Chapter 13

"Grandma, where's Olivia? What did you do with her?" Charles's face changed instantly. When it came to his daughter, he couldn't keep calm. Old Mrs. Hart just scoffed at his question, her face full of disdain. "She's sick, so I obviously took her to the hospital. What do you think, that I'd hurt her?" Her tone turned flat, but a sarcastic arch of the brow followed. "Unlike that woman—came into our house, made a scene, made us look like fools. And barged in uninvited! Isabelle, you are not welcome here. If you don't leave, don't blame me for going old-school and enforcing family rules!" Isabelle stared at Charles, who was kneeling on the floor, his clothes torn and marked with whip lashes. Despite the scene, a flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes. He must've taken the punishment for her. Ignoring the threat from Old Mrs. Hart, her voice trembled with restrained sobs. "Charles, you... you did this for me..." Clenching his jaw to mask the pain, Charles lowered his voice. "Don't worry about me. You should go." But Isabelle shook her head firmly. "No, Charles... wherever Olivia is, that's where I have to be. She's my daughter. I won't leave her alone." Old Mrs. Hart had seen her fair share of clingy women—this one was just another drama queen. Refusing to walk away? Easy fix. She slammed her hand on the table. "Someone come! Take her away—and give her a beating she won't forget!" The servants rushed in, not daring to hesitate. Isabelle's eyes went wide, and her knees nearly buckled from fear. Still, she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay put. "Old Mrs. Hart, you can do whatever you want to me. But please... give me back Olivia." Old Mrs. Hart frowned, waved her hand with annoyance. What followed was brutal. Isabelle trembled with every whip, cold sweat soaking her. Still, she stayed quiet, refusing to beg for mercy. After the servants were done, she lay motionless, clothes stained red, looking like she could barely breathe. Her hair stuck to her face, her whole body a mess. Without a hint of sympathy, the staff dragged her out of the Hart mansion and dumped her by the entrance before going back inside. Charles didn't say a word—saying anything now would only piss his grandmother off more. "Grandma, I want to see Olivia," he said carefully. Seeing that Charles hadn't defended Isabelle during the punishment, Old Mrs. Hart relaxed a little. "Fine. Go. But if I catch you meeting with that woman, you'll regret it." ... When Charles got to the hospital and walked into the room, he froze. Stella was sitting next to Olivia's bed, chatting casually. The little girl giggled, clearly comfortable around her. Charles narrowed his eyes. He didn't buy it for a second. This woman had tried to hurt Olivia before—there's no way she just came to visit out of the kindness of her heart. "What are you doing here?" His voice was sharp, icy. Stella glanced at him, her tone calm. "Grandma asked me to check up on her. Her fever was pretty high." Hearing that, Charles frowned and quickly walked over, pulling Olivia into his arms. The little girl clung to his neck, voice soft and choked with emotion. "Daddy, I missed you so much... Are you leaving me too?"Charles gently stroked Olivia's head and spoke to her softly, full of tenderness. "Sweetheart, why would Daddy ever stop loving you? I'm here now, aren't I?" But right after that, his tone shifted, going cold. "Stay away from her." "Daddy, don't blame Aunt Stella. She's been really nice to me," Olivia piped up. Stella shrugged like it didn't bother her. She wasn't surprised—the little girl had been wary of her when she walked into the room. Clearly, Isabelle had said quite a few nasty things about her. Olivia being scared made perfect sense. Still, Stella never dragged kids into adult messes. Olivia was innocent. Charles didn't respond to that part and quickly changed the topic. "Sweetheart, once you're all better, Daddy will take you to get your favorite toy. Sound good?" Hearing that, Olivia's tears dried instantly, and she nodded with a big grin. Watching the sweet father-daughter moment, Stella felt a dull ache in her chest. She couldn't stay any longer. Without a word, she turned and walked out of the room. After Olivia fell asleep, Charles tucked her in carefully and exited the room quietly. Sure enough, Stella was still standing outside. Just like he thought—this woman clearly had something to say. All that playing it cool earlier was just an act. He approached her, cleared his throat, and asked, "Stella, what are you waiting for?" Bet she was about to try and apologize, beg for forgiveness or something. Too bad—Charles had no plans to let her off easy. He might as well enjoy watching her squirm. "Grandma's been paying a lot more attention to us lately," Stella said calmly. "I'm just asking... could you pretend to be on good terms with me in front of her? Just for show." He scoffed. Fake it for Grandma's sake? Seriously? How lame did she think he was? "One line like that, and you expect me to forgive you?" he sneered, an amused, mocking smile on his face. Stella sighed, rubbing her forehead and taking a breath. "Charles, I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I said 'pretend.' You get that, right?" "What, you don't understand plain English?" That hit a nerve. He gave a sharp laugh, his tone biting. "Stella, seriously, quit while you're ahead. This little act? It's getting old." She let out a bitter smile. "Then let me put it this way—pretend for Grandma's sake, and you'll still get to play the happy family with Isabelle in front of her. Win-win." That shut him up. He shot her an icy glare. "Stella, you—" "What? Mr. Hart, if you're not interested, then go ahead and leave," she said coldly. Charles's heart clenched again. How many times had she thrown that word at him? Leave. She really had the nerve. "Let me see Sophie, and I'll go along with this." Stella, who had already turned to leave, froze at his words. She looked at him expressionlessly, holding back whatever she was feeling. "Charles... you were the one who said she should never see you again. Remember?" Had he...? Thinking back, yeah, maybe he had. He looked away, annoyed. Stella didn't say another word and left. Charles, getting irritated, pulled out his phone and shot her a message: "Stella, if you keep using Sophie as leverage, I'll call the cops."