Chapter 472


    Chapter 472


    Neil and Karina should be by Hiram’s side at this important moment. Where else could they possibly


    be?


    I felt a twinge of confusion, but I didn’t dwell on it. Mitch brought me a te of cupcakes. “Have


    something to eat.”


    “Thank you, I replied, taking one of the cupcakes and nibbling on it absentmindedly. After a few bites, I


    left it aside and went upstairs to check on the kids.


    Serena usually napped a lot, sometimes for an hour or two. But today was a bit noisy. I feared she


    might wake up when I didn’t know.


    Treading lightly, I made my way to the second floor. Serena’s guest room was at the very end of the


    hallway, and I had to pass by one room to get there. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but then I


    heard Neil’s voice, sounding extremely indifferent,ing from that room. “You should know it’s not


    possible, Karina. I don’t want toplicate things between us.”


    I paused and realized that the door was slightly ajar, allowing their conversation to drift out into the


    hallway.


    Karina was there too?


    Eavesdropping was impolite; but at that moment, I couldn’t help but listen in.


    “Why? Don’t you want to give Hiram aplete family?” Karina’s voice wasn’t asposed as usual.


    It’trembled slightly.


    “Isn’t this aplete family now? Just because we’re not married doesn’t mean I’m not his father. All


    that matters is that he feels loved.” Neil’s words were firm and left little room for argument.


    I was stunned. I thought him considering Karina as Hiram’s mother was just an excuse, but it turned out


    he really didn’t have feelings for her anymore.


    I felt a pang of sympathy for Karina. All the public affection was just a facade. Even if the Whitmore


    family epted Hiram immediately after her return, it didn’t mean they epted her.


    Once I was in the same position, seemingly sessful but hollow inside.


    “I want a recognition, for Hiram’s sake. I want a formal title.” Karina replied, “I don’t need a wedding.


    Just a marriage license would do. I’ll save Daniel right after I get a legal title.”


    Was Karina threatening Neil with this?


    Didn’t she know Neil hated being threatened? Especially when the threat was something he didn’t care


    about.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    If Neil really cared about Daniel’s well-being, he would have agreed to Kitty’s demands long ago


    instead of waited for Kitty to repeatedly seek out Karina’s help.


    Neil was cold-hearted in this regard.


    “If you don’t want to save Daniel, then don’t. It does nothing for me.” Neil’s voice grew colder, “You’re


    making a big mistake using this to threaten me.”


    Karina didn’t reply, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the hall. I quickly retreated to the end of the


    hallway and entered the room. Serena was sound asleep and undisturbed by the noise, but my own


    mind was in turmoil.


    Neil’s conversation with Karina both surprised and shocked me.


    If Neil wasn’t willing to marry Karina, it would undoubtedly trouble me. Knowing Karina’s narrow-minded


    nature, she’d likely me me for this. My thoughts were a whirlwind as I paced the room.


    Serena woke up after a while, cooing and making noises to signal her awakening. I picked her up and


    headed downstairs.


    To my surprise, Karina was standing near the staircase. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She


    stared nkly at the floor below. Hef silhouette seemed lonely.


    She faked her death, moved abroad, secretly gave birth to Hiram, and raised him on her own. She


    endured so much just to return to Neil and marry into the Whitmore family, and yet she failed.


    If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be able to ept it either.


    As I walked past Karina with Serena in my arms, she looked surprised to see me. “Ms. Finch, what


    were you doing upstairs?”


    “Just putting my daughter to bed.” I replied casually.


    “The second floor is a private area. Please refrain from going up there without permission,” Karina


    responded sharply, her usualposure reced by a bitter edge.


    ‘I’m not interested in your private affairs, don’t worry.” I said, meeting her teary gaze. She must have


    been crying.


    I spent quite a while upstairs, so a few guests had already left by the time I reached the ground floor.


    Ryan was ying with Hiram, and Faith was nowhere to be seen.


    As he saw me, Ryan immediately said, “Irene, are you hungry? I saved some food for you.”


    I was surprised that Ryan had actually saved some food for me. He nced around, making sure no


    one else was within earshot before saying, “Faith thought you’d be ufortable eating with us, so we


    didn’t call you so that you could rest upstairs.”


    Faith’s considerate nature always took me by surprise. Women tend to be more thoughtful, and she


    knew how awkward it would be for me to dine with them.


    Thank you, Ryan, but I’m not really hungry. Where is Faith?” I wanted to talk to her before I left.


    “She’s escorting a friend home. They’re old friends and will probably spend the rest of the day catching


    up.” Ryan told me.


    It seemed I wouldn’t be able to talk to Faith today. With that, I decided not to linger anymore and bid


    Ryan goodbye. “Alright, I’m going now. I’ll catch up with her next time.”


    Ryan understood why I hade. Faith must have exined the situation to him. He stopped me as I


    was leaving. “Irene, I’m d you came. I know you still care about Faith and me. Faith is a sensitive


    person and often overthinks things. Please, talk to her for me.”


    “I will.” I promised. Faith had shown me kindness, and I would return the favor by helping her ovee


    her worries.


    Depression could lead to self-harm or even suicide if it got worse. I didn’t want anything bad to happen


    to Faith.


    As we spoke, I felt someone watching me. I looked around and saw Karina staring at me from a


    distance. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and crouched down to y with Hiram.


    Karina gave off the aura of a chilling specter. Her gaze always made me feel incredibly unnerved.


    Especially since Neil just turned down her marriage proposal, I suspected her resentment towards me


    was off the charts right now.


    “Hey, please let me hold Serena once more.” Ryan suddenly extended his hand, indicating he wanted


    me to pass Serena to him.


    It was apparent that he genuinely adored Serena. I didn’t refuse and was about to hand her over when


    Hiram dashed over again. This time, he gave me a hard shove. “Grandpa, I won’t allow you to hold


    other people’s kids! You don’t like me anymore!”