Chapter 162
Noah flashed his mother a big toothy grin lightheartedly.
Nicole shook her head and pushed him aside. “You better not give Lila any weird ideas.”
Noah wasn’t bothered by the favoritism his mother showed. With a playful smile, he went over to hug Hazel. “Did you miss me, Grandma?”
“You little rascal, you look so proud after going missing for nearly half a year!” Hazel pushed him away in mock anger.
“Well, I was busy winning a gold medal for you.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a gold medal out of his pocket and handed it to his grandmother. “See? Besides, I rushed back right after the competition, all right?”
“Oh, and here’s a little something for Grandpa too,” he added, drawing out a miniature trophy from the same pocket. “I even asked the organizers to make a smaller one so I could bring it back easier.”
Lila almost laughed when she saw the tiny trophy.
Most people who won wanted huge trophies that allowed them to show off.
But this guy? He’d rather save on material costs and get a smaller one.
The two elders beamed from ear to ear after receiving their gifts.
Hazel carefully tucked the gold medal into her pocket and patted it to make sure it wouldn’t fall out. “Well done, darling. You’re just as brilliant as Lila.”
“That doesn’t sound right.” Noah scratched his head. “Does my international competition mean so little now?”
Nicole ignored her son and called everyone to the table. Lila and Noah, being the younger ones, naturally sat together.
Kieran took the seat on Lila’s other side, thoughtfully pulling out her chair for her. This brought Nicole back to her earlier assumptions.
“This is for you. I couldn’t find anything worth bringing back, and I didn’t have much time, so I just picked this up on the way.”
Noah pulled out a small white velvet box that held a finely crafted diamond bracelet.
Lila’s breath caught nervously when she saw the logo on the side of the box. Did he really just say he randomly bought a bracelet that cost tens of thousands of dollars?
“Do you not like it?” Noah asked when she didn’t react.
He scratched his head. “Is my taste that bad?”
Although he didn’t date much, his sweet-talking and generous personality made him popular among girls. So, he had plenty of female friends and knew quite a bit about their tastes.
This also made him look like a playboy to outsiders.
However, Lila knew better. Noah was simply someone who followed his heart and would go where the wind took him, not letting anything anchor him down.
In other words, he was a social butterfly who lived in the moment.
Lila chuckled. “It’s beautiful, but Uncle Kieran just gave me a bracelet. I can’t wear so many at once.”
Hearing this, Noah’s gaze fell on the bracelet on her wrist. He inhaled sharply. “That bracelet looks like-“
“Aren’t you guys hungry?” Kieran interrupted.
Noah didn’t mind being cut off. Instead, he rubbed his belly. “You’re right.”
He had skipped his team’s celebratory dinner and flew straight home after the last match, so he was starving now.
He casually tossed the box to Lila. “You can take turns wearing them. For now, let’s eat. I’m dying of hunger.”
He continued, “After this, I need to get home and rest early. I’ve got something to do tomorrow.”
Lila glanced at him, wondering how he already had something lined up right after his competition.
How was he busier than all of them?
Still, she didn’t ask further.
After dinner, Lila returned home with all the presents she received.
She had nothing planned for the next few days, so Hazel suggested she stay at the Morgan residence for a while.
Lila accepted the offer and hitched a ride with them. She decided to sleep in the next day, so Hazel made sure she got a good rest without disturbance.
However, Lila still didn’t get to wake up naturally. Instead, she was jolted out of her sleep by her ringing phone.
She picked up the call groggily, and a deep voice came through the other end.
But the moment she heard it was the police asking her to bail Noah out, all traces of sleep vanished.