CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228: SPARRING WITH DESMOND FAIRCHILD

Old Mrs. Fairchild is easygoing, and the maids also like to chat with her. Upon learning that Desmond Fairchild is cooking for Seraphina Sinclair, she couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous: "That brat really has no conscience. I’ve raised him for so long, yet I’ve never seen him cook a single meal for me."

The maids found Old Mrs. Fairchild’s feigned anger amusing and were about to say something nice about Desmond when they heard his voice behind them: "Grandma, if you want to eat something, I can cook for you anytime."

"Grandma was just joking, who really needs your cooking? Quickly take it to Seraphina; I wonder if she’s doing better lately." Old Mrs. Fairchild genuinely felt sorry for Seraphina, knowing everything she had been through, and became even more compassionate towards her.

In the past, it was always Seraphina bringing Jude to visit the old lady, but now it’s Old Mrs. Fairchild frequently going to Azure Cloud Shores.

Seraphina felt a little embarrassed that someone of Grandma’s age had to make the trip, so she invited her to live together at Azure Cloud Shores.

Old Mrs. Fairchild directly refused. Although she cared deeply for Seraphina, she didn’t want to intrude on the young couple’s private life. Seeing that Seraphina was getting better day by day, she felt at ease.

After the New Year, in little more than half a month, the whole Bayside City once again fell into a lively atmosphere.

It turned out to be the Lantern Festival.

Having been taken to a fireworks festival by Desmond before, Seraphina showed little interest in this Lantern Festival. However, Austin White and Irene Rowe, who were a couple in the heat of romance, seemed very passionate about such a romantic holiday.

Now, Seraphina’s relationship with Desmond has entered a stable phase, and she thought that as soon as her depression was completely cured, she’d put marriage on the agenda.

In the blink of an eye, time flew by, and without much intimate time, Jude started school again, and both Seraphina and Desmond dove back into their careers.

Both being workaholics, they were often so busy that their feet barely touched the ground, and sometimes they even spent the night at the company without returning home.

This wasn’t good news for Jude.

No matter how mature and sensible he might be, at the end of the day, he’s still a five or six-year-old child, who constantly needs his parents’ company. Unfortunately, both parents were incredibly busy, so each day he returned home to a house full of maids but couldn’t find peace of mind.

Austin, on the other hand, was quite idle. Ever since joining Desmond’s company, he didn’t have much to do, so he had more time to accompany Jude.

"Second Brother, when do you think we can go back?" Jude gazed into the distance, longing for his grandfather.

"Why? Isn’t Bayside City nice?" Austin ruffled Jude’s little head, snatching a chip from him with a chuckle. "Once things here in Bayside settle down, we might have to return even if we don’t want to. Besides, you’re still the little boss of Diamond Island, aren’t you?"

Jude pouted, "Honestly, I don’t want to be the heir."

Austin was taken aback: "Do you know what you’re saying? Silly talk."

"Second Brother, Mom and I kind of snatched the heir position from you. Aren’t you jealous?" Jude had always been curious; clearly, the three White brothers were the legitimate heirs, and somehow his arrival meant they were excluded, and the inheritance title unexpectedly landed on him.

Logically speaking, such enormous wealth being suddenly taken by an outsider would hardly leave anyone indifferent.

Why did the three White brothers not only show no dissatisfaction but diligently serve him, he couldn’t figure it out.

Listening to him, Austin fell into contemplation. After a long time, he softly replied, "To say there’s no jealousy would be dishonest. Jude, your appearance was indeed a surprise, catching us brothers off guard. It’s impossible not to feel envious."

"Then why are you all so nice to me?" Jude clutched his phone, staring intensely at Austin.

"Initially, there was discontent towards you two. But after spending time together, we gradually let go. You and your mom aren’t bad people. Even if Diamond Island ends up in your hands, our brothers’ status won’t be shaken, and wealth and power are just external. Once we’re gone, they turn to dust, so what’s the point of being so hung up about them, right?"

Austin spoke logically, and Jude looked at him with admiration.

In a world where everyone is so pragmatic, the fact that his second brother isn’t money-driven is quite impressive.

Austin didn’t say much more to Jude. Some things, even if explained, he might not understand right now.

The March morning was still a bit chilly, as Jude stood at the door in his knitted cardigan and small leather boots, calling inside, "Mommy, I’m going to be late, are you ready yet?"

Seraphina’s hurried voice came from upstairs, "Coming, coming, Mommy will be ready soon; give me two more minutes."

"You said that five minutes ago," Jude sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead.

Clearly, Seraphina had said yesterday that she’d take him to class, yet she was stalling early this morning.

Five minutes later, Seraphina finally appeared, twirling the car key on her finger and grabbing Jude to throw him into the car: "Fasten your seatbelt, Mommy is taking off."

"With your driving skills, better to drive slowly. Being a few minutes late doesn’t matter." Jude tugged at his seatbelt, showing no confidence in his mom’s driving skills.

Seraphina gave a sheepish smile, knowing she had delayed a lot today, so she didn’t argue with the brat.

Then she stepped on the gas and barely managed to arrive at the kindergarten three minutes before the class started.

Only after seeing Jude walk into the kindergarten did Seraphina turn back to drive to the company.

But what she didn’t know was that Jude, although seemingly walking into the kindergarten, was soon picked up and taken to a secret base.

There, Desmond made Jude learn combat skills, hacking techniques, pharmaceuticals, and the disassembly, assembly, and use of various weapons.

Inheriting Desmond’s talent, Jude learned quickly, despite his young age, he could exchange a few moves with Desmond.

"Dad."

Upon arriving at the base, Jude was surprised to see Desmond there, who he thought was at the company.

Desmond nodded slightly, his demeanor not as kindly at home, carrying an air of authority: "You’re here."

Jude glanced around, noting the absence of his teaching instructor, his eyes lit up in surprise, "Is Dad teaching me today?"

"Rather than teaching, I’m here to evaluate your progress over the year," Desmond stepped back a couple of paces, beckoning Jude with his fingers, "Come, let me see what you’ve learned all this time."

Learning that Desmond was here to assess him, Jude’s expression grew much more serious.

After setting his backpack aside, he stretched his limbs, and with no warning, his small body dashed towards Desmond with blinding speed that ordinary people couldn’t react to.

But his opponent was Desmond, who stood still yet easily countered Jude’s move.