Chapter 48
Billy rushed forward, his small arms wrapping desperately around Henry’s legs.
Wait! I promise I’ll do what you say,” he pleaded, his earlier defiance crumbling in the face of losing his mother. “Please let me see Mom? Please –
Henry looked down at his son, studying the familiar eyes filled with a mixture of desperation and lingering anger. That look reminded him of Sophie the years ago equally stubborn, equally unwilling to show weakness.
“Just like that?” His voice carried a dangerous edge. “I don’t see your sincerity. It’s hard to reach an agreement in direct negotiations between us‘.
Billy felt humiliated and angry.
“You’re still wrong!” Billy’s chin lifted stubbornly, tears gleaming in his eyes as his small body trembled with rage. You always hurt Mom. You’re so mean to her because of Aunt Isabella!” His small hands gripped Henry’s expensive suit pants so tightly that wrinkles spread across the previously immaculate fabric “Do you know Mom cries every night? Do you know she thinks I’m asleep, but I hear everything? I’ll never forgive you for this. Never!”
Henry frowned at his son’s accusatory gaze, those eyes so similar to his own now filled with disappointment. He opened his mouth to speak, but Billy had already broken free, running back to the corner of the room. The boy’s silhouette looked so lonely, just like when he first met Sophia years ago.
A bodyguard carefully cleared his throat, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the room. “Sir, the young master hasn’t eaten anything since morning. We’re worried…”
“Not my concern,” Henry coldly cut him off, but his gaze remained fixed on Billy’s huddled form. In the dim light, that small figure reminded him of too many memories he’d rather forget. Just like his mother, he thought, feeling irritation and deeper emotions rise within him. The same stubbornness, the same infuriating defiance, the same inability to know when to bow their heads.
As his car wound through Manhattan’s glittering night streets, Henry’s mood lifted slightly. Through the window, he watched the neon lights reflections dance on the car’s polished surface. He could already imagine Sophia now, frantic without her beloved son, willing to accept any conditions just to see Billy. That woman who always held her head high would finally learn to bow it. With a little pressure, he thought with satisfaction, she would remember her place.
The thought of regaining control sent a thrill of pleasure through him. Sophia had grown too bold lately, too willing to challenge his authority. Ever since that hospital livestream incident, she’d shown less and less respect for him. This would remind her who truly held power in their relationship.
The familiar lights of the mansion came into view, that ever–lit lamp casting warm rays through the tree shadows. Seeing that illuminated window, Henry suddenly felt a touch of warmth. How long had it been since he’d come home to find someone waiting? It seemed this feeling had disappeared since Isabella’s return. As he climbed the marble steps, the perpetual ice in his veins seemed to thaw slightly.
The night breeze whispered softly, bringing early autumn’s chill. Henry stood at the entrance, looking at the closed carved door, feeling something strange stir in his heart. If she had learned obedience from the start, he thought, none of this would have happened. If she could have understood propriety like other Harding women, everything could have been different.
The door opened silently.
The warm living room light outlined a familiar silhouette–Sophia curled up on the sofa, her honey–blonde hair scattered across the cushions, rising and falling gently with her breath. Henry’s chest suddenly tightened–she looked so vulnerable in sleep, inspiring an involuntary tenderness.
Moving quietly, he reached for the cashmere throw draped over a nearby chair. But as he bent to cover her, something caught his attention. Her sleeping fingers clutched an old pocket watch, its brass case dulled with age, faint engraved patterns still visible. This clearly wasn’t a Harding family piece–he’d never seen this watch before.
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