About two hours earlier, after eating and drinking their fill, Jason and Tim had planned to go to the East End to do homework with some of Jason's old friends. Mainly because they did not want to run into Thomas if he came back and get assigned more damn etiquette lessons.
They had gotten dressed and were about to head out when they ran into Bruce, who had returned with Aisha. Rarely, Bruce was not wearing formal attire, instead dressed in a long-sleeved Cashmere Sweater and a double-breasted coat. Aisha in his arms was practically his miniature double, except for the scarf around her neck. Her cheeks were flushed from the warmth, and she looked as adorable as a doll.
Bruce wrapped each of their scarves tighter, reminded them that they had to be back by nine for bed, and then saw them out.
After Jason and Tim left, Bruce took Aisha to change clothes. She had been in kindergarten for a year and was already very capable of taking care of herself. She could completely manage things like changing clothes on her own, which made Bruce abandon the idea of hiring an older woman as her nanny. He planned to look after her himself instead.
But that did not mean Aisha had become a well-behaved little girl. Only a few minutes after entering the walk-in closet, Bruce discovered that she was chewing on a wardrobe drawer. Calling it chewing was not quite accurate; more than half the drawer had already gone into her stomach.
Bruce rushed in to restrain her, so he did not hear the commotion at the manor gates. Alfred had gone to see Jason and Tim off and had not returned yet, so he had not noticed what was happening outside either.
Before the gates of