Chapter 107 Chapter 107

Chapter 107 Chapter 107
"If that is his decision, I cannot stop him." He sighed.

"Don't worry too much. Serenity is going with him."

Mr. Caleb startled. "What? That woman told Serenity to go, too?"

"There you go with 'that woman' again. Serenity said your ex-wife wants to have dinner together for Vince's birthday. I think it’s fine. It’s better to let them meet. At least Vince won't regret his decision later."

Mr. Caleb waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, let it be. I won't interfere anymore."

—

The next morning, Vince drove Serenity to the scheduled restaurant himself. As they walked in, Ashton rushed out excitedly to greet them. "Big brother. Serenity."

Serenity smiled. "I’m sorry, we’re late."

"It’s nothing, Mother and I just arrived." Then he called out, "Mom, my brother is here."

Maggie stepped forward, staring silently at Vince. Her eyes held a mixture of remorse, longing, and shock. Vince stood there without a word of greeting, without a single smile.

Maggie broke the silence. "My son, you’ve grown up. And you must be Serenity?"

"Yes. Hello, Ma’am." Serenity bowed politely.

"I’m very happy to meet you both. I’ve wanted to meet Vince’s girlfriend for a long time. I know you two went through a lot to be together. I’ve booked a table upstairs; let’s go there. Let’s not let the past ruin tonight’s dinner." Maggie waited for Vince to say something, but he remained silent.

Sensing the encouraging squeeze from Serenity’s hand, his shoulders relaxed. He lowered his eyes as if accepting Maggie’s invitation. The four of them headed to the reserved room.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Mr. Caleb paced back and forth, as restless as if he were sitting on hot coals. Briona couldn't help but speak up. "Caleb, sit down. The children have only been gone a short while."

"Do you think Vince truly wants to see his mother again?" Mr. Caleb stopped to ask.

Briona nodded.

Mr. Caleb grew anxious. "That means, if Vince chooses her and wants to live with her, I cannot object."

"You’re being too tense. Choosing what? Vince is just seeing a mother he hasn't seen in ages."

Mr. Caleb stopped abruptly and looked his wife in the eye. "But she wants to take Vince to Japan."

Briona stood up in shock. "Is that true?"

Back at the restaurant, Serenity looked from Maggie’s sharp features to Vince. She was stunned by how strikingly similar they were.

"Serenity, why are you staring at me so intently?" Maggie’s voice held a note of inquiry.

Serenity looked flustered, unable to hide her amazement. "Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that you and Vince have such similar eyes. I was just focused on that."

Maggie paused, searching Vince’s face as if trying to reclaim lost memories. "Are you telling the truth? Do our eyes really look that much alike?"

"Yes, remarkably so," Serenity replied softly.

The woman sighed—a sigh heavy with a decade of regret. "You’re right. They say a son takes after his mother more. I almost didn't recognize him; it’s been ten years. Vince, happy birthday."

Vince responded with a dull nod.

Ashton, with the innocence of youth and unaware of the tension, asked, "Big brother, did Serenity give you your gift yet?"

Vince shook his head. "Not yet."

Ashton laughed, accidentally revealing the secret. "She bought you a really beautiful bracelet."

Serenity’s face flushed as she scolded him. "Ashton, why did you tell him? I was going to give it to him when we got home. I wanted to surprise him."

"Did I just ruin the surprise? I’m so sorry." Ashton scratched his head, feeling guilty.

Maggie interceded. "Ashton is always like that, very thoughtless. Serenity, don't be mad at him."

Serenity smiled gently. "It’s because he’s like his mother."

Vince looked at his girlfriend, a rare smile appearing on his lips. "It’s fine. I’ll pretend I didn't hear. Your gift still counts as a surprise."

"Don't worry, I won't overthink it. Besides, a birthday needs a gift; surprise or not, it’s all the same. The meaning of a gift doesn't lie in how it’s given, but in the fact that it’s a bridge between our hearts."

After some small talk about work and the difficult years in Japan, Maggie suddenly shifted the subject. The career she had proudly built over ten years now became an excuse to reclaim the son she had abandoned.

"Vince, I am different now. Come to Japan with me, okay?"
The sentence was like a bomb dropped in the middle of the table. Serenity was stunned, while Vince remained still and silent, though his hand beneath the table was clenched so hard his knuckles were white.

Ashton turned pale and protested. "Didn't you promise not to bring this up?"

Maggie ignored her younger son, looking pleadingly at Vince. "If I don't say it now, when will I? Serenity, I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you, but I want you to hear this as well."

"Mom, can you just stop?" Ashton slammed the table and stood up. His innocence had vanished, replaced by a sense of pain.

Maggie’s eyes grew red—whether they were real tears or just an act, no one could tell. "I don't want to leave Vince behind this time. I was forced to before. It’s been ten years since I last saw your brother. Must we be separated once again? You are my son, and Vince is my son too. Do I not have the right to be with my children?"

Vince looked up, his eyes containing a turbulent ocean. He said nothing, but that silence was more terrifying than a blunt refusal.

Serenity didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted Vince to go to Japan to be reunited with his mother, but the other part couldn't bear the thought because she didn't want to be away from him at all. She thought she had finally grasped happiness after everything that had happened, but it turned out happiness was somewhere else, and she didn't know if she could reach it. Hearing Maggie’s words made Serenity even more conflicted.

Maggie shed her sophisticated exterior, her voice thick with emotion. "When we first divorced, I wanted to take Vince and raise him, but they wouldn't let me. They said I didn't have the financial means. Letting me take Ashton was already a huge concession. They said Vince was the heir to the family, so he had to stay. That is why I gave him up."

The moment the words left her mouth, Vince stood up abruptly, his chest heaving with the anger accumulated over the years. "Enough. Stop it. That’s in the past; what good does it do to speak of it now? Or what truth are you trying to tell me? That you were forced to abandon me? Do you feel responsible and want to come back to make amends? Or is it that you’re so selfish you only think of yourself, so you created this tearful reunion drama?"