Love Contract
Chapter 183 Daddy Lan ( Part Two)

Barry seemed worn out and haggard, his unkempt hair falling to his eyes. In spite of this, he managed to look handsome.

"Alick, be careful!" Mary shouted anxiously.

"Alick, slow down!" Barry took two steps forward, bent down, held Alick in his arms. Smiling, he asked, "Why are you in a hurry? After all, you just recovered. You need rest, my boy." "I'm all right!" Alick said, shrugging it off. "Daddy Barry, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Alick." Barry kissed his face and examined the scar on his head. "Well, not bad. It has almost vanished. Does it hurt?"

"Not even a little bit," he replied.

"Daddy Barry!" At the sight of Barry, whom Elissa hadn't seen for a long time, Elissa cried out happily. Leaving William behind, she ran towards Barry. William watched this with a pang. "Elissa!" Barry called her name as he watched her rushing towards him. The three of them stood together, chatting and giggling.

Lucas touched his nose and mumbled in a low voice, "Look at those two ungrateful brats. They don't run so fast when they see me! Daddy Barry always receives special treatment."

William didn't utter a word. Instead, his eyes dimmed with sorrow. His arms were empty, whereas Barry held his most prized possession, his kids. It was unfair! 'They shouldn't be calling him Daddy!' William gritted his teeth, turning his face away from them.

"How did you manage to come back so soon?" Mary walked towards them. "Didn't you say you couldn't be back before tonight?"

"I finished my work in advance. I knew Alick would be waiting for me." Barry looked at Mary tenderly and added, "There's no place like home.

She lowered her gaze and blushed.

"Daddy Barry, welcome home!"

"Welcome home, Daddy Barry!"

"My dearest babies!"

Anger was rippling through William so fiercely that his whole body shook. They were acting like a family! Unable to stand it anymore, he walked towards them. "Barry Gu," William said. There was a taut edge to his voice

Barry stopped laughing and turned his head. "William Lan," he said, frowning. It was not the first time the two had met each other. Even though they weren't on friendly terms, they tried their best to restrain their true emotions from showing up. But at this moment, both of their eyes were brimming with rage, shooting daggers at each other.

"Mary, what are you going to cook for dinner tonight?" Barry ignored William and turned his gaze to Mary. He was deliberately showing off his position in Mary's life. Mary stood awkwardly between the two men "Shall we eat the cola chicken wings you made last time?" he went on.

"Yeah! Mommy makes the best chicken wings!" Elissa said, jumping up and down.

"Yes. I also love the curry Mommy made. I miss her food so much! Everything made by Mommy is delicious!" Alick agreed, drooling at the thought of being back home and eating his mother's food.

As William heard that, the expression on his face froze. 'Wasn't Mary a terrible cook?' he thought, feeling left-out. Why was everyone praising her cooking skills? From what he remembered, she could cook only potatoes.

"Yes kids, I agree. I feel privileged to eat your mommy's hand cooked food!" Barry smiled and looked at William from the corner of his eye.

"Mary, are you actually planning on cooking today?" Lucas said, joining the conversation. "If so, I'll be there for dinner tonight. Ever since Barry kicked me out from the villa, I have been craving your dishes." Hearing that, William felt like someone had rubbed salt into his wounds. His face darkened, jealousy raging in his heart.

So it was just him! Even Lucas had had the privilege to eat Mary's food, whereas he didn't even know that she could cook! He was overwhelmed with the changes that had happened in Mary's life. It was difficult to keep up with it.

"Daddy Lan, would you like to join us?" Elissa suddenly turned to William. "Mommy is good at cooking, I promise!" she assured him.

"Sure. Why not?" William answered, immediately grabbing the opportunity.

For a moment, Barry was too stunned to say anything. Catching Elissa's hand, he asked, "You just... What did you call him?"

Standing near, Lucas regarded William with a puzzled expression. 'Bravo, William! You managed to win this little girl's heart so soon,' he thought.

"Daddy Lan!" answered Elissa with a sweet smile. "I call him Daddy Lan. He comes to the hospital every day to play with me! I love him so I decided to call him Daddy!"

"Elissa Lu, I have told you it isn't right to go around calling people Daddy!" Mary scolded her coldly, suddenly remembering they had left this conversation mid-way. "Besides, Uncle Lan is busy tonight. He won't be able to come to our house."

"Daddy Lan!" Elissa opened her arms and clung to him. She felt sad. Why did her mother have to scold her in front of everyone?

"Good girl, Elissa." William held her tightly. The father and daughter hugged each other, both feeling equally wronged.

Barry desperately tried to make sense of what had just happened. He had been gone only for a few days. And in this short period of time, Elissa had bonded with William. He glanced at them, feeling a sense of impending doom.

Mary saw the disappointment etched on Barry's face. She nudged Barry's shoulder and said, "Barry, you have just returned. I am pretty sure you must be tired. On top of that, Alick's stitches have just been removed. He needs to take some rest too. I think we should go back home soon. I'll cook delicious food for you."

"Okay." Barry returned to his senses and forced a smile.

"Elissa, come home with Mommy." When Mary was about to hold her hand, the little girl wrapped her arms around William's neck.

"Mommy, if you won't invite Daddy Lan for dinner, I ain't coming home either!"

"In that case, we will just leave you here," Alick said angrily, annoyed with his sister. "I'll go back home with Mommy and Daddy Barry. You can remain here," he added.

"No, Alick!" Her cute face was now dabbed with a few tears and her mouth formed a sulky pout. "Alick is a terrible brother," she cried.

"Elissa, don't cry," said William, cupping her soft cheeks in his hands and rubbing away the tears that were sliding down her eyes. "Honey, your brother was just joking." Mary's heart ached, watching her daughter look so miserable. "Elissa, please be a good girl and stop crying. Come back home with Mommy, will you?"

"No, I want to be with Daddy Lan! I won't come unless he does." She was as stubborn as a mule. She wouldn't stop crying.

"Will my little girl come home with Daddy Lucas?" Lucas asked, not knowing what else to do.

"No... I want Daddy Lan!"

She had a firm resolve and wouldn't budge. William watched Mary helplessly.

"Well, we will invite him home,"

Barry said, throwing his hands into the air in defeat. Turning to Mary, he said, "Is it okay to invite Mr. Lan home for dinner. Mary, what do you say?" Mary caught his eye and Barry gave her a nod. "As you wish,' she said, forcing a smile.

"Okay." Barry nodded and touched Mary's hair lovingly.

At the sight, William's jealousy stirred again.

"Mr. Lan, this way please." Barry gestured to William.

"Daddy Barry." Elissa spoke through her sobs. "Are you actually taking Daddy Lan home with us?"

"Of course." Barry flashed her a smile.

"Daddy Barry is the best!"

"Thank you, sweety!" Lucas glared at her and said, "I'm devastated! Elissa seems to have forgotten me." "No, I didn't. I love Daddy Lucas, too!"

With a frustrated sigh, Mary gazed at her daughter. 'Raising children is not a piece of cake,' she thought. When they were a good distance away from Elissa, Alick whispered in Barry's ear, "I think she is stupid!"

"Haha!" Barry touched his hair and said, "Don't say that about your sister. I think she is too fond of Uncle Lan. How about you? Do you like him?" Instead of answering his question, Alick asked, "Is his name William Lan?"

"Yes, it is," Barry said, "How do you know?" He was quite surprised.

"I knew it!" And then Alick took a look at William, who was walking towards them. "I don't like him! " he whispered in Barry's ear.

"But why?"

"I just don't like him." Alick wrinkled his nose, making his distaste evident. 'So he is my father. He has made my mother terribly sad. He is often associated with girls. How could he be so bad? I won't let him come close to me. I won't be like my sister,' he thought, determined to prove himself a good son.

Once they were outside, Mary insisted she would drive. After all, Barry looked tired. Barry and Alick went in her car.

Lucas and Elissa went in William's car.

"I wasn't able to get in Barry's car," Lucas said as he sighed. "So I have to sit in your car, but you are a boring guy! I am already bored."

"In that case, get off the car," William spat out angrily and followed the car in front of him.

Lucas rolled his eyes at this rebuke. An awkward silence permeated in the air. Wanting to dispel it, Lucas started talking to Elissa. "Well, is Mary good at cooking?" After a while, William mustered up the courage and asked the question. His face was expressionless.

"Yes, her food is always finger-licking yummy," Lucas replied, nodding his head. "When she enters the kitchen, the whole house is filled with a wonderful aroma. I think about her food long after I am done eating."

William shot him an angry look through the rearview mirror.

Once they reached Barry's villa, William got off the car and took a look.

"Mr. Lan, this way, please." Barry got off the car and guided him. As they walked, he said, "Mary and I are glad to have you in our house." William was shocked by the implication, but he managed to look indifferent.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Gu!" said William through gritted teeth.

"You're welcome."

Soon, they stepped into the villa.

"Barry, go upstairs and take some rest," said Mary. "I'll call you when the dinner is ready."

"What about Mr. Lan?"

"I am sure Lucas won't mind showing him around," said Mary, refusing to meet William's eyes. "Alright." Barry nodded and said to William, "Mr. Lan, I need to take rest. But please make yourself home." "Okay." William snorted as he watched Barry leave.

"Lucas! I hope you will show Mr. Lan around. I am going to the kitchen to prepare dinner," said Mary.

William looked at her, only to realize she wasn't meeting his eyes.

Mary tied her hair in a bun, put on the apron skillfully, and trotted into the kitchen.

As she walked, William took one quick glance at her face. A slight blush suffused her cheeks and her eyes lit up, showing she was quite passionate about cooking. He found himself enraptured by her beauty. A thought occurred to him, making him quite uncomfortable.

'Is this how she cooked for Barry in the past four years?' he wondered, feeling as if a knife was piercing his soul. Mary was a gentle and virtuous woman. He couldn't stand the thought of her cooking for other men.

'Only I, William Lan, deserve this treatment from her,' he thought, clenching his fists.