Just when the situation started to get awkward, the waiter served their dishes. The waiter was also surprised by their demeanor, but he managed to keep his smile and said to them, “Sir, madam, your order is here.” Lily smiled at Odell and said, “Master Carter, we shouldn’t be disturbing Ms. Ross. Let’s go back and sit down.” Odell shot one last glance at Sylvia before he returned to his seat. Lily sat down opposite him. The waiter served their food as soon as they returned. The baby in Sylvia’s belly finally calmed down. She sighed a breath of relief and continued eating. She gobbled down everything as quickly as possible and went to the counter to pay for the meal. After making the payment, she strode out of the restaurant. Little did she know, Odell had been staring at her from the moment she got up until she left his sight completely. He felt disheartened as he watched Sylvia leave in a hurry as if she was being chased by something. Why would she react so anxio
Liam was reading his book on the other end of the couch. Isabel was writing her homework at the table. Her grumpy looks stated that she was forced or even coerced into doing her homework. Sylvia was surprised to find the father and children in the living room. The three of them turned to her as soon as she came in. “Mommy!” Isabel abandoned her homework and ran to her mother. Liam also put his book down and got up. Only Odell remained at his seat lazily. His eyes, however, were looking at her coldly. Sylvia carried Isabel and walked to Liam before she greeted the owner of the house, “Good morning.” Odell continued reading his newspaper and ignored her greeting. Sylvia pursed her lips and then said to her children in a small voice, “Isabel, Liam, why don’t we go back to the room and Isabel can continue doing her homework there.” Odell was obviously unhappy with her, so it would be better for her to disappear from his sight. Isabel hummed a reply and went to tidy up
Two days went by in the blink of an eye. In the past two days, Sylvia would run into him in the morning when he left for work but other than that, she did not see him at all. He probably waited for her to leave before he came home. Today, after her simple breakfast, Sylvia took a ride to Carter Residence as usual. Again, when the car stopped in front of the house, the familiar towering figure came out from the gate. He went straight to his black sports car as if he did not notice Sylvia’s ride stopping in front of the house. Sylvia hesitated for a second before she got out. She wanted to tell him that she would not be coming for a few days, so he did not have to avoid her for the time being. However, before she could catch him, he got into the car and drove off. Sylvia furrowed her brows as she watched the car disappear from her sight. …20 minutes later, the black sports car arrived at the boxing gym in another district. The man came down from the car and strode
The punching bag fell on the floor and he froze. Frustrated, he tossed the boxing gloves on the ground and strode toward the changing room. The owner was right. She was no longer her family, so why would he stay outside instead of spending time with his kids? He wanted to go home and if the woman avoided him, he would throw her out and stop her from seeing the kids anymore. …Back at Carter Residence’s spacious living room, the sun shone through the window and shed its brilliance on Sylvia. Sylvia was sitting on the carpet beside the window and she started to doze off as the sun warmed her up. Isabel was watching anime on her phone by her mother’s legs while Liam was on the other side reading his book. The scene felt heartwarming, but the peace and quiet were broken when the black sports car screeched to a stop outside. The screech woke Sylvia up immediately. She turned to the window and saw the black sports car driving into the porch. Sebastian and the two maids wer
Sebastian was just outside the door when Lily arrived. He wore a bright smile and welcomed her. “Ms. Springsteen, what brings you here?” he asked politely. Lily smiled. “It’s almost Christmas, so I was thinking of visiting the kids and Madam Carter.” Sebastian recalled Odell’s grumpy look when the man returned, so he begrudgingly furrowed his brows. Lily sharply noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s wrong, Sebastian? The kids aren’t around?” Sebastian thought about it for a moment. Odell was fine when he left in the morning but he returned with a grumpy look, so something must have happened outside. Sylvia was also inside with the kids, so things should be fine. He said, “The kids are home but their mother is here as well.” Lily’s expression changed. “Ms. Ross is here?” Sebastian said, “Yes. She’s here to accompany the kids, and I believe she’s leaving in the afternoon.” Lily recovered her frozen smile and said, “I see.” She then brought her assistant and walked
Sylvia booked a ride as soon as she ran out of Carter Residence and went back to her own house. The sky was still bright as the sun was still shining. She returned home and collapsed on the couch, her heart was pounding wildly. Why did he kiss her all of a sudden? Lily even caught them in the act! She assured Lily that she would not ruin their relationship and now, no matter how many excuses she could come up with, it would not clear her name anymore. While the frustrated thoughts bogged her mind, her phone rang. She pulled it out and saw a text from Odell. “Where are you?” Even through the phone, Sylvia could sense the man’s anger. He was the one who forced himself onto her. She should be the one angry, not him. However, her kids were still with him and she could not afford to offend him in any way. She pursed her lips and replied, “I’m at home.” Odell did not reply after that. Sylvia was struggling with her thoughts. She texted him again out of concern, “H
Lily’s expression changed. “Grandmother, you’re saying that that woman seduced Master Carter?” Madam Springsteen angrily said, “What else could it be? If she kept her distance, there shouldn’t be anything between her and Master Carter. You saw them kissing at home. It’s almost Christmas, so Master Carter should be at home since it’s the holidays… I believe she went over every day just to see him and once it got frequent, it wasn't strange for something to happen between them.” Lily angrily clutched her hands. She thought after announcing her identity as Odell’s fiancée at her grandfather’s event, Sylvia would stay away from the man, but now things got worse. Madam Springsteen sat down beside Lily and said, “Lily, don’t be sad. I’ll teach her a lesson and I’ll make her remember the consequences of her actions. No disgraceful woman shall snatch the man of your dreams away from you.” “Thank you, Grandmother.” She originally thought Odell still had feelings for Sylvia but after
It was then someone from the Art Academy typed a new message. “We’ve been tagging her for two hours now. Even a blind man can see it. I think she’s avoiding us.” “Maybe she’s scared and embarrassed to admit it.” Christopher had enough of the criticism and decided to step up. “Enough. Stop this at once.” However, his warning did not deter them as it only fueled their frustration more. “Mr. President, her work represents the face of the academy. If this gets out, it’ll embarrass the whole organization. You sided with her too much.” “I know how much you liked her before but now, she’s a piece of garbage.” “You want us to stop because we’re saying the wrong thing? No, it’s the truth. If you want to stop us from talking about this, we’ll leave the academy.” “Yeah, we’ll leave.” The situation slowly snowballed out of control and many of them threatened to leave the academy. Sylvia decided to type a reply with her shivering hands. “I painted it.” The chat group went