Free Web NovelChapter 210: Chapter 213: Even a Hateful Person Has a Pitiable Side
Even though it wasn’t snowing yet, the winter in Aethelburg was still cold enough to make one shiver.
Today was the official opening of Felix Preston’s new studio, and Charlotte Shaw desperately wanted to be there in person to witness the moment with him. But since she was still in her postpartum confinement period and it was freezing outside, she could only stay home, reluctantly scrolling through the videos he sent her.
"Charlotte, do you want some kidney beans? If you do, I’ll soak some now to stew with the pork trotters later."
Brianna Bell was busy in the kitchen, while Charlotte Shaw was lying on the living room sofa, watching TV.
"Yes!" she answered cheerfully.
Brianna Bell: "Alright! It’s almost time for Sandy’s feeding. You can go ahead and wake him up."
"No problem!" She sat up from the sofa, leaned over the crib, and mischievously began to pester the sleeping Sandy.
"Hey, little rascal, time to wake up and eat..."
"Sandy, is your little tummy hungry? Don’t you want to wake up and eat...?"
"Wilder Preston, if you don’t get up and eat, your daddy’s going to spank you..."
"Charlotte, are you trying to scare Sandy awake?" Brianna Bell untied her apron, wiping her hands as she walked toward Charlotte Shaw.
Charlotte Shaw grinned mischievously. "Yup. Felix Preston scared him awake yesterday by saying the same thing when he was feeding him. I wanted to see if he’d fall for it again today."
"Hmm..." Brianna Bell came to stand before her, looking down at the motionless Sandy. "Clearly, Sandy isn’t falling for it. The little guy is smart."
Charlotte Shaw: "He gets that from me. I’m super smart, too."
"Yes!" Brianna Bell patted her hair, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Charlotte is incredibly smart. Sandy gets his mischievous streak from you."
Charlotte Shaw raised an eyebrow smugly. "Sandy gets his smarts from me, but his looks and personality are all Felix Preston."
"That’s true," Brianna Bell agreed. "Sandy’s eyes and nose are the spitting image of Felix. Only his mouth looks like you."
Charlotte Shaw gently squeezed Sandy’s little hand. "It’s a pretty good combination. Sandy is going to be an absolute heartbreaker when he grows up!"
"By the way, Mom, are Dad and my brother coming back for lunch?"
Brianna Bell shook her head. "They all went to support Felix at his studio. They won’t be back for lunch or dinner. It’s just the two of us at home today."
Charlotte Shaw: "In that case, let’s..."
"Madam, Miss, Miss Sinclair is here."
Auntie Florence’s sudden interruption cut Charlotte Shaw off. Charlotte turned toward the door and saw Renee Sinclair standing behind Auntie Florence, holding a box of toys. She looked completely haggard.
"Sinclair, you’re here." Brianna Bell greeted her with a smile. "Come in, have a seat."
Renee Sinclair nodded and replied politely, "Hello, Auntie. I came to see Charlotte, and I brought a toy for Sandy."
Charlotte Shaw stood up from the sofa and waved a hand at her. "Come on in, don’t just stand there."
Renee Sinclair murmured an "mhm" and finally walked into the living room, toy box in hand.
"Sandy isn’t awake yet?" She peeked into the crib at the little guy.
Brianna Bell leaned down and picked Sandy up so Renee Sinclair could get a better look. "It’s time for his feeding. He has to wake up, whether he wants to or not."
"Mhm." Renee Sinclair stroked Sandy’s little cheek, a hint of a smile appearing in her otherwise listless eyes. "Sandy is so cute."
Brianna Bell: "Sandy needs his feeding. I’ll take him upstairs to feed him. You two have fun."
Renee Sinclair: "Okay, Auntie."
"Have a seat." Charlotte Shaw took the toy box from her and gestured for her to sit on the sofa.
She glanced up at Brianna Bell’s retreating back, her head bowed in silence.
Charlotte Shaw knew what she was worried about and considerately kept quiet until Brianna Bell had entered the room.
CLICK!
The crisp sound of a door closing came from upstairs. On the sofa, Renee Sinclair visibly relaxed.
"Charlotte Shaw." She weakly lifted her eyelids to meet Charlotte Shaw’s eyes. "I came here today because there’s something I need to ask you."
Charlotte Shaw studied her with a deadpan expression, but instead of answering her, she frowned in displeasure. "Renee Sinclair, what is going on with you?"
"...Huh?" Renee Sinclair was taken aback.
Charlotte Shaw reached out and touched her dry, frizzy hair. "It’s only been a few days. How did you manage to get yourself into this state again? Didn’t you already earn some affection points? Why is that worthless system still tormenting you?"
"Ah..." Renee Sinclair smoothed her disheveled hair, suddenly feeling awkward. "Even though I earned a few affection points, my total affection value is still in the negatives. And as long as it’s negative, I have to accept the system’s daily punishment."
"What kind of punishment?" Charlotte Shaw asked.
Renee Sinclair shrugged. "It just tortures me. It gives me a headache, or a stomachache, or chest pains. Anything to make me suffer. It can make any part of my body hurt, from head to toe, and no painkillers work on me."
Charlotte Shaw’s face darkened. "Is it very painful?"
Renee Sinclair’s lips twitched into a pale smile. "It’s bearable. I’m used to it."
"...Why did this damn system have to pick you?" Charlotte Shaw leaned forward, picked up a bowl of strawberries from the coffee table, and authoritatively pushed it into Renee Sinclair’s arms. "Eat more fruit. Look how pale you are."
"..." Renee Sinclair stared at her blankly, so stunned she even forgot to say thank you.
"Eat," Charlotte Shaw urged her.
She snapped out of it slightly, murmured a quiet "thank you," and then picked a strawberry from the bowl and began to eat it slowly.
Charlotte Shaw: "Renee Sinclair, the Sinclair family has done a terrible job raising you. You’re this haggard, and your dad hasn’t even noticed?"
"Sigh..." Renee Sinclair let out a breath, a bitter smile touching her lips. "Maybe he has."
"He’s noticed and he’s not doing anything about it?" Charlotte Shaw was shocked.
Renee Sinclair: "He and I just had a fight, and he’s still fuming. He probably won’t be paying any attention to me for a while. Besides, I’ve already moved out of the Sinclair family home."
"Hm?" That was a lot to unpack. Charlotte Shaw unconsciously sat up straighter. "What happened?"
Renee Sinclair didn’t answer right away.
She finished the strawberry in her hand, took another one from the bowl, and said between bites, "It’s nothing major. A while ago, my dad started forcing me to go on blind dates. I went a few times but didn’t want to go anymore. He wouldn’t give up, so we had a huge fight."
"I have a bad temper, so after that fight, I didn’t go home for two days straight. To force me to go back to the dates and get married, my dad cut off all my financial support and forbade me from going to work at the company."
"I refused to give in, so I just moved out of the Sinclair house that same night."
