CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103: ARE YOU BEHAVING AT HOME?

Isla Xavier clutched her dress, biting her lip as her eyes welled with tears. "Grandpa is a nasty bully, a big villain, a mean old man! Sister-in-law is so nice, why does he have to dislike her so much?"

The sound of the wind and rain was deafening. Donovan Xavier gazed at a distant ginkgo tree, his voice deep. "It’s not her he dislikes. It’s her family background."

"If your sister-in-law had a family like Rosalind Rowan’s, your grandpa wouldn’t be like this."

Isla looked up at him. "Then, Brother, what are you going to do now?"

Donovan lowered his gaze to the string of sandalwood Buddha beads on his wrist. After a long moment, he murmured, "I... don’t know either."

If he marries her, Caleb Xavier will threaten to kill himself. At that point, let alone being together, their consciences would be burdened for the rest of their lives. But if he doesn’t marry her, she’ll be an unmarried mother. Even with his protection, she’ll still have to endure an endless stream of gossip in the future. He remembered her talking about her childhood, about her gambling-addicted father and her mother who used to beat her... His Chloe has already suffered so much. She’ll have to suffer again during childbirth, and he couldn’t bear to let her endure that kind of pain again.

Isla’s nose tingled. She stomped her foot in frustration. "That hateful, awful grandpa! He controls everything and everyone, and now he even wants to control which wife his grandson marries!"

"Pah! The nerve! He’s always bossing people around. Why can’t someone just put that mean old man in his place?"

Hearing her last sentence, Donovan’s dark eyes flickered.

Put him in his place? I’ve got an idea.

Donovan turned to look at Isla, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You really are a good little sister."

Isla blinked her large, round eyes and scratched her head. "Huh?"

Donovan didn’t elaborate. He took a black umbrella from a servant, opened it, and prepared to leave.

Isla stood her ground as the wind whipped at her small face, watching his retreating back. "Brother, where are you going?"

Donovan’s mood seemed to have instantly cleared. He turned back, a smile in his eyes. "Evan’s sick. I have some free time now, so I’m going to see him."

Isla nodded vigorously. "Oh, okay! Brother, remember to send him my regards."

「At the Yates family villa.」

The rain had gradually stopped, but the wind remained strong. Wet leaves littered the ground, glistening under the lingering water.

When Chloe Preston came to see Evan York, he was running a high fever, sleeping deeply with an IV drip in his arm. She didn’t want to disturb him, so after asking the doctor about his condition, she planned to leave.

But Claire Chandler stopped her, refusing to let her go and pulling her and Ivy Lane into a chat.

The room was filled with the pleasant, soothing scent of calming incense, its smoke curling gently in the air. Claire sat on the soft sofa, gently stroking Chloe’s belly with a warm smile. "Chloe, is being pregnant difficult?"

Chloe gave a faint smile. "A little, but it’s manageable."

Claire watched her and felt another pang of regret. She had only found out last month that Chloe was pregnant with her own nephew’s child, and she had been upset about it for half the day. Privately, she had desperately wanted Chloe to be her daughter-in-law, but in the end, she belonged to another family now.

Claire gently touched Chloe’s face, her voice full of concern. "Is Donovan good to you? Look at you, you’ve gotten a bit thinner."

"I heard that he... he’s lost his memory, is that right?"

Ivy Lane, her mouth full of fruit and tea, mumbled indistinctly, "Aunt Claire, you can rest assured!"

"Since Mr. Xavier lost his memory, he’s become even more doting. He treats Chloe so preciously now, as if she might break in his arms or melt in his mouth."

Claire held Chloe’s hand, smiling in relief. "That’s good. If he ever treats you badly, just tell me, and Aunt Claire will go beat him up for you! But since you’re with him, does the Xavier family have any objections? That Old Man Xavier is an old fossil, completely obsessed with family status!"

"Have they bullied you?"

At her words, the light in Chloe’s eyes dimmed. She lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together. "The Xavier family... they don’t really like me."

"Donovan has always protected me and kept me away from them. He’s shouldered so much on his own and has even been beaten by Grandpa Xavier many times."

Claire frowned and sighed. "That’s the Xavier family for you. They come from noble ancestry and care more about status than anything. So pretentious! Our Yates family is much better; Evan’s father never cared about background or status. Why don’t you consider becoming our daughter-in-law?"

The abrupt change of topic made Chloe, who was sipping warm milk, choke and cough. Ivy put down her snacks and patted her on the back.

"Chloe, Chloe..."

"Chloe, are you here?" a hoarse, strained male voice called from outside the door.

CLICK—

The door opened and Evan York entered, leaning on crutches from his fracture. "Chloe..."

He wore black pajamas that highlighted his tall, slender frame and refined, handsome face. Having not seen him for days, she could tell he had visibly lost weight. His lips were pale, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.

A servant tried to pull him back. "Young Master, you still have a high fever! Why are you running around?"

The doctor, adjusting his glasses, rushed in after him, panting as he scolded him. "Young Master, your leg hasn’t healed! How can you get out of bed without my permission? Do you have a death wish?"

Seeing this, Claire panicked and shot to her feet. "Oh my goodness, you little rascal! Who let you out of bed? Are you trying to scare your mother to death?"

Evan ignored them all, leaning on his crutch and grimacing in pain as he struggled toward Chloe. He offered a faint smile. "Chloe, why did you come?"

Chloe rose from the sofa and hurried to steady him. "Be careful, don’t fall."

Ivy’s eyes widened. She rushed to support Chloe. "You’re the one who needs to be careful! You have a baby in your belly; you absolutely can’t get hurt!"

「Outside the Yates family villa.」

Donovan pulled the car over and got out, his suit immaculate and his figure tall and imposing. A faint red mark had surfaced on his left cheek, aching faintly and feeling a bit numb.

Donovan took out his phone, afraid Chloe might be missing him, and opened their chat to send two messages. In truth, it was he who missed her.

*Baby, are you being good at home?*

*I’ll be back in a little while. What if I make you some noodles?*

He waited a few seconds, but there was no reply.

Donovan didn’t think much of it. She had been sleeping a lot lately. She’s probably in bed, fast asleep and dreaming right now.

He put his phone away and walked toward the villa.

A servant greeted him with a smile. "Young Master Xavier, you’re here!"