Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Joanna stared at Byron, shocked. “Byron, are you really going to drink the medicine Sylvia prepared? What if…” Her eyes reddened, and she choked back tears, shaking her head. “No, I can’t let you take Sylvia’s medicine. I’m afraid something will happen to you.”
Byron frowned, signaling the butler to ignore Joanna and prepare the medicine quickly. “Joanna, I trust Sylvia. She wouldn’t harm me.”
He’d never felt so certain. Deep down, he knew Sylvia wasn’t that kind of person.
Joanna fell silent, a knot of anxiety tightening in her chest. She felt Byron slipping away from her.
The butler soon returned with a steaming bowl of the herbal medicine. Byron wrinkled his nose at the bitter smell but, remembering it was from Sylvia, picked up the bowl and drank it down quickly.
As the liquid went down, a warmth spread through him, followed by a light sweat. The headache from his fever seemed to lessen considerably.
“Byron, how do you feel?” Joanna asked nervously. A selfish thought crossed her mind – she almost hoped he’d have a bad reaction.
Byron took a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Actually… much better. Sylvia keeps surprising me. I feel a lot more comfortable after taking her
medicine.”
He’d had to postpone several important meetings at the Blair Group due to his illness. Now feeling significantly recovered, he went upstairs, showered,
and headed to the office.
Not long after, Liana returned from her morning errands. Seeing Joanna in the living room, she asked anxiqusly, “Joanna, have you checked on Byron?
How is he? Is he awake?”
“Mrs. Blair, Byron woke up and already left for the office.”
Liana beamed, clasping her hands together. “Oh, thank goodness! My positive thoughts must have worked!”
“Yes, Mrs. Blair, it’s all thanks to your concern,” Joanna echoed with a smile, though her eyes darkened. She knew it was Sylvia’s medicine that had actually helped Byron.
For the next few days, Sylvia was swamped with work on her new film project, often staying up late.
The next morning, she woke with a start to see the clock reading past eight. She quickly nudged Ruby, who was still fast asleep beside her. “Ruby, honey, wake up! Get dressed, we’re going to be late for school!”
Ruby rubbed her sleepy eyes and stumbled out of bed, still half–asleep as she followed Sylvia.
Sylvia helped Ruby into her dress, carried her downstairs, and handed her a paper bag. “Here’s some warm milk and toast. No time to eat here, have it on the way.”
Ruby nodded obediently. As they reached the door, she tugged at her messy pigtails, a sudden thought occurring to her. “Mommy? Isn’t it Saturday? We don’t have school today.”
Sylvia mentally facepalmed, giving a wry smile. She’d been so busy lately she’d completely lost track of the days.
Ding dong. The doorbell rang. Sylvia opened it, and her expression immediately soured when she saw who was standing there.
It was Byron, with Zack standing beside him.
“What are you doing here?” Sylvia asked flatly.
Byron looked sharp in an expensive, custom–tailored suit, his handsome features striking. Even Zack was dressed similarly, looking like a dapper little
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Chapter 71
gentleman in a smart blazer over a crisp white shirt, his hair neatly styled.
Byron glanced coolly at his watch. “It’s the weekend,” he said casually. “Zack insisted I bring him over.”
Zack’s eyes widened in surprise beside him. “That’s not true! It was Dad who-” He cut himself off, quickly correcting himself. “I mean, yeah! I missed Mom, so I asked Dad to bring me.”
Sylvia pulled Zack towards her. “Fine, Zack can come in..You can leave.”
Byron’s expression darkened as he pulled Zack back to his side. ‘She’s kicking me out already? How rude.‘
“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me you expected to come in too?” Sylvia saw right through him.
“I don’t have time to hang around here,” Byron said smoothly, glancing at Zack. “It’s just that Zack needs me.”
“Is that right, Zack?” Sylvia asked, looking at her son with a skeptical half–smile.
Zack looked awkwardly between Sylvia and Byron, unsure how to answer. He caught a warning look on his father’s face. His stomach dropped. To avoid getting grounded later, he mumbled, “Yeah, Mom. I wanted Dad to stay with me.”
Inside, Ruby saw them and bounced excitedly. “Yay! Byron and Zack, come in and play!”
Byron subtly adjusted his tie, shooting Sylvia a triumphant look. ‘See? She invited me in. Ruby’s got better manners than her mother.’
Just as Byron started to step forward, Sylvia blocked the doorway with her arm, her gaze fixed on Zack.
“Zack, since you want to be with your father so badly, go play with him somewhere else. Not here,” Sylvia said bluntly, making it clear they weren’t welcome.
‘They’re putting on an act right in front of me! Do they think I’m stupid?‘ She could forgive Zack’s difficult behavior because he was her son, her own flesh and blood. But Byron? He could forget about ever earning her forgiveness.
Zack looked up at Byron sadly. “Dad, what do we do? Mom won’t even let me in now.”
Byron’s face hardened. “If she won’t let us in, fine. Dad will take you somewhere else to play.” “I cancelled plans to come here, I’m not going to stand here and take this!‘
He started to pull Zack away, but then his gaze flickered to Ruby inside the doorway. “Ruby,” he called out, “I’m taking Zack to the beach. Want to come?”
Ruby immediately lit up. “Byron, yes! I wanna go!”
A smirk played on Byron’s lips as he gave Sylvia a meaningful glance. ‘If she won’t let me in her house, I’ll take her daughter out instead.‘
“No, Ruby, I don’t have time today,” Sylvia told her daughter firmly.
Ruby’s face fell. “But Mommy,” she pleaded, looking miserable, “I want to play with Zack…”
Byron smoothly patted Ruby’s head. “Since your mom’s busy, I can take you.” He gave Zack a look. Zack instantly understood, stepping over to Ruby and taking her hand. “Come on, Ruby! Let’s go together!”
Ruby looked up at Sylvia with wide, pleading eyes/hesitant. She knew she wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without her mom’s permission.
Sylvia knew Byron was doing this on purpose, but she sighed, defeated. She went back inside and grabbed Ruby’s sun hat and sunglasses, handing them to Byron. “Fine, you can take her,” she conceded. “Just make sure she wears her hat and doesn’t get too much sun. And have her back by late afternoon at the latest.”
