Free Web NovelChapter 4: Chapter 4
"Daddy, didn’t you hear me?" Robin tugged at Dylan’s hand. "I want chocolate cake!"
Dylan withdrew his gaze and looked down at him, his voice low and steady. "You just got over your fever. You can’t eat that yet."
Robin’s face fell. He pouted, turning silent.
Dylan gently ruffled his hair. "When your cold is completely gone, Daddy will buy it for you."
"Okay..." Robin nodded obediently, not making a fuss. Then he turned and pointed at the display case again. "Then can we buy Mommy’s favorite strawberry cake today?"
"Mm." Dylan agreed. He asked the staff to pack a slice of strawberry cake, then took out his phone to pay.
From start to finish, he didn’t look Elise’s way even once.
She sat there quietly, watching them without blinking.
The way he patiently and gently coaxed the child... he truly looked like the perfect father. If her children had lived... would he have been just as gentle with them?
In the past, Elise would have rushed forward, demanding answers.
But not anymore.
Dylan’s indifference had already given her the clearest answer. freёweɓnovel.com
That child—Robin—had taken all of his fatherly love. He had long forgotten his unborn twins.
With a new home and a new child, he was no longer the husband she once knew.
Their marriage had already rotted from within. No amount of confrontation or argument could change that.
And yet... Watching him love that child so tenderly, she couldn’t help the resentment, the bitterness.
Her own children... deserved so much more.
How could he be so at peace with all of this?
Dylan, however, seemed completely unaware of the storm inside her.
With one hand carrying the cake and the other holding the boy’s, he walked out of the café.
His tall figure cast a long shadow. Beside him, Robin skipped lightly, father and son bathed in warm sunlight as they made their way toward the Maybach parked by the roadside.
It was a picture-perfect scene.
Inside the café, a young part-time waitress watched them leave, clasping her hands to her cheeks with a dreamy sigh. "If you’re going to marry, marry someone handsome! Look at them—the dad’s handsome, the son’s handsome... those genes are unbeatable. I wonder which lucky woman gets a man like that..."
The soft background music couldn’t drown out her voice. Every word landed like mockery in Elise’s ears.
Madeline glanced at Elise cautiously. "Elise... are you okay?"
Elise’s pale lips pressed tightly together. One hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into her palm.
In her memory, Dylan had always been a workaholic—cold by nature. But as a husband, he never failed to maintain appearances. Every holiday, he would have his assistant prepare gifts for her, giving her all the dignity and respect due to Mrs. Bennett.
She had thought—that was simply who he was. But these past two days had slapped her hard with reality.
Five years of marriage.
Two children lost before they were born.
And yet, all of it had been no match for a lover’s presence... and a child calling him "Daddy."
Her phone vibrated inside her bag.
Elise took it out.
A message.
From Dylan.
[I’ll be back tonight.]
Just a few short words.
Not an explanation—a declaration.
Elise stared at the screen, then let out a cold, faint laugh.
That single sound carried all the bitterness, all the pain she had swallowed over the years.
Madeline looked at her, but no words of comfort could come. Her eyes were filled only with pity.
Just then, Madeline’s phone rang.
It was Alexander calling.
Madeline answered, "Mr. Hayes... what? A fever? It’s okay, it’s okay—your child comes first. Don’t worry, I’ll explain things to my friend..."
Elise watched her quietly. Only after Madeline hung up did she ask, "What happened?"
Her friend set her phone down, looking a little helpless. "My senior said his daughter has a fever. He has to take her to the hospital right now—we’ll have to reschedule."
"He’s married?"
"No." Madeline lowered her voice and leaned closer. "The child belongs to his first love."
Elise paused. "You mean... she’s not his biological daughter?"
"Of course not."
At the mention of Alexander, Madeline couldn’t help shaking her head with a sigh.
"They broke up right after graduation. He went abroad, she got married. I heard she was diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy. She gave birth to a girl... but her in-laws didn’t want the child, and her own family didn’t want the burden either. My senior couldn’t let go of their past, so he paid for her treatment. After she passed away, no one wanted the child—so he adopted her."
Hearing this, Elise instinctively placed a hand over her abdomen.
Madeline continued, "The little girl was born premature—she’s always been frail and hard to care for. I saw her once at a dinner at my professor’s house. She’s already five, but she looks like she’s only two or three. So tiny, so thin... though she’s really pretty. Honestly, she doesn’t look much like her mother... Anyway, she’s often sick. The doctors said she wasn’t adapting well to the climate abroad, so after everything, my senior decided to bring her back and settle here."
To do so much for an adopted child... Elise couldn’t help but feel a quiet sense of admiration.
At the very least, from what she’d heard, Alexander’s character was beyond question.
As for his ability, that had never been in doubt.
She made her decision.
"Maddy," Elise said, "tell your senior to focus on taking care of his daughter. I can wait."
Madeline gave her an "OK" gesture. "Got it, I’ll message him right away."
***
After leaving the café, Elise and Madeline went their separate ways.
Elise didn’t go home. There was something else she needed to do.
At the base of the DEL Jewelry building, Elise parked her car, picked up her bag, and stepped out.
Six years ago, this company had been founded by her and Dylan together.
She held sixty-one percent of the shares. Dylan held thirty. The remaining nine percent was distributed among other shareholders.
As the founder, Elise had led the company to astonishing success in its very first year. That year, DEL Jewelry had surged onto the international jewelry rankings like a dark horse.
She had personally mentored Quinn Foster.
When she was five months pregnant, she had promoted Quinn to vice president and stepped away from work to focus on her pregnancy. ƒreewebɳovel.com
That day, Quinn had held her hands with tears in her eyes, swearing earnestly:
"Mrs. Bennett, I won’t let you down. Rest at home and take care of your baby. I’ll protect the company with everyone else—we’re all waiting for you to come back and lead us to even greater success!"
And now...
The very founder of the company stood in the lobby, stopped by two security guards, who loudly ordered unauthorized personnel to stay out.
Elise looked at them coldly.
Five years.
It had been long enough for everything that should—and shouldn’t—change to transform completely.
She was just about to speak when the elevator doors in the lobby slid open.
A group stepped out.
At the front was Quinn.
