Hailey had her neck shrunk down, her face filled with terror as she watched Patrick, her small hands clamped tightly over her mouth.
She looked completely terrified.
She didn't dare to make a single sound.
Benedict's frown deepened.
He understood Hailey's fear at that moment.
But looking at her, a complicated emotion swelled within him.
If... if it were Serena, upon seeing their father treat their mother like this, she would have definitely rushed forward without a second thought to protect her...
But Hailey?
She was the precious treasure their mother had doted on and spoiled her entire life, yet now she was only concerned with her own fear. Forget protecting her mother...
She didn't even have the courage to say a word in her defense or offer a helping hand.
Benedict subconsciously frowned and looked at Serena, trying to find a trace of pity or emotion on her face.
But...
The girl's expression remained as calm as still water, her cool, bright eyes holding nothing but pure indifference.
There was even...
A hint of mockery.
It was as if the drama unfolding before her was nothing more than a clown show. There was absolutely no sign that she was moved by Marianne's miserable state. That look in her eyes...
It was like a sharp thorn that stabbed fiercely into Benedict's heart, intensifying the inexplicable emotion welling up inside him.
The girl before him was completely different from the one in his memory, the one who was always carefully trying to please everyone.
But the old Serena...
Her world had revolved around them.
This stark contrast... left a heavy feeling in Benedict's chest.
He couldn't help but speak up. "Serena, Mom and Dad... are already in this state; and it's embarrassing enough. At the very least.... you called them Mom and Dad for twen years. De you really have to push things to a point where no one can back down and the situation becomes irreparable? You should know when to let things go! I'll take charge here... let's just end this now!"
"Yes, Serena. Patrick quickly chimed in, his posture servile and pleading "After all, I'm your father right? Just ask the young masters and ladies... to be the bigger person and let me go, let the Wynn family go, okay?"
Serena's indifferent gaze finally shifted slightly, landing on the Wynn father and son.
She lifted her red lips into a slight curve, the mockery at the corners of her eyes and in her expression practically overflowing.
"Twenty years of being my Mom and Dad?"
She scoffed, the curve of her lips deepening. "In these twenty years, are you sure you ever once acted like a real mother and father to me, or a real older brother?"
The girl's direct question made the Wynn father and son's eyes flicker, and they guiltily looked away.
Patrick was the quickest to react, forcing a smile, his face full of
eagerness. "That was because Dad was too busy before, so I didn't have
time tocare about you. Don't worry, re... in the future, Dad will
in there on you like a princess,
definitely
a treasure!"
"Your room, your mother and I haven't touched it. You can move right back in!"
Serena couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her laughter was utterly sarcastic, as if she had just heard the biggest joke in the world.
That laugh made Patrick's heart pound with anxiety.
Serena's eyes were filled with scorn. "Mr. Wynn, I'm afraid that even now, you still have no idea where I actually lived in the Wynn family home, do you?"
Patrick's heart lurched violently. He subconsciously glanced at Marianne, who was still on the ground.
Marianne had clearly remembered something. Amidst the humiliation twisting her features, a rare and unnatural flicker of guilt appeared on her face.