Chapter 5463
Chapter 5463
Hank quickly found his parents and Sonny. The four of them chatted with neighbors in the community for quite a while before finally heading home.
Once they got back, Sonny didn't even sit down.
“Dad, I'm heading home,” he said. “I don't have any social events tonight, so I want to get some rest.”
It was already nine o'clock.
Normally, that was still early for him, but with no business dinners or social obligations, all he wanted was to go home, relax, and get a good night's sleep.
The Brown family was reluctant to see him leave, but no one could convince him to stay.
Old Mrs. Brown held his hand and repeatedly reminded him to visit whenever he had time.
“Jessica, pack some fruit for Sonny to take home.”
Remembering the fresh fruit Jessica had bought, Grandma Brown immediately asked her to prepare some for him.
“Grandma, that's not necessary. I already have plenty of fruit at home.”
Sonny smiled and declined.
“Aunt Jessica, there's no need to go through the trouble. You all can enjoy it.”
He knew his stepmother only bought premium fruit when he came to visit. Otherwise, she usually bought ordinary seasonal fruit.
The fruit was better left for the elderly.
Jessica still went to pack it anyway. Her mother-in-law had already told her to, and if she ignored the request, she'd be scolded after Sonny left.
She packed the fruit. Whether Sonny accepted it was up to him.
By the time Jessica returned with the bag, Sonny had already stepped into the elevator.
“Aunt Jessica, keep it,” he said. “I really don't need it. I'm heading home now.”
He pressed the button to close the elevator doors before Jessica could rush over and insist that he take it.
A few minutes later, Sonny drove out of the neighborhood.
Only after leaving the residential community did he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Every visit to his father's home felt like putting on a performance.
It was nothing like being at his mother's house or Aunt Seren's home.
Maybe it was because he had grown up with his mother and Aunt Seren.
His father had never neglected him. After the divorce, Hank often visited him and took him out. Even so, Sonny had always preferred being with his mother and Aunt Seren.
As he grew older, he came to understand why his father's relatives treated him so well.
One reason was that his father no longer planned to have children. Hank had refused to divorce Jessica, who had spent more than ten years in prison and had missed her childbearing years after being released.
There was also a much more practical reason.
His mother and Aunt Seren had both become wealthy. He had grown up living an excellent life without ever lacking money, and now he had become successful himself. As a result, the Brown family treated him better and better.
Choosing not to argue with his father's relatives didn't mean he was naïve.
He simply chose to let things go out of consideration for his father.
About twenty minutes later, Sonny arrived home.
The moment he walked through the door, his phone rang.
It was his mother.
“Mom, what made you call tonight?”
Walking toward the sofa, Sonny smiled as he answered. “At this hour, you're usually still out entertaining clients.”
The butler quietly asked if he would like some water.
Sonny nodded.
The butler poured him a glass of warm water, set it on the coffee table, and quietly withdrew.
Liberty said, “I just got home. I finished work a little earlier tonight. Normally, I'm busy until the middle of the night every day. Your Uncle Duncan has been complaining that I care more about work than I do about him.”
“Mom, you can't devote all your time to work,” Sonny replied. “You should leave some things to other people. Uncle Duncan isn't really upset. He's just worried because you're getting older, and your body can't keep up with such an intense workload forever.”
“I know,” Liberty said. “That's why I came home early tonight. But I still have clan matters to deal with tomorrow. Being the head of the family is exhausting.”
There were simply too many responsibilities.