North suddenly felt a little lost. She was waiting for Gerald at the hotel, but where was he?Reina was already awake, and yet he was not back yet. Why? Did he not know she was waiting for him?Something that had been supporting her this whole time seemed to shatter immediately. North could not bear to stay there anymore.Grabbing her suitcase, she got to the airport and hopped on the very next flight to Peacevale that very night.She needed to spend a few days calming down in a place that felt familiar and safe to her.After getting off the flight, she somehow made it back to Royal Sights Residences.At the time, it was already 3:00 a.m., so the entire place was completely dark. North was feeling a little dizzy, so she stood at the entrance for a while before finally going in. When she reached the second floor, North was about to go back to her room when she noticed the lights were on in the study, and she could hear Steward’s voice. “Youngsters have their own way of figuring
Reina had always thought Nathan was a useless idiot who was easy to fool, so she answered, “Of course I do. You’re the youngest Howard son and Gerald’s brother.”“No,” Nathan said slowly. “I’m an illegitimate son. The confirmed kind.”Reina froze. Had this guy gone mad? Who even cared if he was illegitimate?Before she could say anything, Nathan replied passive-aggressively, “My mother was a mistress, so I know what a mistress is like before they usurp someone’s wife. Ms. Reina, you act just like my mother.”The ward fell into dead silence. Everyone’s jaws dropped.Hold on, what did Nathan mean by that? He was an illegitimate son, so he knew what mistresses were like, and Reina reminded him of his own mother—who everyone knew was a mistress who usurped her predecessor.Did Nathan mean that Reina’s actions were a mistress’s actions?!Did he just call Reina a mistress?!Reina’s face twisted into something indescribable, but she could not show her anger. Instead, she said, “You’
“I don’t care if she is your savior. If you’re not married, then it means you weren’t destined to be together. I forbid my grandson from abandoning his wife.”“I understand,” Gerald said solemnly.After sending Madam Bracken off, he turned to go upstairs. North had not brought many things with her in the first place, so the manor did not look that different in her absence.However, Gerald could clearly feel an emptiness in the entire place. It was so quiet and lifeless.He felt like his heart had stopped. Taking a deep breath, Gerald found his phone and dialed Marlin’s number.…Over at the Brandy Manor, North was in a low mood when Marlin handed her a piece of fruit. “Guess who just called me?” he asked.“I don’t care,” North said emotionlessly.“Alright, but if he can call me, that means he knows you’re here.” Marlin raised an eyebrow. “What if he comes to pick you up?”North said coldly, “Am I supposed to go with him if he comes?”Marlin paused. Then, he smiled amusedly, a
“He knew you needed to marry a South to get your inheritance, but he not only hid the truth from you but also misled you on purpose. Add that to his ambiguous relationship with Reina…” Abraham raised an eyebrow. “Do you hate him?”North snapped out of her thoughts. “What does that have to do with you?”Abraham smiled slightly. “Of course, it concerns me. After all, I was the one you had wanted to marry. If you dislike Gerald, that means I have a shot, don’t I?”North replied emotionlessly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Abraham, but you’re overthinking this.”Abraham was not angered. Instead, he simply answered, “I knew you would say that. I don’t plan to force you; I just have a way to help you get your inheritance… no marriage required.”North raised an eyebrow. She could sense he was not finished yet.Sure enough, he continued, “However, I hope you’ll attend my private party.”North looked up at him. “If I attend a party, you’ll help me get my mother’s inheritance back? It’s that simple?”
Gerald must have sensed her gaze because he suddenly looked up.North’s heart suddenly skipped a beat and she quickly turned away. “He can stand there as long as he wants. I’m hungry.”Marlin stood up. “Jude’s gone. Let me make you some ravioli. Oh, right. That guy hasn’t eaten all day, either. Do you want me to make him one?”North shot Marlin a glare.Marlin chuckled. “Alright, we’ll let him stand there, then. Uncle Pete’s coming tomorrow. So, we can save on the medical bills. What a coincidence.”North was speechless.After eating a bowl of ravioli, she decided that if he was out of her sight, he would be out of her mind too. So, she slammed the door shut without even looking at Gerald.She had slept for so long during the day that she could not fall asleep at night anymore. So, she lay in bed and scrolled through social media. Suddenly, she noticed her classmates were posting photos of snow in Peacevale.When she tapped on the photos, she noticed that it was snowing heavily
Gerald stared at the woman in front of him greedily, afraid that she would disappear in the very next moment. “I’m not free. I’m here to take you home.”“I’m not going,” North answered without hesitation.Gerald’s gaze seemed to dim. A moment later, he suddenly smiled. “Alright, that’s fine. Have fun with Marlie.”North felt an emotion she could not describe. “Who are you calling Marlie? Don’t make up nicknames so casually!”How could he be so shameless? Marlin was her brother! What did he have to do with Gerald?The corner of Gerald’s lips lifted upon seeing her animated expression. Then, he seemed to remember something and silently lifted a hand to his stomach.When North noticed what he was doing, she asked, “What’s wrong?”Gerald answered in a raspy voice, “I haven’t eaten at all today. My stomach hurts.”North remembered that Steward had mentioned Gerald growing up homeless as a child. He went hungry a lot, so he rarely got to have a full meal. That left him with an incura
Gerald nodded slightly. “Alright. Go get some rest.”North did not know what to say.What was going on? She was the one who said she was going to bed. However, since Gerald had said it, she felt strangely frustrated. She felt like she had just been shooed back to bed.What was happening? She never would have fixated on something trivial like this in the past.This was all Gerald’s fault for not letting her sleep. She was so tired that she was getting irritable. Yes, that must be it!After North left, Gerald walked into the kitchen, and sure enough, he found a bag of frozen shrimp ravioli.A few minutes later, he finished cooking two portions of shrimp ravioli.Gerald took both bowls upstairs and knocked on North’s door.North was lying in bed, forcing herself to sleep. Alas, every time she closed her eyes, she thought about Gerald downstairs. What was he doing? He must be done cooking the ravioli, right? Was he done eating? Shouldn’t he have left afterward? Why didn’t she hear
Gerald stood outside her room for a while before suddenly smiling in resignation.It was good enough that he got that far. Even a softie like North would only open up gradually.Gerald went back downstairs and slowly finished his ravioli. After washing the dishes, he left silently without alerting anyone else in the house.…The next morning, North woke up early so that she could get rid of the evidence. If Marlin discovered the bowls and utensils from yesterday, he would be sure to ask her a bunch of questions.But when she got downstairs, Mrs. Stubbs had already taken care of it.North gulped. “Mrs. Stubbs, did you wash the dishes from last night?”Marlin looked over amusedly.Mrs. Stubbs was confused. “Did I leave some dishes unwashed last night? That can’t be right.”Enduring Marlin’s gaze, North soldiered on and asked, “Were there any dirty dishes when you got here this morning, then?”Mrs. Stubbs shook her head. “Of course not, I clean everything up every day. The ravio