Chapter 155

From the moment she finished breakfast and took Chris to school, Madeleine's mood seemed low. She was always absent-minded, not knowing what she was thinking about. Beckett glanced at Madeleine and asked in a deep voice, "Are you feeling unwell?" Madeleine quickly shook her head, "No…" She was just worried about Dane. Madeleine was self-aware, knowing the boundaries of her relationship with Beckett, no matter how it developed, there was a line that should not be crossed. But Dane, he was extremely naïve when it came to relationships. Once, Dane had a secret crush on a girl, but because Abigail publicly accused Dane of molesting her… abusing her, that relationship did not even get a chance to start. Later, Dane had been living a simple life alone with Chris. Over the past five years, no one dared to introduce him to any potential partners. Upon learning that he had a child, they would invariably avoid him. Dane did not want to find a partner either. He had become accustomed to being alone. Apart from Chris and his mother, who was still in jail, there was no one else he cared for. In fact, during the five years that Madeleine was in prison, it was equally excruciating for Dane. It's just that one was in prison, while the other was outside. "Stop by the road," Beckett instructed the driver to pull over. The driver was stunned for a moment before quickly stopping the car. Beckett got out of the car and went to a roadside tea shop to buy a cup of milk tea. Madeleine, surprised, quickly got out of the car and ran over. "Mr. Beach, you like drinking milk tea? You could have just let me buy it next time." Beckett hand over the milk tea to Madeleine. "I bought this for you." Madeleine held onto the cup of milk tea, in a daze for quite a long time. Did he...buy this for me? Her eyes welling up with tears, Madeleine followed Beckett into the car. "You seem to like adding lots of sugar to your coffee," Beckett guessed, thinking that Madeleine also likes sweets. Madeleine didn’t speak. It wasn’t that she necessarily liked sweets, it was just that life had been too bitter and she found solace in sweet things. After taking her medicine that day, Beckett had suggested that whenever life felt bitter again, she could eat a piece of candy to sweeten the taste. "Thank you, Mr. Beach." ... Beach Group. As a personal living assistant, it became a usual sight for everyone to see Madeleine accompany Beckett into the company "Good morning, Mr. Beach," the employees would greet Beckett. Beckett responded with an indifferent nod. It wasn't Madeleine's perception playing tricks, the moment Beckett stepped into the company, his aloof demeanor was genuinely daunting. The difference between Beckett at home and at work, was indeed considerably drastic. "Madeleine, come over here for a second." Before entering the elevator, Carl wants to call Madeleine away. Beckett furrows his brows. "It's not yet work hours, why are you calling her?" Carl looks confused. "Mr. Beach, you've had breakfast, we haven't yet, I am taking Madeleine for breakfast." "..." Madeleine looks embarrassed. In fact, she already ate. And she ate with Mr. Beach. "She's busy, doesn't have time." Beckett closes the elevator door directly. Carl is left outside the elevator door. "..." Their boss, Mr. Beach, pressed his employees too much. Poor Madeleine. With a sigh, Carl increasingly thinks that Madeleine is too pitiful. He shouldn't be so fierce towards her in the future, he should treat her better. Everyone bullies Madeleine, and Ruby even had the malice to ruin Madeleine with sulfuric acid. No matter how you look at it, Madeleine is the underdog. Inside the elevator. The air pressure is a bit heavy. Madeleine raises her head and sneaks a look at Beckett, not knowing why he suddenly has such a heavy air. "Mr... Mr. Gu Zhan." Madeleine called out in a soft voice. "Stay away from Carl in the future." Zhan Jing Xing said in a deep voice. Madeleine was a bit puzzled. "But… Carl is a nice person. We work together, how can I stay away from him…" Madeleine didn't quite understand what Zhan Jing Xing meant. "What I mean is…" Zhan Jing Xing hesitated, swallowing hard, before letting out a grunt and staying silent. He knew Carl too well. Carl was not the type who was indiscriminately affectionate. He only fawned over beautiful women. He badmouthed Madeleine in front of him previously, and now he's overtly and covertly speaking up for her, advising him not to exploit his employees. Clearly, he's up to no good. Men, huh. "Mr. Beach, this is the schedule for this week." Entering the office, Madeleine handed Zhan Jing Xing her work tablet. "The cooperation between Beach Group and Mr. Zhao in Sanya is going smoothly. According to the company regulations, there is a celebratory banquet tonight. Will you attend?" Zhan Jing Xing's fingers lightly tapped the desk. He never attended company team building activities. Madeleine knew, but she still asked... it must be that she hoped he would break his habit and attend for once. "If possible, could you break the usual rule and attend, and openly praise the investment department's Liu Ye Cheng in front of upper management and the project team? It would boost his sense of honor and pride in the company." Madeleine softly spoke, with a touch of earnestness in her voice. Zhan Jing Xing was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, arrange it." Zhan Xing Ye had already called him, insisting that he must come home tonight, even mentioning that Yang Wan Xia was personally cooking. Sigh... was this meant as an apology, or to shirk responsibility? "Will you accompany me home after the team-building event?" Beckett asked Madeleine for her opinion. "Hmm..." Madeleine nodded. "Whatever Mr. Beach arranges is fine." Beckett felt a bit helpless as Madeleine was always strictly professional towards him. "No matter what happens tonight, don't be afraid. I'll be with you," Beckett said again. He was determined not to let Mrs. Ruby, who poisoned the water with sulphuric acid, get away scot-free. Madeleine's fingers tightened in anticipation, she nodded. ... At the kindergarten. Chris's name was called while she was having her arithmetic class. Being a good girl, Chris got up and walked out to see her teacher. "Teacher, is there something you need from me?" "Chris, your hair has gotten very long. Haven't you had a haircut?" The teacher asked in a low voice. Chris shook her head. "My uncle said my hair isn't long enough to need a haircut." "Let me help you trim it a bit," The teacher held Chris's hand and led her to the office. "Teacher, you need my mother's permission to cut my hair." Chris was a little wary and disagreed with the teacher cutting her hair. "It's just a little trim, it won't be a problem," the teacher persuaded gently. "No, I can't. Uncle said our bodies, skin, and hair are gifts from our parents, we should not allow others to cut our hair indiscriminately." Chris refused. "Chris, be obedient." The teacher was obviously losing patience and attempted to grab strands of hair with follicles from Chris's head. However, Chris quickly dodged. "If my hair grows long, Mum will take me for a hair cut, not you, Teacher." "Alright then, Teacher will help you tidy up your hair." The teacher said, smiling. She put down the scissors and waved at Chris. Chris, suspicious, walked over to the teacher. "Teacher, you got my hair." Feeling strands of her hair abruptly yanked out, Chris felt a stinging sensation in her eyes. It seemed like the teacher had plucked out multiple strands of her hair. "I'm sorry, Chris. The teacher didn't mean to do that. Your hair was tangled, so I was trying to detangle it." The teacher said, smiling. She fiddled with Chris's hair for a bit and said, "Now go back to your class.” Puzzled, Chris turned around and run back to her classroom. Looking at the strands of hair complete with hair follicles in her hand, the teacher placed them in a small plastic bag. “Merritt family, I have prepared Chris's hair follicles. I've checked and suggest it’s best to send it for testing within two weeks, otherwise the result might not be accurate if the wait is too long." On the phone, Zhuang Xin Yan’s voice was somewhat hoarse. “You did a good job, get the hair sent to me.” They had obtained Chris's hair follicles, now it all depended on Charlotte's side. However, kids are easy to fool, but Alex might not be so naive.