Chapter 327: A Strange Woman’s Voice
A light-colored wooden crib was placed right next to the large bed in the bedroom. The natural wood grain was warm and soft, and the rails were polished smooth and round, without a single sharp edge.
In the little bed, Owen and Nina lay side by side, their tiny bodies wrapped in soft, pure cotton swaddles.
The two little ones were frowning, their faces scrunched up and red. They looked like two little peach blossoms dusted with pink, their soft, plaintive cries rising and falling.
Their chubby little hands flailed in the air and their tiny feet kicked gently, seeking a familiar comfort. It was an endearing sight.
Adrian Lancaster, whose eyes had held a lingering, lustful haze just moments before, felt all traces of desire vanish the instant he heard his children cry. In its place, the tenderness of a father instantly bloomed.
He swiftly rolled out of bed, not even bothering with slippers. Barefoot on the carpet, he crossed the room in a few quick strides, rushing to the crib.
"Don’t cry, babies. Daddy’s here." He softened his voice, deliberately pitching his deep, magnetic tone to a gentle murmur, brimming with affection.
Adrian leaned over and extended his long arms. With his large, warm hands, he gently supported Owen and Nina’s backs, one in each hand. In a practiced and steady motion, he lifted both children into his arms.
He held his daughter, Nina, in his left arm and cradled his son, Owen, in his right, letting the two little ones rest against his firm, warm chest.
"There now, don’t be scared. Daddy’s got you. I’m holding you, so no more crying."
He gently rocked his arms while cooing softly to the babies, his voice full of patience and love.
Perhaps it was the familiar, cool scent of cedarwood, or perhaps the security of their father’s broad, warm embrace, but Owen and Nina’s cries gradually subsided.
Their little heads snuggled gently against their father’s warm chest.
Glistening teardrops still clung to their big, round, grape-like eyes. Their long eyelashes were wet as they blinked their wide, innocent eyes up at Adrian.
Their little lips were slightly downturned in a pout. That small, aggrieved, and dependent look completely melted Adrian’s heart.
His gaze was so gentle it could have been liquid, his fatherly love practically overflowing. He held the babies even more gently, pacing slowly by the bed and rocking them softly, humming a quiet, gentle tune with immense patience.
Soon, Owen and Nina stopped crying completely.
The two little ones rested obediently in their father’s arms, tilting their heads back to gaze up at him with sparkling, unblinking eyes. They made sweet, babyish gurgles and coos.
Just then, Wren Sutton got out of bed and straightened her clothes. She suppressed the bashfulness and fluttering in her heart, calmed her chaotic thoughts, and her expression gradually returned to one of composure.
She walked over to Adrian and gently reached out to take their daughter, Nina, from his arms.
The entire time, she deliberately kept her eyes lowered, avoiding his gaze and trying her best not to make eye contact.
"It’s time to change their diapers."
Adrian noticed the lingering shyness in Wren’s expression and restrained himself from teasing her further. He just nodded and hummed in agreement.
"I’ll change Owen, you change Nina."
"Okay," Wren replied softly.
They each carried a baby back to the crib and stood on opposite sides. With deft and gentle movements, they changed the diapers, their actions smooth and fluid.
After changing the diapers, Wren went to wash her hands. When she came back, she prepared formula for the babies.
There was a thermostat-controlled formula maker in the bedroom, which had already heated the water to the perfect temperature.
She picked up a clean bottle, precisely scooped the right amount of formula, and slowly poured it into the warm water, shaking it at a steady pace.
In less than a minute, two bottles of warm, sweet formula were ready.
Wren held out one of the bottles to Adrian. "You feed Owen, I’ll feed Nina."
"Okay."
The two of them sat side by side on the edge of the bed.
Owen and Nina rested in their parents’ warm arms, instinctively latching onto the nipples. Their little mouths pulsed as they drank quietly, looking content and blissful.
The bedroom fell quiet again, the only sounds being the babies’ soft sucking as they drank and the steady breathing of Wren and Adrian.
The heated, ambiguous atmosphere from before was replaced by the warmth of this moment, filled with a gentle, peaceful bliss.
Before long, both bottles were empty. Full and satisfied, Owen and Nina released the nipples, smacking their lips contentedly a couple of times.
Their post-nap grogginess vanished completely. Their little arms and legs began to kick gently again, their eyes sparkling with energy as they babbled and cooed in a language only the two siblings could understand.
Because he’d been sick, Adrian had been separated from the children for several days, unable to care for or be with them. He was filled with guilt and now wanted to make up for that lost time.
"Honey, you’ve worked so hard taking care of the children these past few days. Why don’t you rest here in the bedroom for a while? I’ll take Owen and Nina to the play area in the living room. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll come get you when it’s time for dinner."
Wren didn’t object and nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Adrian took their daughter from her arms, said a few more sweet, comforting things to her in a gentle voice, and then turned to leave, holding Owen and Nina.
...
The bedroom fell completely silent. The cool scent of cedar from Adrian’s clothes and the milky smell of the babies lingered in the air.
Wren didn’t feel like sleeping. She took her phone to the sofa and started leisurely scrolling through short videos.
As she was scrolling, she suddenly came across a short, steamy, and sweet AI-generated video of a couple.
In the video, the female lead was washing cherries in the kitchen when the male lead hugged her from behind. She turned around and fed him a cherry. The man said it was sweet, then picked her up and started carrying her to the bedroom, kissing her all the while.
The female lead, shy and flirtatious, asked the man what he was doing. He let out a low chuckle. "Eating you. You’re sweeter than the cherries."
The next second, the female lead was being pressed onto the bed by the male lead. Their fingers were intertwined, their foreheads touching as they held each other in a tight embrace.
The man passionately kissed the woman’s ear, neck, and collarbone. The dubbed-in panting was enough to make one’s face flush and heart race.
Just as he was about to kiss her chest, with their clothes still on, the video ended.
Wren was speechless.
’Why would the algorithm suddenly recommend this kind of video to me?’
She quickly and uncomfortably scrolled past it, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
’That video was too much like Adrian on the bed just now. Even the panting sounded the same.’
The more Wren thought about it, the more embarrassed she grew, and there was also a touch of lingering apprehension.
’If Owen and Nina hadn’t woken up just then, would she and Adrian have...’
Just then, a phone on the nightstand rang, interrupting Wren’s thoughts.
She snapped back to her senses with a jolt, trying to calm her racing heart as she got up and walked to the bedside.
Adrian had gone to the living room to play with the children and had left his phone behind in the bedroom.
The incoming call had no contact name saved—it was just a string of numbers from a regular cell phone.
Wren picked up the phone without any hesitation and turned to take it to Adrian in the living room. She had no intention of answering it for him.
However, as luck would have it, her thumb happened to be resting right on the answer key. With a slight, unintentional press, she picked up the call.
The next second, a woman’s voice came through the phone. "Adrian."