It'll Come Naturally
Chapter 1690 Rivals In Love (Part Two)

"Hey there, my little princess! Now that's what I call a really warm welcome," Fred remarked happily. He gathered the little girl in his arms and hugged her tightly. Fred was very fond of Joyce. He had taken an overnight flight to S City after hearing from the girl that she had seen her daddy. "Hello, Uncle Fred." Compared to his excitable twin sister, Huey was more reserved in greeting Fred. The boy only gave the man a slight smile to welcome him, unlike Joyce, who quickly jumped into Fred's arms.

"Hey, Huey! I brought you your favorite model toy. Do you want to see it?" Fred announced. He settled Joyce on the floor and dug into his bag for Huey's gift. The boy was usually indifferent when Fred was around, and the man didn't know how to connect with him. "Really? Let me have a look!" Huey demanded. He beamed with pleasure as soon as Fred mentioned about his favorite toy.

"Fred, you know you don't have to get them gifts. You embarrass me when you do that," Annie complained. She felt awkward to see Fred spending money on her children, for Annie's sake.

"Oh, come on, Annie. We're friends, aren't we? So there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, it's just a little something. Nothing expensive, so don't mind it." Pretending to be exasperated, Fred knitted his brows. He hated it when Annie would stand on ceremony with him.

"But really, you don't have to bother bringing them presents. And it's not the first time you've done that," she argued. The young mother didn't want to spoil her children, so she usually didn't buy them stuff.

"Well, forget it," Fred said dismissively. "Uh, don't you think this house is too small for you?" He was looking around and noted that the place was not only small, but its general appearance was unsatisfactory. Annie quickly retorted, "Not at all. I like it, and the place is just suitable for the three of us." There was a smile of satisfaction as she answered Fred. While the house wasn't very large, it was completely equipped. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shirt. "Uncle Fred, aren't you forgetting something?" an unhappy Joyce asked. She was pouting in envy since Fred only brought out her brother's gift. But Joyce was bold enough to remind the man about his oversight.

"Oh. I'm sorry!" Fred said with an apologetic smile. "I nearly forgot it. But here you are, my little princess. Your favorite Barbie doll!" He rummaged through his suitcase and found Joyce's gift. Fred was so eager to see the family that he skipped going to the hotel first so he could immediately visit them.

At the sight of the doll, the little girl gave Fred a huge smile. "Wow, I love it! Thank you, Uncle Fred!" Joyce squealed in delight. She quickly opened the box to inspect the precious doll and looked rapturous, her grin growing wider and wider.

Annie sighed in resignation. Every time Fred visited, he would always bring the kids' favorite toys. It was no big deal for Fred, and he liked doing it. However, Annie was worried that her children would get too used to this and keep expecting gifts from Fred. "Haven't you booked a hotel yet?" Annie inquired politely. She saw his clothes were still in the suitcase along with the kids' gifts, thus her curiosity.

"The organizers arranged accommodations for me. But I came straight here, instead of checking in. Hmmm. Are you afraid I'd ask to stay with you?" Fred teased. The truth was that was his intention, but he knew very well Annie would never agree.

"No, it just crossed my mind, seeing your stuff," she replied. One reason why she and Fred were good friends was the knowledge that Fred was an upright man. Otherwise, she wouldn't be friends with a man so easily.

"Don't worry. I have a good sense of propriety," Fred told Annie. "And I won't push you into a relationship with me. I'd rather you decide how it should happen. Don't you think so?" It unnerved him to bare his intentions to Annie. Fred rarely uttered such kind of words, but he felt there might not be any other opportunity to express his feelings for her if he didn't do it now.

"What are you talking about, Fred?" His remarks confused Annie, who raised an eyebrow. She had always treated Fred as one of her best friends, and it puzzled her why he was suddenly talking about a relationship between them.

The sound of clapping hands coming from outside broke into her thoughts. Both Annie and Fred turned towards the open door and saw Rain standing there. His eyes were filled with disdain to match his mocking smile.

"What are you doing here, Rain?" Annie called out. His sudden appearance disconcerted her. Although she and Fred were only friends, Annie had the uneasy feeling like a wife being caught cheating on her husband.

"You don't look happy to see me, Annie," Rain noted unhappily. He wondered, 'Is it because of this man that she doesn't want to see me?' Rain sighed.

"It's not what you think," Annie said, hating herself for being defensive. But she glanced at Rain with fear in her eyes. She was worried that he would misunderstand her relationship with Fred.

Suddenly, Joyce cried out, "Daddy!" She was a typical "fangirl" not of a celebrity, but of her handsome father. Her favorite Barbie doll was suddenly forgotten as she launched herself into Rain's arms.

"Hi, Joyce! How's my girl? Did you miss me?" Rain asked his daughter. At the same time, he threw a triumphant and aggressive glance at Fred.

"Of course, I did! Daddy is the greatest man in the world!" she enthused. The little girl rewarded Rain with a smacking kiss on the cheek as an expression of happiness.

Huey snorted in envy. "Hrmph! What an apple polisher!" he snapped. The boy pursed his lips in discontent. Despite his complaints, Huey was envious of his sister. His daddy had never held him in his arms, and he was longing for a warm hug as well. "Hey Huey! Come over here so I can give you a hug, too," his father invited. He put Joyce down and opened his arms for his son to come to. Rain had noticed the glint of envy in the boy's eyes.

There was a hint of shyness in Huey's face, but he eventually walked up to Rain. Once enveloped in his father's arms, an innocent grin replaced the usually stern expression on the boy's face.

A faint bitter smile crossed Fred's face. He had always been around for Annie's family for years, but Rain quickly managed to captivate the children in just one day, something he was never able to do. He looked downcast now.

Meanwhile, Annie, who stood between the two men, was faced with an embarrassing dilemma. She never imagined Rain and Fred would appear in her house at the same time.

"Mr. Xia! What a strange coincidence to meet you here," Fred said in greeting. He wanted to be the first to greet Rain so he could initiate their conversation.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a coincidence since I am coming back to my home," Rain said aggressively. He had no intention of making any concessions with a perceived rival standing before him.00000000