Chapter 512
Mitch, the wimp, acted as if he’d seen the cavalry arriving at the sight of Neil. He took refuge behind Neil, his voice a notch louder, “Let’s talk this out! There is no need for violence. Aren’t you just taking advantage of the fact that I never bully women?!”
“What’s going on? The front door wasn’t even closed.” Neil asked.
Stella rolled her eyes dismissively, not in the mood to talk. I, on the other hand, stared coldly at Mitch, “Ask your buddy here. What drove him all the way back from Eldoria?”
“What did you do, Mitch?” Neil turned to Mitch, demanding an explanation.
Mitch stuttered, unable to articulate a clear answer. I decided to speak on his behalf, “Russel sent him some pictures of Stella and me at the bar the other night. He rushed all the way back here just to accuse us of dressing inappropriately and neglecting our kids.”
As I summed up the situation, Mitch’s face turned awkward.
Neil’s brow furrowed. Then, he asked, “Is this true?”
“Neil, I’m not lying. You didn’t see how they dress. I used to spend my nights at bars, and I knew what kind of men hang out there. They have several kids at home, so they couldn’t just abandon them and go partying even if they’ve got nannies, can they?” Mitch argued, even though he looked embarrassed.
“I saw it.” Neil interrupted Mitch coldly.
“What? What did you see?” Mitch looked confused.
“I saw what they were wearing. I was there that night too.” Neil bent down, picked up a pillow from the floor and shoved it into Mitch’s arms. “I heard that you’ve been working overtime these past few days, almost pulling all-nighters, so as to spare some time to come back and question them, haven’t you?”
Stella and I exchanged glances. No wonder Mitch looked like he was on his last legs; he’d been working excessively for the past few days.
I had to hand it to him. He really went all out just to come here and pick a fight.
Mitch hung his head, looking somewhat ashamed.
“Alright, Mitch, done with your nonsense? You can piss off now!” Stella was done with Mitch. She walked over and shoved him towards the door.
Before Mitch could utter another word, he was already out the door.
The living room became quiet again. I felt much better without Mitch’s noise.
If Neil had said a word more to defend Mitch, he would have been kicked out by Stella too.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, somewhat puzzled.
“How is Serena doing?” Neil looked around, and, not seeing the kids, he asked, “Where are they?”
The kids were now in their room with the nannies. I didn’t tell Neil that but simply replied, “She’s been doing well these past few days, and there’s no need for you to worry.”
Stella quickly added, “Yeah, why are you so concerned? Even Russel doesn’t seem to care that much.”
Upon hearing these words, Neil shot her a glance, “When was Russel here?”
That was a couple of days ago. I had no idea what Russel and Karina were up to now, but I admired Karina for being able to hide it from the Whitmores for so long. I knew Hiram must have been helping her.
Therefore, Karina could stay in the Whitmore family as long as Hiram was around to help. Stella gave me a look but didn’t answer Neil. Instead, she turned and went to check on the kids in their room.
“When are you planning to go back to Eldoria?” It was just Neil and me left in the living room, so I took the initiative to ask.
“Why, are you eager to send me back there? What about you?” Neil sat down on the couch, crossing his long legs elegantly, his hands resting casually on his thighs. His eyes questioned me as well.
I wasn’t exactly hoping for Neil to return to Eldoria. Once he got back, he’d find out Karina wasn’t there. If that caused any trouble and delayed me from getting information from Dylan, I didn’t think it would be worth it.
“I’m not sure yet. My parents aren’t there, so it doesn’t matter whether I return early or late.” I answered casually. Even without Dylan’s appearance, I might still stay here a little longer. Neil, however, thought of something else, “Is it because Russel is here?”
I was left speechless. At this point, Neil believed I had feelings for Russel, while Russel thought I was still in love with Neil. It was all very confusing.
But all I wanted was to live a simple life with my kids, free and easy.
“I’m back here just to tell you both to stop being ridiculous, okay?” I replied, feeling helpless.
“What’s going on with you and Russel? Are you breaking up?” Neil seemed quite pleased at the mention of this with a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “I was surprised when he suddenly turned against Whitmore Co., but I figured something must have gone wrong between you two. He wouldn’t have done that otherwise.”
I took a deep breath and met Neil’s gaze calmly, “Yes, Russel and I are breaking up. We’re not a good match, so you don’t need to keep suspecting that there’s something between us, and there’s no need to hold a grudge against him because of this.”
Neil’s smile widened, he nodded approvingly, “Hmm, it’s a good decision. It would’ve been even better if you made it earlier. You were never a good match. But what about the kids? Didn’t he ask for custody?”
“The kids are mine. I won’t give them to him.” I stated firmly. The kids weren’t even Russel’s to begin with; even if they were, I would fight for them with everything I had.
The two kids were my life. To put it selfishly, men could still father children with a younger woman in their forties or fifties, but I couldn’t. Serena and Brandon were the only two children I would ever have, and there would never be a third.
“Is it because you refuse to give them to him, or because he didn’t ask for them at all?” Neil questioned, not quite believing my words.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, taken aback.
“Nothing much, it just strikes me as odd. Doesn’t Russel value his own kids? He was okay with them taking your maiden name and didn’t even fight for custody when you split up. If it were me, I would never be able to allow it,” Neil said, his gaze holding mine as though hinting at something. “Irene, you know me. I can’t stand the thought of my child being taken away.”
A chill ran down my spine. Seeing the way Neil looked at me while uttering those words, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might know something and was subtly trying to warn.
I tried to maintain my composure and nodded, “Yeah, I get it. But Russel is not you.”
“He should be the same in this regard. We’ve been friends for years. I’m absolutely sure.” Neil’s smile faded, his tone becoming more serious.
