novelraw Chapter 617: He’s probably not even aware of how many years he’s liked this young girl.
Chapter 617: He’s probably not even aware of how many years he’s liked this young girl.
The old madam of the Howard Family saw that she had a quiet and gentle temperament, her voice soft and soothing. The more she looked at her, the more she liked her. With her grandson’s cold and reserved personality, such a warm and gentle girl was exactly what he needed. If it were someone more lively and impatient, it would only lead to cold wars or absolute chaos.
"Old Madam, I heard Delphine is a director now. A director who’s this beautiful and young is truly impressive." Accompanying the old madam was a granddaughter-in-law of the Howard Family, someone sharp-tongued and skilled in lifting the atmosphere from time to time.
"Oh, really? She’s a girl with her own ideas. A woman needs to have her own career—to not center her life entirely around a man. The human heart is the most unreliable of things. Take my grandson, for example—don’t be deceived by that handsome face. When he turns cold, even I can’t handle it," the old madam said with a laugh, then couldn’t resist asking, "When you were with Ignatius, did you often suffer because of him?"
Ignatius Leclair had originally made it a point to stay out of the way, letting the perceptive old madam meet Delphine on her own. Yet after waiting for a while, he couldn’t hold himself back anymore and returned, arriving just outside the hospital room only to hear the old madam mercilessly criticizing her grandson. It was as though she had positioned herself firmly in Delphine’s camp. His headache came on instantly.
How many years of grievances had the old madam been bottling up?
Delphine noticed that the old Howard family madam, along with the young women of the Howard Family, not only refrained from putting on airs but also directed all their conversations toward her. Considering the Howard Family’s prominence, they had no reason to approach her with ulterior motives like this. It seemed their goodwill was genuine. For a moment, her expression softened into a faint smile as she lowered her voice and said, "Back then, he treated me quite well. At that time, when I was staying with the Leclair Family, I was timid and introverted. He was worried I might go hungry, so he often brought me desserts and would even have someone specially prepare late-night snacks for me."
The old madam was both startled and moved upon hearing this. She said, "You silly child, just desserts and late-night snacks were enough to win you over? And you think that means he was good to you? You’re far too easy to please."
"Considering Young Master Leclair’s personality, it’s already rare for him to worry about a young girl going hungry and bringing desserts home." The Howard Family’s granddaughter-in-law chuckled as she spoke.
"You’re right. He’s not someone who knows how to dote on people," the old madam said with a laugh herself. Then she continued to ask Delphine more about Ignatius’s past.
The man stood inside the hallway of the hospital ward, his phoenix-like eyes lowered slightly. He leaned partially against the snow-white wall, his handsome features utterly expressionless. He quietly listened to Delphine’s gentle, soft voice recounting fragments of the past. Most of what she spoke about were memories from her younger years, her time spent with Magnus Leclair—not him.
His first interaction with her had been expelling her from the Leclair Family. Later on, he had used threats involving her foster mother to coerce and humiliate her.
His body tensed slightly. Between them, there was not a single moment of warmth or comfort to speak of. Even when she was pregnant with Dax and Evi, he had disregarded her wishes, forcibly marrying and divorcing her. The only thing he had done that could barely be considered decent was giving Dax to Delphine.
Ignatius Leclair’s handsome and austere face showed a trace of pallor. For the first time, he became aware of the fact that the road ahead was brimming with thorns, offering no visible hope.
Knowing a bit about Ignatius’s youth, the Howard Family’s old madam felt quite satisfied. Although she was well aware that most of what Delphine described was likely about Magnus, to her, it hardly mattered. Her grandson’s attitude was crystal clear now. By inviting her here today, he was practically declaring that he wanted to marry this young woman.
The old madam let out a sneer. "What a fool," she thought to herself. "He’s been stubbornly at odds with himself all these years, insisting on separating his primary personality and his secondary one. But no matter how you split it, both sides clearly like this young woman." How many years had he liked her? Even he probably didn’t truly understand.