Chapter 820
"This is a nice painting," Alexander let out a small smile. "Thank you."
Upon hearing that, Jessamine hugged her two children in relief, and she had happiness written all over
her face.
"Let's take a photo together!" the videographer who was recording the event shouted to the people on
the stage.
And so, the two children stood in the middle holding the painting, whereas Alexander and Jessamine
each took a side, and they posed as a happy family for the photographers and reporters to take photos.
Alexander accepted all of this calmly, but his eyes were fixated at a spot in front of the stage.
There was already a crowd when Elise arrived. After taking her attendance, she walked to a nearly
empty corner.
However, children were always extremely curious. Her kids kept pulling her, and it didn't take her much
effort to squeeze into the crowd.
It was at this moment that Alexander spotted Elise from the crowd at a glance.
She happened to be fluffing out her hair when she looked up and met his dark and deep eyes.
The woman who he had been thinking about for seven years was finally standing in front of him, alive
and well. Alexander only managed to keep his expression impassive by clenching his fist in his pocket.
Elise's eyes suddenly turned red and the tip of her nose stung.
As she looked at his tall figure from a distance across the crowd, she began to imagine that it was their
family of four standing on the stage. At this moment, every goodbye they had to bid each other in the
past seemed to be worth it.
It won't be long before they would be able to publicly go back to being a family and live a simple, happy
life together.
How Elise wished to rush on stage and carefully take in all his changes. Now that she saw how
Alexander's features had gotten sharper as she looked at him from a distance, she couldn't help but
feel her heart ache.
These few years must have been pure agony for him.
Worried that she would start crying, she quickly sniffled and swallowed her emotions.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAlexia raised her head when she heard the sound. "Mommy, why are you crying?" she asked.
"I'm alright," Elise said with a smile. "Mommy is happy! I haven't attended such a lively party in such a
long time."
"I am happy as well." Alexia flashed a wide smile, with her eyes narrowed before she began to whine
like the child that she was again, "But Mommy, can we go somewhere else? I can't see anything!"
Elise then asked Irvin and Mimi to grab the hem of her skirt so that they wouldn't run around, before
she picked up Alexia.
"Wow!" The moment Alexia laid her eyes on Alexander, she seemed to have received the shock of her
life as she pointed a finger to the stage. "Mommy, that man is super good-looking! Can we let him be
our Daddy?!
As Alexia loudly uttered those words, most of the guests immediately whipped their heads at her.
"This is a nice painting," Alexander let out a small smile. "Thank you."
Even Jessamine glanced at the girl from the stage, but it was only thanks to the photographer that she
focused ahead and she retracted her gaze.
Spotting a helpless look on her face, Elise quickly covered the girl's mouth with a hand.
There were people watching the fun and didn't think it was a big deal, and they deliberately teased, "It
seems that there will be a lot of children all over the country who will be scrambling to be Mr. Griffith's
sons and daughters after the Mrs. Griffith spot was filled in today!"
Elise merely shrugged at that. My kids are Alexander's kids, she thought. There is no need for them to
scramble for anything.
Still, she quickly brought the kids away with her in order to prevent more problems.
After a while, Elise led the children to the dining table when she saw Alexander get off the stage and
walk toward the lounge.
"Irvin, watch the girls while you guys get something to eat. I have to go to the bathroom for a bit, but I
will be back soon. Don't run around, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mommy. You can leave it to me," Irvin said yes agreeably.
Elise continued to remind him a few more things before she finally left in the direction Alexander went
off to.
Just as soon as she walked away, Mimi swiftly turned around and grabbed some desserts from the
table and stuffed it in her mouth.
Irvin only looked at her, feeling resigned. "Do you like desserts so much? Aren't you worried you will get
chubby?"
Mimi innocently shook her head and passed the cake that she had taken a bite out of. "Have some,
Irvin."
"I'm fine." He wasn't interested in eating desserts at all. He only liked making them for the people he
loved the most.
As he spoke, he hopped off the table and took a dessert which Alexia liked the most. "Open wide, Lexi.
Ah—" He then fed Alexia it.
Mimi seemed to be in a daze as she looked at Irvin with wide eyes. For some reason, the cake in her
mouth suddenly didn't taste all that sweet anymore.
More than a dozen lounges were prepared for this dinner. Alexander especially made a detour to the
most remote lounge before he pushed the door open.
After closing the door, he turned around again, and he saw that Elise, with Anastasia's face, had
already walked in front of him.
There was nothing that could stop them anymore this time. However, they didn't react like they thought
they would, which was by shouting each other's names and crushing each other in hugs.
Now that their adolescent impulses had faded with time and they had both matured, they only quietly
gazed at each other as tears filled their eyes.
Their years of lovesickness had turned into silent longing that conveyed through their eyes.
It felt like one gaze was all it took for them to be each other's forever.
Neither one of them knew how much time had passed before Elise broke the silence first, and she
glided toward him before lightly wrapping her arms around his waist.
She wanted to take the initiative this time.
Alexander reacted by tightly wrapping her in his arms. It was as if he had found a treasure, and he was
afraid she would disappear as soon as he let her go.
His tears started rolling out then as he gasped in a pained voice, "I love you. I love you so, so much."
"I know." Infected by his emotions, Elise cried too, and she kept bobbing her head like a child. "I am
back, and I will never leave again. We will never be apart for the rest of our lives."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmTheir yearning for each other was finally being responded to.
They continued to stay in each other's arms while they voiced their years of longing, never once
loosening their holds.
"—Alexander Griffith finally doesn't have to worry about Elise Sinclair leaving him anymore." The man
seemed to be back in his youth as he joked.
As Elise picked up the grievance in Alexander's words, she perked up from his hug and held his face
with both hands before she went on her toes and pressed a kiss on his lips.
Alexander was still lost in the joy of their reunion, and he only came back to his senses when she stood
up straight. His eyes then shone in surprise.
"Is this enough?" she murmured with a smile on her face.
"Definitely not." He shamelessly egged her on.
Hearing that, she kissed him again. "How about now?"
"It is still not enough."
"It should be fine this time!" Elise then quickly and repeatedly pecked at his lips like she was a chick.
Alexander's gaze darkened, and he moved his hand to cup her head as he dived in for a deep kiss.
Elise responded with equal intensity as she let him do whatever he pleased.
He didn't seem satisfied even when she was starting to get out of breath.
Suddenly, the sound of fireworks and drums could be heard coming from outside at this exact moment.
Whoosh, bang!
Bang, boom, crash!
It was only then that Alexander reluctantly peeled himself off of her body and turned toward the sound.
"You even prepared a traditional celebration?" Elise deadpanned.
Alexander's eyes lowered as he mused over it, and he finally let out a resigned sigh. "It is probably your
bestie's doing."
"My bestie?" she repeated, confused.
"We will know after we go check it out."
Even though she was at a loss, Elise obediently went back when she thought about how they did
indeed spend a good amount of time together.
Their journey back to the banquet hall was accompanied by the relentless sounds of French horns,
trumpets, and various traditional Cittadelian folk musical instruments.