"Steve?!" Mrs. Felton exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her son arriving with Dave.
Helena, who was also there to welcome Dave, was just as shocked. She noticed that Steve was carrying a suitcase, just like Dave.
Wasn't Dave the only one supposed to stay here? Did Steve change his mind? Helena wondered, feeling a spark of hope.
Suddenly, she felt nervous at the thought of seeing Steve every day.
"After thinking it over, I also want to stay here with Mom," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
His mother immediately hugged him and kissed his cheek. It was clear that the owner of the house was overjoyed to have Steve living there again.
Previously, Steve had only visited once a week.
"Mom is so happy!"
"Mom!" Steve protested as he tried to remove his mother's hands, which were now pinching his cheeks.
Dave watched the mother and son with a smile. He was already used to this kind of scene.
Helena, who was still processing Steve's presence, was even more surprised when she caught a glimpse of Dave’s smiling face.
"You’re smiling," Helena suddenly said to Dave.
Dave turned toward the voice, finding Helena staring at him as if he had done something unusual.
Steve and his mother also looked at Dave after hearing Helena’s comment.
However, they saw no smile—only Dave’s usual expressionless face.
Of course, that was because Dave had quickly erased his smile the moment Helena spoke.
"What?" Dave asked Helena.
Steve immediately burst into laughter, and Mrs. Felton also smiled.
Helena and Dave instinctively looked at Steve, who was laughing.
Helena was confused about what he found so funny.
Dave, on the other hand, just gave Steve an unamused look before walking past the three of them.
"I'm going to my room," Dave said before disappearing into the house.
"Dave is stiff," Steve said after his laughter died down.
Helena listened.
"But don’t forget, he’s still human." Steve chuckled.
"So, don’t forget that he can smile too," Mrs. Felton added.
They both understood Helena’s reaction, as Dave rarely smiled.
Helena responded with a simple nod and a small smile.
"Mrs. Michelle," someone suddenly called from behind Steve.
They all turned to see who had spoken.
It was the Felton family’s chauffeur, a man in his forties who was already married.
"Oh, what is it, Ray? Are you leaving now?" Steve's mother—whose full name was Michelle Felton—asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm heading home now," Ray replied politely.
"Alright, take care." Mrs. Michelle smiled warmly.
Ray bowed slightly before leaving.
"What was that about, Mom?" Steve asked.
"I gave Ray a temporary break because I have a replacement driver," Mrs. Michelle answered with a smile.
"Huh?"
"Since Dave is staying here, I originally planned for him to be my driver. But now that my son is here too, both of you should prepare to be my chauffeurs."
She laughed at Steve’s dumbfounded expression.
Then, an idea popped into her head.
"Oh, Steve! Your first task is to take Helena to the supermarket and help her with the shopping. I’ll give you the list."
Mrs. Michelle winked at her son.
"Shopping?" Steve asked.
Mrs. Michelle nodded with a wide grin.
"Now, dear Helen, go with Steve," she said warmly to Helena.
"Ah, yes." Helena nodded awkwardly.
Her heart suddenly fluttered at the thought of going shopping alone with Steve. A wave of nervousness washed over her as she realized that Steve’s mother seemed to be deliberately bringing them closer together.
Steve couldn’t refuse, so he sighed before smiling.
"Alright, whatever you say, Your Majesty."
Mrs. Michelle playfully reached out to pinch her son’s cheek again, but Steve quickly dodged.
His cheeks would swell if he kept getting pinched. Steve grabbed his suitcase and headed to his room.
Helena found the scene amusing. She recalled how often Mrs. Michelle used to pinch her cheeks as well. It seemed to be a habit of Steve’s mother.
However, Helena was unaware that she was the only one—besides Steve—who received that kind of treatment from Mrs. Michelle. Even Dave never did.
Not that Mrs. Michelle wouldn’t want to, but knowing Dave’s stiff nature, he would surely refuse.
***
Helena tried not to frown as she sat in the car. Steve was driving.
At first, she thought she could sit in the front passenger seat beside Steve. But she was wrong.
Just as she and Steve were about to leave, Dave suddenly appeared.
As Helena reached for the front passenger door, Dave got there first and placed his hand on it.
"I'm coming along. You sit in the back," Dave said.
Without waiting for her response, he got into the car and sat in the seat beside Steve.
Helena stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened.
"Dave?" Steve asked, surprised by his cousin’s sudden decision.
"I'm coming along," Dave repeated curtly.
"Oh." Steve didn’t question him further.
Meanwhile, Helena pulled herself together and got into the car. She sat alone in the back seat.
She couldn’t help but feel annoyed at Dave.
What’s his deal? she thought irritably.
Initially, she was nervous about being alone with Steve, but now she was simply frustrated with Dave.
However, after thinking it over, she realized it might be a good thing. She wouldn’t know how to act around Steve if they were alone.
Her nervousness had even made her wish for someone to accompany them. And sure enough, Dave had shown up—though she had hoped that person would be Mrs. Michelle instead.
They arrived at the supermarket, and Steve parked the car.
"Come on, Helen," Steve said, inviting her inside.
Helena nodded and followed the two men into the supermarket, which was always bustling with shoppers.
Dave and Steve each grabbed a shopping cart, and the three of them set off to gather the items on the list.
"If you want to buy anything, just take it and put it in the cart, okay?" Steve told them as they walked past the food aisles.
Helena nodded with a small smile, while Dave simply glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
As they passed the kitchenware section, Helena's gaze landed on a porcelain mug adorned with violet flowers. She found it beautiful.
She stared at it for a while, unaware that Steve had moved beside her.
"You like that?" Steve asked kindly.
Helena flinched in surprise.
"Go ahead and take it if you like. I think the design is nice too," Steve added.
"Uh," Helena hesitated.
Without waiting for her response, Steve picked up the violet-flowered mug and placed it in her hands.
"Ah, thank you." Helena smiled as she looked at the mug.
Suddenly, a ringtone sounded from Steve’s pocket.
Steve instinctively reached for his phone, expecting a call.
However, when he saw the caller ID, he froze.
He had not expected to receive a call from this person.
***