While eating, the two eldest in the William family, William and Eric, were not familiar with proper etiquette. Victor told Luke, “Teach them. Miss Hansley grew up in the Hansley family, so her habits are probably different from ours.”
His words sounded polite on the surface, but he was actually implying that Dexie also came from a humble family, so she probably didn’t understand dinner etiquette either. However, before Victor could finish his words, he saw Dexie stacking the table napkins in her lap, gently lifting the wineglass in front of her, pouring a glass of red wine for Eric, and saying, “Brother, have a drink.” Victor and Ava were taken aback.
Each of her movements and gestures was elegant, as if she had an innate air of sophistication. Dexie’s aura and behavior puzzled them. Her parents were from the slums, so how could she be so outstanding? But their amazement only lasted a moment. They pu
Luke’s smile slowly frozen.He looked at Dexie in shock, and after a long time, he forced a smile and said, “What’s wrong with you?”Dexie realized she had lost her composure.So what?Feeling an indescribable sadness and pain, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling. Her feelings for Luke made her feel sad and depressed.“Luke, I don’t want your ring, and I don’t want your affection.” Tears kept flowing from Dexie’s eyes, and she looked extremely aggrieved.Luke didn’t know how to console her. Dexie seemed even more aggrieved, and her tears kept falling as she said, “Take off this ring.”Luke could feel her strong resistance. She wasn’t just being shy or attempting to get it. She truly felt resistant and heartbroken.What’s going on? He frowned as he saw how emotional Dexie was, a
Luke felt a sharp pain in his heart as Dexie’s words hit him like ton of bricks. “So, you’re saying you never wanted me, never liked me. It was all because I pressured you, and you couldn’t say no because of who I am,” she said, her voice filled with hurt and accusation.Dexie’s revelation, his expression, a mix of shock and anguish, took Luke aback. Dexie struggled to nod in agreement, admitting, “Yes, you never gave me a choice. From the moment I applied for the job, you didn’t allow me to refuse.”Luke was incredulous and asked, “Are you certain this is true? You had no feelings for me?”Dexie, tears streaming down her face, replied, “Luke, it’s not that I don’t like you, it’s that you don’t like me!” Her words were laced with sorrow and disappointment.&nbs
Her laughter made Dexie, who was crying, freeze. Then she frowned and pouted, looking at Luke angrily.“Luke, don’t laugh,” she said.“I... pfft hahaha... were you mad just because of that? I really can’t help it,” Luke replied. He tried to suppress his laughter to be more serious, but seeing Dexie’s face, he couldn’t help but laugh.He raised his head and burst out laughing, saying, “Dexie, I always thought you were a smart girl, but I didn’t expect to have overestimated you so much. Haha...”As Luke spoke, he continued to snort.Dexie frowned and glared at Luke as she roared, “Luke!”Luke snorted and said, “My bad, but I couldn’t help it. Tell me honestly, did you think I treated you like anyone else?”Upon hearing Luke address such a serious matter so trivially and seeing the cheerful
After a smaller painting replaced the original one, a clear contrast was clear. Ava and Victor, driven by impatience, had not considered the consequences but were eager for Dexie to see the painting before it was too late. This impulsive decision led to a careless mistake.Unaware that Dexie would take a photo in that moment, they were surprised when she did. Jessebelle had previously informed Dexie about her cousin, which prompted her to take the picture as proof. Despite her distress, she sensed something amiss and wanted to provide proof for Jessebelle to prevent Luke from denying the truth.To everyone’s surprise, the photo became crucial evidence that shed light on the situation. Luke patiently waited for Dexie to inspect it before nonchalantly asking, “Did you see it clearly?”In a state of disbelief, Dexie looked up at Luke and q
When Luke went to fetch the photo a moment ago, he didn’t pay attention at all. Resolving the misunderstanding brought her relief. As Luke spoke to her, he glanced around and sensed something was amiss. On the upper floor of the corner shelf were some boxes of different sizes and materials. The ones on top were probably not commonly used, but only one was locked. Dexie’s expression suddenly turned serious.She never expected to find the box so easily. The box appeared to be Jessebelle’s description of shape and material. Among the many boxes present, Luke had only closed this one, showing its importance. Dexie’s heart raced, feeling as though it might burst out of her chest at any moment. She was extremely nervous. Lowering her head and clenching her fists, she tried to calm herself down. Struggling to suppress her emotions, she reminded herself not to show her nerves, lest Luke notice. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head, her expression neutral.As if nothing had happened, she
Upon hearing his words, Dexie didn’t dare to press him further. She tried to free herself with her other hand, but it was in vain. She murmured dissatisfiedly, “Luke, you did it on purpose. You promised...”Luke kissed her forcefully. Grabbing the hand she had just let go of, he placed it on his shoulder. Dexie thought he was making more advances, but he slowly let go and looked at Dexie with affection and joy in his eyes.It was the expression where one’s smile reaches the eyes, as Danny had said.“You, you...” Dexie was still a bit stunned. She bit her lip and huffed, then asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”“In the future, don’t doubt me. Otherwise...” Luke’s eyes cooled down, and he told Dexie, “The punishment wouldn’t be so light.”“Okay, it was my fault.” Dexie pouted and immediately admitted her mistake. This time, it was indeed her fault. Otherwise, Victor wouldn’t have deceived her.“No matter how expensive this ring is, you don’t need to be so careful. If you like
Dexie didn’t understand Jocelyn’s words and said, “Mom, ugh... even though we have a marriage certificate, our relationship is still unstable. I just plan to visit you two alone and greet you both on New Year’s Day.”“Dexie, don’t worry. Even though the Hansley family is declining, we don’t want to have an advantage over you. However, you will eventually tie the knot, and it’s important to remember that you should marry him as the daughter of the Hansley family. You can’t marry him as the daughter of the William family. It’s not that I look down on them, but there really is a sizeable gap. Although the Hansley family is not as prominent, at least we are better off than the William family. Identity and status matter. I know you don’t like your sister, so don’t worry. I won’t let her come down tomorrow,” Jocelyn said seriously.“Don’t worry, our family has come to this point, so we feel regretful and guilty for what we did in the past. Paloma has been away from home for so many years, s
The speaker was none other than Ava.Dexie turned her head and looked at Ava with disgust. Ava was luxuriously dressed. She was slowly climbing the stairs, and when she saw Dexie, she chuckled lightly. Her expression was indifferent as she said, “Danny likes you so much. Not only did he give you his gifts, but yesterday he also said he would give you his trust fund.”Her tone was mocking, but there was a smile on her face, as if it were a casual joke among close relatives. If Dexie lost her temper at this moment, she would seem petty.Dexie frowned. Before she could respond, Danny frowned, snorted, and said, “Are you trying to say that mom is trying to deceive us and dad’s money?”After Danny was found to have autism, this was the first time Ava heard Danny speak to her. She immediately looked at Danny in shock and didn’t know how to respond.Danny wrinkled his nose, his face full of dissatisfaction. He snorted softly and told Ava, “You’re a villain. Do you think everyone deceives peo
Gavin replied, “Yes.”He felt a little confused. Outside of family gatherings, the most frequent visitors to the Huxley family were the company executives. Luke never needed to give specific instructions. However, today he gave specific instructions. Who was the guest?However, Gavin only thought about it to himself and didn’t dare say it out loud.Dexie looked at Luke with a smile on her face and said, “Can we go downstairs for breakfast now?”Luke looked at her with a bitter expression on his face as he said, “I’m in a hurry to go to the office.”“Aren’t you going to eat?” Dexie froze for a moment and inquired.Luke nodded and said, “I still have something to do in the office.”“But... I got up really early and was busy all morning,” Dexie said, raising her head in a somewhat aggrieved manner and giving Luke a pitying look. Are you truly planning to skip breakfast?Luke stopped and said, “You and Danny should eat.”When she saw him like that, Dexie knew what was on his mind. She sai
When Dexie woke up, her body ached. A nurse removed the needle from her hand and, when she opened her eyes, she asked in surprise, “Miss Hansley, are you awake?” Dexie wanted to move but had no strength left.Even after struggling for a while, she still couldn’t get up. The nurse hurriedly said, “Don’t move; I’ll get you some water and help you up.”She used cotton swabs and tape to press the needle tube she had just removed from Dexie’s hand. Dexie was leaning on soft pillows when she turned to pour water and asked, “Miss Hansley, are you hungry?”Dexie was still a bit dazed, and instead of responding to the nurse’s words, she asked, “What happened to me?” The nurse said, “You had a very high fever. Thankfully, early detection prevented disastrous consequences.”It turned out she had a fever. The day before, she went out to look for Danny and came back drenched. She felt uncomfortable and had no strength left before going to bed at night, but she didn’t expect it to be so serious. Su
Perhaps it was the serious and sincere expression in his eyes that caused Danny to look at Dexie with a hint of doubt.Dexie let out a sigh of relief, then told Danny to lie down and said, “Sleep for a while. You need more rest to get better.”Danny nodded, but he was still a little worried, so he looked at Dexie.Dexie got up, covered him with the blanket, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on Danny’s forehead. With a smile, she said, “Go to sleep. Mommy will come back to my room once you’re asleep.”Danny nodded, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.After closing his eyes for a moment, as if he were still worried, he opened his eyes and looked at Dexie again.He felt relieved to see Dexie still looking at him with a smile.Dexie smiled and said, “Go to sleep.”Danny nodded. Dexie stroked the bed covers over him while humming a lullaby. Danny was exhausted, so he soon fell asleep.After Danny fell asleep, Dexie let out a sigh of relief and stood up.After experiencing intense an
She was busy in the kitchen. After preparing the food, she went upstairs to see if the doctor had finished bandaging him. As soon as she exited the kitchen, she witnessed Gavin dismissing the doctor. Only a nurse remained at home. Tears welled up in Amelia’s eyes as she listened to the doctor’s instructions.Dexie hurried upstairs to see if Danny had woken up.This time, Victor was guarding Danny. He seemed to wait for Dexie. He looked at Dexie coldly and said in a frosty tone, “Miss Hansley, put the things at the door and let the servants in later to deliver them.”He addressed her as Miss Hansley in a polite and distant tone.Dexie had a terrible feeling in her heart and said, “Mr. Huxley, I know you must hate me now, but Danny has a special condition and cannot eat when someone else feeds him. It’s better to let me in. After he recovers, you can deal with me.”Her voice was very hoarse.As she descended the mountain today, she was shouting Danny’s name and crying uncontrollably. Th
Dexie clenched her teeth and gazed in her direction. At that moment, she couldn’t be overly aggressive. Everyone believed she was the one who made Danny flee and sustain injuries. They and Luke might not let her in if she was too confrontational now. She believed she couldn’t take any chances.Dexie took a deep breath and looked at Ava. After trying to calm down, she said to Ava, “Mrs. Huxley, we can discuss who would be responsible later. Luke won’t let me off easily, so don’t stand in my way. I want to go in and see how Danny is. Since there are so many people inside, I can’t do anything to help Danny. I just want to see him. Besides, you have no right to stop me.”Ava scoffed at Dexie and said, “I am Danny’s grandmother and a member of the Huxley family, so why don’t I stop you? You are not welcome here and cannot enter under any circumstances. Luke also told you to leave. Now that Danny has been found, why are you still here?”Dexie was about to speak when the room’s door opened.
Dexie took a deep breath, climbed the stairs, and left her bag in the room. She put on a pair of sturdy, non-slip snow boots and a thick down jacket, then grabbed her thermos and headed out the back door where Danny had also left.The warm water was for Danny to drink. When they found him, he would probably want to drink water.Dexie took a flashlight just in case, then went out the door.She was very careful as she walked along the road. She scrutinized the ground for footprints and the branches on either side for any clues left by Danny.Even though she was anxious, she needed to calm down. Finding Danny was the most important thing.After walking for a few minutes, she saw two small paths in front of her. Suddenly she froze in place and hesitated.She wondered, Which path did he take?Although Danny had autism, he was smarter and more contemplative than normal children. Dexie felt she couldn’t try to understand based on common sense, but should think, if I were Danny... what would
As soon as Ava’s voice lowered, Dexie glanced at Gavin and asked, “How is the search going? Has Danny left this mountain?”Gavin looked at Luke and saw that he was still expressionless. He sighed and, without hiding it anymore, said, “We sent people to search and sent a drone, but... Danny is nowhere to be found. They have checked several checkpoints at the exit and consulted with the security guards. Danny never... Unless Danny escaped by climbing a wall at the foot of a mountain, he must still be on the mountain.”After Gavin’s statement, Dexie became even more concerned. She frowned and asked, “Are there no surveillance cameras? Look for surveillance footage and see what happened.”Gavin sighed and said, “except inside and outside the mansion, only a few mountain paths have cameras.” There aren’t many trails, and the nature of the mountain makes it impossible to install surveillance cameras everywhere.Dexie inquired once more, “What is the duration of his absence?”Gavin said, “It
After Dexie spoke with Jessebelle and Noah, it was almost three-thirty. Seeing the time, she said, “It’s time for me to go back.”Noah said, “Alright, be careful and understand that your own safety is the most important, no matter what happens.”Dexie nodded and said, “I know.”Dexie had only driven a few hundred meters after parting ways with the siblings.Gavin called. Dexie was in a positive mood, so she answered the phone and asked with a smile, “Gavin, since you’re calling me now, could it be that you found something in the investigation?”Dexie was in a positive mood, but Gavin said with a desperate voice, “Ma’am, please come back soon. Danny is missing.”“What?” Dexie’s tone changed, and her heart started beating wildly.“Danny ran away on his own. We’ve been searching for a long time, but we still haven’t found him. Even though it’s not snowing, the outside temperature is extremely low, and the road remains icy. There are mountain roads outside, so I’m afraid that Danny might
Danny’s expression was angry, and he frowned as he said, “Mom said she would be home before 3 o’clock. She broke her promise.”Ava sighed, with a look of distress on her face, and said, “Really? How could she break her promise? That’s unacceptable!”Danny seemed even more upset when he heard Ava’s words and said in a plaintive tone, “Mom promised me, so why hasn’t she come back? Did she fight with dad again?”Ava sighed and said, “She might not return, but she might have promised to be home before 3 o’clock just to console you.”I heard she promised you yesterday, but then she disappeared. She may have returned out of sympathy after seeing your tears. Danny, don’t feel too sad about it. Even if she’s not here, I can love you.”Danny shook his head with a look of grievance and said, “No, I want mom.”Ava repeated, “But... she’s not coming back, are you going to go out looking for her?”After hesitating for a while, Danny said calmly, “I... want to call mom.”Ava sighed and told Danny,