Chapter 93
"Mr. Smith, you may not know this, but Caroline was just a housewife until two months ago," Heidi said with a slight smile. "She's only recently emerged in the medical field, yet in these short months, she's somehow become one of the country's top geniuses. Of course I couldn't compete with that."
Though her words sounded like praise, each sentence was actually a backhanded compliment. Between the lines, she was clearly implying that Caroline's reputation was undeserved—that she might be appropriating someone else's work.
Picking up on this implication, Simon's expression grew even colder.
"Nothing disgusts me more than plagiarists," he said.
With an icy expression, he stood up to make a phone call, giving instructions to whoever was on the other end. Oliver gave Heidi a meaningful look before excusing himself and leaving as well.
Only then did Heidi seem to realize her "mistake," covering her mouth with a worried expression. "Arthur, I think I may have misspoken. I hope I haven't caused trouble for Caroline?"
Arthur's gaze lingered briefly on Caroline's retreating figure before returning to Heidi.
"It's fine," he said softly. "This isn't your fault."
Heidi nodded obediently, while calculation swirled in the depths of her eyes. What she wanted, she would never let anyone take away.
---
Caroline had no idea someone was turning others against her. At the moment, she was trying to placate Layla on the phone.
"Mommy," Layla whined, "Logan got discharged from the hospital today, but he still doesn't feel well. He wants to see you. I miss you too."
Caroline instinctively wanted to refuse, not wanting to break her own rules. "Layla, I'm very busy these next few days. How about I pick you both up on Friday and take you camping?"
"No," Layla said, her voice dejected. "Daddy's been busy lately. I haven't seen him or Ms. White for days. I want Mommy to play with me and tell me stories."
A bitter feeling washed over Caroline.
So Layla was reaching out because Arthur had been too busy to come home, and Heidi hadn't been around to entertain them either. They were bored and had finally remembered they still had a mother, which explained their sweet requests.
Caroline couldn't quite define the emotion she felt—just a heaviness in her chest, like a stone pressing down, making it hard to breathe.
When Caroline didn't respond, Layla grew anxious. "Mommy, Grandma and Grandpa aren't home either. It's just me and Logan here today. I'm scared."
Caroline hesitated for a long time, wanting to refuse.
But Layla and Logan were still her children. No matter how hardened her heart had become, she couldn't truly reject them. Finally, she agreed to return to the Windsor Villa for the night.
After hanging up, she headed back toward the dining room but was blocked in the hallway by an unfamiliar man.
"Ms. Hamilton, care to have a chat?" he asked.
Caroline paused. "And you are?"
Simon dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his expensive leather shoe. "I'm just here to warn you—Zenith Technologies can't protect you forever. Don't stand in other people's way. Don't think you're special just because you've managed to connect with Mr. Barnes."
He paused before raising his voice, "You know exactly how you got to where you are today. You'd be wise to keep a low profile."
Caroline understood immediately. So he had come to champion Heidi's cause.
She smiled. "If Heidi truly has the ability, Mr. Barnes would naturally accept her. The fact that he hasn't means she's not suitable."
Simon sneered. "That's not for you to decide. You'd better not sabotage her, or you'll regret it."
Caroline remained unfazed. "So you've come specifically to threaten me on Heidi's behalf? Does your father know about this?"
She'd thought he looked familiar, and when he sneered, she finally placed him. He resembled John Smith, the government liaison she'd worked with before.
She recalled Alton mentioning that John had a son named Simon who hadn't followed in his father's footsteps but instead started his own pharmaceutical company.
Simon glared at her with disgust, though his tone lost some of its edge. "What does my father have to do with this? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you know him. I'm not afraid of anyone!"
Caroline smiled faintly. "Of course you're not."
Her simple response, delivered with such indifference, only infuriated Simon more. "You'll see! I'll make sure someone teaches you a lesson!"
With that final threat, Simon stormed off.
Caroline smiled to herself, not taking his words to heart.
Too many people had come to Heidi's defense—her husband Arthur and her two children being the prime examples, and the ones who had hurt her the most. As for others like Simon, she couldn't bring herself to care much.
---
After dinner, Caroline returned to the Windsor Villa. Thinking of her children's pleas, she stopped to buy two strawberry cakes.
But when she arrived, the disappointment in Layla and Logan's eyes was unmistakable. She faltered mid-step.
Layla quickly recovered, running to her with a smile. "Mommy, you really came back!"
But her words clearly revealed she had been expecting someone else. A bitter smile tugged at Caroline's lips. "Yes, I'm back. Isn't that what you wanted?"
They must have been expecting Heidi today.
Recently, Arthur had been busy with the targeted cancer drug project and hadn't had time to come home, which meant Heidi wouldn't have had time for the children either. Now that the drug project was nearly confirmed, Arthur would certainly come home to see the children, and Heidi would eagerly want to make a good impression.
Logan kept looking expectantly toward the front door. Seeing no movement there, his disappointment was obvious as he muttered under his breath, "When we asked you to come home before, you wouldn't. Now you show up the minute we call. What a letdown."
In his mind, he thought, ‘If Ms. White sees Mommy here, she might not take us camping this weekend.’
Caroline's smile froze, and she suddenly felt ridiculous. She shouldn't have softened toward her children. But since she was already here, she wouldn't put herself in a position of weakness.
She pushed Layla away and made no move to embrace Logan. "You two play by yourselves. I have work to do, so I'll be in my room."
Without another glance, Caroline turned and headed upstairs.
Layla's small face crumpled with worry. "I think Mommy's angry. She's so busy with work, and when she finally comes home, all we can think about is Ms. White. That wasn't very nice of us, was it?"
Logan couldn't care less. "Mommy loves us so much, she'll never refuse anything we ask for. But Ms. White is different," he explained. "Ms. White is so busy, and she finally agreed to take us camping. If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll get another? Do you want to make Ms. White angry?"
His argument convinced Layla. "You're right. Mom loves us the most, and even if she's upset, she won't deny us. But Ms. White is different."
After a moment's thought, she made her decision. "We'll make it up to Mommy later. Today, let's wait for Ms. White."
Just like that, the children pushed thoughts of Caroline—who had just returned home—completely out of their minds.
They'd forgotten how desperately they'd begged her to come back on the phone; all they cared about now was waiting for Heidi's arrival.