CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231: MOVED AND HEARTFELT

When Serena Sterling and Silas Hawthorne arrived with Seraphina, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Seraphina was holding the big orange cat, playing a game of head-butting with it.

Her big round eyes were full of affection.

And Silas entered holding Seraphina, walking alongside Serena.

The people inside were momentarily stunned to see them come in like that.

Just because they really looked like a family of three with a pet.

Ethan Lynch’s expression darkened for a moment, but then he adjusted himself.

Meanwhile, Jasper Ford joked openly, "Seraphina, don’t you like Uncle Jasper anymore? You don’t run over like you used to when you see Uncle Jasper."

Silas laughed and put Seraphina down, patting her head.

Seraphina walked over with the big orange cat.

"Uncle Jasper, look at this, it’s Jupiter!"

Seraphina said, pushing the big orange cat towards Jasper Ford’s face.

Before Jasper could say anything, the cat had already placed a paw squarely on his face.

Rejected with disdain.

That got everyone laughing.

The slightly odd atmosphere quickly became lively again.

Everyone continued eating as they always did.

Jasper Ford led the celebration for Serena’s latest great success.

"The online sentiment has begun to shift, and countless people are demanding Vera Hansen to come out and clarify, but she hasn’t spoken up yet."

"It feels like her reputation is collapsing this time."

"What she did was disgusting!" Bianca Lynch said angrily.

Everyone strongly condemned Vera Hansen’s behavior of live streaming at The Hillside Villa.

Serena felt warmth in her heart.

No matter when, she always had these good friends by her side.

She hoped their relationship could always stay strong.

Midway through the meal, Serena went to the bathroom.

When she came out, she ran into Jasper Ford.

His expression was complicated.

"What’s wrong, Jasper?" Serena asked.

Jasper led her into the side corridor.

In the light, Jasper’s face, hailed as one of the young eligible bachelors of the entertainment circle, still looked handsome.

The wind outside gently blew in, rustling the leaves.

"Do you really like him?" Jasper looked down at Serena, "Silas Hawthorne, not because you want to get away from Julian Lawson, or for any other reason?"

Serena pursed her lips.

The day had finally come.

She knew this conversation, and its content, would happen eventually.

"Is it hard to answer?" Jasper asked as he saw her hesitate.

"No," Serena shook her head, "I’m just thinking about how to say it."

Jasper smiled: "What are you afraid of, that I might eat you up?"

Serena realized he was right. Though people called him "hot-tempered Alexander," he wasn’t actually scary, and was often quite sincere.

More sincere than most.

Thinking that, Serena laid down her burden, looked into Jasper’s eyes, and said seriously, "Yes, I like him."

The smile on Jasper’s lips stiffened momentarily, but he quickly covered it up.

He lowered his gaze slightly, not letting Serena see what flashed in his eyes, while smiling as he spoke, "Really?"

"Yeah." Serena’s gaze didn’t waver as she met Jasper’s eyes.

"Jasper, you know, the old Serena died the night she was pushed down the stairs."

"The person I am now is a new me."

Serena didn’t smile; her expression was serious. She knew many things needed to be said seriously and couldn’t be joked about.

Nor could she leave any room for misconception.

She said, "I let go of Julian Lawson a long time ago. Falling in love with Silas Hawthorne happened later and has nothing to do with the past."

"Just because of those few dates?" Jasper frowned.

"Yes," Serena said, "just because of those few dates."

Jasper opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

Serena let out a long sigh, "These seven years, I’ve been so tired, I even thought I’d lost the ability to love."

"He’s the one who barged into my life, took care of everything, moved me, and made my heart race."

Jasper still looked at her with a frown, no longer wearing the mischievous smile, and he seemed a little sad.

"Jasper," Serena called his name.

At this point, she couldn’t continue either.

They looked at each other, until Jasper smiled in acceptance.

"Alright." Jasper nodded.

Serena also breathed a sigh of relief.

Jasper looked over Serena’s shoulder, past her.

Serena turned back, following his gaze, and saw Ethan Lynch standing there, having been there for who knows how long.

Seeing them turn around, Ethan walked over.

He said nothing, just reached out to pat Serena on the shoulder.

He looked at Jasper, an understanding between the two of them.

"The Lawson Corporation’s new product launch is next week. Alexander might take this chance to dump stocks. My people are keeping a close watch; when everything comes full circle, we’ll have the evidence," Jasper said to Serena.

Jasper reminded himself not to think too much. Serena’s partnership had already given him an advantage in the Ford Family’s internal struggle. He shouldn’t, and dared not, hope for more.

Since she had someone she loved, he should be happy for her.

Ethan took a deep breath and said nothing else, but added, "That conference in Cygnus is coming up soon. I’m going there to look into Vera Hansen."

"Thank you, Ethan," Serena nodded and said.

"It’s no trouble," Ethan smiled.

Though it wasn’t really convenient.

Serena knew that.

But she always just treated him like a brother, as she’d told him before.

The things she’d just said to Jasper, Ethan must have overheard too.

There was nothing more she needed to say.

With that, Serena went back, leaving Jasper and Ethan to talk.

When she returned to the private room, she saw Silas feeding Seraphina.

He looked very skilled.

The image of a good family man.

Silas glanced back briefly upon hearing the noise and said nothing more, but he seemed to understand.

"You’re back," Silas said.

"Yeah," Serena nodded.

Both of them understood each other.

Sitting across from Serena, Bianca let out a long sigh.

It seemed her brother truly had no hope.

The meal ended quickly.

As they were about to leave for their respective homes, Silas took Serena and Seraphina to the little rooftop garden.

Seraphina was still holding the big orange cat.

Silas set Seraphina down on a swing, then took hold of Serena’s hand.

"I’ve been preparing this for a while, and now I can finally show you," Silas said.

"What is it?" Serena asked, confused.

Silas turned to Seraphina, "Seraphina, hold on to your big orange cat, it’s going to get a bit noisy."

"Okay!" Seraphina replied with a smile, eagerly looking at the two.

Sometime during dinner, Uncle Mortimer had already told her. She was ready.

As Serena watched them whisper curiously, suddenly a large number of drones took off, lighting up like little stars...