In order to stop herself from thinking too much, Joanne went to the children's room to see the two babies as soon as she returned to the villa.

As if they knew that something bad had happened today, Aiden and Romy were both very obedient. They did not cry or make any trouble but slept soundly on their respective cribs.

Looking at the siblings, Joanne finally felt somewhat relieved, with her uneasy heart slightly calming down.

Afraid of disturbing the babies, Joanne and Freya left the children's room soon.

Martha followed out and said, "Mrs. Lambert, Simon, and I will take good care of Aiden and Romy. You and Mr. Lambert can rest assured to deal with Madam's affairs."

Joanne was sincerely grateful to Martha. "Thank you for your hard work."

Martha waved her hand. "You don't have to speak so polite to us."

After that, Martha went back to the children's room. Since the babies were still sleeping, she could also lie down and have a nap.

Joanne had nowhere to go, so she went back to her room.

Brian's coat was still hung on the clothes tree in the room, making her feel that he was with her here.

However, Brian would not come back tonight.

Joanne suddenly felt that this room was empty, but she felt more worried and uneasy.

"Joanne, Chris, and I will stay here tonight, and we will stay with you." Freya said, "No matter what happens, you still have us. Don't be afraid."

Joanne compressed her lips and prevented herself from crying in front of Freya. She just said, "You take a shower first. My brother will come back soon, and you can rest early."

Freya held Joanne's hand. "Go back with me. I want to bring something here."

After being pregnant, Freya stopped using all her cosmetics and skincare products. She wore no makeup, but her friends commented that she was more dazzling than before.

She jokingly told her friends that it was her happiness that was dazzling.

After washing up, Freya took some clean clothes off her and Chris, as well as a small traveling bag which contained her milk and some nutrition-supplementing products.

Joanne took the bag and said, "I'll carry it. You walk carefully."

Freya put one hand into the pocket of her coat and held Joanne with the other hand. She tried to persuade her. "Joanne, don't worry about me now. Let me worry about you!"

Freya's way of worrying about Joanne is very special.

As soon as they returned to the villa, Freya forced Joanne to take a shower first. Joanne had no choice but to listen to her.

After the shower, Freya forced Joanne to sleep.

Joanne lay on the bed and tossed and turned, but she was wakeful. She could only compromise with reality. "Freya, I really can't sleep."

"I know you are worried about Aunt Iris, but you must sleep!" Freya's reason was simple and rough. "Otherwise, when your brother comes back, I can't accompany you."

Joanne pulled the quilt up and complained, "Forget your friend upon seeing your man."

Freya proudly raised her eyebrows. "Your brother is my husband now! Even if you really want to complain, you should say: 'Forget your husband's younger sister upon seeing your husband'."

Joanne burst into laughter, and the heavy pressure on her heart was much relieved.

She moved sideways and motioned for Freya to lie down.

When they were studying abroad, they often slept together. But after returning to their homeland, Joanne threw herself into work while Freya was busy chasing after Chris all day long. Also, they lived in different places, so there were fewer and fewer chances for them to sleep in the same bed as they did when they were students.

Now that they had gotten married, it was even more difficult for them to sleep together.

Freya felt that she should cherish this opportunity, so she lay down and stared at Joanne, saying, "Sleep. I'm here with you."

Joanne closed her eyes, and she was still in a flutter. She was afraid that Rowdy would hurt Iris crazily, and she was even more afraid that Iris would not be able to go through the nightmare of seeing Rowdy again.

However, she could only take good care of their family for Brian. Other than that, she could do nothing else.

In that case, she would try her best to do it so that Brian would have no additional worries.

Joanne constantly hypnotized herself and finally felt a little sleepy.

Freya stopped talking and stayed with Joanne while waiting for Chris to come back.

After Chris sent Wendy back to the hospital, he didn't stay for long. Wendy and Gavin didn't let him stay but urged him to go back.

In the current situation, both Joanne and Freya needed him.

On the way back, Chris drove the car himself and gave full play to its superior qualities, which matched its price. Soon, he returned to the top of the mountain.

Seeing Chris come back, the bodyguard rushed over and told him, "Mr. Scott, Mrs. Su told you to live in Mr. Lambert's house tonight."

Chris understood Freya's thoughts without guessing. He didn't go home and went to Brian's villa.

The villa was quiet, and Chris did not make any sound. He went straight to the second floor, walked to the door of the master bedroom, and gently knocked on the door.

Not long after, Freya gently opened the door and gestured to Chris, who was outside the door, to keep quiet.

Then, Freya came out of the master bedroom and took Chris to the bedroom next door.

After entering the room, Chris asked, "Is Joanne asleep?"

"She finally fell asleep, so let's not disturb her." Freya paused and asked, "Wendy arrived, right?"

"I sent Wendy to the ward and personally led her to Gavin." Chris signaled to Freya to rest assured and continued, "You should go to bed early, and I will help Brian deal with some things."

Freya took out the things from the traveling bag and said, "I should have brought all the things you need. If there is anything missing, ask someone to get it for you. I have tried my best, and my strength is gone."

Freya admitted that she was not as talented as Joanne when it came to doing housework. Joanne could always arrange everything in order.

As for Freya, she admitted that she was poor at it.

Chris glanced at the things prepared by Freya, took her hand, and kissed her on the back of her hand. "You've prepared everything I need. Well done. Sleep. I'm in the study next door."

"Good night!"

Freya lay on the bed and pulled up the quilt to wrap herself tightly, but she couldn't fall asleep immediately.

She vaguely had a bad feeling.

For a long time, she had always firmly believed that "carpe diem" was a principle of life that everyone should abide by.

Because of such a life philosophy, after she married Chris, she lived a more unrestrained life and almost had no worries.

This was the first time she felt uneasy, just like a bird that couldn't wait to fly away when it stood on a telegraph pole and felt that a storm was coming.

After tossing and turning several times, Freya finally couldn't resist her sleepiness and fell asleep.

After leaving the bedroom, Chris did not enter the study but knocked on the door of the master bedroom.

Soon, Joanne's voice came from the inside. "Brother?"

Chris replied, "Yep, it's me."

"Freya didn't lock the door when she went out." Joanne said, "Come in."

Chris pushed the door open and walked into the master bedroom. He saw Joanne holding herself and curling up at the head of the bed.

Joanne asked curiously, "Brother, how do you know I haven't slept yet?"

Just now, she only felt a little sleepy, but in order to make Freya rest assured to sleep, she simply pretended to be asleep.

Unexpectedly, Freya believed it, but Chris didn't.

"I watched you grow up. How can I not understand you?" Chris pulled a chair and sat down beside the bed. "You want to cry, don't you?"

Joanne was stunned and suddenly could no longer hold back her tears. Like a child, she burst into tears.

In order to hide her crying, Joanne could only bite her lips hard and prevent herself from crying aloud.

Chris got up and held Joanne in his arms. Just like when his mother had just passed away, he used his own body to give Joanne a reliable harbor.

"Joanne, you must trust Brian and believe that he can handle this matter well." Chris comforted her. "Brian is no longer the weak teenager 15 years ago. Now, he has the ability to compete with Rowdy."

"I'm worried that Brian will get hurt." Joanne cried and said, "And Mom, I'm afraid that Rowdy will hurt her."

"He won't." Chris made a clear analysis. "Before the negotiation, the bad guys will ensure the safety of the hostages. Otherwise, the bargaining chip will be not as efficient as before. So, before the negotiation with Brian, Rowdy will not hurt Aunt Iris. You don't have to worry."

Joanne nodded and leaned into Chris's arms, crying out in a low voice.

Chris did not say anything else. He just hugged Joanne and let her vent her sadness and distress.

Joanne did not know how long she had cried. She only knew that in the end, she was exhausted.

"Joanne, go to sleep." Chris comforted Joanne. "Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, you still have me with you."

Joanne wiped away her tears and lay down obediently.

Chris pulled up the quilt and gently tucked Joanne in. "Okay, close your eyes."

In a trance, Joanne felt that she seemed to have returned to her childhood.

In her childhood, when she went home after making trouble and was scolded by her mother, she would hide in her room and cry with a grievance, and then Chris would always appear as soon as possible and tell her that it was no big deal. He would also tell her that she still had him with her and he could handle any matter.

After more than a decade, she had grown up, married a man who loved her very much and become the mother of two children.

But in Chris's eyes, she was still the little girl who needed his protection.

With her brother around, she would feel at ease.

Chris went into the bathroom, wet a towel with hot water, and then screwed the water out of it, and wiped away the tears on Joanne's face.

Perhaps because Joanne had vented her feelings, or because Chris's presence made her feel at ease, not long after that, she fell into a sweet dream.

Chris stayed with Joanne for another while, then left the master bedroom and went to the children's room.

The two babies were also sleeping soundly.

Finally, Chris went back to his room and saw Freya sleeping soundly.

From the master bedroom to this bedroom, these sleeping ones were just the people he needed to protect.

All he could do was to make them feel safe.