Chapter 407
Chapter 407:
Albert stiffened, instinct telling him not to push his luck, and he backed out of the kitchen without another sound.
When he rejoined Natalie and Kareem in the living room, his account of Helena’s reaction only deepened their unease. Kareem, too, ventured into the kitchen, but one look at Helena’s tightly drawn face made him think twice—he swallowed his words and left just as quietly.
Kareem rubbed his chin, frowning as he stepped back into the living room. “Helena said Alden’s doing fine, but why does she look like she’s carrying the whole world on her shoulders?” he mumbled, perplexed. “To be honest, it’s not worry I see in her face—more like she’s holding onto some grudge p>
Grudge…
The word echoed in Natalie’s head, sharp and unsettling. A realization stirred beneath her calm facade. She let out a long, weary sigh, then turned on her heel and headed for the kitchen herself.
“Helena p>
Natalie lingered in the doorway, the usual steel in her bearing softening into something hesitant, almost fragile, in front of her daughter. From the corner of her eye, Helena saw the worry etched on her mother’s face, and after a heavy pause, she finally broke the suffocating stillness. “You already knew, didn’t you? Alden’s plan to go to Cot-land alone p>
Natalie parted her lips, but no sound came out. The weight of her silence said more than words ever could.
A bitter smile flickered across Helena’s face. “Of course you did. I should’ve seen it coming. That day you invited Alden to take a walk in the garden… you had something to say, and you made sure I wasn’t around to hear it, didn’t you p>
“Helena, I…” Natalie opened her mouth, fumbling for an explanation, but Helena cut her off with a quiet, knowing smile. “You don’t have to explain. I get it now. You did it to protect me p>
Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, where the man she loved remained out of reach. A soft sigh escaped her lips. “Alden’s the stubborn type. Even if you’d tried to stop him, it wouldn’t have made a difference.” Her smile turned faintly bitter. “When it comes down to it, the one who shut me out was Alden, not you. When he returns, I’ll make sure he pays the price p>
The tight knot in her chest finally eased, letting her breathe freely again.
Before long, the four of them gathered around the table to savor the meal Helena had cooked with her own hands, the air around them light and filled with easy laughter.
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Not one of them noticed the bitter, burning stare fixed on them from beyond the windowpane.
That intense stare came from Liliana Harrison, the girl Natalie and Kareem had taken in as their own.
Gazing through the tall glass window, she saw Natalie—the woman who had once showered her with affection—carefully serving dish after dish to Helena, keeping a close eye on her every time she took a bite. Liliana noticed her father, Kareem—famous in business circles for his authority—quickly passing a napkin to Helena the moment she put down her fork.