Chapter 13

Catelyn never expected to run into Jamie once again after avoiding him for four years.

She subconsciously tightened her arms around Miles and said, "He's my son. He has nothing to do with you at all."

"Hilarious! You plotted to give birth to my son in secret, and now you have him here to take photos of me out of the blue. Who knows what you are after? Are you after money or status? Just get it over with already."

"Miss Clark, am I right?" Louella stood forward, her eyes filled with motherly love as she stroked her belly gently, as though declaring her ownership. "I can give you money but probably not the position as Missus Mason. I'm also pregnant with Jamie's child, you see."

She then glanced at Miles sincerely and continued, "The child is innocent, so please stop using him as a tool to hurt Jamie. We won't blame you for what happened today, but hopefully, you'll be more mindful in educating your son so that he doesn't step foot on the wrong path. As for the alimony, we'll make up for it without missing a buck."

She spoke with a graceful tone, as though Catelyn was the one who had done something unforgivable.

"I'll say this one last time: this is just a coincidence. My child is a Clark, and we don't need your money." Catelyn paused thoughtfully before curling her lips into an elegant smile as she looked at Louella. "Miss Atherton, seeing how much you care for my son, let me give you some gentle advice. You have really bad taste."

"You—"

"This guy has so many exes that they can form a nation, and he enjoys kicking people when they're down. He loves your background, not you as a person. Even if you two get married, he's going to keep screwing around. Technically, he's just a bottomless pit."

Miles listened to his mother and beamed, before nodding with a smile. "That's right, pretty lady! Everyone is desperate to climb out of the pit, so you should hurry on and kick this trash of an old man away."

Louella was stunned, and Jamie had been rendered speechless as his expression darkened.

…

Meanwhile, inside a grand European restaurant on the fifth floor of the same shopping mall, soothing jazz music danced in the atmosphere, and the air was filled with a faint scent of natural flowers.

Cedrick sat up straight by the window with Ollie sitting across from him. The two rarely shared meals together on the same table in restaurants, and their faces were as similar as though they were clones.

Maia returned after cleaning up her dress and found the father and son in their usual silence.

"What took you so long?" Cedrick lifted an eyebrow in a slightly impatient manner.

"I ran into this crazy woman on my way to the washroom, and she almost ruined my dress." Maia cast him an apologetic smile before wrapping her arms around his and sweetly saying, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting when I've promised to take Ollie out today…"

Cedrick was busy with work most of the time, and she had only managed to see him with Ollie as an excuse.

Ollie moved his delicate lips and said politely, "It's fine, Aunt Maia. You should focus on getting closer with my father, just ignore me."

"Ollie is such a sweet boy! If only I can be his mother… I'd give him the entire world," Maia commented shyly, thinking that the meaning behind her words had been obvious.

However, Cedrick remained cold and expressionless like an iceberg as he simply called the waiter over to order.

Maia, of course, did not feel defeated. They had been engaged for four years, and she had been the only woman who could be by his side. She believed that someday, she would become the rightful Missus Mason.

She then remembered Ollie, and the light in her eyes dimmed. Who was his mother, anyway?

"Ollie, what would you like to eat?" asked Maia smilingly.

"Steak with tomato sauce," Ollie answered politely and straightened his back.

He was too short and needed to extend his arm to grab the tissue. As he did, he happened to glance outside the window and spotted Catelyn, Miles, and the others downstairs, and it looked as though they were in trouble.

Cedrick noticed that Ollie was staring downstairs and lifted his gaze lazily in the same direction. From where he was seated, he could only see Catelyn and Jamie with the building standing in the way.

Realizing both of them staring at the floor below, Maia looked over curiously and saw Catelyn's face. "Her again?"

Cedrick clenched his jaw slightly. "You know her?"

"She's the one I bumped into on the way to the washroom," Maia explained, chuckling. "Her name is Catelyn Clark, the daughter of Ezekiel, one of our collateral lines. They went bankrupt a few years back, and her fiancé, Jamie, broke up with her. There, that's Jamie—the man standing next to her. He probably calls you uncle…"

"Jamie Mason?" Cedrick repeated the name.

As the wealthiest family in Sapphire City, the Mason family branched out to an enormous network. While they could recognize members of the main bloodline, collateral lines were completely in disorder, but he did remember seeing that name on the family book.

"The one who likes messing around with celebrities?"

"Yeah, that's him." Maia appeared a bit shy as she continued, "I thought that Catelyn has lost contact with him ever since their arrangement came to an end, but who would've thought that the two of them would be seen like that in public. I wonder if she's going to Jamie for money. If the paparazzi manage to snap a photo of that, they're probably going to end up in the newspaper again…"

Contempt filled Cedrick's eyes after hearing what Maia had to say.

Displeased by Maia's comment, Ollie pursed his lips and said, "I don't think that pretty lady is as hateful as you say she is, Aunt Maia. Can there be a misunderstanding?"