Chapter 442
She felt a cold sweat trickling down her spine.
There was a nagging urge to spill the beans, to stand up for Thalassa, to demand child support from Lysander, to accuse him of his years of neglect and his indifference to the needs of his own children.
Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, Thalassa’s worried face flashed in her mind; she recalled Thalassa’s fear of losing her children.
Thalassa had warned her that if Lysander were to find out about the children, he would definitely snatch them away and might not even allow her any visitation rights.
Although Thalassa had raised them, Lysander was so powerful and resourceful. If he wanted to snatch away the children, it would be a piece of cake.
Her sympathy for Thalassa eventually overcame her impulsive thoughts.
Hertha managed to suppress the urge to spill the truth.
With a forced smile, she explained, “Oh, you mean this dress? It’s my best friend’s. She came over last night to celebrate my daughter, Elowen, winning the Gourmet Cooking competition. She planned to stay over, so she took a shower and changed her clothes. But she left her clothes behind so I washed them for her.”
After finishing, she sneakily glanced at Lysander, gauging his reaction.
Hertha’s explanation matched what Thalassa had told her over the phone last night.
Lysander should believe her, right?
Yet, Hertha still felt uneasy.
Thalassa had warned her that Lysander was cunning, and lying wouldn’t fool him.
Hertha was filled with anxiety, wondering if she had passed the test.
The reporter who had asked her about the dress chuckled, “So it’s your best friend’s dress. But I heard this kind of dress isn’t supposed to be machine washed, it should be dry cleaned. Otherwise, it loses a lot of its value. But I’m sure you guys are close enough not to worry about such details.”
Hertha gasped.
Right, this dress shouldn’t be machine washed. The value of the dress shrank a lot in the washing machine. Even though it was a gift from Lysander, she still felt a pang of regret for Thalassa.
Lysander’s eyes were cold and inscrutable, giving away nothing of his thoughts.
He stood up and extended a card towards Hertha, “Elowen Kensington’s prize money. There’s no code to this card.”
His voice was low and attractive, and his whole demeanor was regal and handsome
His extended hand was slender, but the veins standing out on its back were a cue of his masculine strength.
Hertha was a bit intimidated and hesitated to take the card.
Seeing her careful, almost smitten gaze at Lysander, Alaric chuckled, “Take it. It’s what your daughter deserves.”
He emphasized the word “daughter”.
Even as a mother of four, she was acting like a smitten teenager. The lady was a little too cheeky. He thought.
Hertha was stunned for a moment before she extended her hands to take the card, carefully avoiding any skin contact.
The man in front of her was Lysander and she was lucky to even be in close proximity to him. All thanks to Thalassa, she thought.
She wouldn’t dare to have any physical contact with him.
“Elowen has such a knack for food tasting at such a young age. She’s a real prodigy. Today, as the major shareholder, Mr. Sinclair came to present the prize money
in person. Mr. Sinclair is truly a compassionate, responsible, and understanding CEO, praised the reporters as they captured the moment.
They promoted Lysander’s image as a Samaritan.
Upon hearing the reporters, Hertha snorted inwardly. Responsible my ass! She thought. He didn’t even like his own children, let alone being compassionate. What joke!
Lysander’s expression turned cold upon hearing their praise, a hint of displeasure visible in his icy gaze as he swept over the reporters, “You may leave now.”