embChapter /bb90 /bbMother /band bSon Confession /bbSession /b/em

emLooking at Firstb, /bScarlett hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Yes.” /em

embShe /badmitted it. /em

emScarlett never intended to hide things from them. In her understanding of education, she never used the excuse that they /em

emwere too young or didn’t understand to justify keeping secrets. /em

emWhenever they asked, Scarlett would tell them. It was just that they had never asked before. /em

emNow, after hearing the answer, First wasn’t surprised at all. He simply nodded calmly, “Okay, I understand.” /em

em“Don’t you have anything to say?” Scarlett asked. /em

em“Nope.” First shook his head. He just wanted an answer, that’s all. /em

emScarlett looked at him, “You know, if you had asked earlier, I wouldn’t have kept it from you.” /em

em“Scarlett,” First leaned in, “This answer doesn’t change anything or any oue. You’re still my most loved, most /em

emcherished mom, and I’ll never, ever leave you!” /em

emFirst rarely expressed love verbally; he usually showed it through actions. /em

emHearing the word from him for the first time, Scarlett felt a hint of sweetness. /em

em“Alright!” She nodded coolly, “Remember what you said.” /em

em“Of course,” First nodded. /em

em“I might end up in awsuit with him…” /em

em“Even if he wins, I’m not leaving. If they take me away, I’ll juste back. He might stop me for a day, but he can’t stop me /em

emforever.” /em

emScarlett couldn’t help butugh, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “You’re truly my good son.” /em

emb“/bbSo/bb, /bMomb, /bbdon’t /bworry. You’ll win this case, not lose.” /em

emb“/bbI /bthink so too,” Scarlett agreed. /em

emFirst smiled, a rare innocent smile in front of Scarlett, like a child. /em

emScarlett watched him, swallowing all the questions she had wanted to ask. /em

emShe was already someone bound by constraints, and she didn’t want her child to be the same. So, she chose not to /em

eminterfere with their growth. /em

em“Go get me a ss of water.” /em

em“At your service.” /em

emFirst happily went ahead, attending to Scarlett. /em

emMeanwhile, Hugo Hodges left the hospital and checked on the damaged car. He made a point to visit the police station, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. /em

emScarlett’s safety was at stake, and he needed to find the person who wanted to harm her as soon as possible. /em

emJust after leaving the police station, Hugo got a call from Tiana. Remembering yesterday’s events, he didn’t answer and /em

emhung up immediately. /em

emI /em

emHe intended to head straight back to the office, but his clothes were dirty and stained with blood. So, Hugo decided to /em

emreturn to the Hodges family estate. /em

emGrandpa Hodges was at home practicing painting. When the butler informed him of Hugo’s return, he didn’t even look up. “To some, this house is just a hotel. Come and go as you please.” /em

emHugo knew the remark was aimed at him. He thought for a moment before speaking, “Grandpa, I’m back.” /em

emGrandpa turned around, ready to make a sarcasticment, but stopped short when he saw Hugo’s disheveled state and the bloodstains. “What happened? Why do you look like this? Are you hurt?b” /b/em

emNot wanting to rm his grandfather, Hugo replied, “The blood isn’t mine. I’m not hurt. I’ll go upstairs, take a shower, and change clothes before exining.” With that, he headed upstairs. /em

emWatching his grandson’s retreating figure, Grandpa couldn’t help but call out, “Exin before you leave!” /em

emBut the only response was the sound of Hugo’s door closing. /em

em“That stubborn boy…” Grandpa muttered, both frustrated and helpless. /em

emUpstairs, Hugo was showering, his mind upied with Grandpa Adler’s hot–and–cold attitude towards him. /em

emScarlett Adler’s indifferent attitude was getting under Hugo’s skin. /em

emHe couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he was definitely feeling irritated. /em

emAfter a quick shower, Hugo headed downstairs. /em

emHis grandfather was waiting for him, and despite his usual grumbling, he was genuinely worried whenever something /em

emhappened. /em

em“Grandpa,” Hugo said as he walked over and sat on the couch. /em

em“What on earth happened?” Grandpa asked, immediately reaching over to lift Hugo’s shirt. /em

em“Grandpa, what are you doing?” /em

em“Brat, I want to see if you’re hurt!” Grandpa checked him over thoroughly, only rxing once he confirmed there were no /em

eminjuries. /em

emHugo sat there helplessly. “Do you think I’de back here if I was hurt and let you see it?” /em

emGrandpa gave him a sideways nce. “Who knows what you’re up to, you rascal.” /em

emHugo pressed his lips together, staying silent. /em

emSeeing his grandson looking so lost, Grandpa asked, “What’s going onb?/bb” /b/em

emSuddenly, Hugo remembered something and nced at his grandfather, then continued speaking as if nothing was /em

embwrong/b. /em

em“The blood isn’t mine; it’s Scarlett Adler’s.” /em

emMenu /em

emGrandpa was sipping his tea, and upon hearing this, nearly spat it out. “What did you say?” He looked at Hugo with wide /em

emeyesb, /butterly astonished. /em

em“She was in a car ident yesterday.” /em

emPlease reload and try again /em

emSomething went wrong /em

em“A car ident? Was it serious? How is she now? Why are you only telling me now?” Grandpa Adler was extremely /em

emworried. /em

em“No life–threatening injuries, just some scrapes, fractures, and a concussion.” /em

em“bThat’s /bwhat you call ‘not serious‘? What would you consider serious then?” /em

emSeeing Grandpa Adler so worked up, Hugo said, “Please calm down, we don’t want you having a heart attack.” /em

em“And you, why aren’t you at the hospital with her? Why did youe back?” Grandpa Adler asked, clearly upset. /em

emHugo sighed, “Grandpa Adler asked me toe back…” /em

emThe implication was clear. /em

emGrandpa Adler looked at him, “You, you deserve this!” /em

emHugo remained silent, pressing his lips together. /em

em“No, I have to go to the hospital and see her.” He called out to the butler, “Uncle Evans, get the car ready. I’ll change clothe /em

emand head out.” /em

em“Alright, I’ll get it ready right away,” Uncle Evans replied as he headed outside. /em

emHugo watched him, “How about I go with you?” /em

emAt this, Grandpa Adler realized Hugo’s intention and smirked, “So that’s what you’re up to, huh?” /em

emHugo raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying it. /em

em“Old Adler didn’t want you going to the hospital, so you thought you’d use my name to get in. I was wondering why you came back out of the blue… You’ve even used your grandfather as an excuse!” Mr. Herrick looked at him sternly. /em

em“I didn’t mean it like that,” Hugo said, trying to save face and avoid admitting it. /em

em“Fine, then don’t go,” Mr. Herrick replied, heading upstairs to change clothes. /em

emWhen he came back down, Hugo was no longer in the living room, and Mr. Herrick didn’t ask any questions. He simply gc /em

emready to leave. /em

emAs soon as he got into the car, he saw Hugo sitting in the driver’s seat. /em

em“Grandpa, Uncle Evans said his leg hurts, so I’ll be your driver today,” Hugo said, turning to look at Mr. Herrick. /em

emOthers might not understand Hugo, but Mr. Herrick certainly did. He didn’t say much, just closed the car door. /em

emHugo smiled slightly and drove off. /em