LOGINBack at the Stewart residence, Madeline had actually treated Yvonne quite well, even though the food she made always looked a little unhygienic.Seeing the two elders, Yvonne instinctively called out, "Grandpa, Grandma."Her voice was soft. There wasn't much excitement in it. Her tone was calm and steady.The moment Madeline and Hector saw her, they couldn't help but soften."Oh, Yvonne, you're back from school?"Madeline instinctively stepped forward, wanting to give Yvonne a hug.But after a moment's thought, she held herself back.When Yvonne saw Madeline walking toward her, she quietly moved behind Christian.Christian took her hand and lowered his head to speak to her. "Emma made your favorite dishes. Come on, let's go inside."Yvonne's eyes lit up immediately. "Really?"He nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."Holding her hand, he walked straight into Jubilee Manor, completely ignoring Madeline and Hector.As Yvonne passed them, she couldn't help turning around to look back. Seei
When Madeline returned to the room, Hector was still smoking inside.The air was thick with smoke, which only made her mood worse."Smoke, smoke, smoke. That's all you do all day. Talia still hasn't gotten the divorce, and you're not worried at all. Don't you even care?"Upon hearing that, Hector quickly stubbed the half-burned cigarette into the ashtray. He turned to her, confusion written all over his face. "What? She still hasn't divorced Christian?"Madeline sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh. "She hasn't. It's been so long already. I don't know if Christian refuses to sign, or if they still haven't settled the terms. It's driving me crazy."Hector stood up and started toward the door while saying urgently, "I'll ask Talia right now."Madeline reached out and grabbed his arm. "If you go now, you'll only make things more stressful for her."Hector grew anxious. "What am I supposed to do, then?"Madeline stayed silent for a long time before finally making up h
Maeve nodded. "Yeah, Quentin left quite a while ago."A flicker of disappointment crossed Talia's face, but she managed to reply, "I see."Maeve picked up another grape, holding it near her lips but not eating it. She murmured, "But he looked so upset when he left. I think he even cried."Worry instantly clouded Talia's expression. Her brows knitted together.Maeve popped the grape into her mouth and pouted. "Quentin is such a baby. He's a grown man. Why did he cry? He's not a kid anymore."Upon hearing that, Talia tried to look stern. "Maeve, don't say mean things about Quentin."Maeve replied seriously, "But it's true. He really did cry. Ms. Lawson told us that only scaredy-cats cry."Talia didn't try to explain. She simply reached out to pinch Maeve's cheek gently. "There are some things you'll only understand when you're older, Maeve."Maeve didn't push it, offering only a reluctant "oh".Watching Maeve polish off the rest of the grapes, Talia couldn't help but crack a tin
Monica's words made Quentin let out a mocking laugh. He yanked his hand back and said with a tone full of disdain, "So what if I died? What would it change?"He leaned back in the seat. When he turned his gaze toward Monica, his gaze was full of challenge and arrogance.Monica stared at him in shock. "You—"Quentin chuckled, then continued, "If I died, they'd bury me somewhere. I wouldn't come back to life."Monica was left speechless.She had saved his life, and Quentin knew that it was a fact he couldn't change.When Monica remained silent, he gradually calmed down.After a long while, he turned to look at Monica. His tone was calm as he said, "I told you before. I don't care for reasons, and I care even less for past favors."Monica stared stubbornly at Quentin. She pressed her lips into a thin line, refusing to utter a single word.Quentin continued, "If you're going to keep insisting that because you saved me, I owe you something, then fine. Take a knife to me. Carve out
Quentin's phone calls went unanswered, but he didn't give up. He kept dialing. It wasn't until his car pulled up in front of the Stewart residence that he finally gave up trying.He got out of the car and walked quickly toward the entrance, but as he reached the door, Garrett stepped out and blocked his path."Go back. Talia said she doesn't want to see you," he said firmly.Quentin, desperate, replied, "Garrett, just let me see her. I just need to make sure she's okay. I'll leave right after."He moved to step past Garrett, but the latter pushed him back with a sharp motion. "I'm not going to repeat myself."Noticing how firm Garrett was, Quentin understood that he wasn't going to see Talia that night. He craned his neck to glance into the yard, but all he saw were some trees and flowers. It was nothing of significance.Garrett moved to shut the door, but then Paige came running out."Garrett, go inside and stay with Talia. I'll talk to Mr. Henderson for a moment," she said.G
The next day, Seamus reached out early, asking Quentin to drop Evan off at school. Seamus was tied up with court and couldn't make it himself.Naturally, Quentin agreed, not only because he was Evan's godfather but also because he would need Seamus' help with Talia's divorce later.After dropping Evan off, Quentin was about to leave when he turned around and saw Christian dropping off Yvonne.Quentin paused in the crowd, watching.As Christian straightened after lifting Yvonne out of the car, he noticed Quentin as well.Their eyes locked across the flow of people. The unspoken tension in the air was thick.Most of the kids walked into school with their friends, but Yvonne, carrying her backpack, made her way toward the gate alone.Once Yvonne was inside, Christian ignored Quentin's gaze and turned to head back to his car.Just then, Quentin called out to him. "Mr. Lane."Christian froze, then turned to see Quentin walking toward him.Seeing him, Christian couldn't shake the i
Christian's lecture went over Maeve's head, but she firmly refuted his words. "That's not true! Mom and Dad said that Aunt Talia's last name is Stewart, and as long as she wants to come back, the Stewart residence will always be her home. So her home is here, not with you."Christian's expression d
When Talia returned to the Stewart residence, the house was still brightly lit. When she entered the main hall, she saw Garrett and Paige still sitting at the dining table.After she entered, the couple looked over. Talia walked toward them and greeted them. "Garrett, Paige."Garrett looked Talia
This time, it was Christian's turn to fall silent.Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Talia didn't want to argue with him further. She just reminded him, "You're Yvonne's father. I hope you'll pay more attention to her schoolwork."Christian raised his eyes to meet hers, a sharp edge of sarcasm in hi
Talia couldn't tell what Christian was thinking. But a few seconds later, he asked, "Do you think I was too cold to you before? Is that why you're blaming me now?"Talia found it absurd and laughed. "What's the point of talking about this now?"Christian shook his head and replied ambiguously, "Ma







