Mia Foster was caught off guard when Vanessa Armstrong pushed her aside and started walking past her, holding her daughter’s hand.
With a smirk at the corner of her mouth, Mia immediately followed, catching up to Vanessa, who was carrying the backpack. She grabbed Vanessa’s arm, twisted it, and - with a yelp from Vanessa - had her subdued.
"Mommy, mommy... Bad person, let go of my mom..." Seraphina desperately tried to pull Mia’s hand away as Vanessa’s wrist was twisted behind her back, leaving her unable to move.
It was lunchtime and the restaurant was busy. The customers all turned their attention to the commotion, with curious glances, whispering among themselves. Some even took out their phones to record the scene, though no one stepped forward to intervene.
Oliver Shaw’s expression turned uglier as he hissed at Felix, "Let them go, Felix!"
A server approached and tried to mediate, "Miss, this is a public place. If you don’t stop, the manager will have to call the police."
Mia glanced at Vanessa, who dared not move, and then turned to Felix, "Let them go. They can run from the monastery, but not from the temple."
Without waiting for Felix to respond, Mia released Vanessa’s wrist. Vanessa glared at her defiantly and quickly left with her daughter.
Mia leisurely walked back to her seat, "Felix, we should find another place. This isn’t suitable."
...
In the president’s office of Hutton Group, father and son sat on the sofa. Oliver Shaw buried his head, puffing on a cigarette after another, while Felix lounged in his seat, holding a cigarette with slightly squinted eyes, lost in thought.
Oliver Shaw took another deep drag before looking up to start the conversation, "Felix, I never thought of divorcing your mother,"
Felix, returning his gaze to his father, had a pair of non-smiling, cold peach blossom eyes, "So you just wanted to secretly keep a woman on the side?" And now his illegitimate daughter is already so big.
Caught by his son’s question, Oliver stared down again and continued smoking. After two drags, he extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray and sighed, "Meeting Vanessa was an accident. You know, all these years, your mother has been mostly playing cards or shopping, seldom caring for the family. I’ve always liked girls and wanted her to have another child, but she said taking care of children is too much trouble, and that another child would affect her lifestyle..."
Looking at his father, Felix’s handsome face rarely showed seriousness as he coldly said, "That’s not an excuse for your infidelity."
Oliver scoffed, turning to face his son again, "Felix, do you know? Over the years, besides playing cards or shopping, your mother did not cherish having me as her husband. Knowing I loved the dishes she cooked, she still wouldn’t step into the kitchen because she detested smelling of oil. Vanessa may be young, but even when she was about to give birth, she still went to the stove to cook for me."
"Dad, mom is your lawful wife and has been with you for so many years!" Felix became emotional, not seeing what was good about that woman. His mother was so gentle and virtuous, and the house had several maids; his mother didn’t need to lift a finger.
"Because your mother is my lawful wife, that’s why I’ve kept them, the mother and daughter, outside," Oliver crossed his hands in his lap, clearly indicating that if Melody wasn’t the lawful wife, he would bring the other woman and her child back home.
Felix’s peach blossom eyes suddenly narrowed, "You mean you don’t want to cut ties with that woman?"
Oliver raised his head again, his hands resting on his knees as he looked ahead and sighed, "Vanessa has been with me since she was twenty-one, she’s given me a daughter without any formal status. She’s been so devoted to following me, how could I possibly abandon them?"
"You want the best of both worlds?"