The atmosphere at the dining table started to calm down.
Preston glanced between the two of them with a look of interest, a small smirk forming on his lips, but no one else seemed to notice.
Rhett didn't say anything. He quietly reached out to help Elise with the soup.
But his hand froze for a second in the air when some inappropriate images flashed in his mind—
He suddenly remembered Kelsey's figure in the kitchen.
All the food on the table now was prepared by a top chef, and it looked and tasted amazing, but for some reason, he kept thinking about Kelsey's cooking...
She didn't make fancy dishes. Most of it was just home-cooked meals, but every dish tasted so good. He had no idea where she even learned to cook like that.
Rhett usually had a lot of business dinners, so he barely ate at home.
At first, he didn't really like Kelsey's food. He'd only take a couple bites before putting his chopsticks down.
But once in a while, there'd be a dish that tasted good, and he'd eat a little more.
He wasn't sure when it started, but over time, Kelsey's cooking started matching his taste more and more. In the end, almost everything she made was stuff he liked.
He began going home more often. And he also started spending more time with her.
Besides cooking, Kelsey also started doing everything else exactly how he liked it.
Rhett's expression darkened.
He forced himself to stop thinking and handed a bowl of soup to Elise. "Here. Drink this."
The action looked kind and caring, but there was no emotion behind it, his face showed no tenderness, not even the slightest trace of gentleness.
Elise took it with a smile, her face full of sweetness, but her heart felt bitter.
She suddenly remembered how Rhett had completely lost control on that rooftop because of another woman. That uneasy feeling in her heart only got stronger and stronger...
Don't overthink it.
She told herself to stay calm. Kelsey was dead. The child she was carrying was gone too. And the kidnapper from that day? He was still in the hospital, seriously injured, and probably wouldn't survive much longer.
Once he died, no one else would know what she had done.
She didn't regret getting rid of Kelsey at all!
If Kelsey had lived, with the way Rhett had been lately, he might've slowly started caring about her more… and she was even pregnant with his child.
Even if Kelsey promised not to interfere, how could Elise let someone that dangerous stay in her and Rhett's life?
But now that she was dead.
No matter how deep a mark she left in Rhett's heart, it would fade over time.
How could someone who's already dead ever compete with the living?
After the meal, the other members of the Clark family all noticed the weird atmosphere and made excuses to leave.
Rhett stayed in his seat, totally unmoved.
As expected, Richard glanced at him and said, "Come here. I have something to say to you."
Rhett looked up and met Richard's gaze.
After a short pause, he got up and followed.
Watching him leave, Elise got nervous. She stood up without thinking.
Delilah, who was sitting next to her, reached out and gently held her hand, shaking her head. "They might not be talking about you and Rhett. Don't cause trouble."
Delilah's attitude completely changed whenever no one else was around.
Elise bit her lip and asked softly, "Auntie, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?"
Her voice was cautious, even a little confused. It made Delilah want to laugh.
But she kept her expression calm.
She patted Elise's hand and her face softened. "Why would I misunderstand you? You're basically family now, so we don't have to treat you like an outsider. If you feel uncomfortable—"
"I don't mind," Elise cut in quickly, flattered. "I just thought maybe you were unhappy with me... I'm sorry."
She looked into Delilah's eyes but started to feel a little guilty.
She looked away, picked up a cup, and sipped from it like she was trying to hide how she felt.
On the balcony.
Richard closed the French window. Rhett let out a short laugh. "What, are you feeling guilty? Afraid someone might hear us?"
With just the two of them there, Richard didn't have the usual strict aura of a family head.
Instead, he looked tired. "I know all of this hasn't been fair to you... but Elise really loves you. And this child… no matter what, it carries the Clark family's blood. It's connected to you."
He hesitated for a second, probably realizing how fake his words sounded and feeling kind of ashamed.
Rhett found it even more ridiculous.
He stood there, leaning casually against the railing as he undid the top button of his shirt to breathe. "Since the decision's already been made, why even ask for my opinion?"
"Rhett…" Richard looked at him and carefully said, "You will still marry Elise, right? After all these years, she's the only woman who's been by your side."
He paused, then added, "That woman, Kelsey… she's already fallen to her death. Whatever happened between you two, it's time to let it go."
Rhett's fists clenched all of a sudden. His eyes turned cold, cold enough to scare someone.
---
In the hospital room, Kelsey woke up. Her eyes were dry, and she just stared blankly at the ceiling, accepting the fact that she had somehow survived.
She was lucky. Right when she fell, the rescue team had placed a cushion down.
She made it.
But the baby didn't.
The door opened, and a man in a suit walked in.
Kelsey didn't even bother to look at him. She just kept staring up at the ceiling, like she had no soul left in her.
Gael was Rhett's personal assistant. He was one of the few people Rhett truly trusted. He'd worked for him for years. Seeing Kelsey like this made him frown just a little.
"Madam…" he started, but then quickly caught himself. "Miss Irwin, how are you feeling?"
His formal tone didn't get any reaction from her.
Ever since she was pronounced dead after the fall and secretly taken to a private hospital by Rhett, she had been like this, silent, withdrawn, and completely uninterested in the world.
Gael came to check on her almost every day. The doctors said her body was healing fine, but her mental state… not so much.
He knew a bit about what happened, and after a pause, he continued, "Mr. Irwin has made all the arrangements. If you're ready, Miss Irwin, you can leave tomorrow."
Those words finally made Kelsey move.
She slowly sat up and looked straight at him. Her expression was empty, but she curved her lips into a cold smile. "Rhett really moves fast, huh? Is he that scared I'll get in Elise's way again? So he faked my death, changed my name, and moved me to another city to live in peace?"
"…Miss Irwin, I'm just following orders," Gael said quietly.
Kelsey gripped the bedsheet under her tightly and didn't say anything. Her lips were pressed so hard together they turned white.
She looked out the window. Shadows of trees swayed across her eyes like they were dancing. Gael tried again. "Miss Irwin, please don't make things difficult for Mr. Clark…"
Kelsey cut him off. "There's still one thing left unfinished."