Chapter 6

A white villa glowed under the moonlight, the study still brightly lit. Liam Stone opened the door, carrying a tray. He walked in and gently set down a glass of milk and a plate of fruit.

Winona was staring intently at the stream of data on her laptop. She didn't even turn around as she said, "Dad, you should go to bed."

Liam nodded. "Alright. Don't stay up too late yourself."

"Got it."

He stared at the back of her head, a wave of warmth spreading through his chest. He reached out and smoothed her hair. "Look at you. You could be living the pampered princess life, yet you insist on grinding yourself into the ground like this."

Winona stopped and turned to him. She said seriously, "Dad, that's an outdated way of thinking. A woman needs her own career. I'm not gonna be someone who lives off her parents, then lives off her husband."

"Yes, yes, I'm just too outdated for words. I'm the one holding my precious Winnie back," Liam said, his face full of affection.

Then, he pulled the door open and stepped out. The hallway was dim, lined on both sides with framed paintings—every single one of them his work.

He took off his glasses and glanced over them casually, thinking of how he'd gone from a no-name painter who couldn't sell a single canvas to the dean of an art academy.

It was like he'd climbed straight from the ground to the penthouse in one leap. The days he'd spent in that cramped, damp little rental, painting around the clock, felt like another lifetime.

Maybe it was because those days had been too hard, but he still dreamed about that old apartment now and then. In the dream, his ex-wife was the same, doing chores while she complained. So was their daughter, who stood there with her hair in pigtails, timidly handing him her award certificate.

Every time he had that dream, Liam would jerk awake, then realize he was in this bright, spacious villa. Only then would he let out a long breath of relief.

He'd had enough of that broke, bottom-of-the-barrel life.

…

After dinner, Gabrielle took Casper out into the yard to walk off the meal. Inside, Helena and Susan cleared the table.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" Susan asked.

Helena glanced at Gabrielle and Casper in the yard. "It's been so many years. There's no need. He doesn't care about her, even though she's his flesh and blood."

Susan sighed.

When they were done tidying up, Helena went out to keep Casper company. He had been raised in total comfort since the day he was born. She'd laid out a bunch of toys for him, but he wasn't interested in a single one.

She looked a little helpless, and Gabrielle felt even worse.

Before Casper turned one, she and Helena had taken care of him together. Helena knew how hard things were for her in the Quilton family and that the maids weren't necessarily loyal to her, so she came over almost every day to help with Casper. Later, she just moved in with them altogether.

During the day, she and Gabrielle took turns watching Casper. At night, to let Gabrielle get some real sleep, Helena handled the night shift herself. Whenever Casper woke up crying, she carried him over to Gabrielle so she could nurse him, then take him back.

Casper had been a baby with high needs from the start—nighttime meltdowns were practically a given. On top of that, his skin was super sensitive. No matter how expensive the diapers were, he still reacted to them. So they went old-school and used cloth diapers, washing them by hand every day.

He was sick all the time as a baby, too. Every time he got ill, he'd stay up the entire night. Gabrielle and Helena took shifts holding him, and neither of them ever really slept through the night.

When his first birthday rolled around, Helena had happily put together a party for him to celebrate. Judy happened to see it and made a snide remark about how she was lucky to have such a "good daughter", and that she was probably delighted to live in a big, fancy house with her from now on.

Helena had her pride. After the birthday celebration, she never set foot in Fairmont Estate again.

When Casper was little, he'd been glued to Helena's side. When asked who he liked best, he always said Gabrielle and Helena.

But as he got older, he slowly grew closer to Morgan's side of the family. Tina had never spent a single night caring for him, but she bought him expensive presents. Every time he went to Quilton Manor, she let him eat whatever he wanted.

So, in his mind, Tina treated him best.

"Mom…" Guilt twisted in Gabrielle's chest.

"He's just a kid. It's good he likes his grandma. I was actually worried he'd be distant with her, and she'd turn around and accuse you of turning him against her." Helena smiled, trying to comfort her.

Gabrielle's emotions were a tangled mess, especially when she thought about the divorce. Once she and Morgan split, she wouldn't get custody of Casper. Helena would see even less of him.

And it wasn't like Gabrielle had gone into this marriage with her family's full blessing. She'd basically eloped; Helena had never truly approved.

Gabrielle couldn't keep her in the dark about the divorce anymore.

"Mom, Morgan wants a divorce," Gabrielle said quietly.

The air seemed to go still for a second.

Helena asked, "And what do you want?"

"I agreed."

Helena sighed, then unexpectedly smiled. "It's for the best. A rich family like the Quiltons was always out of our league anyway."

As she spoke, tears suddenly spilled over. Then, she started talking like she was trying to make herself feel better. "Getting a divorce would be good for you. I don't need you to marry into money. I just want you to find someone who really gets you, who treats you well, and takes care of you. I want you to have a peaceful, happy life."

Gabrielle smiled. Maybe that was all every mother in the world wanted for her daughter.

Either way, she had it all figured out now. Women didn't have to get married—they didn't have to land some so-called great guy to make their lives complete. The most important thing for a woman was to have her own career. Love and marriage weren't essentials.

"What about Casp?" Helena asked.

"I'm not gonna fight for custody. Staying with the Quiltons will be better for his future, anyway."

In the dark, Helena sniffled, trying to hold it together. She'd cared for Casper as a baby, after all. Of course she didn't want to let go. Still, she said, "Whatever you decide to do, I'm behind you."

"Okay. I'm working at a senior's company now. I may be sent overseas for training for a couple of years. After that, I'll be based back here long-term," Gabrielle said, wanting her to be prepared.

"That's fine. Do whatever you want to do. I'll take good care of your grandmother." Helena smiled.

She looked at her daughter. Since she was a kid, Gabrielle had always been well-behaved and sensible; she was also pretty and smart. She'd always deserved a bigger stage than this small life.

If there was one thing Helena didn't regret, it was bringing Gabrielle home and claiming her as her own. As for the people too blind to cherish her… Well, that was their loss.

Gabrielle was deeply moved. She'd never been good at talking about her feelings, and for years, things between her and Helena had been quietly gentle rather than openly affectionate. But right now, she really wanted to hug her mother.

She mustered her courage and was just about to open her arms when Casper's voice piped up behind her. "Mommy, aren't we leaving yet?"

She thought he was just bored and gave Helena an apologetic smile. "I'll go calm him down."

"Okay. I'll go cut some fruit for you two." Helena got up.

Soon, it was just Gabrielle and Casper in the yard. She crouched down in front of him and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"Are we still not going home?" Casper's face was scrunched up. He was clearly upset.

"We've only been here for less than an hour. Nana and Great-Nana really missed you. Let's stay and keep them company for a little longer, okay?" She took his hand, keeping her voice gentle as she coaxed him.

"No. I wanna go home right now. If you won't go with me, I'll go by myself!" he snapped, not so subtly threatening her.

He knew she almost never said no to him. As he got older, he'd started to pick up on the way people around him talked. He could tell from what they said that he meant the world to Gabrielle, and it was only because of him that she'd been able to marry Morgan.

Helena came back out, carrying a plate of sliced fruit. "What's going on?"

She could tell Casper was upset. She walked over to him with a smile. "What's wrong, Casp? I cut your favorite—"

Casper slapped the plate, sending the fruit flying. "I don't like it! I don't like Mommy, and I don't like Nana. I hate it here!"

Helena froze, stunned.

Susan heard the commotion from inside the house. Thinking something bad had happened, she hurried outside. "Who's picking on my precious Casper? Tell me all about it…"

Casper's emotions boiled over. He shook Susan off and screamed, "Don't touch me! I don't like you either, Great-Nana!"