Chapter 1949 A Question From Clark

"Okay, Daddy. Please, go and get some rest, and we'll be on our way!" After Clark had spoken, he held Shirley's hand, and both turned to leave. Clark was quite wise beyond his years. Despite his age, he voluntarily shared the burden of taking care of Shirley.

Charles managed a pleased yet bitter smile as he watched his children's receding figures. He was beyond grateful that they grew up well, but he could not help but feel a bit of emotional distance between him and them.

After the kids had left, Charles lay down on the bed, feeling exhausted. The waft of a light, familiar scent reached his nose, intoxicating him. It made him feel as though Sheryl was right there next to him.

In the meantime, Sheryl was downstairs receiving some late guests. When she spotted Clark and Shirley hobbling down the stairs, she politely excused herself and walked toward her two kids.

"Clark, where's your father now?" Sheryl could not wait to find out what Charles was doing, and her slightly raised voice revealed her anxiety.

Clark shot Sheryl a frustrated gaze and then turned to Shirley. The two exchanged a knowing look. As if they had rehearsed, both of them shook their heads at the same time.

Seeing the look of frustration on Sheryl's face, Clark cuddled up to her in an attempt to soothe her worries. "Mom, what is it? We don't know where Daddy is, but we figured that he must have drunk too much."

"I see. Go over there and play with the other kids. Have some fun!" Sheryl gently patted the kids on their heads and promptly rejoined the conversation she had left.

An hour later, things had quieted down. The little gathering was about to end.

Only after Sheryl had sent away all the other guests, did she walk with Damian to the front gate.

"Thank you again for coming," she said warmly.

"My pleasure. By the way, I don't know if this is out of line, but may I call you 'Sher' from now on?" Damian looked at Sheryl expectantly.

Although Sheryl knew that there wasn't a deep connection between the two of them, nor had they known each other for a long time, she still trusted him very much. So she nodded with a smile. "By all means."

Damian laughed. "You just made my day. It's getting late. I must go now. Please, Sher, take care of yourself and have a good night's sleep!" He could barely hide his smile, as the tiny change in the way he addressed Sheryl had truly overjoyed him. After bidding Sheryl goodbye, Damian took off.

Seeing Damian leave, Sheryl dragged her exhausted body back into the house. She could really use a good night's sleep, but not before she had tucked the kids in first.

The kids were also exhausted from all the playing they had done during the day. Before taking them to their beds, Sheryl hugged them affectionately, took them to brush their teeth, and wash their faces.

After cleaning up here and there, Sheryl finally tucked them in.

Almost immediately, Clark and Shirley drifted off to sleep,

Clark and Shirley, unperturbed by their parents' concerns, got up early. The first thing they did was to stop by their parents' bedroom to check on them and to see if they were okay. To their surprise, when they walked through the door, they saw only their father, asleep on the floor. Their mother was nowhere to be seen. They immediately exchanged a look.

Then, without a word, Clark held Shirley's hand in his and led her away from the bedroom.

"Brother, where's Mommy? I want Mommy!" Shirley demanded, her face full of worry.

"She may be in the guestroom. Let's go check!"

Clark then headed to the guestroom with Shirley following close by. When the two found their mother there, sound asleep, they both let out a sigh of relief.

Shirley was about to wake Sheryl up, but Clark stopped her. He gestured for her to be quiet, and together, they left the room.

When they made it back out to the hall, Clark took Shirley's hand once more and said, "Mommy is still sleeping. She must be tired, so let's not wake her up. We should go to Daddy first!"

"What for?" Shirley had no clue about what her brother had in mind. She grew curious, but she decided to wait and find out.

Clark did not speak. He merely kept walking while he held his sister's hand.

In a very short time, they reached the master bedroom once more. Clark went over to Charles and gently shook him awake.

"What is it?" Charles mumbled. He was still a bit dizzy, and his head began to hurt from the lack of adequate sleep.

"Daddy, why aren't you and Mommy sleeping together?" Clark looked at Charles with a worried look on his face.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back to Charles. He could not help but groan and sigh. At last, he decided not to say too much to the kids for fear of alarming them. Instead, he faked a smile and told his son that he and Sheryl had slept in separate rooms because Sheryl had been too tired and wanted to relax by herself for a night.