You More Than Anything In The World

“When the kids returned, they told me Mr. Graham had diarrhea and asked me to prepare some supper. So, that's what happened!”

Edwin couldn't contain himself any longer and joined Darius in hearty laughter.

Mary, on the other hand, was quite reserved, letting out only a slight chuckle.

Benjamin and Jonathan, who were in the dining room, could hear the hearty laughter of Darius and Edwin from there, drawing their attention.

“What's got Old Mr. Graham so cheerful?” Jonathan said with a laugh, looking over in the direction of the commotion. Darius' laughter was indeed infectious, and it was rare to see him laugh so heartily.

Naturally, Benjamin couldn't answer this question either. After all, he was in the dining room and had no idea what they were discussing in the living room.

Seeing Darius so happy, Arissa also broke into a smile. “He had to reenter the restroom as soon as he got out when we were at the hospital. This plum juice is really something.”

“Hasn't he taken any medicine?” Darius laughed until tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, his face feeling a bit sore. He raised his hand to rub it.

“He took the medication afterward,” Arissa said with a smile as she explained the situation at that time.

Darius was laughing so hard he could barely contain himself. “Let him suffer a bit. Serves him right for being so harsh on Gavin and the others!”

Arissa sighed. “Thank goodness Benjamin is physically strong. If they were to toy with someone in poor health, it could cost a life!”

“They knew their limits. They just wanted to teach Benjamin a little lesson. You didn't hit them, did you?” Darius, still very protective of the kids, anxiously asked Arissa.

Arissa paused, feeling a bit guilty. She hadn't hit them, but she had given them a good scolding. “We just punished them by asking them to stand.”

Darius nodded, feeling reassured.

He felt relieved after seeing the kids were fine earlier.

“If Benjamin punishes them severely, you must protect them a bit. Don't let Benjamin go too far. They are still young. They should be punished, but not excessively. If their father-child relationship becomes strained, it could affect the children's growth!”

Darius still had a few words of advice for Arissa. As she listened, she felt a deep sense of guilt. It wasn't Benjamin who had been harsh in punishing the children those two times; it was her.

She confessed in a soft voice, “Dad, I understand now. Benjamin knows his limits, too. When the kids teased him, he didn't punish them. It was me who did.”

Darius paused for a moment, then broke into a warm smile. “If it's you who's punishing them, then I have no worries. I fear that Benjamin would treat the children like adults and make them run dozens of kilometers.”

Arissa felt Darius' blatant favoritism, which moved her but also made her feel ashamed. Just a moment ago, she, too, had thought of punishing the children in the same way.

“Dad, the kids are really naughty. They can handle this level of punishment. They've even become immune to harsher penalties. I've decided to ban them from using their phones and watching TV for the next week.”

Those words were also meant for Edwin and Mary to hear. Arissa felt that they should be informed, so she said it in front of them, hoping that everyone would together supervise the kids to prevent them from tricking them into going easy on them.