Chapter 0482


    Compared to the nervous Yana, Candice appeared much calmer. She sat expressionless on the


    sofa as she replied to client messages on her phone.


    Yana asked, "Candy, aren''t you worried about Alex finding out?"


    Candice paused in her typing and answered, "Going back now would make him more suspicious."


    She understood Alex well. He had a suspicious nature, and he could see through things even if he


    didn''t show it. Candice had just realized this.


    If they rushed back with Ellis now, it would likely raise more suspicion. Candice felt a bit flustered


    when she unexpectedly saw Alex earlier.


    "Didn''t you tell Sieg earlier that Baby Mulberry was your illegitimate child? What are you afraid of?


    Sieg probably thought she was your child," Nadia reminded.


    Yana, pping her forehead, also realized that. "Right, there''s that idiot, Sieg, with him."


    Yana wasn''t bothered by the sudden role of being a mom. Ellis was so adorable, so she was happy


    to be her mom without having to endure the pain of giving birth. Candice had no objections; she


    didn''t want Alex to discover Ellis, so they had to handle things carefully.


    Candice nced apologetically at Yana, who waved her hand. "If you feel bad, just make sure Baby


    Mulberry calls me ''Godmother'' a few more times when she’s older. When I''m old, she can take care


    of me in the nursing home."


    Candice smiled and met Hanley''s eyes. Suddenly, she felt a bit awkward. In the midst of her


    emotions, she hadn''t noticed that her hand which Hanley had held earlier seemed to be scorching


    hot.


    Feeling oddly uneasy, she took her phone and stood up. "I''m going outside to make a call to a


    client."


    "Tsk." Yana clicked her tongue as Candice left, looking disdainfully at Hanley. "Just staring won''t


    help. You won’t get the girl by staring at her."


    Hanley had been looking at Candice with a fiery gaze. Even Yana couldn''t stand it, so of course


    Candice had to leave the room.


    As Yana went upstairs, she turned around to say, "This is a perfect opportunity. If you still can''t


    seize it, I''ll really start to suspect if something''s wrong with you. I wasn''t kidding about Zack earlier.


    He''s rich, handsome, and family-oriented. He’s a triple threat. If he starts pursuing Candy, you won’t


    stand a chance!"


    Candice actually had no ns to contact any clients. She stood outside the vi, looking at the


    snowy mountains in the distance. The view was clear as the weather was good.


    Hanley''s gaze had been aggressive earlier. In other words, he seemed different since they first met


    at the airport. As an adult, she knew what his gaze meant.


    Hanley had always been a gentle and somewhat aloof person, in her opinion. When such a person


    looked at her with that almost fiery gaze, she could feel her heart racing. It felt like the deep sea,


    surging solely for her...


    A sound broke Candice from her thoughts as several people came out from the neighboring yard.


    Quite coincidentally, Sieg was leading the group.


    Seeing Candice, Sieg greeted her unexpectedly. "What a coincidence."


    Candice nced at him and walked straight back into the vi.


    In the evening for New Year''s Eve, Yana and Nadia were busy arranging and decorating, while Ellis


    sat on the sofa ying with her own shoes.


    The doorbell rang, and Candice thought the things Yana had just ordered had arrived, so she went


    to open the door. When she saw the people standing there, her smile vanished. It was Alex and


    Sieg.


    Sieg remained carefree, while Alex stood beside him, his face expressionless. However, upon


    spotting Candice, there was a subtle twitch at the corner of his lips.


    In a calm tone, he said, "I’m here to ask whether you are joining us for New Year''s Eve."


    Candice replied coldly, "No."


    "What a straightforward rejection.” Sieg scoffed. "We came over with good intentions to invite you.


    We just wanted to save you the trouble in case there''s a power outage tonight. Well, if you don''t


    want toe, forget it."


    "Power outage?" Candice inquired.


    "It seems you haven''t seen the notice. The park officially opens tomorrow, and there''s a final round


    of maintenance tonight. Expect a power outage of about two hours." Sieg smirked. "Also, I’m sorry


    to say that the only vi in the entire park exempt from the power outage is ours."


    Candice fell silent. For someone with night blindness, a power outage was quite troublesome. What


    Sieg mentioned about the power outage turned out to be true, and the management soon came


    with gift boxes, sincerely apologizing.


    Now, despite any lingering displeasure, they had no choice but to pack up and move to the


    neighboring vi. When Yana went to carry Ellis, the child seemed a bit unwilling, staring at


    Candice.


    The little one had been ignored for too long and was now throwing a tantrum. Yana looked at


    Candice and deliberately spoke loudly, "Candy,e help me hold my baby! This child only likes


    being held by you!"


    Her voice was intentionally loud, meant for Alex and Sieg to hear. Sieg, staring at Ellis, wore a


    mocking expression. "She looks so ugly, yet Yana treats her like a treasure."


    Just then, Candice came out holding Ellis, and she shot Sieg a re.


    The staff had already arranged everything next door. The n was simple: a barbecue and


    fireworks. Yana, despite her words mocking Sieg, soon got into the spirit, bantering with Sieg while


    roasting barbecue.


    Candice wasn''t enthusiastic about such activities. She stayed in the living room, trying to put Ellis to


    sleep.


    The doors between the living room and the courtyard were open, so even though there was air


    conditioning inside, it was still cold. Once Ellis was asleep, Candice worried about her catching a


    cold and covered her with her own coat.


    She was sitting by the windy spot, blocking the wind for Ellis, when she felt the warmth of a coat


    ced on her, sheltering her from the cold.


    Truth be told, Candice was quite sensitive to the cold. She nced up and spotted Hanley standing


    nearby. Because he had given her his coat, he was left with only a ck turtleneck sweater, exuding


    a somewhat youthful vibe.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    His voice, deep and warm, reached her. "Don''t catch a cold."


    Candice felt the warmth from his clothes and caught a subtle hint of a lemon-mint fragrance. She let


    out a soft cough and replied, "Yeah, thanks."


    Hanley looked at her uneasy expression, and a hint of a smile crossed his eyes.


    When Alex came downstairs, this was what he saw: The living room door was wide open; outside, a


    group of people was having a lively time, but inside, it was quiet.


    Candice''s clothes were on Ellis on the sofa, and she was wearing another man''s coat, smiling as


    she looked down.


    The scene was harmonious and warm, resembling a happy and peaceful family.


    However, the scene stung Alex’s eyes as he stood on the stairs and stared at them


    expressionlessly.