Dominic glanced at the distraught Bianca and stood up. "If you don't want to, I'll talk to her. You're my sister, and no one can force you."
Hearing Dominic's protective words, Bianca's heart softened, and she quickly grabbed Dominic's hand.
"It's okay. Mom finally came out to have a meal with us. Don't let my mood affect hers."
She knew that although her brother didn't say it, he also longed to be with their mother. It's just that their mother had completely abandoned them because of their father's affairs.
She knew that besides their grandmother's issue, her brother couldn't accept her sister-in-law also because of their parents.
In their family, no couple had a happy ending, so her brother didn't believe in love.
She used to be the same, but not long ago, she wavered. However, yesterday evening, she regretted it again.
"Dom, I think you're right. None of us in the Carter family deserve love. If I'm destined to marry someone, I think maybe Jonathan would be a good match. After all, he grew up with you. For the sake of your face, he wouldn't mistreat me. Could you help me arrange to meet him tomorrow?"
She had met Jonathan a few times. Perhaps for children raised in families like theirs, Jonathan might just need a wife.
She could talk to him. If he allowed her to keep her child, she would consider marrying him.
Dominic looked at the exhausted Bianca and suddenly felt that she had matured a lot.
Sometimes being matured didn't necessarily mean a good thing because only through setbacks would one become mature.
Dominic frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. Who dared to bully his precious little sister, whom he had cherished and protected?
"Who bullied you? Tell me!"
"No one. I just suddenly realized." Bianca shook her head and asked, "Do you think that Jonathan isn't a good person and isn't worth entrusting a lifetime to?"
"Not at all." Dominic shook his head.
Aside from being talkative, Jonathan was like a peacock displaying its charm everywhere, but he didn't have any bad habits, and his capabilities were strong enough. He was indeed a good candidate to entrust a lifetime to.
"That's good then, can you help me arrange to meet him?" Bianca tried to maintain a smile and then left the dining room.
Dominic watched Bianca leave with a limp, feeling extremely impatient.
He heard from the servants that Bianca didn't come home last night, and when he called her last night, it was Riley who answered.
Riley Sinclair!
Dominic narrowed his eyes dangerously.
At 2 p.m.
Alessia returned to Forest Hill and went to the villa specifically used for experiments. As she approached the yard, she saw Dominic pulling Riley out of the house.
Then, he punched Riley in the face. Riley's glasses immediately fell to the ground, but Riley didn't show any intention to fight back. Soon, his left face was hit by another punch.
Dominic grabbed Riley's collar and warned, "Riley, what exactly is going on between you and my sister? I don't want to ask, and I don't care, but since you've chosen to hurt her, don't come near her again in the future."
After that, Dominic pushed Riley away forcefully.
Riley's leg injury had not fully healed yet, so with this push, his balance was unstable, and he fell to the ground.
It involved the emotional entanglement between Bianca and Riley. Alessia originally didn't intend to intervene, but when she saw Riley fall to the ground, she still ran over and helped him up.
"Are you okay?" Alessia asked, supporting Riley.
Riley shook his head. "I'm fine."
"What's wrong with him? What's wrong is with Bianca? She called you her sister-in-law, and you're supposed to take care of her, but you let your brother bully her." Dominic stood opposite, staring angrily at Alessia.
Alessia's heart sank, thinking that Bianca was really pregnant. She frowned and apologized first, "I'm sorry, I really neglected this matter. What does Bianca plan to do?"
Bianca getting pregnant had nothing to do with her, but Dominic was right. Bianca depended on her, so she had a responsibility to take care of her.
Dominic's eyes flickered, and because of Alessia's apology, half of his anger dissipated. He spoke impatiently, "Bianca has decided to get married."
Married? Wasn't it about the baby? Riley's expression suddenly changed when he heard this.
After Dominic left, Alessia looked at Riley and said, "Bianca is going to marry someone else. Do you regret it? If you do, talk to Bianca now. Maybe there's still time."
Riley glanced at Alessia without answering, picked up his glasses from the ground, and walked out of the yard. Alessia followed him, sensing that his mood was off.
Sitting on a bench in the neighborhood garden, Riley cleaned his glasses and put them back on. He smiled gently at Alessia, "Did I scare you?"
Alessia shook her head.
Riley sighed and looked at the white clouds in the azure sky, letting himself bask in the sunlight. He gently closed his eyes.
"Alessia, let me tell you a story. There was a girl who grew up living with her mother, who worked as a hostess in a bar. She was used to a life of luxury and extravagance, so she continued living like that as she grew up."
"Unfortunately, at a young age, she fell in love with an alcoholic man. They irresponsibly had a child together. The child lived a life of poverty and hunger until the age of six. Finally, he watched his alcoholic father beat his mother to death. Do you think a child growing up in such a family deserves to have love?"
Riley told Alessia that this was a story, but she knew he was talking about himself.
The wounds inflicted by one's original family were ones that would take a lifetime to heal.
Although Riley was a psychologist, he couldn't heal himself.
Alessia sincerely said, "Tell the owner of that story for me; No one in this world should stay in the darkness. If you crave the light, follow it. Don't wait until the light disappears, or it will be too late to regret."
Riley opened his eyes.
Alessia patted his shoulder and saw a hint of confusion in his fox-like eyes.
She knew that at this moment, Riley needed some space to think things through.
Just as Alessia left, a man dressed in black clothes and pants, wearing a duckbill cap, appeared. He walked up to Riley.
"It's you!" Riley looked up at the black shadow that had covered him.
"No mistake, it's me, Dr. Sinclair, I'm here to see you," Enzo flashed a row of white teeth. Looking at the lower half of his face, his smile was radiant, but the eyes hidden under the brim were filled with shadows.
"Let's go to the experimental base first," Riley reined in his emotions. Just as he was about to stand up, Enzo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait! Dr. Sinclair, I'm sorry, but I accidentally heard your conversation with Miss La Rosa just now, and I think what she said was completely wrong."
Enzo apologized verbally, but there was no hint of remorse on his face.
Riley pushed up his glasses and saw Enzo sit down beside him.
Enzo unscrewed the cap of his drink bottle, took a sip, and moistened his throat before speaking. "Dr. Sinclair, as a psychologist, you should be more aware than me of the meaning of the term 'aftermath'. Can a person who has been in the dark for a long time truly become normal when they step into the sunlight? Won't they be afraid of the light?"
Seeing Riley stunned by his words, Enzo stood up and stretched lazily.
"Well, Dr. Sinclair, you deal with your own affairs first. I came today just to familiarize myself with the surroundings. I'll report to the laboratory on time tomorrow morning."
Enzo pushed down the brim of his cap and was about to leave when he noticed Alessia, who had returned after leaving earlier, standing in front of him.
***