Chapter 141: Thalia Again

He glanced at the dishes in her hands, then nodded. "All right. Don’t spend too long in the kitchen, though. I’ll come and help if you need me."

"I won’t."

Nora had already disappeared down the hallway. A moment later, she returned carrying her schoolbag, which she placed beside Ethan on the couch.

"Daddy, I’m ready!" She pulled out her exercise books and arranged them neatly on the table. "Can we start now?"

Ethan sat beside her and opened the first book. "Let’s see what you’ve got for today."

They began with mathematics. Nora had completed most of her assignments, but a few questions contained mistakes. Ethan pointed them out and asked her to explain how she had arrived at her answers.

She stared at one of the questions, her brows drawing together as she retraced her calculations.

"Wait, I think I know where I went wrong." She picked up her pencil and began correcting the answer. "I added these two numbers before multiplying them."

"And what should you do first?" He asked.

"Multiply them." Nora quickly corrected the calculation, then turned the book toward him. "Is this right?"

Ethan checked her work and nodded. "That’s correct. See? You already know how to solve the question. You just need to pay attention to the order of operations."

Nora sat a little straighter, turning the page with renewed enthusiasm. They continued through her assignments, moving from mathematics to English and then to another subject. Whenever she made a mistake, Ethan guided her through the correction instead of simply giving her the answer.

At one point, she leaned back and stretched her arms above her head.

"Daddy, how many more questions do I have?"

Ethan glanced at the exercise book. "Three."

"Three?" Nora looked at him as though he had personally betrayed her. "I thought we were almost done!"

"We were. Then I discovered that you skipped a question."

She quickly leaned forward to inspect the page, and her shoulders dropped when she found the missing exercise.

"Oh."

Ethan tapped the paper with his pencil. "Don’t worry. Finish these three, and you’re free to do whatever you want."

Nora bent over her book again, determined to finish as quickly as possible. Within a short while, she had completed the remaining questions and handed everything to Ethan for a final check.

He examined the pages before closing the book. "Good work. You’re done for today."

Nora immediately gathered her books and returned them to her schoolbag. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You’re welcome. Now, go enjoy your freedom."

She didn’t need to be told twice. Nora grabbed her iPad and settled into a corner of the couch, soon becoming absorbed in a mermaid cartoon. Ethan watched her for a moment before returning his attention to his phone, occasionally glancing up whenever she laughed at something on the screen.

Evelyn joined them after finishing her work in the kitchen. She sat beside Ethan, and he shifted slightly to make room for her. The three of them spent the rest of the evening together, with Nora watching her cartoon until she began rubbing her eyes.

"All right, young lady. Time for bed," Evelyn said, taking the iPad from her hands.

Nora looked as though she wanted to protest, but a yawn escaped her before she could speak. She rubbed her face and slid off the couch.

"Good night, Daddy," She murmured, leaning over to hug Ethan.

He returned the embrace and patted her back. "Good night. Sleep well."

Nora hugged Evelyn next before heading toward the bedroom. Evelyn followed after turning off the television, while Ethan checked the doors and lights before joining them.

It wasn’t long before the apartment fell silent.

.........

Ethan woke up early the next morning, as he usually did. After completing his morning routine, he changed into fresh clothes and headed to the kitchen.

He prepared a quick breakfast, keeping the meal simple enough that they could eat without rushing. By the time Evelyn and Nora emerged from the bedroom, he had already set everything on the dining table.

Nora stopped at the doorway, her eyes moving from the food to her father.

"Daddy, you made breakfast again?"

Ethan pulled out a chair for himself. "Unless you know someone else who sneaks into our kitchen every morning."

She giggled and hurried toward the table, while Evelyn shook her head with a smile.

"You didn’t have to do all this before we woke up," She said, taking the seat beside him.

"It’s fine. Besides, I was already awake." Ethan gestured toward the food. "Come on. Eat before it gets cold."

They ate together, chatting occasionally about the day ahead. Once breakfast was finished, Evelyn went to get her bag while Nora hurried to prepare for school. Ethan cleared the table and checked that everything was in order before grabbing the car keys.

A short while later, the three of them left the apartment and made their way downstairs to the BMW X5.

Ethan opened the rear door for Nora before helping Evelyn settle into the front passenger seat. After checking that everyone was buckled in, he started the engine and drove out of the compound.

The drive to Eve Refreshments was uneventful. When they arrived, Evelyn unfastened her seat belt and turned toward him.

"Thank you for breakfast," She said, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Ethan smiled. "You’re welcome. Have a good day at work."

"You speak like you aren’t coming back here after dropping Nora off." She mused.

"Sigh... you know me too well."

Evelyn opened the door, then glanced toward Nora. "Be good at school, sweetheart. Listen to your teachers."

"I will, Mommy!" Nora waved enthusiastically as Evelyn stepped out of the car.

Cassandra was near the shop entrance when Evelyn approached. Nora spotted her through the window and immediately lifted her hand, waving at her mother’s assistant.

Cassandra noticed the gesture and waved back with a smile before returning to her work.

Ethan watched Evelyn enter the shop, waited until she was safely inside, and then drove away.

The school was only a short distance from the shop, so they arrived without much delay. As the car approached the entrance, Nora leaned forward to look through the window, already preparing to gather her schoolbag.

"Remember to eat your lunch," Ethan reminded her as he slowed down near the drop-off area. "And don’t run around too much during break."

Nora turned toward him with an exaggerated sigh. "Dad, I know."

"Good. I just wanted to make sure."

He stopped the car and glanced at her in the rearview mirror. Nora adjusted the straps of her schoolbag before leaning forward between the seats.

"Bye, Dad! I’ll see you later!"

Ethan smiled and nodded toward the entrance. "Have a good day, sweetheart."

She climbed out, shut the door, and waved at him before joining the other children heading toward the school grounds. Ethan waited until she was safely inside before preparing to drive away.

Then, something caught his attention.

A familiar-looking woman had just pulled up a short distance ahead. The woman stepped out, opened the rear door, and helped a young boy climb down with his schoolbag. She said something to the child, straightened the boy’s collar, and watched as he hurried toward the entrance.

Ethan’s hand paused on the steering wheel.

He studied the woman’s face for a few seconds, then leaned back slightly in his seat.

A smile slowly appeared on his lips.

’Well, well. What a coincidence.’