Tommy heard it and immediately exclaimed, "Ah!" He sounded a little annoyed.
"Rainie, why didn't you tell me last night? I want to sleep with Mo—Ms. Luca too!" He
almost blurted out the word 'Mom'. He patted his chest and let out a quiet sigh of relief
when he saw that no one was around.
Fortunately, no one heard him. It seemed that what their mother said yesterday made
sense. They needed to be cautious.
"You almost said it out again." Rainie heard it clearly. "We need to be more careful."
Tommy stuck out his tongue and replied, "I got it, Rainie. I'm really jealous of you. You're
Daddy's only biological child, aren't you?"
"What nonsense!" Rainie laughed, hugging a pillow as she walked back to her room.
"Daddy allowed you to sleep with them, but he never lets me sleep with Ms. Luca,"
grumbled Tommy, following her like a little duckling.
Even though he was a boy, he had always been a mama's boy since he was little.
However, their father always told him that he could not keep clinging to their mother all
the time. He would end up as a mama's boy, and the other kids would tease him. Boys
should be brave and sleep on their own. That way, they would grow up to be strong and
independent young men.
Therefore, Tommy, even at a young age, had to choose between clinging to his mother
and becoming a tough man.
Actually, their father did not give him a choice. If he showed any sign of wanting to cling
to his mother, his father would pick him up and send him back to his room.
Their father had always been like this, insisting that the children slept on their own at
night instead of sleeping with their mother.
Tommy could not help but feel even more bummed when he saw the smile on Rainie's
face.
"Rainie, can you bring me along the next time you sleep with Ms. Luca? We'll each take
one side." Tommy negotiated again.
Rainie wanted to tell him that unless their father was away on a business trip, there was
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtno way she would have another chance to sleep with their mother.
However, when she saw the hopeful expression in her brother's eyes, she could not bring
herself to crush his hopes. She nodded and replied, "Okay, I'll call you along next time."
"Rainie, you're awesome! All my snacks are yours from now on!" Tommy exclaimed
excitedly. The only things the kids shared among them were their snacks and toys.
He knew Rainie did not like his toys. That was why he generously offered to share his
snacks.
"Keep them to yourself. I don't need them. Alright, I'm going to freshen up and change.
You'd better hurry up and go downstairs," said Rainie. She put the pillow back on her bed
and opened the closet to grab her school uniform.
Every afternoon, Aunt Neile would put their school uniforms on the far left of the closet.
Rainie easily found and took hers down.
Tommy nodded, left the room, and closed the door behind him.
After freshening up and changing into her school uniform, Rainie walked out of the room
and ran into Luca, who was also ready after washing up.
Rainie happily went up and held her hand.
Luca glanced down at her daughter and gave her a smile. "Let's go downstairs for
breakfast, or we'll be late."
"Okay, Ms. Luca." Rainie nodded.
The mother and daughter went downstairs holding hands. Aunt Neile said with a smile on
her face when she saw them, "Ms. Luca and Ms. Rainie share such a close relationship.
Just like mother and daughter."
She said it unintentionally, but everyone present took note of it.
Was it not right? They were really mother and daughter, even though Luca had been apart
for a few years and missed out on Rainie's early growth. However, their bond as mother
and daughter had not been affected at all.
It was still going strong.
The mother and daughter reached the dining chairs and finally let go of each other's
hands to take their seats.
Aunt Neile served breakfast. It was still burgers. They were leftovers from yesterday. She
was worried they might not be enough, so she prepared some spaghetti with meatballs
made from the burger patties.
The three kids all expressed their desire to have some when they saw the spaghetti and
meatballs.
It was because the patties were seasoned by Luca and tasted really good.
Even if it stayed in the fridge for a day or two, it would not affect the taste of the patties.
Aunt Neile helped them with the spaghetti and meatballs. She also brought out glasses of
fresh milk.
Their breakfast might not be as fancy, but it tasted good. After Tommy filled up his
stomach, he asked, "Aunt Neile, can we have burgers every day?"
"If Young Master Tommy likes it, of course, we can have it every day. But I'm afraid you
might get tired of it," replied Aunt Neile with a smiling face.
Tommy shook his head, indicating that he would not get tired of it. "Burgers taste so good.
I love burgers!"
"It's getting late. Hurry up and go to school," Luke glanced at the time and reminded
them. The kids left at a specific time every day.
If they were slightly late, Zander would have to drive faster to avoid them from being late,
which was not safe.
Therefore, Luke strictly required the kids to leave for school either on time or earlier, never
later. It was both a strict requirement and a safety measure.
The three kids immediately got up from their chairs.
Lanie looked at his parents and said, "Daddy, Ms. Luca, we're off to school."
"Alright, pay attention in class," Luca smiled and reminded them.
After the three kids left, Luke said, "I've already talked to Lanie's teacher. After this
semester, we'll let Lanie take an acceleration exam. If his results are good, he might enter
junior high."
"Junior high..." Luca thought for a moment, then nodded.
Lanie was tall, and he was the tallest in his class, but his face was still young, similar to his
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmpeers.
If he entered junior high, aside from his face not quite resembling a junior high student
yet, his height was enough to help him fit in.
No one would dare to bully Lanie even if he skipped grades and entered junior high,
especially with Luke's influence.
Sending the child to junior high was a good idea. This way, it would not be a waste of time
for him. Considering how intelligent Lanie was, continuing to study in elementary school
would be a waste of time.
"What grade could he skip to?" asked Luca.
"Probably ninth grade," Luke pondered for a moment. Considering the curriculum for ninth
grade, Lanie should not have much trouble with it.
Lanie's self-study skills were strong. After finishing his homework, he sometimes read
extracurricular books or books related to his studies.
If he could not understand something, he would make a note and ask Luke later.
During the three years when Luca was away, the child quickly accumulated knowledge.
Lanie had already covered the material for ninth grade.
However, taking into consideration his younger sister, he had not proposed to skip a grade
until now.
After all, Rainie did not have his kind of advanced learning ability. Even though she got
good grades, it was limited to her current grade.
She was the kind of child who took it step by step in her learning. She was quite different
from Lanie.
"Ninth grade?" Luca raised an eyebrow. "Won't that be too big of a leap?"
"No, he's actually quite ahead. If he jumps to ninth grade, he can participate in the high
school entrance exam and hopefully get into the best high school in the city." Luke had
discussed all of this with the teachers.
To get into the best high school in the city, it all depended on the students' grades.
It was unlike those elite schools where money could get them in. The best high school
separated classes based on students' performance.
The reason it was considered the best high school in the city was that it attracted the
most outstanding students from the entire city. Hence, after discussing with Lanie's
teacher, Luke planned to have Lanie skip to ninth grade if his grades continued to excel.