A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Logan had finally retreated to his room when Matilda, her voice choked with emotion, managed a grateful, “Thanks.”

It was all an act, of course, but she still felt the need to thank Orson for playing his part.

Alone, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell Logan that Gideon had passed away,

Orson’s expression was as impassive as ever. “No big deal, let’s get down to business. How many design directions are you juggling right now?”

At the mention of work, Matilda quickly composed herself, opened her laptop, and they huddled together at the dining table, diving into a serious discussion about the project. Orson brought over his USB drive, and they synced their styles before initiating a video call with a few other colleagues.

Orson stayed at Matilda’s place until dinner. When Chloe emerged from her room and spotted him, she nearly jumped. “Holy smokes! Orson, what are you doing here?”

Orson’s brow twitched. “You scared me…”

“Oh, come on!” Chloe breezed past Orson, turning to Matilda. “See, this is that dashing designer I told you about. Didn’t realize you two had hit it off already Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Orson added tersely, “We’re just acquaintances, nothing more.”

“Why don’t you join us for dinner then?” Chloe returned from the bathroom with a facial mask on, saying, “It’s perfect timing; I was about to treat Logan to a feast tonight…”

Orson didn’t decline but accepted the invitation with surprising ease. His gaze swept over Matilda’s profile, lingering momentarily on her delicate neck before swiftly moving away.

It was quite unexpected – she already had a son, and he was no toddler.

Yvan never expected to run into Matilda at the mall. She, of course, didn’t notice him.

He was even more surprised to see a man by her side who bore a striking resemblance to Gideon! Had he not witnessed Gideon’s death with his own eyes, he might have believed it was him, faking his demise to live under the radar.

But the man’s demeanor was nothing like Gideon’s gentle elegance. This man was cold, showing only a trace of patience when dealing with Logan, probably just out of politeness.

Yvan felt rooted to the spot at the sight of Matilda. He simply watched her back, Chloe’s beaming smile, Logan’s blissful laughter, and Orson’s cold yet handsome face.

Where did this man come from? If he had no blood relation to Gideon, why was he by

Matilda’s side?

Was it possible that Matilda couldn’t accept Gideon’s death and sought someone resembling her brother for comfort?

Numerous thoughts flashed through Yvan’s mind, but he pushed them all down.

He saw Matilda laughing heartily, probably at some joke Chloe had cracked. Even Orson, usually so stoic, cracked a rare smile.

“Holy cow, you’ve got dimples! Did you know that?” Chloe exclaimed, pointing at Orson as if she’d discovered a new world. “Unbelievable, the eternal ice block is melting!”

Orson quickly reverted to his stoic demeanor, while Logan continued to giggle. “Your smile is even cooler than Uncle Gideon’s.”

“Oh, you ungrateful little rascal,” Chloe scolded. “Your uncle would fly back from overseas just to give you a whooping if he heard that!”

Logan took off running, with Chloe in hot pursuit. Only someone as boisterous as Chloe could engage in such child’s play with Logan. The two of them chasing each other around the mall – it was hard to tell who was more childish.

Matilda laughed, though her face showed a hint of exasperation. “Those two have too much energy.”

BRZE OF 20

Orson replied coolly, “Hasn’t Chloe always been like this?”

“From the sound of it, you’ve known Chloe for quite some time, huh?” Matilda asked, tilting her head to look at him.

Orson maintained his ‘couldn’t–care–less‘ expression. “A couple of years, I guess.”

“She seems so upbeat, but she’s been through a lot, hasn’t she?” Matilda reflected, admiring Chloe’s resilience. To maintain such a pure heart through it all was indeed touching.