Chapter 61 Richard's Injury
William fell silent.
Faced with Isabella's questions, he truly had no response.
Richard set down the grocery bags he was carrying and gently covered Olivia's ears with his hands.
He'd noticed immediately—from the moment William appeared, Olivia's body had begun trembling uncontrollably.
It was obvious she was deeply distressed by William's presence.
"That's enough. You two shouldn't be arguing in front of Olivia. This isn't appropriate for her to hear," Richard said softly, his voice gentle but firm.
But his words seemed to ignite William's fury even more. William shot Richard a cold, hostile glare.
"What gives you the right to interfere in our family business? Who do you think you are?" William's voice was ice-cold, as if it had been frozen.
Richard didn't argue back or defend himself. Instead, he simply pulled Olivia closer to his chest protectively.
"You need to leave. You're not welcome in our home, and neither Olivia nor I want to see you," Isabella declared firmly.
Despite Isabella's clear dismissal, William showed no intention of moving.
"I'm here to see Olivia, not you," he said with a cold snort.
Isabella walked over and unlocked the door. William immediately moved to follow them inside.
The moment they stepped through the doorway, his phone began ringing.
William glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. After answering the call, whatever the person said made his face grow even colder with displeasure.
"Can't you handle this yourselves?"
"Fine. I'm on my way."
After hanging up, William realized all three of them were staring at him.
For some inexplicable reason, he felt as though their eyes were full of mockery, especially Isabella's.
As if they had expected this interruption all along.
He rubbed his temples irritably, offering what sounded like an excuse: "The company needs me."
Isabella completely ignored William's explanation, instead focusing on unpacking their groceries and taking out the ingredients.
The sound of the front door opening and closing signaled William's departure.
But his presence had left an uncomfortable tension hanging in the air.
Richard quickly turned his attention away, helping Isabella wash vegetables as if nothing had happened.
"Didn't you promise I'd get to try your cooking?" Isabella noticed how efficiently Richard cleaned the vegetables—clearly, he knew his way around a kitchen.
Richard chuckled softly. "I was just being polite. I couldn't actually let you do all that cooking by yourself—that would be terribly rude of me."
"Don't take what William said earlier to heart," Richard added proactively.
"I know better than to listen to him. He assumes everyone is like him. After what he did with Laura, he thinks I'd make the same mistakes," Isabella said with a cold laugh, her expression filled with disdain.
"Someone like that naturally assumes the whole world operates the same way he does."
Just as she finished speaking, Olivia came running in from the living room, carrying two pieces of chocolate she'd already unwrapped.
"Mommy! Mr. Spencer! Have some chocolate!" Olivia stood on her tiptoes but still couldn't reach the adults, so she called out for help.
The sweet taste of chocolate quickly filled their mouths, finally dissolving some of the unpleasant emotions William's visit had brought.
To Isabella's surprise, Richard wasn't just capable in the kitchen—he was genuinely skilled, even managing to flip ingredients in the pan with practiced ease.
"Did you take cooking classes before, Mr. Spencer?" Isabella asked, clearly impressed.
Richard looked a bit embarrassed at the praise, pressing his lips together modestly. "During my startup days, I moved out of my family home for a while. Money was tight back then, so my business partners would come to my place for dinner."
That's when he developed his cooking skills out of necessity.
"They say hardship builds character. Your culinary talents are proof of that," Isabella commented with admiration.
With Richard's help, they quickly prepared four dishes. Before they even called Olivia for dinner, she had already wandered over on her own.
"Wow! Mr. Spencer's food looks delicious, too!" Olivia generously praised Richard, offering him a sincere compliment.
Richard accepted the praise without false modesty: "It doesn't just look good—it tastes pretty great too."
Olivia tasted and immediately closed her eyes in satisfaction, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Olivia thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
After dinner, Richard spent more time playing with Olivia. When it came time for him to leave, she seemed genuinely reluctant to say goodbye.
That evening, as Isabella was getting Olivia ready for bed, her daughter gently tugged on her finger.
"Mommy, I think Mr. Spencer is really wonderful. He's so patient with me, and he's always helping us!"
When Olivia talked about Richard's good qualities, her eyes sparkled as she counted them on her fingers with complete seriousness.
"That's because Mr. Spencer is genuinely a good person, which is why he's willing to help us," Isabella replied naturally, following Olivia's lead.
The bedside lamp cast a soft glow as Olivia looked up at Isabella with bright, shining eyes.
"So if Mr. Spencer and Mommy were together, he'd be really good to you, too!"
Isabella laughed softly. "Mr. Spencer is my boss. I work at his company, which is why he helps us sometimes. It's not what your father suggested, and it could never become that."
Richard was a good man, but that didn't mean Isabella needed to be with him romantically.
"When you're older, you'll understand that people can have beautiful relationships that aren't romantic. What Mr. Spencer and I have is pure friendship."
Olivia nodded thoughtfully. Though she didn't quite understand, she didn't press the issue further, closing her eyes and settling down to sleep obediently.
The next morning, Isabella was walking out with Olivia when they ran into Thora and Lloyd.
"Olivia's out of the hospital!" Thora exclaimed with surprise.
Isabella smiled and nodded. "If I have to work late tonight, I might need to trouble you to pick her up from school again."
"Don't worry about it—I've got you covered. Just focus on work. Lloyd's been talking about wanting to play with Olivia these past few days anyway."
After dropping Olivia off at school, Isabella hurried to catch the subway to the office.
She'd barely reached her desk when Emily knocked and entered.
"Ms. Capulet, we've finished compiling this week's experimental data. It needs to go to Mr. Spencer for review. Could you take it over to him when you get a chance?"
Isabella agreed, and after Emily left, she organized the files that needed to be delivered to Richard.
Richard wasn't in his office. The executive suite was empty, so Isabella went in to leave the documents and prepared to head back out.
But out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed a tube of topical ointment sitting on Richard's desk.
Isabella froze, immediately thinking back to how Richard had protected Olivia yesterday.
After being hit by those cans last night, Richard really was injured!
A wave of guilt washed over her, and her expression darkened with concern.