At this moment, the childish and awkward argument she just had with Ethan Sawyer flashed before her eyes. On top of that, this seemingly kind and friendly older brother had just so casually brought up her embarrassing incident.

A feeling of grievance and unspeakable frustration welled up in her heart.

She felt as if she had been abandoned by the whole world.

Her cheeks began to burn uncontrollably, hot and prickly, and her eyes started to sting.

She began to feel deeply embarrassed.

Grace Sawyer silently took it, her nose feeling as if something was blocking it, heat rushing upward. She tried her best to hold it in for a long time, but still, a choked sob escaped from her throat.

Henry Bennett's movements froze.

Ethan Sawyer heard it too and looked up: "...Seriously?"

Those words were like magic.

As soon as they fell, Grace Sawyer's tears were unleashed, pouring out wildly. The suppressed sobs instantly grew louder, echoing through the room and drifting along the walls into the living room.

"......"

The two grown men froze in place at the same time.

Hearing the noise, Emma Reed immediately walked in from the living room: "What's going on?"

Ethan Sawyer reacted quickly, shamelessly saying, "Henry Bennett, how could you bully my little sister?"

Henry Bennett's expression was stiff.

He had never encountered a situation like this before, and for a moment, he didn't know how to react.

He hadn't even figured out whether he was the one who made the kid cry.

Before he could explain,

The next moment, Grace Sawyer grabbed the hem of his shirt and hid behind him, looking especially frightened. She looked at Emma Reed, still sobbing, and pointed at Ethan Sawyer with her other hand: "Mom... wuwuwu... bro, brother..."

Emma Reed looked at Ethan Sawyer, her gaze icy cold.

Grace Sawyer's crying became even more pitiful: "Brother hit me..."

Ethan Sawyer: "......"

-

The little girl cried so pitifully, with big teardrops falling straight down, as if they were hitting people right in the heart. It was rare to see Grace Sawyer cry like this. Emma Reed instantly lost her stance, gently coaxed her a few times, then changed her expression and dragged Ethan Sawyer to the living room for a scolding.

The door opened and closed with their movements.

The atmosphere cooled down with one less person in the room. Grace Sawyer let go of Henry Bennett's shirt, and her crying gradually subsided.

Henry Bennett turned to look at her.

The little girl was still young and not as developed as her peers. She was less than one and a half meters tall, only reaching his chest. Her eyes were very big, now red and puffy, her nose still sniffling, looking just like a little rabbit.

Then, she pitifully took a bite of watermelon.

Her crying stopped completely.

Henry Bennett smiled and didn't ask her why she was crying. He pulled two tissues from the table: "Not crying anymore?"

As the tears faded, Grace Sawyer's mood improved a lot, but a trace of embarrassment still lingered.

She hung her head and said nothing.

There was a big height difference between them, so Henry Bennett simply bent down and used a tissue to wipe her tears: "Go wash your face in a bit."

Grace Sawyer was used to being taken care of like this and didn't dodge.

In the silence,

A thought suddenly popped into Grace Sawyer's mind.

A thought that would definitely seem abrupt to a stranger.

She thought about it for a while, then hesitantly spoke. Her voice hadn't changed yet, and since she had just cried, she sounded a bit babyish—especially cute: "Brother, are you leaving?"

Henry Bennett lifted his lashes and replied, "Hmm? Why?"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Grace Sawyer said softly, "tomorrow."

Henry Bennett chuckled lightly: "Why are you asking about my schedule?"

He didn't say directly whether he was free, and Grace Sawyer couldn't bring herself to say it: "It's just, um..." She couldn't get the words out for a long time, and finally circled back to her original question, this time adding a flattering address: "Brother, are you free tomorrow?"

Henry Bennett lowered his eyes, lazily saying, "What if I'm not free tomorrow?"

Grace Sawyer got anxious: "No way!"

She had just upset Ethan Sawyer, so he definitely wouldn't help her. Now, her only hope was this person in front of her.

She clenched her fists and threatened dryly, "You have to be free. If you're not, I'll... I'll tell my mom that you two both hit me, a mixed doubles attack..."

"......"

A mixed doubles attack, really?

Henry Bennett tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Kid, why are you so unreasonable?"

Grace Sawyer glanced at him and said, lacking confidence, "I'm still little."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know how to be reasonable yet."

"......"

Alright then.

Henry Bennett smiled, half amused: "Tell me first, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

Grace Sawyer hesitated, then said slowly, "Can you pretend to be my brother, my real one?"

Henry Bennett raised his eyebrows.

"And then tomorrow," she felt a bit embarrassed, her voice dropping lower, "come meet my teacher..."

Henry Bennett understood: "Got called in by the teacher?"

Grace Sawyer fell silent, as if admitting it.

"And the reason?"

Thinking of the excuse she had come up with in the car, Grace Sawyer wasn't sure if he would believe her. She scratched her head and hesitated: "Can I not say?"

"Sure."