Chapter 113: I Saw Nothing
Julian Faulkner was still dealing with the cat litter.
But that didn’t stop him from keeping an eye and ear on everything around him.
Sensing a sudden rustle of movement beside him, Julian Faulkner immediately dropped the litter box with a CLATTER, spun around, and snatched the cat in one swift motion.
"MROW~"
For the rest of her life, the mother cat would probably look back on the moment Julian Faulkner caught her and still find it unbelievable.
’My movements were so fast! These two-legged humans should have only seen my afterimage!’
’So why was this male biped still able to grab me with such lightning-fast reflexes?’
After some soul-searching in the wake of her painful lesson, the mother cat could only come to one conclusion: Julian Faulkner was simply too formidable.
"..."
Vivian Lowell was also a little stunned by what she’d just seen.
"Ahem."
Seeing the mother cat still struggling in Julian Faulkner’s grip and biting down on his hand without letting go, Vivian Lowell hurried over, took the cat from him, and pried its mouth off his hand.
"Sorry, I’ve got butterfingers. I couldn’t hold on to her."
Vivian Lowell put the mother cat back in its cage and shut the door before walking over to Julian Faulkner to check his injury.
Thankfully, they were both wearing gloves. They weren’t very thick, but at least they offered some protection.
Vivian Lowell carefully helped Julian Faulkner take off his glove and saw a small, red mark on his hand—the cat’s bite marks.
Fortunately, the teeth hadn’t broken the skin; it was just a little red.
"It’s not too bad."
Vivian Lowell breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Julian Faulkner and tentatively asked, "Should I go get some antiseptic to put on it? Or maybe a bandage?"
Julian Faulkner shook his head.
Then, he pulled a bandage out of his own suit jacket pocket.
!?
Vivian Lowell was so surprised she couldn’t help but stand on her tiptoes to peek into his jacket pocket.
"?"
Julian Faulkner shot Vivian Lowell a baffled look, his eyes questioning.
Vivian Lowell felt a bit awkward and could only offer an apologetic smile. "Um... I was just curious. Your jacket pocket looked so flat, I didn’t expect it to hold so many things!"
’When we were eating and I needed to wipe my mouth, Julian could pull a napkin out of his jacket pocket.’
’Now, I need a bandage, and he can produce one of those, too.’
’It’s just like Doraemon’s magic pocket!’
’How could I not be curious?’
The expression on Julian Faulkner’s face didn’t change much. He just explained calmly, "Just to be prepared for emergencies."
’Hmm... It’s mainly for Vivian, though.’
’Vivian seems smart and is very reliable, but sometimes she can be a bit of a ditz. Who else would I be preparing these things for?’
"Oh, that makes sense."
Vivian Lowell assumed Julian Faulkner had prepared it for himself. She took the bandage he offered, tore open the wrapper, and got ready to apply it for him.
"Hold still. I’ll go slow."
Her voice was gentle. Before putting on the bandage, she even blew softly on Julian Faulkner’s wound, hoping to ease the sting.
Because her head was bowed, Vivian Lowell didn’t see the expression on Julian Faulkner’s face at that moment.
It was as gentle as the spring sunshine—if she had seen it, she would have felt a warmth spread through her.
The two of them were leaning against the doorframe. Because they were applying the bandage, they stood very close, their posture just a little intimate.
Just then.
A little girl pushed the door open, immediately covered her eyes, and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy, I didn’t see anything!"
??
Startled by the little girl who had suddenly pushed her way in, Vivian Lowell quickly took a small step back, subconsciously putting some distance between herself and Julian Faulkner.
Just then, a pair of hands reached through the doorway, scooped up the little girl, and a voice said, "Nina, what did you see? Why are you in here..."
A middle-aged woman spoke as she glanced into the room, her eyes landing on Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner.
’Hmm...’
’What a handsome man and beautiful woman. They make a perfect pair!’
After her initial reaction, the middle-aged woman suddenly realized something and said apologetically, "Um... I brought my daughter here to adopt a kitten today. Sorry to interrupt you."
’Interrupt us?’
’Interrupt what?’
Vivian Lowell had a feeling...
’After what the little girl just shouted, this woman seems to have gotten the wrong idea!’
"You’re not interrupting."
But Julian Faulkner seemed to have no intention of explaining. After his brief reply, he just said, "You’re here to adopt, so please, take a look at the kittens."
"There aren’t many left. See if there are any you like."
"Okay."
The middle-aged woman agreed and led her daughter into the room.
The girl, whose name was Nina, was adorable. She had a round, chubby face with a bit of baby fat, and when she smiled, she had dimples.
As soon as she came in, she looked at Vivian Lowell, then at Julian Faulkner, and said shyly, "I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t mean to interrupt you, I..."
Vivian Lowell’s head was starting to ache. Just as she was about to explain that she was only putting a bandage on Julian Faulkner, he spoke first.
"It’s okay."
Julian Faulkner patted Nina’s head with a rare gentleness and asked, "What kind of kitten do you like? There are many here. Take a look and see which one you’d like to adopt."
"Mm..."
Nina murmured in agreement. Her eyes scanned the few caged kittens in front of her, and her gaze immediately fell upon the litter Vivian Lowell had just brought in today.
Seeing the little girl’s expression, Vivian Lowell said, "These cats were just brought in today. They have pretty good temperaments, but they haven’t been vaccinated yet."
"If you want to adopt one, you might have to..."
Vivian figured that people coming to adopt kittens usually only cared about two things.
A kitten’s personality and its looks. But comparatively, looks were the most important factor.
A good-looking cat, even if its temperament wasn’t the best, still had a high chance of being adopted.
On the other hand, if a cat was too "unique-looking," a potential adopter might never even notice its wonderful personality.
For example, Vivian currently had a little tuxedo cat that was "stuck on her hands." The markings on its face looked like a Tai Chi diagram, and it even had a "matchmaker’s mole" by its mouth.
’Hmm...’
’It had been three months since she brought it in, and no one had shown any interest.’
’There was also a kitten missing a leg. It couldn’t move around easily and wasn’t very active. Potential adopters worried it would get sick easily, so it also remained unadopted.’
In contrast, this newly rescued litter was full of lookers with good "cat-titude." It was only natural that this cute little girl would be drawn to them first.
But who would have thought.
Just as Vivian Lowell finished her introduction, thinking the little girl would most likely choose from the new litter, the girl pointed to the kitten with the lame leg and asked, "Can I see it?"