Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire-Chapter 323: A Cruel Fate

<.Two decades ago.>

The white snow of the late winter fell from the overcast sky, softly and silently cloaking the northeast outskirts of Avaloria City. A few vans moved slowly on the icy road, heading to the same destination.

A young Ruediger sat by the frosted window of the van, his breath fogging the glass as he watched the winter landscape outside. His emerald eyes occasionally widened, flickering with delight.

"The snow here is prettier, Mom," said Ruediger, unable to tear his eyes from the windows, "It’s a pity Vinnie didn’t come with us. He can always play with his friends some other day."

Ruediger’s words elicited chuckles from the lady sitting beside her. His mother, Luna, gazed at his back affectionately. Her auburn air tied in a low bun beneath a warm wool beret.

"Vinnie has promised his friends. You can tell him stories later, en, Eddy?"

Ruediger finally looked away, smiling at Luna. He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, "Hehe, okay, Mom. I’ll make sure to help you a lot this time."

"Aww~ That’s my boy."

Ruediger laughed when Luna suddenly hugged him. His little heart was giddy with excitement at the thought of helping his mother with another one of her charity projects.

The group arrived at their destination, a village, just before noon. The snow had long stopped, but the sky was still cloudy.

Luna and the members of her foundation’s team brought boxes of relief supplies. They contained coats, blankets, canned food, medicine and more.

While her husband, Matthew Alvord, sat in a skyscraper in the city center counting billions, Luna was here, in the snow among the people.

Even though Matthew didn’t like the idea of Luna going to the faraway village, he still let her be. She promised him that she and their eldest son would return home by tonight.

Still, Luna didn’t bring any of the bodyguards as usual. She disliked how restrictive her movements were because Matthew instructed them not to let her do anything strenuous.

Luna emerged from the van, stepping out into the thick layer of snow. Smiling at Ruediger, she said, "Come on, Eddy. We need to get these to the hall."

"Coming!"

Ruediger pulled his scarf tighter around his face before jumping out of the van. As a ten-year-old, the snow was above his ankles, but he didn’t complain.

He was used to tagging along with his mother, no matter where she brought him. He admired her despite not fully understanding the weight of what she did.

They worked together to hand out the boxes while sharing a warm smile. Ruediger gave a pair of gloves to a boy his age, whose hands were red from the cold.

"Thank you," the boy whispered, then running off with a wide grin.

Ruediger watched the boy run, laughing in helplessness. He remembered one of his mother’s reminders. Even his little brother Vincent was taught the same.

"With privilege, comes responsibility. I hope you and your brother will be compassionate to others, especially those who have so little."

Ruediger might be young, but he held his mother’s words dear to his heart.

Then, they spent the afternoon socializing with some of the villagers while having delicious potato soup and freshly baked bread. Ruediger had fun playing with the children while Luna and her team talked to the adults.

In a few hours, the sky began to darken as the sun dipped behind the mountains. A few members of the team began to pack up, preparing to head back.

But the carefree Luna had other plans.

"There’s a forest nearby, Eddy," Luna said to Ruediger, still smiling widely despite the biting cold, "In winter, it’s like a scene from a fairytale."

"Really?" Ruediger’s eyes widened with curiosity, "Mom, can we go?"

"Just us," Luna winked, "Wait in the van." freewёbnoνel.com

Ruediger followed as instructed. He saw his mother talking to the foundation’s members. Then, she returned alone without the one who drove the van before.

"Let’s go," Luna sat behind the wheel, latching the seatbelt, "We’ll part ways with them here. We haven’t gone on a drive just us two in a long time, right?"

"Yay!"

Luna set off down a narrow, snow-covered road. She had memorized the way to the forest. The road wound through hills and woods, flanked by snow-laden trees.

The music from the radio played softly, echoing gently in the stillness. The tiers crunched over the thick snow as the world outside was an untouched blanket of white.

"Eddy, there," Luna chirped, pointing ahead, "Do you see that?"

Intrigued, Ruediger’s gaze followed where his mother gestured. The forest came into view through a clearing.

Tall, towering trees reached toward the sky, their skeletal branches spreading far above the ground. The snow wrapped around their barks as a faint mist curled along the ground.

"Mom, it’s beautiful," Ruediger whispered, "We need to take photos! I wanna show them to Dad and Vinnie!"

"Hehe, we can."

Luna pulled over at a clearing and turned off the engine. Pushing the door open, she and Ruediger stepped out.

The mother and son began taking photos, having fun after a tiring afternoon. Then, they sat in silence for a long minute, watching the flakes drift down and the branches coated in silver.

Leaning against his mother, Ruediger felt the warmth of her embrace. He tilted his chin up, grinning widely.

"Mom, I wanna be like you someday. Help people."

Luna smiled. She gently brushed his son’s crimson strands from his face, "You already are, my dear. You have a kind heart and I am so proud of you."

"I love you, Mom."

"Hehe, I love you too, my dear son."

Ruediger’s grin widened. He hugged his mother, earning soft laughter from her. He chuckled when she stroked his head.

"Time to go back, Eddy," Luna squeezed her son’s shoulder. Looking up, she looked at the sky where snow began falling again, "Hopefully, the snowfall won’t be heavy."

Nodding, Ruediger followed Luna back to the van. He continued looking outside when his mother drove down the road, returning to where they came from.

Unfortunately, fate was cruel to them that day.

The beautiful image of the snow-laden landscape was tarnished by the shriek of horror, metals crashing, tires skidding and red blood pooling on the road.

Without any of them foresaw it, a truck appeared out of nowhere and rammed into their van.