Chapter 261
1s your previous promise still valid?” I asked, swallowing my pride
I knew Ned wouldn’t use my dad’s situation to trick me If my dad was really framed, I needed to have the chance to see him, understand the whole situation, and then make a plan
“Which one?” The coldness faded from Neil’s face. He appeared more relaxed, but he acted clueless on purpose.
“If I stay in Sterling Estates for half a month, can I see my dad?” I was determined. Even if my dad blamed me in the future, I would never regret this.
If my dad was wronged, I couldn’t just sit and watch him suffer
If my mom wake up and found out what happened to my dad, she’d be heartbroken.
Neil’s smirk grew wider. He let go of my hand and corrected me, “It’s a month.”
“Wasn’t it twenty days?” I frowned
“Why did you just arbitrarily change it to half a month? Now you need my help. so I should have the right to tweak the terms. Neil said shamelessly
I wanted to retort, but Neil’s gaze made me realize my position. If I refused him now, I’d be driving my dad to a dead end
‘Fine, I agree, but I want to see my dad within three days I also made my demand.
“No problem” Neil answered crisply. “Lets go back to Sterling Estates now.”
“I haven’t packed yet!” I replied
“No need. Everything’s ready at Sterling Estates. You just go straight there. And theres someone waiting for us there today. After saying this, Neil dragged me into the elevator, completely disregarding my opinion
His hand was warm, unlike mine, which was cold as ice in winter
Once we got into the elevator, I pulled my hand from Neils
“Your hands are so cold, you should dress warmer” Neil glanced at my hands, not pushing further
No matter how much I dressed, it wouldn’t solve the problem of my cold hands. In fact, I was already wearing a lot.
On the way back to Sterling Estates, I was constantly probing how much Neil knew about my dad’s situation.
Unfortunately, Neil was too cunning and wouldn’t reveal any information to me. He only said he would do what he promised and wouldn’t talk about anything else
Sterling Estates was still brilliantly lit, giving off a warm vibe in the cold winter night i followed Neil from the underground garage, passing by the game room. The door of the game room was open. I saw a scarf casually draped on the couch.
I remembered Bonnie once knitted a scarf for Neil, but I wasn’t sure if it was the one on the couch.
I seemed to have seen that dark red chunky scarf on the couch somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where
“Trene?” Neil’s parents were sitting on the sofa in the living room. They both looked surprised to see me.
I didn’t expect to see Neil’s parents here. After I recovered from the surprise, I politely greeted them.
Only when I saw the huge cake on the table did I remember that today was Ned’s mom’s birthday.
Though I didn’t have much contact with her now, it was her birthday today, so I felt a bit awkward about not bringing a gift.
“Come sit!’ Faith waved at me enthusiastically.
I walked over and sat down. Since I promised Neil to stay here for a month, I had to face whoever came with composure.
This year, Faith didn’t invite other friends and relatives but just had a simple celebration with her family. Although they suddenly had an outsider like me, they didn’t look upset at all; rather, they were all smiles.
Neil watched me sit down next to his mother and then threw his coat aside, “You guys chat. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Go ahead!” Neils mother waved happily.
I didn’t know if my presence here today would cause any misunderstandings with Neil’s parents, so I was a bit nervous, but they didn’t ask why I was here. They only inquired about the situation at my home.
“I should have gone to see your mother, but I was afraid it wouldn’t be appropriate. Neil’s mother sighed
“Thank you for your concern. My mom is still not awake, so even if you visit her, she cant respond to you. If she knew you cared about her, she would be very happy politely replied.
“I wanted to help investigate your dad’s case, but Neil said he would handle it. If you need his help, just say it!” Neil’s father was still very generous to me.
I didn’t tell them how Neil agreed to help me.
After a while, Neil came down in a change of clothes. His hair was uncombed, neatly falling on both sides of his face, making him look much gentler.
He was wearing a very textured white cashmere sweater accompanied by loose black pants, making Neil look very clean and simple. However, his eyes were still habitually sharp.
He walked over to my side and finally sat next to his father.
“What are you guys talking about?” He picked up the wine on the table and took a sip, asking casually
“We were talking about everyone’s recent situation. If Irene was coming today, why didn’t you bring her back earlier?” Neifs mother said a bit
apter 261
reproachfully
Neil glanced at me, his gaze deep
Of course, he had contacted me earlier, but I had blocked him
“Because of traffic, I didn’t have time to prepare a gift. I’m really sorry” I explained appropriately
“It’s alright! Your presence here to celebrate my birthday is the best gift.” Faith held my hand; her tone was very affectionate.
It seemed she didn’t mind my family’s troubles or all the things that happened between Russell and me.
I didn’t pull away from Faith’s hand but chatted with her graciously and appropriately. After all, we were once family, so we always had common topics.
Just when the atmosphere was harmonious, the doorbell rang.
Neil got up to open the door. Then came Kitty’s lively and cheerful voice, “Neil, I’m here to celebrate your mom’s birthday!”
The sound had me, Ryan, and Faith all dumbstruck. To get into Sterling Estates, you needed a pass card. Did Kitty have one for this place?
Seemed like Sterling Estates was really the place to be. First, Bonnie had a key, and now Kitty had a pass card.
“Who invited you? Neils voice was filled with annoyance as he grilled Kitty.
Kitty squeezed her way through the door, “Given your charming personality, you’re hardly likely to cheer up your mom, so I came…
She stopped mid sentence when she saw me, frozen in her tracks.
I don’t know why, but instinctively, I pulled my hand away from Faith’s
