Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Chapter 861: Thinking of You Three Times a Day Aurora pinched Joyce's little nose playfully. "You little rascal. Promise Mommy you'll listen to Uncle Ashy and won't cause any trouble." "I promise to be on my best behavior!" Joyce immediately wiped away her tears, planting a kiss on Aurora's cheek. "Mommy, you're the best." "Joyce, since you're studying in New York, aren't you going to stay with Grandma?" Tina asked, her voice tinged with a hint of disappointment.

Though Aurora, as the head of the family, had abolished many of the old R family traditions and rules, Joyce was still expected to live at the family villa.

Joyce quickly ran over to Tina and kissed her cheek too. "That place is way too big. I don't like it. Besides, Grandma needs to spend twith Grandpa. I don't want to be a third wheel." "You cheeky little girl," Tina chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Joyce will be in good hands with me," Asher assured them for the third time. He had already prepared himself for her departure, but now that Joyce was staying with him, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"I'm not worried about you," Aurora teased. "I'm worried this little troublemaker might give you a hard time." "Mommy, I'll really behave this time," Joyce said earnestly.

"That's more like it. But for now, you'll sleep withfor the next few nights," Aurora said, reluctant to part with her.

"Okay!" Joyce agreed cheerfully.

That night, after Aurora finished telling her a bedtstory and tucking her in, she asked softly, "Joyce, can you tell Mommy why you're so determined to stay with Uncle Ashy?" Joyce bit her finger and thought for a moment. "Because I like Uncle Ashy." "Does that mean you don't like Grandma and Grandpa anymore?" "Of course not! I love all of them. But Uncle Ashy is different." "How is he different?" Aurora asked seriously, treating her daughter's thoughts with respect.

Joyce answered thoughtfully, "Because Mommy has Daddy, Grandma has Grandpa, Aunt Rebecca has Uncle Mio, Aunt Irene has Uncle Nick, and even Aunt Lila has someone she likes.

Everyone has someone, but Uncle Ashy has always been alone. I really like him and don't want him to be by himself. Being alone is so sad. I want to keep him company." Aurora was momentarily speechless. Her daughter's innocent words carried a surprising amount of wisdom.

"You think Uncle Ashy is sad?" Joyce shook her head. "Not sad, just lonely." "What does a little girl like you know about loneliness?" "I do know!" Joyce said confidently. "Loneliness is like when we're at kindergarten, and all the kids are playing together, but there's one kid who doesn't play with us." Aurora's mind drifted to thoughts of Aveline. "Are you talking about your sister?" "No, my sister is a little weirdo. She thinks we're childish and doesn't play with us. But this other kid-he wanted to play with us but was too scared. He always stayed in the corner by himself.

I saw his shadow stretch so long and lonely, so I went to play with him. After a while, he becmore cheerful and started playing with everyone.

Uncle Ashy is just like him. When you're all having fun together, he just watches quietly. His shadow stretches long too. I think he's lonely." Aurora hadn't expected such insight from her usually carefree and bubbly daughter. Sometimes, it took a child's pure eyes to see the things adults overlooked. She gently patted Joyce's head, suddenly understanding her more deeply.

Joyce truly lived up to her name, bringing joy not just to herself but to everyone around her.

"You're amazing, my little angel. Mommy is so proud of you." "Mommy, guess what! Rowan is going to the selementary school as me. Wouldn't it be great if we were in the sclass?" "Who's Rowan?" "The friend I told you about! He used to be really shy and never talked, but now he tellseverything. But I can't tell you, Mommy-it's our little secret." Aurora smiled knowingly. "Alright, I won't ask. Mommy's leaving tomorrow. Will you miss me?" "I'm already missing you now! But Mommy has to take care of the baby, so I'll try my best to only miss you three times a day," Joyce said earnestly, her words bringing tears to Aurora's eyes.

Her daughter's maturity was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Aurora kissed her on the forehead. "Be good, my love. Cvisit Mommy during your school break. I'll miss you too." "Okay, Mommy. I'll cvisit. You be good too," Joyce said, patting Aurora's arm like a little adult.

Aurora turned off the lights, and Joyce quickly fell asleep. At the end of the day, she was still just a child.

The next morning, Asher held Joyce's hand as they went to see Aurora off. Joyce smiled brightly the whole time. "Bye, Mommy, Daddy, and Little Monster! I'll miss you all." Aveline, who was used to being called "Little Monster," flicked Joyce's forehead lightly. "Don't you dare let yourself get skinny. If you cback shorter than me, I'll beat you up." Even her words of concern sounded cold and sharp.

"I know you'll miss me," Joyce said with a grin, hugging Aveline tightly. She didn't want to leave either, but she tried her best to keep smiling.

Aveline fought back tears. "If anyone bullies you, tell me. I'll ctake care of them." "Okay!" "Be good, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy have to go now," Julian said, lifting Joyce into his arms. Joyce gave him a kiss, then kissed Aurora again.

"Bye, Mommy and Daddy."

As they walked toward the boarding gate, Aurora glanced back. Joyce was still waving until theydisappearing unti disappeared past the security checkpoint. The moment they were out of sight, tears streamed down Joyce's face. "Sob... Uncle Ashy, I miss Mommy, Daddy, and Little Monster," she cried.

Asher picked her up, his heart aching. "Do you wantto take you to them?"

"No! I want to stay with you," Joyce said, wrapping her arms tightly m around his necke "livery for ten minutes and then I'll be fine," she whispered to herself. Asher felt the dampness on his neck and couldn't help but laugh. This little girl...

After saying goodbye to Tina and the others, Asher placed Joyce in the backseat and buckled her into her car seat.

"It's just the two of us now. What do you want to eat today? I'll take you to the grocery store." "Are you going to cook foryourself?" "Of course." "Then I want your best hamburgers!" "Alright, anything Joyce wants, I'll make it for you," Asher said, suddenly feeling that life wasn't so dull anymore.

"Uncle Ashy, you're the best! I love you the most!" Joyce's laughter filled the car, and before long, she had forgotten all about the sadness of saying goodbye to Aurora. mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1