When a Well-Raised Son Grows Up - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

It was something Carlisle couldn’t bring himself to express to Abella.

“It’s all right; you don’t have to get it fixed right away,” Abella reassured him in her soothing voice, which he found comforting.

He appreciated her concern, seeing it reflected in her pink eyes. Seeing her caring eyes made him feel content as if nothing else mattered.

“I love you so much,” Carlisle confessed.

“I love you too, Carlisle,” Abella replied affectionately.

How long could he hold on to this comforting moment? Carlisle wondered, feeling uncertain.

Instead of responding, Carlisle simply nodded, cherishing the scent of Abella’s presence.

Enoch’s closeness to Abella made Carlisle feel strangely calm. He reassured himself that there was no sign that they were trying to become romantically attached.

“It’s all right; he’s only here for the holidays.”

He tried to push aside thoughts of Enoch, knowing that she would never see him again.

Carlisle desperately wished to escape the situation, but fate had other plans.

* * *

As usual, the morning at the herb shop was peaceful. Abella organized her inventory while Carlisle trimmed herbs. She hummed while she worked.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow. Carlisle stretched and yawned just as the bell on the shop door rang.

Turning towards the entrance, Carlisle expected to see a customer, but instead, it was Enoch who walked in.

“Wow, Abella. Your shop is still open, huh?” Enoch remarked casually. Abella came out of the inventory room, curious.

“Enoch? What brings you here?” she inquired.

“I just felt like dropping by, nothing special,” Enoch entered the store and replied casually. Carlisle instinctively wrinkled her nose, trying to familiarize himself with Enoch’s scent.

“Ah, good to see you, Mr. Carlisle,” Enoch greeted, acknowledging Carlisle’s presence.

After behaving rudely yesterday, he is now suddenly bowing to him. Carlisle impatiently shakes his head.

“By the way, Abella! Esha and I are having lunch today, and you’re welcome to join us if you like. It’ll be nice to have a meal with the three of us after all these years. What do you think?” Enoch proposed.

Abella frowned at the emphasis on “three” in front of Carlisle. She felt nervous.

“Um, sorry, I have some work. I don’t think I can make it to lunch.” Abella declined the lunch invitation, citing work as the reason.

She didn’t want to leave Carlisle alone, especially since she hadn’t spoken to Esha since their disagreement.

However, Enoch persisted, despite her refusal.

“Work? Why? Do you commit?”

“Something like that,” Abella replied vaguely.

“Well, since I’m back in town after a while, let’s have dinner together tonight,” Enoch suggested, trying to make alternative plans.

Abella admitted, “Sorry, I had a little disagreement with Esha.”

“Oh, really? Esha mentioned not to call you for some reason… That must be why.” Enoch pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea.

“How about dinner then, just the two of us tonight?” he proposed.

Carlisle was ignored like a tree in the middle of the street. He couldn’t help but smile at the obvious rejection, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in amusement.

He stepped closer to Abella and wrapped his arms around her waist, positioning himself between her and Enoch.

“I’m sorry, but we always have dinner together,” he said confidently, even though it wasn’t entirely true.

Carlisle’s sudden interruption caught Enoch by surprise, and he stumbled over his words before awkwardly replying, “Oh, yeah.

Carlisle observed Enoch closely and felt a chill despite their seemingly friendly manner. There was an underlying discomfort that lingered.

“Or would you like to come over to my house for dinner? I don’t know if you’ll like it, but I’ll take care of you if you don’t mind,” he suggested, emphasizing “my house.”

Abella overheard the exchange and laughed softly, finding Carlisle’s jealousy endearing.

“Yeah, I agree,” said Abella, echoing Carlisle’s suggestion.

“Great. Enoch, let’s have dinner at my house for the first time. Carlisle can cook,” Abella suggested, making it difficult for Enoch to refuse. It was evident that his evenings were free.

Reluctantly, Enoch agreed. “I’ll come by your house, then,” he said, somewhat embarrassed.

“See you then,” Abella replied.

Carlisle quickly escorted Enoch out of the store, leaving the impression of kicking him out.

* * *

Carlisle presented a spread of freshly baked baguette, onion stew, and beautifully sliced cheese and ham.

Enoch enjoyed the meal without any incidents or uncomfortable moments.

To Carlisle’s relief, Enoch did not flirt with Abella or make any inappropriate comments. Dinner was peaceful, and only a few plates remained on the table at the end.

As usual, Carlisle insisted on cleaning up after himself. But Abella intervened, suggesting he take a break while she handled the cleanup.

“But I can help,” Carlisle began, but Abella insisted he relax on the couch.

Carlisle couldn’t argue, so he sat on the couch. His mind was fixated on Abella in the kitchen as she tidied up. He thought to himself, ‘I could get used to this…’

Carlisle felt uncomfortable with Abella doing all the work while he sat still, so he kept looking back to see what was going on.

‘Enoch or Gannock guy is being unusually quiet,’ I thought.

He wrinkled his nose as he tried to detect the scent. His scent is coming from the bedroom!

“But why would he go in there?”

‘It has been quiet since dinner. ‘Carlisle realized this around the time he and Abella were arguing about cleaning up.

“It’s not normal for someone to go into a bedroom without permission, especially if they’re of the opposite sex,” Carlisle muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. He stood up and made his way carefully to the bedroom.

He briefly considered telling Abella, but then decided to check it out himself.

As Carlisle approached the bedroom, he smelled Enoch’s unpleasant body odor seeping through the slightly open door.

Carlisle wrinkled his nose at the smell and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He peered through the crack but couldn’t see Enoch clearly, only his shadow moving about.

Carlisle sensed something was wrong and swiftly grabbed the doorknob, yanking the door open. He saw Enoch searching through a drawer.

“What are you doing?!” Carlisle asked nervously, striding toward him.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Enoch was holding something… a small, thin strip of fabric.

Carlisle was startled and blinked rapidly, struggling to process what he was witnessing. Enoch held something that Carlisle recognized all too well – Abella’s underwear.

Carlisle’s mouth fell open in disbelief, and for a moment, he felt as if he had lost all sense of rationality. He blinked, and before he knew it, he was swinging his hands in the air in anger.

“You son of a bitch!!!”

Enoch turned his face in pain as Carlisle’s punch sent him crashing to the floor. The room echoed with the sound of thudding and scraping as Enoch fell.

“How dare you take Abella’s underwear?” Carlisle’s voice trembled with anger as he bared his teeth. His anger was palpable.

The commotion startled Abella, who had been in the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked, rushing to the scene.

“Mommy, no, I mean, Abella. This guy… he took your underwear!” Carlisle’s anger caused him to stumble over his words, unable to correct himself properly.

Abella was more outraged than Carlisle. Enoch’s face was a mess as he held several of Abella’s panties in his hands, clearly taken without permission.