Chapter 004 Jerk Dad

The bodyguards and Joseph watched the whole thing go down. In all of Emerald City, Daniel was the only person who'd dare talk to Alexander like that.

Everyone held their breath.

Alexander loomed over the two kids, his voice tight with anger. "Daniel, you've got some nerve. Sneaking your sister out of the hospital and following me to the airport? What if something happened to Amelia?"

William kept his lips sealed, saying nothing.

Daniel? Was that the kid he saw earlier who looked just like him?

So, he was Alexander's son, the prized grandson of the Smith family.

It seemed like Alexander was good to his daughter but not so much to his son. No wonder the kid ran away from home.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Alexander was surprised to see his son so quiet. He thought Daniel realized his mistake, so his tone softened slightly, but he still needed to make them understand. "You need to know your limits. Amelia's not in good health. Don't think that just because you're in Emerald City, no one dares to do anything to you. Don't act impulsively like this again."

William still said nothing.

Sophia had never seen William get scolded like this before and wanted to speak up, but William subtly signaled her to stay quiet.

Sophia had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

Seeing the boy's persistent silence and cold attitude, Joseph quickly stepped forward and coaxed him, "Mr. Daniel Smith, Mr. Alexander Smith was worried sick when he couldn't find you two. If you had doubts, you should have asked Mr. Alexander Smith. He came to the airport today to find Dr. Helen to treat Miss Amelia Smith, not to go abroad with Ms. Brown. You really misunderstood."

William and Sophia exchanged a glance. So Daniel and Amelia ran away from home because of his entanglement with that bad woman.

He knew about Stella. She posed as an heiress of the Brown Family, seizing control of everything belonging to Monica, which ultimately resulted in Monica giving birth to him and Sophia alone in a foreign country.

And now, she wasn't satisfied with just harming his mom; she wanted to harm his siblings too.

William looked coldly at Alexander. "You're so loving and forgiving. Why not just marry the woman who hurt my mom if you love her so much?"

"What did you say?" Alexander's face turned completely cold.

The surrounding atmosphere also dropped significantly.

Joseph was about to speak to ease the tension, but before he could, Sophia muttered, "Jerk."

Everyone was taken aback, especially Alexander, as he gazed at Sophia in astonishment.

According to his knowledge, Amelia, though not rejecting his approach, never actively approached him or spoke to him. She used to communicate only through simple gestures, but now she was speaking.

He didn't care if she was cursing him. He immediately stepped forward, squatted in front of her, and gently held her small shoulders. "Amelia, look at Daddy. Say something to Daddy."

Sophia wondered, 'What illness does Amelia suffer from?'

William signaled her to keep up the act. He wanted to know what had happened and why the four siblings had been separated for so many years.

Sophia understood William's intention and lowered her head, not speaking.

Alexander thought he had pushed her back into her shell and hugged her to comfort her, "Alright, Daddy won't push you anymore. Daddy will take you to eat something delicious, okay? What do you want to eat?"

Sophia thought for a moment. Evelyn had mentioned taking them to Azure Palace Hotel for Japanese food.

So she said, "Japanese food at Azure Palace Hotel."

Alexander was thrilled to hear her clearly express her wishes and would not refuse any of her requests.

He held his daughter in his arms and glanced at William. "Daniel, follow me."

William was speechless.

His mom always taught them about gender equality. But Alexander clearly saw a big difference between boys and girls. No wonder Daniel ran away from home.

Azure Palace Hotel.

Monica and Evelyn showed up first with another pair of cute kids in tow.

They settled at their reserved table.

After ordering a few dishes, Evelyn handed the iPad to the kids. "Sweeties, see if there's anything else you want to eat. Order whatever you like. It's on me today."

Amelia stayed quiet and leaned closer to Daniel.

Daniel, on the other hand, wasn't shy at all. He took the iPad. This hotel was part of the Smith Group, and he'd been here plenty of times. He quickly ordered all the signature dishes.

Then he handed the iPad back to Evelyn with a sweet smile. "Thank you."

Evelyn was surprised by his smile and took a moment to regain her composure. She turned to Monica and inquired, "Isn't he usually quite serious? What's up with him today?"

"Maybe he got scared at the airport." Monica sat on the other side of Amelia, holding her on her lap, and asked, "Sophia, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

The little girl shook her head obediently, burying her face in Monica's chest, thinking, 'Is this what it feels like to have a mommy?'

Daniel watched enviously, wondering why Amelia was so attached to this woman.

So he jumped off his chair, walked to Monica's side, and leaned his little face against her arm, rubbing it.

Monica hadn't seen her son act so affectionately in a long time. She hugged him too and comforted him, "William, were you scared today? It's okay. Sophia had an unexpected situation. It's not your fault. Mommy doesn't blame you."

Because Sophia had always been a healthy baby and had never been sick, the siblings had never encountered such a situation before. Monica thought their unusual behavior today was because they were scared. After all, they were still just five years old.

Daniel felt a pang of sadness listening to her gentle voice.

Because Amelia had autism and was different from other normal children, Alexander had always told him to take care of Amelia and give in to her, but he never told him it wasn't his fault.

"If only she were my mommy." Thinking this, he rubbed against her again.

Monica held them, creating an incredibly warm scene.

Meanwhile, Alexander, William, and Sophia, on the other side, were not so harmonious.

They entered a private room through another passage.

Alexander sat at the head of the table, with Sophia on his left and William further left.

Sophia looked at the person on her left, and then at the person on her right. Their attitude, aura, and coldness were exactly the same, just one in a larger size and one in a smaller size.

She was usually quite talkative, but now she didn't dare make any sound.

The atmosphere was eerie, and the pressure in the room kept dropping.

The waiter serving the dishes didn't dare to look at them and kept trembling.

Joseph walked over to William, served him some food, and coaxed, "Mr. Daniel Smith, please eat. I'll handle the crab shells for you. Mr. Alexander Smith knows you love seafood and specially prepared king crab and premium blue lobster for you. Please be good and don't make him angry again."

Saying this, he started handling the crab shells.

William looked at him strangely and said coldly, "Thank you, I know how to eat."

He was used to doing things himself.

Joseph was stunned. Was this still Daniel?

At home, Daniel always had servants peeling crabs and shrimp for him. What was going on today?

Alexander was on the phone. Seeing the dishes served, he quickly ended the call. His daughter never ate on her own and needed to be fed bite by bite because of her illness.

But she rejected others' closeness, only accepting food from her brother or father.

Alexander habitually picked up the utensils. But when he went to feed her, he found she was already eating on her own and enjoying it.

Alexander was shocked and took a while to ask, "Amelia, is it good?"

As if on the verge of speaking, Sophia reconsidered and stayed quiet.

Alexander wanted to say something more, but his phone suddenly rang again.

Sophia glanced over and noticed Stella's name on the screen.