GETTING THE HEART OF THE CEO

Kyle wanted to burst out laughing; he wasn't used to being around kids. Lindsey never thought he would find out about her antics from those rascals' mouths. She took a deep breath and approached the children, grabbing two of them by the

hands.

"Come on, kids! Nana Julia is waiting for us with snacks."

Everyone started walking towards the interior of the house, where an older lady was waiting for them in the dining room. Kyle and Freed stood still, watching everyone enter the house.

Jimena, a few steps from entering the house, turned around and shouted,

"You two stay there, come join us for a snack."

"Your wife is a gem, and now I see why you're in love," she patted him on the back twice and walked away with a victorious smile.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Pleasure to meet you, folks! I'm Julia, the cook," an elderly lady introduced herself, shaking hands with each of them warmly.

Kyle scanned the room for his wife, who was sitting with Luan, arranging the children in their seats. Luan felt a piercing gaze, looked up, and saw threatening eyes and a seriousness that sent shivers down his spine. He whispered to his friend, "I'm going to help Stefany because if I stay by your side, they'll carry me out of here dead, and I can't leave Ebel a widower," and he headed towards the kitchen.

"Relax, buddy. I don't think you've noticed; your opponent is gay, and look how terrified he is seeing your grumpy face. Find a seat because I'm going to join those two ladies," he walked away towards the kitchen and approached Janna and Stefany, who were organizing cookies.

"Ladies, can I help?"

"Yes! Take this tray to the table and put cookies on the kids' plates while we serve the drinks. Does that sound good, handsome?" Stefany said with a flirtatious smile.

The cheerful man took the tray and, with his back to the girls, disappeared.

"Isn't the blonde handsome? Too bad I love Eber, or else I wouldn't waste time flirting with him," Luan said, standing next to the girls.

"You took a while to notice," Stefany said, raising an eyebrow.

"Stefany! Kyle has him nervous; can't you see he's scared to death?" Janna affirmed.

Luan kept an eye on Kyle, who was approaching Lindsey. He sighed, placing his hands on the counter.

"Kyle, with that body and those blue eyes, is desirable for anyone, but it seems like he wants to kill me with that cold look."

"What a shameless guy! You just said you love Eber, and now you desire another man. He's lucky because you're suspicious of him."

The girls laughed and walked to the table with the drinks while hearing him say,

"Oh, friend, I'm just expressing what I see. The man is handsome, but that expression takes away my desire to look at him. Poor Lin, who has to put up with him."

Lindsey glanced sideways at Kyle, who was standing beside her. She felt uncomfortable in his presence and whispered quietly,

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you came to check how many lovers I have. As you can see, there are many."

"I'm just making sure my wife wasn't up to anything inappropriate," he said bluntly.

"Sorry to disappoint you. As you've seen, I spend my weekends here to help these kids in any way I can. You decide whether to believe me or not. I also don't sell myself for money; I work to cover my expenses."

She was furious. Without waiting for a response, she moved to empty chairs; her legs were trembling. She delicately sat next to some children.

Kyle felt agony in his chest, realizing he was wrong. He considered himself a complete idiot for thinking horrible things about her, but he still had doubts about the photos.

'I have to find out the origin of those photos,' he whispered in his mind.

He followed her, pulled a chair, and sat beside her without uttering a word. Lucia winked at him and engaged him in conversation, and he responded willingly.

Later, everyone went to the patio to continue playing with the children. The girls, along with Luan, dragged Freed to join them.

Kyle asked Jimena to show him the facilities, and she gladly walked alongside him. Jimena showed him the six-bedroom house, with four bathrooms, two classrooms, a kitchen with a spacious dining area, and the patio. They sat on a bench while watching the kids play.

"Jimena, tell me, how did you establish this shelter for homeless children?"

"This house is a family heritage. At one point, I was married, and unfortunately, I couldn't have children. It was one of the reasons for my divorce. Shortly after, I found out that my ex-husband had remarried and was expecting his first child. That depressed me a lot. I spent two years locked away. I have a friend who works in a child protection center. He always called me and told me about children who weren't adopted because of their age. I asked myself, 'Why live alone in such a big house when it could be a shelter for homeless children?""

Kyle listened carefully

"One day, I got up and decided to give love. With the support of a study and shelter for older children, I started this work and created 'A GRAIN OF SAND MAKES A DIFFERENCE.' My little ones are from around five to eleven years old. When they enter secondary school, they go to an educational institute and shelter at the same time-a convent school that helps them integrate into society. They stay there until they turn 18."

"How did my wife and the three kids end up in this shelter?"

"Through Janna. She is one of the girls who has left this shelter."

"How so?"

"Janna was the first to step into this house at the age of five. Her parents died tragically, and no relatives appeared. At eleven, she left the shelter to start secondary school. When Janna was fifteen, she showed up with a friend, Lin, who lost her mom at the age of eight and has been through a lot. They came to play with the kids and help me with them."

Kyle felt miserable for judging his wife without knowing what had happened in her life. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he asked about the other kids.