novelraw Chapter 704: Stocks, Bonds, and Real Estate are all Yours, Can You Afford to Support Me?
Chapter 704: Stocks, Bonds, and Real Estate are all Yours, Can You Afford to Support Me?
Delphine stared in astonishment. The handsome and dignified man sat leisurely and elegantly on the sofa, as though surveying his kingdom, now comfortably ensconced in her home—and asking her to take care of him?
"I might not be able to afford you." Delphine forced a smile. From head to toe, everything about this man—what he ate and drank, what he wore and used—was undoubtedly top-tier. The money she earned from making movies could barely support two little kids, let alone someone like him.
"If I hand over all my stocks, bonds, shares, and properties to you—would that be enough to support me, hmm?" Ignatius Leclair’s phoenix eyes were as dark as ink, his lips curving into a faint smile.
Delphine bit her lip. Ignatius’s net worth, if not in the hundreds of billions, was at least in the tens of billions—beyond calculation. Was this man joking?
"Actually, I just struggle a bit to adapt to the outside world." His phoenix eyes grew deeper, his voice hesitant yet sincere. "After all, I’ve been asleep for so long—I don’t really want to deal with strangers just yet."
Delphine hadn’t expected that, after years of slumber, he might have developed signs of agoraphobia. She anxiously asked, "But you can’t just avoid meeting people forever, can you? What about the company, the Leclair Family, or even the Howard Family? Are you not handling any of those matters?"
"I’ve entrusted all of that to Arthur and the others," Ignatius said gravely. "I just need some time to adjust."
Delphine noticed how gentle and quiet he seemed now, even somewhat clingy—so different from the cold, aloof Ignatius Leclair she remembered. Thinking back to her own battle with depression, she feared his reclusiveness might lead him down a similar path. Struggling with her own hesitation, she said, "How long do you need to adjust? You can’t possibly stay here forever."
"Three months." Sensing her body tensing up, he amended, "Two months. Then I’ll return to the places I used to live, get familiar with them again, and more or less be ready."
Delphine exhaled in relief. Two months—she could manage that.
"What if... we find a psychologist?" Delphine still felt uneasy.
"Whatever you say," he responded calmly. A psychologist? Even better—it would help cement his cover as someone with agoraphobia. Hmm, an interesting new identity.
"Should I take you out for a walk?" Delphine asked softly. "When my depression was at its worst, the pain was unbearable, and all I wanted was to be alone. Later, when I started interacting more with people and the world, it gradually got better." Her voice was gentle, almost soothing. Because of Nicholas, she had slowly emerged from the depths of severe depression. While she still preferred a quiet, reclusive life, she now had no trouble communicating with others—it was just that she enjoyed peace and solitude a little more.
Ignatius’s faint smile froze, a dull ache stirring in his chest. He leaned forward, scooping her into his arms and holding her tightly against him. His voice, low and heavy, rumbled from deep within: "Does it still hurt?"
Delphine shook her head. She had already left that dark Chapter of her life behind. Back then, the world had felt like it was drained of color, the sky perpetually gray. She had no desires—no will to live. She had been like a walking corpse, breaking into tears at any unexpected turn of a corner or reflective moment.
Then Nicholas came into her life, and everything changed. She nurtured that tiny little being, raising him step by step—teaching him to talk, to dress himself, to marvel at the wonders of the world. Gradually, she too began to feel the vibrancy of life once more.
"I’m sorry." His arms tightened around her like a vise, his voice hoarse and laden with an inexplicable sorrow, as though clawing its way up from the depths of his throat.
"It’s not your fault. Perhaps it’s the path I was destined to take, a journey I had to complete." Delphine gave a gentle smile. So much had been determined long ago—her origins, the love that burned to ashes, the road she had traveled all these years. Looking back now, she could face it all with a calm and steady heart.