A Day Before The Announcement of Norman's Adoption
"Conny is showing some interesting improvement, will you still ship her out?" Ray asked Isabella who was looking seriously at him.
Isabella went silent as her brows twitched. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her face went dark as she opened her eyes. "I also noticed it," she uttered. "My little bunny is showing a great improvement."
Ray's eyes were observing the reaction of his mother. However, he can't read most of her reactions. At the game of hide and seek, his ability is still far from his mother.
"What do you think of her, Ray?" Isabella asked him. Ray didn't move for a while as if he's thinking of something. "I noticed that Conny is getting more fond of you," she said as her eyes went darker.
"She's..." Ray paused. "She's weird."
The dark expression on Isabella's face vanished when she heard him said that. She raised brows and suddenly showed a curious expression. "Weird?" She asked.
Ray remained silent for a moment before closing the book in his hands. "She's been asking me to read books for her every night," he started to explain with a bored expression on his face. "Last night I read her a kiddy book..."
Ray frowned when he remembered what happened that night. Isabella noticed his reaction as she crossed her arms. "What did she do?" Isabella asked.
"She asked me to marry her," Ray replied with a serious reaction.
Isabella's face became dumbfounded from what she heard from his 'son'. When Ray noticed this, he slips his hands through his pocket as he averted his gaze. "Fufufu," Isabella let out as a cheeky laugh. "Fufu, my dear Conny is naughty," she said.
Isabella's laugh echoed to the room which annoyed the young man. "I'm going mom," Ray suddenly said as he went to the door. His frown became deeper when his mother's laughter became more cheeky.
When he was about to open the door. Isabella stopped laughing and said the following words to him. "Alright, I won't ship her out," Isabella told him. "Not yet, but you must be prepared for the consequences, Ray."
Ray did not react to her words. He silently opened the door and went out of that room. When he saw a bunch of playing kids on the outside, his eyes automatically searched for a little girl.
His eyes went to Conny who was happily playing with Don.
"This is enough," he uttered. Ray opened his book and went to a tree to leisure his time. "Enough to buy her some time."
Ray talked to Isabella to persuade his mom to postpone Conny's shipment for a while.
However, he didn't know that the 'Consequences' would soon backfire.
"I have a good news for you today," Isabella announced. She pulled Norman by his shoulder and smiled warmly at the kids. "Fufufu~ Norman's going to have a family, let's congratulate him," Isabella calmly announced.
Ray's hands trembled when he heard the unexpected news. He didn't know how to react, How did this happen? He asked himself.
The announcement made him speechless. He became silent because he doesn't know what to say.
This is the consequence of his actions.
His Mom...
It's too hard to outsmart her.
Ray thought that Isabella will replace Conny with another kid who has an average grade, but he did not expect her to choose Norman instead.
Is this the end?
Did he make a mistake?
It doesn't matter, it won't be able to change the situation.
Ray's mind fell into deep thought until he suddenly heard a voice.
"But Emma will be sad if Norman leaves... and Ray... They will miss Norman too."
Ray went back to his mind as he flinched when he heard Conny's voice. He immediately cleared his throat as he answered that bizarre statement. He can't let Isabella notice it. "I won't, he will write often anyway," he said in a bored tone.
He averted his eyes when he saw Conny glancing at him.
A frown appeared on his face.
He knows he won't be able to stop Isabella when she decided to ship Norman. However, there's a part of him that knows that Conny, the mysterious child, won't let Norman to be adopted.
It's funny how he wanted to trust a child who's younger than him.
But he saw a little hope.
"I suddenly want to play chess."
'Then let us play.'
••••••
When Ray left her at her office. Isabella's eyes went dark. She rose from her seat as she opened the secret room that was hidden on her bookshelves. She entered the room and walked down the stairs.
As Isabella went down, a lot of toys that belonged to the children who died welcomed her sight. She stared at the toys for a moment before glancing at the communication machine. "Interesting improvements..." she whispered.
Her hands reached for a toy that was nearest to her. She grabbed it and stared at it for a while. "I will stay with her for a while," she uttered, talking about Conny who she was planning to ship for the demons. "Just for a while..."
Her blank expression became dark as she remembered what Ray told her.
The truth is Isabella was suspecting Conny.
A child's improvement is indeed natural. However, Conny's nightmares on her birthday and her current relationship with Ray made Isabella suspect Conny.
She might know something, but Isabella doesn't know what or how did that child manage to know that something.
If Conny knows something...
Then how can she act like that? Since when? Isabella can't figure it out.
Isabella clutched her fist while looking at the toys with dark expressions. That expression lasted for a minute.
"It's impossible," she uttered. Letting go of her negative expression, Isabella's face became calm and warm as spring. She took a deep sigh as she let out a warm smile. "She doesn't know anything," Isabella tried to deny to herself.
Her eyes became soft as she remembered the genuine eyes of Conny while looking at her.
They were warm and she cannot read any hatred in them.
Isabella placed the toy back on the table. "No one will look at me with that kind of eyes if they know the truth," Isabella uttered as she went to the communication machine.
"But it doesn't mean that I would easily let go of this suspicion..."
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