novelraw Chapter 564: The Man Doesn’t Want to Go Back to the Cold Villa
Chapter 564: The Man Doesn’t Want to Go Back to the Cold Villa
Ignatius Leclair sat on the only chair available in the small living room, raising his hand to glance at his watch. It was already past 1 a.m. after all the chaos.
Originally, he had only come to pick up Benjamin, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon Nicholas and also saw Delphine Carter. It could be considered a surprising stroke of fortune. He hadn’t seen Nicholas in three years.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a low voice, "Benjamin."
"Benjamin doesn’t know anything. I didn’t tell her." Delphine interrupted him, her fingers tightly clenched into fists, her entire body tense. The man before her was Ignatius Leclair—the same man who had once driven her away, cold and heartless, filled with disdain for her.
"I’ve had Maximilian transfer money to your account every year, yet you’re raising Benjamin in a place like this?" Ignatius furrowed his brows deeply, his voice gravelly.
"This is just a temporary residence. I’ll take Benjamin somewhere else to live." Delphine forced herself to remain calm. She absolutely would not let Ignatius have any opportunity to take Benjamin away.
"It’s already very late today. If Mr. Leclair has something to discuss, let’s save it for tomorrow. I want to rest now." She clenched her fingertips tightly, her voice low as she issued a thinly veiled request for him to leave.
Ignatius observed her taut emotions, her body stretched like a drawn bow, seemingly calm but on the brink of collapse. Thinking of the events she had encountered tonight, along with her visible fear, the man traced his long fingers across his watch and spoke in a low voice, "You can go to sleep first. I’ll wait for Benjamin to wake up."
The implied meaning: he wasn’t leaving tonight.
Originally, Ignatius hadn’t intended to pressure her too much. Yet, even though the courtyard house was old and dilapidated, it still sheltered his two children. The warmth emanating throughout the small house was far more comforting than the cold emptiness of the villa he returned to each night.
The living room was already cramped, but with Ignatius sitting there, the space felt even more oppressive and stifling. Delphine bit her thin lips tightly. Realizing he wasn’t leaving, she knew this wasn’t going to be easily resolved. Swiftly, she grabbed her phone, bypassed her own bedroom entirely, and went straight to the small room where Nicholas and Benjamin were sleeping. Locking the door from inside, she finally allowed herself a sigh of relief.
She didn’t dare sleep either, instead sitting quietly by the bed, watching over her brother and sister, her gaze gradually turning moist.
Ignatius noticed her flee into the children’s room like a frightened bird, a faint smile inexplicably curving on his lips. Shortly afterward, his expression grew cold as he called Maximilian inside.
"Where is he?" the man’s voice carried a hint of menace.
"He’s unconscious, multiple fractures across his body. He won’t be able to get up for at least a year or two," Maximilian replied in a low voice. Seeing Ignatius’s expression turning icy, he quickly amended, "I’ll investigate his family’s criminal background for three generations and make sure he’s sent away."
Ignatius finally narrowed his eyes, speaking with cold indifference, "Have Yeats Howard pull out all the men and remove the vehicles. Go fetch a change of clothes for me from the car. Bring Benjamin’s gifts along as well."
This time, he had prepared quite a few gifts for Benjamin. Some could be set aside for Nicholas.
Maximilian blinked in surprise. Was Mr. Leclair planning to stay the night here? Maximilian quickly went to retrieve the change of clothes and Miss Benjamin’s gifts from the car.
Ignatius frowned as he bathed and changed clothes before entering the bedroom of the two-bedroom apartment. The room was decorated with understated, elegant wallpaper, imparting a sense of comfort. The furnishings were simple, and the bed linens were in shades of cool gray. On the desk, a thick French dictionary, along with books and notes, lay open.
The man flipped through the books she had been studying. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly—how coincidental that one of the foreign languages he spoke happened to be French.