Chapter 516

Susan was totally losing it because of him. "Alright, it's late. I'm hitting the sack."

"So, you're gonna punish me tomorrow?" Caleb asked.

"I'll be home tomorrow, no plans." Susan shot back.

"Then I'll catch you at the office on Monday." Caleb sighed.

"Keep your distance at work. I don't want any gossip." Susan ordered.

"Sounds like being seen with me is a drag for you." Caleb teased.

"Goodnight."

"Wait, you're not mad anymore?" Caleb called out.

Susan shook her head. "Too tired to be mad at you." Truth is, she was never really pissed; she wasn't the type to hold grudges.

Caleb said, "I don't buy it. Prove it."

"How?" Susan felt like she was dealing with a kid. Oh man, her Oliver was way more mature and never needed this kind of coddling, unlike Caleb.

"Give me a kiss."

"Goodbye." Susan hung up just as his "Goodnight" text came through, and she couldn't help but smile.

Just as she was about to crash, her phone buzzed with another message.

She opened it; it was from Michael.

[Great seeing you today.] Followed by a big smiling emoji.

Susan replied: [Me too, goodnight.]

Susan woke up early, feeling fresh.

She glanced at her phone, it was 7:30 AM, still early, but the sun was already shining bright outside. The early spring sunshine was warm, lifting her spirits.

Susan squinted and smiled, feeling cheerful.

Caleb hadn't sent her a good morning text, which meant he was still snoozing. Susan hesitated about whether to text him first.

She decided against it; she didn't want him getting too full of himself.

She got up, washed up, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"This lily of the valley is so beautiful! A rare variety!" Maurice was squatting, checking out the flower with his reading glasses.

"My dad specifically asked me to bring it over, knowing you'd like it." Michael said.

"Mommy, come look, such beautiful lilies of the valley!" Oliver ran over to grab Susan's hand.

Susan nodded and smiled at Michael. "You're here so early?"

"Yeah... morning." Michael's face turned a bit red, his heart racing. He tried hard to hide it, but it was tough. "My dad asked me to bring the lilies of the valley to Mr. Wilson, so I came over early. Hope I didn't wake you."

Susan shook her head and smiled.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, I did."

'Is it because of me? Because we had a nice chat?' Michael couldn't help but wonder. 'If that's the case, that'd be awesome, 'cause I was buzzing all night too.'

After heading home yesterday, he lay in bed unable to sleep, not wanting to sleep, his mind racing, replaying their moments together, Susan's every smile, every gesture, every word they exchanged. Even in his dreams, it was all about her.

For over a year, he had been haunted by nightmares, almost falling into depression. Yesterday was the only day he felt happy. It was like the sky clearing up after a storm.

He thought God wasn't too cruel to him after all, giving him a ray of hope in the midst of the gloom, and Susan was that ray of hope. So, when he woke up, he couldn't wait to find an excuse to come to the Wilson family, just to see her.

She was so beautiful, gentle, and lovely, with such a bright smile.

Michael wanted to have that smile for a lifetime. Thinking of this, he felt even more passionate and enthusiastic.

"I slept well too," Michael grinned.

Oliver glanced at Michael, then at Susan, and suddenly got it. Too bad his clueless mom was totally oblivious; she was super slow on the uptake.

Michael was clearly into Susan, which made sense. Susan was such a catch; any guy would be into her. Looked like Caleb had some competition, even if this rival was no match for him.

But Oliver, being the little mischief-maker he was, thought Michael could give Caleb a run for his money, make him jealous. Caleb had made Susan cry so many times before, and Oliver held grudges.

Thinking this, Oliver got even more enthusiastic towards Michael. "Michael, let's put the flowers in the garden."

"Sure." Michael's heart almost melted as the little hand grabbed his.

The three of them headed to the garden together.

Watching the adorable Oliver, Michael thought how awesome it would be if Oliver were his own kid. He wouldn't care if Oliver wasn't his biological child; as long as Oliver was Susan's, he'd treat him like his own.

From the second floor, Carol watched the scene, feeling a bit uneasy. "Michael seems to really like Oliver."

"Yeah, because of Susan," May casually replied.

"Because of Susan?" Carol frowned.

May chimed in, "Dad, Mom, you can't tell that Michael likes Susan? He liked her before, and you both knew that."

"That was a long time ago, Michael was married..."

May added, "He's divorced now, and he doesn't have any kids, so he likes Oliver. If they get married, Michael would definitely be good to Oliver."

"Don't talk nonsense, Susan is with Caleb, isn't she?" Carol shook her head.

"Even though Caleb is Oliver's dad, they haven't officially started dating. That means there's something off with their relationship, otherwise, why haven't they tied the knot yet? Given our family, I think Michael is more suitable for Susan." May knew Carol favored Caleb, so she tried to persuade Maurice, "Dad, you've watched Michael grow up and know his character best. He's a good guy and would make a great husband. Didn't you want them to get married back then?"

"That was years ago..."

"I'm talking about now. I also think Michael is more suitable. Our families are well-matched, and the parents are friends. We know each other well. But the Eilish family is too different from ours. Marrying into a wealthy family doesn't guarantee happiness. On the contrary, look at those celebrities who marry into wealthy families; how many of them have good lives? Aren't they all just couples in name only? Those rich guys have too many temptations around them, with gossip news popping up all the time. Their wives must feel so aggrieved. If it were for money, that would be one thing, but we're not like that. We care most about Susan's happiness. But marrying into a wealthy family usually doesn't bring happiness." May said a lot in one breath.

"I think Caleb is sincere towards Susan; he's not a playboy," Carol objected.

May explained, "I'm not saying he's not sincere now, but how long can it last? Can you guarantee he can resist outside temptations? Once or twice, maybe, but what about three or four times? With his status, there are countless women throwing themselves at him every day. Men, when faced with too many temptations, will eventually give in. You don't want to see Susan come home crying, do you?"