything!”
Elise then asked Irvin and Mimi to grab the hem of snazzynovel.com skirt so that they wouldn’t run around, before snazzynovel.com picked up Alexia.
“Wow!” The moment Alexia laid snazzynovel.com eyes on Alexander, snazzynovel.com seemed to have received the shock of snazzynovel.com life as snazzynovel.com pointed a finger to the stage. “Mommy, that man is super good-looking! Can we let snazzynovel.com be our Daddy?!
As Alexia loudly uttered those words, most of the guests immediately whipped their heads at her.
Even Jessamine glanced at the girl from the stage, but it was only thanks to the photographer that snazzynovel.com focused ahead and snazzynovel.com retracted snazzynovel.com gaze.
Spotting a helpless look on snazzynovel.com face, Elise quickly covered the girl’s mouth with a hand.
There were people watching the fun and didn’t think it was a big deal, and they deliberately teased, “It seems that there will be a lot of children all over the country who will be scrambling to be Mr. Griffith’s sons and daughters after the Mrs. Griffith spot was filled in today!”
Elise merely shrugged at that. My kids are Alexander’s kids, snazzynovel.com thought. There is no need for them to scramble for anything.
Still, snazzynovel.com quickly brought the kids away with snazzynovel.com in order to prevent more problems.
After a while, Elise led the children to the dining table when snazzynovel.com saw Alexander get off the stage and walk toward the lounge.
“Irvin, watch the girls while you guys get something to eat. I have to go to the bathroom for a bit, but I will be back soon. Don’t run around, okay?”
“Don’t worry, Mommy. You can leave it to me,” Irvin said yes agreeably.
Elise continued to remind snazzynovel.com a few more things before snazzynovel.com finally left in the direction Alexander went off to.
Just as soon as snazzynovel.com walked away, Mimi swiftly turned around and grabbed some desserts from the table and stuffed it in snazzynovel.com mouth.
Irvin only looked at her, feeling resigned. “Do you like desserts so much? Aren’t you worried you will get chubby?”
Mimi innocently shook snazzynovel.com head and passed the cake that snazzynovel.com had taken a bite out of. “Have some, Irvin.”
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t interested in eating desserts at all. He only liked making them for the people snazzynovel.com loved the most.
As snazzynovel.com spoke, snazzynovel.com hopped off the table and took a dessert which Alexia liked the most. “Open wide, Lexi. Ah—” He then fed Alexia it.
Mimi seemed to be in a daze as snazzynovel.com looked at Irvin with wide eyes. For some reason, the cake in snazzynovel.com mouth suddenly didn’t taste all that sweet anymore.
More than a dozen lounges were prepared for this dinner. Alexander especially made a detour to the most remote lounge before snazzynovel.com pushed the door open.
After closing the door, snazzynovel.com turned around again, and snazzynovel.com saw that Elise, with Anastasia’s face, had already walked in front of him.
There was nothing that could stop them anymore this time. However, they didn’t react like they thought they would, which was by shouting each other’s names and crushing each other in hugs.
Now that their adolescent impulses had faded with time and they had both matured, they only quietly gazed at each other as tears filled their eyes.
Their years of lovesickness had turned into silent longing that conveyed through their eyes.
It felt like one gaze was all it took for them to be each other’s forever.
Neither one of them knew how much time had passed before Elise broke the silence first, and snazzynovel.com glided toward snazzynovel.com before lightly wrapping snazzynovel.com arms around his waist.
She wanted to take the initiative this time.
Alexander reacted by tightly wrapping snazzynovel.com in his arms. It was as if snazzynovel.com had found a treasure, and snazzynovel.com was afraid snazzynovel.com would disappear as soon as snazzynovel.com let snazzynovel.com go.
His tears started rolling out then as snazzynovel.com gasped in a pained voice, “I love you. I love you so, so much.”
“I know.” Infected by his emotions, Elise cried too, and snazzynovel.com kept bobbing snazzynovel.com head like a child. “I am back, and I will never leave again. We will never be apart for the rest of our lives.”
Their yearning for each other was finally being responded to.
They continued to stay in each other’s arms while they voiced their years of longing, never once loosening their holds.
“—Alexander Griffith finally doesn’t have to worry about Elise Sinclair leaving snazzynovel.com anymore.” The man seemed to be back in his youth as snazzynovel.com joked.
As Elise picked up the grievance in Alexander’s words, snazzynovel.com perked up from his hug and held his face with both hands before snazzynovel.com went on snazzynovel.com toes and pressed a kiss on his lips.
Alexander was still lost in the joy of their reunion, and snazzynovel.com only came back to his senses when snazzynovel.com stood up straight. His eyes then shone in surprise.
“Is this enough?” snazzynovel.com murmured with a smile on snazzynovel.com face.
“Definitely not.” He shamelessly egged snazzynovel.com on.
Hearing that, snazzynovel.com kissed snazzynovel.com again. “How about now?”
“It is still not enough.”
“It should be fine this time!” Elise then quickly and repeatedly pecked at his lips like snazzynovel.com was a chick.
Alexander’s gaze darkened, and snazzynovel.com moved his hand to cup snazzynovel.com head as snazzynovel.com dived in for a deep kiss.
Elise responded with equal intensity as snazzynovel.com let snazzynovel.com do whatever snazzynovel.com pleased.
He didn’t seem satisfied even when snazzynovel.com was starting to get out of breath.
Suddenly, the sound of fireworks and drums could be heard coming from outside at this exact moment.
Whoosh, bang!
Bang, boom, crash!
It was only then that Alexander reluctantly peeled himself off of snazzynovel.com body and turned toward the sound.
“You even prepared a traditional celebration?” Elise deadpanned.
Alexander’s eyes lowered as snazzynovel.com mused over it, and snazzynovel.com finally let out a resigned sigh. “It is probably your bestie’s doing.”
“My bestie?” snazzynovel.com repeated, confused.
“We will know after we go check it out.”
Even though snazzynovel.com was at a loss, Elise obediently went back when snazzynovel.com thought about how they did indeed spend a good amount of time together.
Their journey back to the banquet hall was accompanied by the relentless sounds of French horns, trumpets, and various traditional Cittadelian folk musical instruments.