Chapter 538

Hale Residence. Kimberly wasn't usually the type to scare Charles, but today was one of those rare days. Charles sat stiffly on the couch, like he was walking on eggshells. In the past, every time he came home, he acted like a king—even if everyone knew he was barely hanging onto any authority in this house. Still, he always put on a show. But now? That old arrogance had vanished. No one really knew where all that cockiness came from in the first place—maybe Alicia should take the credit for knocking it out of him. "Kimberly…" he started, watching her juggle tasks with Liam and Chris, and stood up, trying to offer a hand. Kimberly shot him a look, her brows pinched. "Just stay out of the way. You're only gonna make things worse." She and the housekeeper were laying out dinner—it was a full house tonight with the kids coming back. Charles stood to the side, awkward and feeling totally useless. His voice held a bit of hurt. "Kimberly, you could've just told them what to do. Why do you ha