Chapter 55
After the two got into the car, Shane, sitting in the passenger seat, pulled out his phone to message Joyce.
He carefully composed a lie: [Miss Mason, Mr. Sherwood hasn’t finished here yet. The dinner tonight is with bureau leaders, and there are other arrangements afterward. He won’t be able to get away for a while p>
Inside a luxury penthouse, Joyce sat alone at the table, staring at the message Shane sent. The disappointment in her eyes faded bit by bit, replaced by a layer of malice.
Since she woke up, there had been a marked shift in Kingsley’s attitude toward her. Though he had been cold before, he had never been like this-deliberately maintaining a distant alienation.
In her view, the root of all this was entirely Lucy.
“Lucy, don’t you dare think you can take Kingsley away from me again!” She gritted her teeth, her voice cold as ice.
A moment later, she quickly masked the hostility in her eyes, adjusted her tone to sound gentle, and sent two voice messages in succession: [Kingsley, drink less tonight and take care of your health p>
[I love the birthday gift you sent. Thank you p>
Kingsley, resting his eyes against the car seat, didn’t even glance at the messages coming through.
The car drove back to The Vista Gardens. Shane helped Kingsley into the house and specifically instructed Paula to prepare a hangover remedy.
Kingsley leaned back on the sofa, opened his eyes, his voice raspy from alcohol. “You can go p>
“Yes, Mr. Sherwood,” Shane replied. “I’ll come by tomorrow morning.” With that, he quietly retreated.
Moments later, Paula brought in the warm soup.
Kingsley waited for it to cool slightly before drinking it down in one go As his Adam’s apple bobbed, he muttered low “Lucy, you’re truly
cruel… Even a Vic wouldn’t
hurt its own young, how could you p>
Before the sentence finished, the corner of his mouth hooked into a faint, self- deprecating sneer, his eyes full of chill.
Paula, who was clearing the bowl, paused abruptly at these words, then continued her work as if nothing happened.
Back in the kitchen, she sighed
softly, thinking to herself: “What
mother would willingly abort her
own child? In the end, it
was
because her heart had been broken
too many times p>
Kingsley sat in the living room for a long time before rising and going up to the second-floor study.
He took a crumpled ultrasound scan from a drawer. His fingers traced the paper, his dark eyes staring at it, unmoving for a long time.
Early the next morning, when Shane arrived at The Vista Gardens, Kingsley was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.
He was dressed in a black pinstripe suit, his posture composed and elegant,
showing no trace of the previous night’s intoxication.
“Mr. Sherwood.” Shane greeted him softly, then took out a tablet to report the day’s schedule.
When he heard the item “Discuss
design details with Lucy,” Kingsle
up
put down his spoon and looked UP “She isn’t Span waiting for Seần to return p>
“No, the appointment is for today,” Shane replied truthfully.
Kingsley didn’t speak again. He picked up his phone, buttoned his cuff with one hand, rose, and strode out on his long legs.
Shane hurriedly followed, balancing the tablet in one hand and his laptop bag in the other.