Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Laura's eyes widened in disbelief . Did this mean she had a home now ? Laura nervously clutched the hem of her dress and spoke with uncertainty . " Although I'm not your child , you're still bringing me to meet my uncle ? " Antonio's eyebrows twitched faintly , barely noticeable , as he averted his gaze with a touch of guilt . " Yes , your uncle will give you a place to live . You're no longer an orphan . " Laura gazed at him blankly , unable to utter a word . Grace , on the other hand , cried with tears of joy and embraced her tightly . " Lala , this is great ! You've finally found yourself a home . Make sure to take good care of yourself when you go back this time . Please , please don't come back here again ! " Laura blinked , still unable to understand the situation . " I now have a family where I can see Mr. Smith ? " she thought . Laura's eyes suddenly brightened with excitement , and she couldn't suppress a delighted smile . Yet , she swiftly concealed it , anxious that Antonio might perceive her as complacent . Nevertheless , she was still happy . Antonio swept his cold gaze over her , initially not intending to make eye contact . However , a sudden warmth bloomed in his heart as he witnessed her reaction , and the tension instantly dissipated . It felt as if the snow had melted and spring had arrived , with flowers blooming in abundance . Jasper and the others wore solemn expressions but couldn't say much , given their father's decision . They could only prepare to welcome their half - sister into their home . Zayn quietly departed without a word . No one noticed him when he left . The boys trailed behind him and felt sorry for him when they saw him like this . " Boss , since you like Laura so much , why don't you stop her from leaving ? Why not stay by her side until she leaves ? " Another boy scratched his head and said , " That's right . You can't just show up whenever Laura gets into trouble and leave once she's fine . You two are good friends , so you should … share good food and get beaten up together ." Another one of Zayn's companions rolled his eyes . " It's called sharing joys and sorrows and enduring hardships together . Can you not spout nonsense , you uncultured idiot ? " With a trace of hostility in his eyes , Zayn sat on the slide gloomily . " All of you , leave . Stop lingering around me . It's annoying . " The young boys ' expressions changed in fear , and they dared not say another word . They quickly turned around and left . Inside , Laura remained lost in a daze . She turned around and glanced into the classroom . Jasper's occasional glances in her direction and her two other brothers , who seemed uninterested in her presence , made her feel somewhat disheartened . 1/2 Chapter 16 " Where is Zayn ? " she asked . Grace thought about it and shook her head , saying , " I have no idea . That brat might have gone somewhere to sulk . When your biological mother took you away last time , he didn't eat for days but got over it after a while . " Laura frowned as she turned around and ran outside . Grace immediately called out after her , " Lalal Where are you going ? " Putting down his phone , Jasper looked at Laura's retreating figure gloomily . He then took long strides and went after her . Laura noticed Zayn sitting on the slide . Seated solitarily on the slide platform , he gazed contemplatively into the distance . The sunlight enveloped his entire form , creating a fuzzy golden halo around him . He looked warm and lonely at the same time . She felt inexplicably sad . " Zayn . " Zayn's body stiffened as he heard her gentle voice . He glanced sideways . " What are you doing here ? " Laura frowned . She didn't know why Zayn always made a fuss when she had to leave . Softly , she uttered , " I want to thank you . Thank you for saving me . You were so cool just now , just like Ultraman . " Zayn's brows twitched as his irritation grew . " What bullshit . If only I really were Ultraman . " She sighed at his words . " Don't curse , or Ms. Mitchell will scold you again . " Zayn furrowed his brows and turned around, looking down at her from the higher platform , his tone irritable . " I'm not afraid of her scolding ! I'm not afraid of anything . I fear nothing in the word ! " Laura said , " Then why didn't you bid me goodbye ? Why do you always hide away whenever we had to part ? " Zayn paused , stumped by her question , and his face fell . It felt as if a tiny part of his heart had collapsed , completely crumbling away in his eyes . " It's none of your business , " he said before turning away . " I don't want to bid you farewell . " 2/2