Chapter 86
Becky jumped, quickly pulling out a compact mirror from her purse. "Damn it! That bastard's like a horny dog!" she cursed, hastily applying concealer to cover the marks.
Caroline watched her with amusement. "When did this happen? You've been keeping it quite secret."
Becky looked sheepish. "You've met him before." After a pause, she added reluctantly, "It's Stanley."
At this revelation, Caroline nearly choked on her coffee, her face turning bright red from coughing. "Your brother? Stanley?" Her expression turned bewildered.
Becky shrugged. "Technically, he's not really my brother. We're not blood-related. I brought him home when I was little."
This wasn't a secret among Sovereign City's elite families, but Caroline genuinely didn't know.
She had met Becky through Arthur, and though they'd become close friends over the years, Becky—assuming everyone knew she and Stanley weren't blood relatives—had never bothered to explain.
It wasn't until things got heated between her and Stanley, resulting in the marks Caroline had spotted, that Becky realized Caroline might not know about their relationship.
"Though he's a bit of a deviant who needs some training," Becky added with a grimace.
Caroline, barely recovered from her initial shock, was startled again. Training? Stanley? She found that hard to imagine. "Do you like him?" she asked.
Becky's eyes lit up as she sipped her coffee. "He's not bad. Good stamina, great in bed, amazing body with an eight-pack..."
Caroline, somewhat alarmed by Becky's candor, quickly changed the subject before she could continue.
Still, she cautioned Becky to be careful—even without blood ties, they were widely known as siblings.
Becky sighed, her eyes momentarily distant, lost in thought.
After their coffee, the women went shopping, but even after more than an hour, Caroline hadn't found a suitable gift. While Becky was in the restroom, Layla called.
"Mommy, when are you coming home? I miss you."
Caroline frowned slightly. "What's happened?"
"Daddy's busy, Logan's still in the hospital, and I'm so bored here alone," Layla explained. Her voice turned pleading, "Mommy, can you take me camping? I really want to go camping."
Caroline knew about Logan being hospitalized and wasn't particularly concerned.
She understood why Layla was bored—Heidi usually kept the children entertained, but with Arthur busy, she naturally had no time for them.
Moreover, with the White family climbing the social ladder thanks to their connection to the Windsors, Heidi had many other priorities. That's why Layla had turned to her.
"Play at home for now. If you're really bored, have the staff take you to the amusement park. I'll be home in a couple of days," Caroline replied.
Layla was deeply disappointed. A couple of days—again! Her daddy had said the exactly same thing.
Her lips quivered as tears welled up. "Mommy, don't you want Logan and me anymore? You used to come right away whenever I called, but now all you care about is work!"
Caroline patiently consoled her. "Of course not. No matter what happens, you and Logan will always be my sweeties."
Even through divorce, even in her final moments, she would fulfill her responsibilities as a mother.
In the end, despite Layla's pleas, Caroline didn't agree to return immediately, instead scheduling camping for the following weekend. Layla reluctantly agreed.
After hanging up, Layla thought Heidi had been right—her mother no longer loved her and Logan since she started working.
If only Heidi were their mother; she'd make time for them no matter how busy she was. Unfortunately, today Heidi was too busy even to answer her calls.
Meanwhile, Caroline was heading home, still without having found the perfect birthday gift.
With her grandmother's birthday approaching, she couldn't help feeling anxious about it.
She had considered settling for something adequate, but knowing it was for her grandmother, she wanted it to be special.
Back home, Caroline set aside her gift-hunting concerns. Her thesis was in its final stages, due to her professor tomorrow, and she needed to finish it tonight.
Fortunately, she had already established her topic and completed the experimental data, making the conclusion relatively straightforward.
At six in the morning, Caroline woke up. She had fallen asleep immediately after completing her thesis last night, hoping to rest longer, but her biological clock wasn't so easily adjusted.
After getting ready, Caroline grabbed her bag and headed out, meeting Libbie taking Rena to school at the entrance.
Before she could speak, Rena rushed forward and gave her a big hug. "Good morning, Ms. Hamilton!"
Caroline, touched by the gesture, smiled warmly. "Good morning, Rena."
Rena handed Caroline an unopened breakfast package. "Ms. Hamilton, you must remember to eat breakfast! Mommy made these sandwiches and milk—they're super delicious."
Caroline stroked her hair, about to decline when Libbie interjected, "Take it. I made it for you. I saw you working late last night and leaving early this morning—you probably didn't have time to make breakfast."
Caroline accepted gratefully. "Thank you."
Concerned by Caroline's alarmingly pale complexion, Libbie asked, "Ms. Hamilton, have you been feeling unwell lately? You always look so drained."
Caroline smiled. "I'm probably just tired from all the late nights at the lab."
But she knew the truth—these were aftereffects of chemotherapy. She would continue to grow weaker until she made it through this phase.
Libbie accepted her explanation. "I see. Please take care of yourself, Ms. Hamilton."
Caroline nodded and drove to Celestial University to deliver her thesis as arranged with her professor. At the faculty apartments, she was surprised to find Alton there too.
"Good morning, Alton," Caroline greeted with a smile.
Alton handed her a small box of medication. "This is the newest targeted therapy developed in our lab. It's been released in limited quantities, with excellent patient feedback. It's very effective at controlling cancer progression."
"I've consulted with your doctor. Your condition is suitable for this treatment."
Caroline's pale face brightened with a radiant smile. "Thank you so much."
As they headed upstairs together, neither noticed the intense, dark gaze following Caroline from a distance.
Upstairs, Gabriel reviewed Caroline's thesis with initial satisfaction, though he quickly masked it.
"Barely acceptable, but this isn't your true potential. Caroline, your abilities once made you a recognized genius worldwide, but now you're merely scraping by—that's regression."