Chapter 168

Anastasia saw the scene in front of her and there was a sudden inexplicable feeling that arose within
her. Should I continue to allow this man to be involved in our lives? What if Jared gets used to seeing
him every day and becomes dependent on his close company? If he suddenly disappears from our life
someday, would Jared feel disappointed then?

“Mommy, let’s go grocery shopping, alright? I want to go to the mall.”

“Okay! Let’s go together today.” Anastasia responded with a smile.

And so, Elliot drove the car to a large mall by their house. In the supermarket, Anastasia was busy
picking out some fresh vegetables while Elliot brought Jared to pick out some toys. Anastasia then
walked off to the fruits section after picking out the vegetables. As soon as she saw some fresh
durians, she couldn’t help craving them as it had been quite a while since she had some.

As such, she picked out one which was quite fleshy and went off to get it weighed. The price of the
durian was quite exorbitant and she actually winced at the thought of it, but it was fine as an occasional
splurge.

After that, Anastasia went to seek out Jared and Elliot, but she found that Elliot’s trolley was full of
presents. Though slightly resigned, she kept it to herself and thought, Is he trying to spoil Jared? That’s
too many presents there!

“Mommy, Mr. Presgrave bought all of these for me.” Jared sat in the trolley and showed it off to her.

“We can’t have Mr. Presgrave spending so much money on you. Let’s just pick one that you really like,
alright?” Anastasia explained to Jared.



Upon hearing that, Elliot spoke in a low voice. “These are all my presents for Jared and the toys are
educational.”

“I like all of them.” Jared pouted as well, as he wanted all of these toys.

Meanwhile, Anastasia shook her head resignedly. “It’s just for this once, alright? Let’s go and pay for it.”

She was prepared to foot the bill herself but then before she could even reach out for her cell phone,
Elliot had already paid for everything. It’s such a shame that I didn’t get more durians! I would have
bought two if I knew that he was going to fight to pay for the grocery bill.

After entering the car, Jared instantly smelled the pungent scent. “Mommy, did you buy some durian? It
smells so good!”

“Yes, I bought the Musang King variety. Let’s go home and enjoy it.”

“Yay! I love durian!” Jared had developed a liking for durian due to Anastasia’s influence.

On the other hand, Elliot, who was standing by the side, frowned slightly as there was a slight smell of
durian inside the car.

As soon as they arrived home, Anastasia quickly opened the fruit and the smell of it filled the entire
house. She placed the flesh on a plate and brought it out. Meanwhile, Jared had already washed his
hands and he was waiting patiently on the couch to have some.

Anastasia glanced at Elliot, who was sitting on the couch too, and she generously offered, “Come and
have some too.”

“I don’t like this type of fruit,” Elliot rejected.

However, Anastasia insistently handed him one. “It’s really good. Why don’t you try some?”



“Mr. Presgrave, do try some. It’s really good!” Jared had one in his hand and he spoke while devouring
it.

If it was anyone else who had suggested for Elliot to try some, he would definitely reject them but
because it was Anastasia and Jared, and they had a strong influence on Elliot, he overcame his disgust
and reached out for a tiny piece before opening his mouth slightly to taste it.

The taste of it was surprisingly better than he thought and as he tasted it carefully, the rich yet
uncloying taste of it filled his taste buds. He found himself unable to resist the creamy texture of the
fruit and his initial resistance went out of the window. He lifted his head and turned to nod at Anastasia.
“It’s really good.”

“See? I told you it was yummy!” Inexplicably, Anastasia suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment.

She felt quite pleased to be able to force Elliot to try some durian.

“Is there any more in the kitchen? Is that all that you bought?” Elliot clearly expressed that it wasn’t
enough.

In response, Anastasia blinked her eyes. “The Musang King variety is very expensive! One of them is
quite a splurge already. I dream of the day when I can finally achieve the freedom of having durians
whenever I please!”

“I can easily grant your wish,” Elliot commented with narrowed eyes. I can supply you with as many
durians as you wish to the point where you might get sick of it.

“It’s alright. I can earn more and buy it for myself!” After Anastasia said that, she glanced at the clock
and mentioned, “I’ll go prepare dinner now. Keep an eye on Jared for me.”



Subsequently, Anastasia headed off to the kitchen as Elliot went along with Jared to the toy area to
unbox the new toys. Meanwhile, Elliot’s eyes shone with a doting expression as he watched Jared
happily unbox his new toys. At that moment, Elliot felt as if he was truly Jared’s father.


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