As she was immersed in myriad thoughts, brainstorming on how to "deal" with Flora, the thorn in her eye, there was a knock at the door once more.
Her eyes lit up brightly: "Have you returned?"
Yet the man who entered from the outside was not the one she had been longing for.
"Winky?" Selena frowned: "Why are you here? How many times have I told you not to appear before me unless you've been summoned!"
Her mood was already fraught, and Winky's uninvited presence only aggravated her further.
Noting her interrogative tone, Winky deflated, sighing heavily.
His long scar, stretching from his forehead, twitched.
"But I... Miss, I can't help but care for you and the child!" Winky had been Selena's shadow for years.
Being abruptly dismissed now, he could hardly bear it.
Selena's brows furrowed further, her voice raising: "Didn't I already give you money? Go! The farther, the better! I don't need you anymore! Go quickly!"
She hadn't forgotten that this mansion was owned by Matthew, a place teeming with watchful eyes.
If Matthew's people were to discover her complicated relationship with Winky, she didn't know how to explain.
"But I don't want to go!" Winky interrupted her vehemently.
Then, as if suddenly realizing his lack of propriety, he softened his tone: "Can't we be together as we once were? I love you deeply; I can't bear to leave you..."
Winky's love was pitifully humble.
He willingly saw Selena as a lady, a goddess, a princess, a figure gazing down upon the masses.
And he was merely a lowly guard, subservient at her feet.
Unfortunately, Selena didn't want that.
She gave a faint, crooked smile.
"So, should I just do as you wish? I'm married to Matthew now. I have nothing to do with you."
"Do you know who the man you've married is? Matthew is a mobster, his family holds a not insignificant power in the underworld.
Do you truly think you can control a ruthless killer like him?"
Selena paled, barely believing what she had just heard.
She knew Matthew wielded considerable power, but she had never known he was entangled in the underworld.
Staggering backwards, she relied on Winky's outstretched arm to steady herself.
She shook her head: "It can't... It can't be... how could he be a mobster..." Upon further thought, she implored..: "You should go! If what you said is true and he finds out about us, neither of us will meet a good end."
"No! I can't leave!" Winky was adamant.
In Selena's memory, Winky had always been utterly compliant.
This was the first time he defied her, exhibiting such a stubborn attitude.
Winky took Selena's icy hand: "I returned to protect you and the baby.
I love you so much; how could I just stand by and let you be with a dangerous man like Matthew! Trust me, give me a chance to protect you and our child."
Selena shook her head: "It's too late, Matthew and I are married."
Whether in the past or the present, Selena did not want to relinquish the wealth and power of the Charles family.
In her eyes, the only obstacle now was Flora.
"If you truly care about me, if you don't want any harm to come my way, then you should help me secure my place in the Charles family!" She slightly avoided Winky's hopeful gaze.
Of course, she did not see the man before her, his eager, bright eyes becoming dimmed with disappointment.
Nothing less, he was madly in love with her, capable of conjuring even such absurdities as facilitating her pregnancy to deceive her into marriage. How could he hesitate over the minor matter of helping her remove the stumbling stone that lay in her path?
Almost without a second thought, he nodded: "Yes, if it truly is your wish, I will help you eliminate Flora."
He thought simply, just by removing the thorn in Selena's eye, her life would become somewhat easier.
At this time, Flora was blissfully unaware that her disappearance had abruptly interrupted the exceedingly plain wedding ceremony of Matthew and Selena.
Moreover, she was completely ignorant of the fact that Selena's personal bodyguard was plotting to "deal" with her.
She was exceedingly busy tidying up the house, preparing to start a new life.
Her mother and her son were also cleaning, everyone had their tasks, albeit slightly tired, but quite joyful.
Casting a glance at her mother, she smiled: "Mother is so competent! We've found a new home in just a few days."
"It wasn't my doing." Mrs. Smith shook her head: "Do you remember the gardener from Charles' house some time ago? This is his house."
Flora, astute, sensed something unusual in the relationship between her mother and the gardener.
The gardener was a man of few words, her mother had also mentioned that he had no family, childless.
"When did you and he become so close, mother? And... you said he had no children, so why does he have room for us?" She winked at her mother.
Mrs. Smith coughed feignedly: "Well... probably... because he has no family, that's why his house is vacant like this."
Seeing her mother was uncomfortable, Flora stopped probing.
After all, everyone has their own secrets.
Her son was holding a wet cloth, carefully wiping the table and chairs, suddenly he looked up and asked his mother: "Mom, why can't we live with dad anymore? Is it because... dad has married someone else?"
The lad was just over six, yet his mind was remarkably agile, and his observation skills commendable.
A few days ago at the mansion, the boy had encountered that woman, and seen a crowd of strangers decorating the place with lanterns and flowers everywhere.
And the boy was smart enough to guess what was going on...
Looking straight into the emotionless face of the six-year-old, Flora was thrown off by his words which were incongruous with his age.
She didn't know how to explain this separation.
Regardless... their family reunion had only happened not long ago.
The boy, not getting a response from his mother, was more convinced that what he just said was the truth.
The boy sighed heavily: "It seems to be true... Mom, because dad married someone else, that's why we had to move out.
What about dad? He doesn't love mom, nor us anymore? So me and my sister... are we going back to being orphans again?"
When it came to the words "orphans", the boy's tone wavered, as if he was looking for a better term to describe his and his sister's situation.
But a child without a father, besides this term, he couldn't think of any other.
He knew about Selena, the woman Matthew married, was pregnant.
And the child in her womb was rightfully Matthew's.
As for him and his sister... hadn't the departure of their entire family answered that question already?
"Charlie... don't say that." Flora's eyes stung: "You are not orphans, it's just that your father and mother aren't living together anymore."
She sat down in front of her son, stroked his hair gently, in a soothing tone: "Your father still loves you very much.
If you want, you can visit him anytime."
"She is the children's mother, she has no right to prevent them from interacting with their father."
On the other side, Mrs. Smith was tidying up the house when she saw her daughter's and granddaughter's suitcases next to hers. Conveniently, she pulled them towards the entrance.
She smiled at her daughter:
"It is not too early anymore, you should go to your new place.
I can handle the tidying up here by myself."
Flora and her son simultaneously turned to look at her, their eyes wide.
Flora felt a jolt in her heart, her voice unsure: "Mom, aren't we all living here?"
"Of course not." A male voice suddenly rang out: "Let me carry the luggage.
Your new place... is next to my house."
Flora turned around, Patrick's beaming face appeared in front of her.
She still didn't understand what was happening, stammered: "Patrick, why..."
The door of the small house closed in front of her, Flora was half-aware as she was pulled onto Patrick's car.
Once mother and daughter were seated in the car, Patrick turned to Flora's son and smiled.
"Hello, kid, it's our first meeting.
I'm Patrick, a good friend of your mom.
It was a bit rushed this time, so I didn't have time to get you a gift, let's leave it for next time..."
"An airplane." The little boy sitting alone in the back seat said emotionlessly.
Patrick burst into laughter: "I can't afford a real airplane, how about I get you a toy plane instead?" Six or seven-year-olds couldn't play with real airplanes anyway.
"Up to you." The boy didn't bother to lift his eyes: "My dad can buy it, no need to trouble you."
The boy was very smart, he had already noticed that this uncle's gaze towards his mother was not the same as a gaze between friends.
That gaze, very much like how his dad used to look at mom.
His parents had just had a fight, distanced a bit, and this uncle was already trying to intrude.
He couldn't accept that.
"Charlie, you were very rude just now..." Flora held her son's hand as they walked into the school gate, sighing heavily.
Her son put on an unhappy face: "I don't like that guy.
He looks at you with that look... the look dad uses to look at you.
I only like it when dad and mom are together, I don't like you being with others."
Flora stared at her son for a few seconds, then let out a long, slow sigh.
Her son was more sensitive and complicated than she had imagined.
Or... had she oversimplified everything?
"Alright, go to class.
Leave all these matters to me." She patted her son on the shoulder, watching the boy sling his bag and stride towards his classroom, before retracing her steps.
Her head was a mess of thoughts, about her relationships with Matthew, Selena, about the two children... Everything was tangled like a ball of yarn, impossible to unravel, nor sever.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't watch her step and bumped straight into a solid, broad chest.
"I'm sorry... Oh!"
Her wrist was grabbed tightly, Flora stabilized her body, then lifted her head, seeing the face of the man she had bumped into.
"Why is it you?" As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to bite her own tongue.
But why would Matthew be standing in front of her son's school? Hadn't he just married Selena? At this moment, he should be with his beautiful new wife, the heiress of the White family, along with their unborn child.
Matthew frowned at the woman in front of him: "Flora, you..."
His forehead lined with visible veins, he had a plethora of words to pour out before her, but didn't know what to say.
Damn, this woman always left him uncertain about how to react.