About two hours later, Arabella found herself back at Preston's front door.
From the entrance, she could see the garage, and Preston's car seemed to be missing. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, the door suddenly swung open from the inside.
Karan was slinging a big bag over her shoulder, yelling back into the house as she stepped out, "You stay put, no running around, got it? Your dad will be home tonight!"
Mid–sentence, she turned her head and saw Arabella standing at the doorway, looking taken aback and then annoyed, "Didn't you already take off? Why are you back here?"
"Karan, I think I left something here, so I came back," Arabella replied with a smile, then glanced at Karan's bag. "You heading out?"
Karan grimaced, adjusting her bag and grunting in response.
Arabella hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I go in and look for my stuff?"
Looking like she was pressed for time, Karan shot her an irritable glance, "Just go in and find whatever you need, and leave as soon as possible! And don't go chattering with Valerio, gol it?"
Arabella nodded promptly, "Alright, got it. Take care, Karan!"
With that, Karan hurried off, looking like she was indeed in a rush.
Upon entering the house, Arabella spotted Valerio sitting at the table, working on a pile of art supplies. He looked at her, obviously having heard her exchange with Karan.
Arabella waved at him with a smile, but he quickly looked down and started to sketch more furiously.
Arabella didn't bother with him further, she took a symbolic stroll upstairs and was back down in no time. Despite having spent the night here, her recorder had always been in her bag, so if it had fallen out, it would have happened in Preston's car.
The present situation left her with no choice but to wait for Preston. But how would he react when he saw her in his house again?
As she pondered this, she approached Valerio. He didn't look at her but seemed to sense her approaching, his sketching grew even more frantic the closer she got.
"What are you drawing?" Arabella asked as she picked up the assignment brief from the table.
Apparently, the assignment was for the child to create a family album with the help of their parents, featuring a family portrait and individual pages for each family member.
Valerio was obviously working on the family portrait of four identical stick figures, big heads atop bodies made up of a few strokes resembling matchsticks.
Arabella guessed that the figures were supposed to represent William, Susan, Preston, and Valerio himself. But it seemed like a crucial person was missing. However, the rough sketching didn't seem to match the standard. one would expect from a six–year–old.
Under Arabella's gaze, Valerio's sketching became erratic.
"It seems like no one at home can help you with this assignment," Arabella sighed, "You're one lucky kid. I haven't drawn for six years, and now I'm picking up a pencil to help you with this."
With that, she pulled up a chair next to Valerio, picked up a pencil, and quickly sketched out William and Susan. When it came to drawing Preston, she paused and handed the pencil to Valerio, "Would you like to try drawing. your dad?"
Valerio stared at her sketches of William and Susan for a moment before accepting the pencil from her and copying her style to draw Preston. Despite his lack of drawing skills, his sketch, although crude, somewhat resemble Preston.
Arabella quickly averted her gaze and pointed to the last empty spot on the paper, "Now it's time to draw yourself."
Valerio held the pencil, his brows furrowed in deep thought, but he didn't make a move.
Seeing this, Arabella took the pencil from him, "Let me help you."
She cupped Valerio's chin, studying the little boy in front of her. Valerio was truly beautiful, with flawless skin, dark hair, and bright, clear eyes. He looked a lot like his handsome father, Preston.
Arabella lowered her gaze, starting to sketch with her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her cheeks.
When she looked up at Valerio, she found him looking at her, his eyes full of curiosity. She patted his chin and said with a smile, "You're such a looker, why are you so quiet? Girls your age aren't usually into the silent type. How do you expect them to approach you if you don't talk? Don't you feel sad when the girl you like is always playing with other boys?"
Valerio just stared at her, his bright eyes quickly dimming. He didn't answer Arabella and just went back to his drawing.
Arabella blinked in surprise, suddenly realizing was this child mute?
Night fell, the villa bathed in warm light. Arabella sat at the dining table, guiding Valerio through the last page of the assignment.
When Preston arrived home, he saw the scene of the two figures huddled together. It was a harmonious sight. Preston took off his shoes and entered the living room. Hearing the noise, Arabella looked up at him. "Mr. Hunt, you're back?" Finally seeing him, Arabella leaned back in her chair, smiling at him as if studying his reaction.
But Preston just gave her a glance and turned to Valerio, waving him over. Valerio slid off the dining table clutching the just completed scrapbook and hurried over to Preston.
Preston flopped into the couch, taking the scrapbook and asked, "Where's Karan at?"
Arabella sauntered over and said to Valerio, "Karan had some urgent stuff to handle, so I stepped in to look after you and even helped finish up today's parent–child project."
Preston was leafing through the scrapbook. It was clear from the book that Arabella had put in a ton of work. The cartoon versions of William, Susan, and Valerio showcased her top–notch drawing skills, but his own cartoon was obviously different – clearly Valerio's masterpiece.
Arabella moved in front of him, "It's not bad, is it?"
Preston shut the book and handed it back to Valerio, "You scoot upstairs first."
Valerio glanced at Arabella, who winked at him. He quickly looked away and then silently headed upstairs.