These words finally settled Rouge Jarvis's heart, which had been devoid of any sense of security.
The long, painful days and nights of missing Poppy were no more.
Now, Poppy was back.
She nodded, tears in her eyes, and softly asked her sons, "Does it hurt?"
The four brothers didn't speak.
Rouge Jarvis softened her voice again, choking up a few times, "When Preston Quinn hit you just now, did it hurt?"
Maxim Ford and Isaac Ford shook their heads, Maxim Ford was the first to speak: "It doesn't hurt, Mom."
Julian Ford grimaced through the pain, his smile a bit roguish, lending his pale face an oddly morbid beauty, and said half playfully, half seriously, "Uncle Quinn's beating won't heal unless I eat the bird's nest soup you personally cook, Mom."
Rouge Jarvis saw it and felt the ache in her heart, "This kid, how old are you and still acting spoiled?"
Though scolding, her words carried more affection.
Aiden Shaw: "Not as much as you care."
