Louis was surprised when he heard this. He shook his head repeatedly and said, "No,
Brother. This is your apartment, how could I..."
"This is a property developed by T Corporation. I bought a unit. It was actually meant for
you from the start. But Grandpa arranged a villa next door for you after that. So, the
apartment was temporarily left in my hands," explained Luke.
"If you're down with it, just take it. If not, consider it a gift for Thea. Once she's 18, I'll hand
the property to her."
Louis was greatly shocked.
Houses and properties were never a big deal for the Crawford family as everyone owned
several of them.
Even Susan, with a few villas and apartments under her name, had not moved into any of
them. She used them for investment or rental purposes instead.
Louis was an exception, having sold all his properties to fund his business for the
company.
Otherwise, he would not be in such a mess now.
"Even if it's for Thea, that’s future business.." Louis initially wanted to decline, but he
considered that it was meant for Thea. It was up to Thea herself whether to accept or not.
As a father, he did not feel right making decisions on behalf of his daughter.
"If you find it hard to accept, just pay some rent each month. How about a thousand
dollars?"
Luke knew what he was thinking. Even though they were brothers, being half-siblings did
make a difference. Louis did not want people to say he succeeded only because of his
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbrother. That was why he was drawing a line on these little matters.
Louis felt like he was dreaming. Did he hear it wrong?
In A City, a rental of a thousand dollars was only possible in the outskirts. The school Thea
attended was a prestigious one, and the rental and selling prices of the properties around
it were proportional to its reputation.
Getting a four-bedroom apartment for a thousand dollars was unbelievable in that area.
Louis wanted to say that this would be taking advantage of Luke.
However, before he could voice his rejection, Yuri accepted it. "Luke, thank you."
Luke shook his head and replied, "Louis, we're brothers. I'd be happy if you could come to
me when you're in trouble. I know the solution isn't what you expected. I'm sorry."
Louis looked at the apartment access card in his hand and shook his head, "Brother..."
He did not want to disturb Old Master Mallory's peace, but if there was another solution,
he would not have taken this route.
Properties near Thea's school were difficult to rent. Especially now, when it was not at the
beginning or end of the year. There were almost no vacant houses.
Besides, if people found out he was renting, it would affect the Crawford family.
That was why Louis thought of having Susan return to Crawford Manor.
Now, Luke provided him with a new solution.
A thousand dollars was not much of a burden for him. He was hesitant to accept it, but
since Yuri had agreed, saying anything more would seem overly sensitive.
"It's up to you whether you're telling Grandpa about this or not. If you need any help, just
call me," said Luke. He could not intervene in Louis' matters. Thus, the best he could do
was offer them a place to stay.
"Alright." Louis glanced at the files on Luke's desk. They were both busy men. Luke had a
lot to deal with in his company. Louis rose to his feet and said, "Thanks, Brother. I'll move
in tomorrow."
"I'll have the maid head there first tomorrow. Just let me know if you need anything." Luke
had already arranged for a maid to help him.
He had to choose a maid with experience taking care of kids.
"There's nothing much to prepare. Yuri has already packed Thea's stuff today. I'll return to
Crawford Manor tomorrow and talk to Grandpa about it. Then, I'll pack some of the clothes
I have at Crawford Manor to bring over," replied Louis.
He could not have Luke to help with more of his matters.
After all, it was his own family matter. How could he let Luke worry about it?
Moreover, what Luke said also reminded him that even though he did not have to ask for
help from Old Master Crawford now, he had to lay it out straight with him. Otherwise, if
something happened in the future, explaining it to Old Master Crawford would be a real
headache. The old master hated being kept in the dark the most.
"Okay. Go ahead and choose a maid. Thea is still young, so pick someone who has
experience with taking care of Lanie and Rainie," suggested Luke.
Lanie and Rainie were born when Louis was not married yet, and he still lived in Crawford
Manor then. Hence, he knew which maid had taken good care of them.
"Alright. Thank you, Brother. Yuri and I will leave you to your work," replied Louis as he
stood up with Yuri.
"Sure." Luke indeed had work to do. Recently, with everything going on with Luca, he did
not have a chance to address many of the documents.
Louis kept the property access card and headed downstairs. He saw the three kids and
Luca sitting on the sofa, watching cartoons. The warm and harmonious atmosphere left
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhim unable to resist a twinge of envy.
He had not felt such warmth in a long time ever since he lived with Susan.
Tommy heard footsteps, turned around, and saw Louis. He jumped off the sofa, picked up
the plate of desserts on the coffee table, and walked over to him. "Uncle Louis."
Louis happily stroked the child's head. "Hey. What's up?"
"These desserts are for you." Tommy generously offered the plate.
"For me?" Louis was puzzled. "Why?"
"I want to apologize to you for bullying you, Uncle Louis. I'm really sincere about it!"
explained Tommy before respectfully bowing to Louis. "I'm sorry, Uncle Louis. As a junior,
I'll respect you more in the future."
Louis was dumbfounded and turned to look at Luca.
She was smiling, but she did not stop Tommy. Louis withdrew his gaze and looked at the
child. Under Tommy's eager gaze, he had no choice but to take the plate and reply, "Okay,
okay. I forgive you."
As a matter of fact, Louis did not think the child did anything wrong. After all, kids were
mischievous. When Lanie and Rainie were Tommy's age, they often 'bullied' him too.
"Yay, Uncle Louis forgave me!" Tommy made a victory gesture toward the others on the
sofa.
Louis shook his head with a wry smile. He took Yuri's hand, sat on the sofa, tasted the
desserts with the kids, and then left.
Inside the car, the atmosphere hung heavy with tension.
Yuri glanced at Louis and asked, "What's the deal with Luca?"
"How should I know?" Louis replied absentmindedly. He did know. She was Luca, after all,
but Luke had told him not to tell the others. Hence, Louis had to pretend he did not know.
After all, it seemed like dealing with Luca's situation was not going to be an easy fix.