Julian Rathborne had arrived at some point, and now his phoenix eyes fell upon Seraphina Linden’s face.
Seraphina greeted him graciously, "Mr. Rathborne~"
After speaking, Seraphina left.
Once Seraphina was gone, Kate Lee and Meggie Sawyer froze, especially Meggie, whose face turned red and white with shame and humiliation. It was obvious Julian had been there long enough to hear everything Seraphina had said. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Meggie gathered the courage to look at Julian, who stood there like a noble cedar, just casually glancing at her with an indescribable disdain and coldness in his eyes.
Meggie felt like a clown at that moment, as Seraphina had revealed all of her inherent selfishness, ugliness, and scheming nature in front of Julian.
Back then, both Meggie and Kate fell for Julian at first sight. All these years later, this son of Aethelgard was still as distinguished and noble as ever, while she was so disgraceful.
Julian didn’t say anything else then; he turned around and left.
Kate and Meggie’s legs went weak, and both collapsed onto the carpet.
Hayden Crawford stood on the second floor, witnessing his mother-in-law’s growing fame, and all he could do was... give a thumbs up.
Hayden felt grateful for his choice, and from now on, he was even more determined to stand by this formidable mother-in-law’s side.
Just then, there was a "ding," and the phone in his pocket rang. It was a text message.
Hayden clicked on the message, his pupils quickly contracted. Pip’s message was simple: Hello, handsome uncle, just to let you know, your mom is here.
Pip said your mom is here!
Hayden had lost his mother at a very young age, making motherly love a void in his life. Now Pip had simply sent a message to inform him that his mom was here.
At that moment, another "ding" sounded, and yet another message came in, again from Pip.
Hayden quickly opened it; this message said: Oh right, your dad is here too.
Hayden’s eyes turned black, and he promptly closed them.
Then another "ding"—another message from Pip.
Inside, Hayden was in denial; he didn’t want to open the message anymore. A few seconds later, he reluctantly clicked it open: remember to control your dad so he doesn’t scare your mom away.
He really wanted to find Pip and give him a beating; Pip had just placed a ticking time bomb with him, with Julian Rathborne and Seraphina Linden barely finished, and now this pair was starting up.
"Mr. Crawford, are you alright?" Seeing the ever-changing expressions on Hayden’s face, his personal secretary Ivan Yarrow quickly stepped forward to ask with concern.
Hayden waved his phone, "Open the door, to welcome... my dad and my mom’s grand arrival!"
"...Yes, Mr. Crawford."
Outside The Crawford Group’s main gate, a luxurious stretched business sedan pulled up slowly. Butler Thorne, seated in the front, glanced into the rearview mirror at the man in the back with respect, "Sir, we’ve arrived at The Crawford Group."
Jude Crawford lounged lazily in the back seat, not getting out immediately. He held a cigarette between his fingers, and after a few seconds, he lit a blazing red flame, took a drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke. His deep, narrow eyes gazed at his reflection in the mirror before speaking in a low voice, "Butler Thorne, do you think I’ve aged over these years?"
Butler Thorne looked at the man’s still chiselled and handsome face. All these years, his appearance hadn’t aged a bit.
Time hadn’t etched any marks on him, though the fine lines around his eyes had deepened and lengthened, adding to his mature allure as a man.
Butler Thorne shook his head, "Sir, you haven’t aged at all."
This answer seemed to please Jude Crawford, "Heh," a seductive chuckle emitted from his muscular chest, causing ash from his cigarette to fall, "She hasn’t aged; how dare I?"
Butler Thorne knew that "she" referred to Mrs. Yara. As arranged by Pip, they were to meet here, and only Mrs. Yara could prompt this business tycoon of a generation to ask, ’Have I aged?’
Jude extinguished the half-burnt cigarette in an ashtray, "Let’s go; let’s head in."
The last time, in the mall, he only got a fleeting glimpse of her. It had been nearly twenty years; he had searched for her for twenty years, longed for her for twenty years, and finally, she had returned.
Seraphina was ready to head back after having her fun, but then she spotted a figure upfront and immediately called out, "Yara, what are you doing here?"
It was Isabelle Willow.
Recently, Isabelle had been handling the funeral affairs of an old maid, followed by a period of mourning. Today, wearing a black qipao, she looked somewhat colder, though still reminiscent of the most celebrated beauty of Aethelgard, Isabelle Willow. Her elegance still as captivating as her reputation, with long black hair cascading down, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
As Isabelle entered earlier, she had instantly captured attention along her path; everyone was watching her.
Isabelle walked up to Seraphina and gave a gentle smile, "Seraphina, I’m here to meet someone."
"Well... to meet Jude Crawford."
Seraphina frowned immediately, clearly not fond of Jude Crawford, "Why are you meeting him?"
"A few days ago, Pip sought his help. He wants to meet me. I thought we’d have to meet eventually, and I also want to see my son, Hayden." Isabelle’s personality was serenely detached, but now, after years, she had gained a calm warmth and tranquility, having moved past many things.
Seraphina said nothing more and looked down into the hall, quickly spotting a stable and tall figure, Jude Crawford.
Jude Crawford had just entered.
Seraphina immediately spoke, "Mr. Crawford, hello."
Downstairs, Jude Crawford was searching for Isabelle Willow, when he suddenly heard Seraphina’s voice. He looked up immediately, his deep, narrow eyes sweeping upstairs.
Jude Crawford spotted Seraphina and behind her... Isabelle Willow.
Jude’s gaze fell onto Isabelle Willow and could not be pried away.
Then Seraphina pulled Isabelle before her, pushing her into Jude Crawford’s view, "Mr. Crawford, thank you for your help last time, so this time I brought Yara for your appointment to let you both meet."
After their hasty separation last time, Isabelle Willow’s exquisite beauty again crashed into Jude Crawford’s eyes, and he just looked at her.
As if time had reverted to many years ago, she hadn’t changed a bit, still the Willow family’s daughter known for both beauty and talent years ago.
Standing upstairs, Isabelle’s clear almond eyes also fell upon Jude Crawford’s handsome face. Despite not having thought about him all these years, the past she thought forgotten surged back with the force of a tidal wave as he appeared.