Eventually, she stood up straight and calmly filled him in on Evelyn and Daniel's weekend plans. Her tone stayed gentle but there was a bit of distance. She talked for a few minutes while Leonel just listened quietly.

Cordelia nestled snugly in Leonel’ arms.

Cordelia seemed to recognize Leonel as her father and stared at him with big curious eyes.

He couldn't resist reaching out to stroke her cheek.

Cordelia's cheek felt soft and smelled like baby lotion.

Even though Cordelia was only nine months old, she could already speak quite a few words. She didn't need much teaching and sweetly calling out "Daddy" to Leonel...

This brought tears to his eyes.

It had been a while since Evelyn and Daniel had seen him.

With Alexis there, Evelyn and Daniel seemed a bit reserved.

Seeing Noreen there, Alexis felt at ease, so she soon left to catch her flight.

Now, only Leonel, Noreen, and the three kids remained.

After a while, they heard a car pulling away from downstairs.

It was obvious that Alexis had departed.

Noreen noticed the kids seemed a bit tense, so she grinned and said, “Let's whip up some snacks and drinks. I'll ferry Evelyn and Daniel to their classes later. For now, let them relax and play."

Evelyn really missed Leonel.

She hugged him tight, while Daniel sat quietly beside him, still peeved.

Leonel subtly shifted his leg. Cordelia's weight was starting to make it throb.

He tried to chat with Daniel.

After some coaxing, Daniel reluctantly responded to him but it was clear their bond wasn't as strong as before.

It hit Leonel in the feels but he couldn't change it.