Chapter 98
“Damn it! Lily, just you wall!” Percy stormed out in a fury. Xavier glanced at him coldly, offering no reaction.
Scarlett quietly observed him, sensing that his attitude toward Ferry was a bit strange. It was clear he cared about Percy, yet it seemed like he never intended to step in and help him with his problems,
It was almost like he was letting Percy roam free within his boundaries without intervening. From the information she gathered about the Stroud family, Percy was
just one of the many children from collateral branches.
He was also mischievous and rebellious, spending most of his time playing games. Yet, Xavier seemed to hold him in high regard and protected him fiercely. Even Edmund was the same.
It seemed like he was following her instructions, supervising Percy’s studies, but Scarlett couldn’t shake the feeling that Edmund was using her instructions as a convenient excuse to keep an eye on Percy.
She remembered when Percy’s parents came to visit Xavier. Percy had excitedly leaped into his mother’s arms, only for her to immediately push him away when she noticed Xavier’s somber expression. Despite being her own son, she needed to look to Xavier before showing affection, which always felt off to Scarlett.
It was clear that Edmund hadn’t revealed all of the Stroud family’s secrets to her. But she understood that she was still an outsider. Knowing a portion of the family’s secrets already signified a high level of trust.
“What’s on your mind?”
Xavier noticed Scarlett had zoned out, and her thoughtful expression caught his eye. He found it a little endearing and couldn’t help but gently tap her forehead,
scarlett snapped back to reality, stepping back with an awkward smile, “Mr. Stroud, aren’t you going to step in and help Percy?
“Lily is highly favored in the Quinn family, and with the Quinn family being the wealthiest in Yendale, it might be hard for him to solve this on his own.”
Xavier strolled toward the garden and replied softly, “This is his own business.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “If he can’t even solve this little problem, how can he possibly shoulder the responsibility of the entire Stroud family in the Tuture?”
Scarlett’s breath caught as she realized he was training Percy as his successor. But this wasn’t how a successor should be trained, was it? Percy didn’t exactly strike her as the heir type.
“Mr. Stroud, is there anything you need me to do?”
Scarlett felt that, since she was already tutoring Percy in his studies if Xavier was genuinely training him, perhaps she could offer some assistance. But to her surprise, Xavier seemed not to understand her words and turned around with a puzzled look.
Scarlett quickly clarified, “If you’re training Percy to be the successor of the Stroud family, is there anything you need me to assist with?”
Xavier smiled. “There’s no need to trouble yourself. I don’t want to force him. Let him make his own choices in the future,”
Scarlett felt like pulling her hair out. It seemed she couldn’t quite decipher the mind of a big shot like him. But she also realized that she couldn’t just keep living
here without contributing.
She needed to do something more meaningful. After all, the Stroud family had a history full of hardship and suffering.
She didn’t want to find herself one day needing Percy, only to have him still be in his carefree, reckless state. She couldn’t stand it, and neither could the Stroud family. With a second chance at life, it felt like she had a new purpose!
As they talked, the two of them had already wandered into the garden. Although heavy rain had fallen the day before, today, the sun was shining brightly.
The garden was bursting with flowers in every shade, from violet to red. In particular, the clusters of peonies were breathtakingly beautiful, Walking on the soft grass and gazing at the vibrant colors before her, Scarlett felt her heart lighten, its beauty was all so soothing.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant air that seemed to penetrate her senses, refreshing and invigorating.
Unable to resist, she sat in a rocking chair beneath the pear blossom tree, flipping through the book she had in hand. A gentle breeze blew by, and the white petals of the flowers scattered across the pages of her book.
Scarlett couldn’t help but feel utterly at peace, Xavier took a brief stroll before finding a spot to sit as well.