Chapter 123
Arthur's fingers drummed a rhythmic pattern on his desk, his expression unreadable as silence once again engulfed the room.
His assistant fought the overwhelming urge to bolt from the oppressive atmosphere.
Salvation came in the form of a phone call.
Arthur's screen lit up with Layla's name, and when he answered, her broken sobs filled the line.
Despite the visible irritation crossing his features, Arthur kept his voice measured. "Layla, what's wrong?"
"Daddy, I don't like Ms. White anymore," she cried. "I want Mommy. I need Mommy!"
Arthur's expression darkened instantly. "What happened, sweetheart? Can you tell me?"
Between hiccupping sobs, Layla managed to explain. "Logan had a stomachache... and Ms. White got angry... she yelled at him..."
Though fragmented, Arthur pieced together enough to understand: Logan had fallen ill, and instead of providing care, Heidi had scolded both children. His jaw tightened.
"Be a good girl, Layla. I'm tied up with something important, but I'll send someone to bring you both home right away."
Before he could say more, a tearful voice interrupted from the other end.
"Arthur, I'm so sorry," Heidi pleaded. "I thought Logan was just being difficult about dinner. I never imagined Layla would misunderstand—"
Her apology was cut short by a servant's alarmed cry. "Oh my god! Ms. White, your wound has reopened!"
Chaos erupted on the other end before the phone returned to Layla's hands.
"Daddy," she said, worry replacing her earlier distress, "Ms. White's wound opened up. She looks like she's in a lot of pain."
She still wanted her Ms. White to stay with them.
Arthur massaged his temple. "I'll send someone right away."
---
When his assistant returned, Arthur was stunned to find not just his children, but Heidi, the housekeeper, and the family doctor in tow.
"You're injured," he said coolly to Heidi. "You should be resting in the hospital, not running around."
Heidi grabbed his hand, her eyes rimmed red. "I was worried about you and the children."
She explained that Logan had suffered from too many sweets, which had caused his late-night sickness. "He's actually better after throwing up. He mainly needs fluids and rest now."
Arthur's brows furrowed deeply. "Logan and Layla had dinner before going to the hospital. How could they have eaten too many sweets?"
The Windsor family staff had been specifically instructed to prepare nutritious, easily digestible meals for the children. This shouldn't have happened.
"It's my fault," Heidi admitted, biting her lip. "The children wanted strawberry cupcakes and snacks, so I had some delivered. Logan seemed so happy that I didn't stop him."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I just thought they didn't need to be strictly controlled like Caroline does. It seemed so pitiful that they couldn't enjoy treats..."
Layla felt a pang of guilt hearing these words. It was she and Logan who had begged for sweets, and Logan who couldn't control himself—yet Heidi was taking the blame.
What if Ms. White became as strict as their mother was? She had to do something.
"Daddy, it's not Ms. White's fault," she interjected. "Logan and I didn't control ourselves. Please don't be angry with her."
She turned to Heidi with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry we made Daddy misunderstand you."
Heidi forced a smile. "I just wanted you to have a happy childhood."
Arthur's severe expression softened. "It's not your fault. You don't have children of your own, so naturally you wouldn't know how to raise them properly."
Something flickered across Heidi's face before she quickly composed herself.
"I was careless. This won't happen again." She tenderly adjusted Arthur's suit. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them for you."
Using concern for her wound as an excuse, Arthur had someone escort Heidi to the top-floor lounge to rest. He personally took Layla to the executive office's rest area.
"I still have work to finish tonight," he explained. "You and Logan will sleep here, and Lucy will look after you."
Layla blinked in confusion. "Can't we stay with Ms. White?"
Arthur paused before gently stroking her hair. "Ms. White needs rest too. You shouldn't disturb her."
"But Mommy was always with us," Layla persisted. "She never needed to rest."
Arthur froze, his expression unreadable as Layla continued.
"Whenever we needed her, Mommy would appear right away. And she never scolded us without reason."
Though their mother was strict sometimes, Layla understood it was always for their benefit.
A realization washed over her—how long had it been since their mother had properly spent time with them?
Layla's mood soured, her sadness evident in her soft voice, "Daddy, I miss Mommy. I want her mini breakfast sandwiches. I want her with me."
At that moment, Logan stirred from his sleep. Seeing Arthur instead of who he hoped for, disappointment filled his face.
"Where's Mommy?" he asked weakly. "I want Mommy to hug me!"
In their most vulnerable moments, the children instinctively sought the person who gave them the most security—their mother.
Arthur's face showed unmistakable exhaustion as he settled them in the rest area.
"Alright," he soothed, "I'll contact your mother now."
After giving some instructions to the family doctor, he left the room.
Back in his office, Arthur dialed Caroline's number.
Unsurprisingly, her phone was still turned off. The frustration etched across his features was visible, but he forced himself to contain his temper as he stared at the screen.