Chapter 1206:
“Alright,” Dolores replied. “Just promise me you won’t let Felix off the hook this time. Cheating and violence, they almost always repeat.”
Linsey’s voice was quiet but steady. “I understand. I won’t let myself get hurt again.”
Once the call ended, the knocking resumed, a bit more insistent.
“I’m coming!” Linsey called as she got to her feet and opened the door.
Roland stood there, looking perfectly composed in his crisp uniform, hand paused midair. He offered a courteous smile. “Mrs. Riley, breakfast is ready. Please join us downstairs.”
“Thank you,” Linsey replied softly.
After Roland left, Linsey gently shut the door, her earlier smile disappearing as she slumped back against it, weighed down by exhaustion and heartache.
Linsey couldn’t bring herself to accept that Felix had cheated on her. Their love had spanned years, and she knew his character inside and out. The idea of him betraying her with another woman seemed unthinkable.
Moreover, she had struck a deal with Collin to save Felix’s company. Touched by her sacrifice, Felix had vowed to resolve the business troubles swiftly and bring her back home.
Given that he was consumed by his work and never adept at managing his time, Linsey reasoned that Felix couldn’t possibly have found a moment to go shopping with someone else.
Yet, a nagging doubt crept in—Dolores, her trusted friend, wouldn’t lie about something so serious.
Linsey’s mind churned in confusion, her heart aching as if pierced by a blunt blade, the pain nearly unbearable.
Downstairs, Linsey spotted Collin seated at the dining table as she approached. Despite the sound of her footsteps, he didn’t look up, his attention fixed on the stock market charts flickering across his tablet, his face set in its usual impassive mask.
Linsey had grown accustomed to his cold demeanor and had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. She pulled out a chair and sat to eat in silence. Roland’s voice cut through the tense quiet. “Would you like milk or coffee, Mrs. Riley?”
“Coffee, please. Thank you,” Linsey replied courteously, her tone warm in contrast to Collin’s chill.
“Certainly,” Roland responded promptly.
Sipping her coffee, Linsey decided to break the silence with Collin. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Collin, seated in his wheelchair, gave no sign he had heard her, his demeanor as distant as ever.
“Collin, I’m talking to you,” Linsey pressed, her voice sharper.
“I’m not listening,” he replied, his tone icy.
Linsey paused, momentarily at a loss for words. She wondered who had gotten him in such a rotten mood this early in the morning.
Internally, Linsey grumbled, but outwardly she brushed off Collin’s refusal and proceeded to discuss her matter. “I’d like to go home for a bit.”
“Home?” Collin’s gaze flicked toward her, heavy with an unspoken authority. “Isn’t this your home? Where else do you need to go?”
In her heart, Linsey knew her true home was in Starwood, the one that belonged to her and Felix. She held back her true thoughts, wary of provoking Collin, and rephrased her request. “Fine, then I’d like to go out today.”
