Chapter 19: A Home Without Her Is Cold

"Seraphine, Mr. Hearst is so good to you!"

Nicole had been secretly watching Jason. After making sure he had walked far away, she immediately grabbed Seraphine's arm and shook it gently.

"I'm not kidding, I really think he likes you a little. So what about you? How do you feel about him?"

"Nicole, stop teasing me about Mr. Hearst."

Seraphine pressed her temple, looking helpless.

"I told you before, didn't I? He and I are just ordinary friends. He always helps me when I'm in trouble because his kid likes me."

"No way."

Nicole crossed her arms, her tone very certain. "Seraphine, I can bet you that Mr. Hearst's feelings for you are definitely not as simple as you say. If you don't believe me, you can test him."

"I won't."

Seraphine frowned and rejected her suggestion without even thinking.

After a pause, she added another sentence.

"Mr. Hearst can't possibly like me. And even if he does, I can't return his feelings. Nicole, my only dream right now is to expose Vivian's true colors, then return to the jewelry design world and build a career."

"Okay, I get what you mean."

Nicole stared at her for a while, then finally raised her hand to put it around her shoulder and let out a heavy sigh.

"Seraphine, you don't have to think about whether Mr. Hearst likes you, and you don't have to like Mr. Hearst, but I hope you won't close off your heart."

"Charles is a jerk, but there are good men in this world."

She didn't need good men. In this world, only money and career could give her a sense of security.

Seraphine pressed her lips together, didn't respond to Nicole's advice, and slowly closed her eyes as she rested in her arms, drifting off to sleep.

……

"Ah, I'm so tired."

At the same time, at the Stuart Family villa, Charles, Sean, and Vivian, who had been out playing all day, finally returned home.

As soon as he entered, Sean ran straight to the sofa without even taking off his shoes, picked up the water pitcher, and poured himself a big glass of ice water.

"Sean, you're not in good health, you can't drink ice water. There's room temperature water in the pitcher..."

Seeing his action, Charles frowned. While casually tossing his suit jacket behind him, he tried to stop Sean.

But before he could finish speaking, his body froze.

Because he clearly heard his suit jacket fall to the floor.

This wouldn't have happened before.

In the past, no matter how late it was, as long as he came home, Seraphine would wait at the door, catch the clothes he tossed, and then softly ask if he was tired and whether he wanted a late-night snack.

Why did the air in the house feel colder when Seraphine wasn't home?

Charles pressed his lips tight and couldn't be bothered to scold Sean anymore.

He slowly turned his head and looked down at the suit jacket on the floor, his expression extremely gloomy.

"Mr. Stuart, you're back? I'm sorry, I was just in the room organizing Sean's closet and didn't hear the door open."

When Lila came down from the second floor of the villa, she happened to see this scene.

Her expression froze, and she quickly walked over, picked up Charles's clothes from the floor, then took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them at Charles's feet.

Charles glanced at her and changed his expression.

But as soon as he put on the slippers, his eyes turned cold again.

"These aren't my slippers. Where are my old ones?"

"Mr. Stuart, these are new slippers I bought today. Your old ones had a broken sole, so I threw them away."

Lila sensed his displeasure and kept her head down, not daring to look at him.

"Why didn't you buy the same kind?"

Vivian also noticed Charles's expression wasn't right. She snorted coldly and scolded Lila as the lady of the house.

"Ms. Brooks, the slippers Mr. Stuart wore before can't be bought even with money. Both his and Sean's slippers were handmade by Mrs. Stuart. They're not only soft and comfortable but also massage the soles of the feet."

Lila looked up at her, hesitated for a moment, then answered her question.

"Oh, so Seraphine can make slippers, too. Well, that makes sense. A housewife like her can only make these kinds of things."

After hearing Lila's words, Vivian's body stiffened for a moment, but she quickly adjusted and, as usual, casually put down Seraphine.

But this time, Charles and Sean didn't immediately agree with her.

Sean put down his water glass and stared blankly down at his feet.

As for Charles...

He leaned against the wall in silence for a while, then suddenly turned his head and said to Lila.

"My slippers broke. Did you tell Mrs. Stuart?"

Lila didn't expect him to suddenly ask about Seraphine, and her expression became a bit flustered.

"Mr. Stuart, a few hours ago, I called Mrs. Stuart, but a Mr. Hearst answered. He said Mrs. Stuart was injured and still in the emergency room, so she had no time to take care of you."

"He also said... don't you already have a mistress? You can ask your mistress to make slippers for you."

Charles clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with anger.

"Seraphine is too much. To avoid her responsibilities, she's actually pretending to be injured."

Seeing this, Vivian quickly stepped forward and gently patted his back. "Forget it, Charles, don't be angry. Tomorrow morning, I'll go buy you a new pair of slippers."

"Store-bought slippers can never compare to the ones Mom made."

As soon as she finished speaking, before Charles could say anything, Sean bit his lower lip and said sullenly.

"Also, Mom wasn't avoiding responsibility. She really was injured. Vivian, don't you remember? Earlier at the amusement park, to help you vent your anger, I pushed Mom down."

"Mom was badly hurt. After Dad left carrying you, it wasn't long before Mom passed out."

"It was Andy's dad who found medical staff and sent her to the hospital."

She passed out? Was Seraphine hurt that badly?

Charles's eyebrows trembled, and for the first time in his life, he felt regret because of Seraphine.

Seraphine was his wife. When she was injured, he wasn't by her side. He had failed in his duty.

"Why are you only telling me about something this important now?"

After regret came anger.

Charles looked coldly at Sean, his tone very stern.

"And how could you push your mother with such force? Later, I'll have my assistant find out which hospital your mother is recovering in. After school tomorrow, come with me to the hospital to see her. You need to apologize to her properly."