Chapter 95 He Thinks So
For some reason, the eight boys didn’t differentiate between families when they were ordered from eldest to youngest. Madeline’s brothers were the eldest among the boys. Uncle Benjamin’s sons were called Eric and David, and they were fifth and sixth in chronological order. Their names were easy to remember, since Madeline came up with a catchphrase for it. Eric and David? E and D? Hmm, oh, I know! Ed, Edd, and Eddy!
But contrary to that interesting catchphrase, Benjamin’s sons weren’t too close to Madeline. They didn’t look really happy to see Madeline, but they weren’t too against it either. Madeline could understand that. She wasn’t a dollar bill, so not everyone would love her. They were just her cousins, so they could be friends if they were lucky, but if not, then they would just be acquaintances.
Morgan’s sons were seventh and eight in chronological order. In other words, Michael’s sons were the oldest four, while Benjamin’s were in the middle, and Morgan’s were the youngest. That’s easy to remember.
Morgan’s sons were called Jack and Nicholas. Hmm, Jack and Nicholas, huh? God is gracious, and the victory of the people. Alright, I’ve remembered their names.
Her own brothers’ names could be hard to remember though. Perhaps fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure would recognize Jonathan and Joseph, but Madeline couldn’t make that connection. She just thought their names sounded fine. Connor meant ‘lover of hounds’ while Cedric meant ‘kindly’, but neither of them had shown those attributes.
Jonathan was calm and collected, while Joseph was a man of few words. Connor could be scheming if he wanted to, while Cedric was an idiot. Lover of hounds? Kindly? Yeah, right. Get real.
She might be thinking about a lot of things, but she didn’t drop her mannerisms. She’d greet everyone Michael introduced to her. After all, she was the youngest kid around, and she’d have to greet anyone Michael introduced. When the introductions were nearing its end, she heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, it’s going to end soon.
Michael introduced Nicholas to her. “Maddie, this is Morgan’s second son—Nicholas.”
“Hello, Nicholas.” Madeline looked at him for a moment longer because of his name. Angie means ‘messenger of God’, while Nicholas means ‘victory of the people.’ I wonder if the people’s victory has anything to do with God’s message.
Nicholas glanced at Madeline and ignored her. He asked Michael, “Where’s Angie, uncle?”
Michael froze up, and he looked at Madeline. “She’s upstairs.” He didn’t want Madeline to misunderstand anything, so he explained, “It was getting late, and it would be dangerous for Angie to leave alone. That’s why we let her stay.”
Madeline smiled. She wasn’t angry, for she didn’t care. She wasn’t blind. She’d repay the Wendels’ kindness, and she wouldn’t really mind if they wanted to keep Angie. But she would never come back to them, naturally.
She wasn’t saying anything, but Michael had a feeling that what little bond they had built over breakfast was broken because he kept Angie for the night. Madeline was about to come back to them, but now she had decided against it because of his decision. He felt crestfallen, and he was reminded of the time he ludicrously thought he could keep both Madeline and Angie together. He thought he could have another daughter, but now he knew that was mere foolishness on his part.
He had never raised Madeline, and she didn’t really feel any familial love toward him. When she needed them most, they weren’t there for her. Now, she was all grown up and didn’t need them anymore, and she could face anything with ease. If she was happy with how he and his wife treated her, she would be fine with calling them Mom and Dad. However, if she wasn’t happy with how he and Crystal were treating her, she could stay away from them for her whole life, and it would be impossible for them to see her. And I thought I could keep both her and Angie?
She has no reason to do as I say and live under the same roof with Angie. Why should she watch as the one who insulted her and usurped her place get all chummy with her own family? That’s just disgusting.
If Madeline actually listened to him and his wife and befriended Angie just to come back to the Wendels, he would know she was here for their wealth. But now, it was obvious that she had no interest in the Wendels’ riches. If he kept being nice to Angie, that would be akin to pushing his own daughter to the backburner.
Madeline didn’t care about the Wendels. Not one bit. And humans were creatures driven by the desire to have what they couldn’t. He held Madeline’s arm and explained, “Once she wakes up and has breakfast, I’ll get someone to send her to the Colts and explain this whole thing to Xander.”
I can’t be too greedy. It’s clear now. Madeline hasn’t said anything or forced me to make a choice, but it’s obvious that I can only keep one or the other, not both. If he kept Angie, then Madeline would only be related to them in name only. It would be impossible for her to open up to them, and he didn’t want to see that.
She was stolen when she was born because he failed his job as her father. She suffered for years, and he had to make it up to her. Besides, he could never keep Angie around. Crystal loathed Cameron, and Angie’s existence reminded her of that nemesis as well as their foolishness. With how bad Crystal’s health was, he couldn’t keep Angie around, or it might kill Crystal. There can only be one daughter for us for the rest of our lives, and it’ll be our real daughter.
Madeline smiled at him. “You decide, Dad.”
Cedric’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Michael hopefully. “Dad, Maddie said you can make the decision. Can we keep Angie? Xander didn’t raise Angie, and he doesn’t love her. There’s no way he would treat her well. Angie’s been staying with us her whole life, and she’s already used to this place. Even if we tell the public the truth, we can still keep her as an adopted child.” He got into an argument with his mother and almost killed her because he didn’t want to tell the public about the truth. Since then, he gave up on keeping the truth a secret, but now he saw an alternative. Hey, if we just tell them that Angie’s adopted, then it’s fine, right?
