My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 214: Here & There

The evening felt warmer than the thermostat claimed, the kind of gentle, settling warmth that came not from the air but from the weight of routine and familiarity. Through the half-open window, Katherine could hear it all, and it mingled with the livelier sounds inside her apartment.

Dinner had been simple tonight, grilled chicken, a fresh salad, and a small bowl of fruit for dessert, but the mood at the table had been unexpectedly light. Felix had shown up unannounced, though "unannounced" felt inaccurate. Katherine had known he would come eventually.

Now, they all sat at the dining table still, plates pushed aside, the remnants of the meal between them. Nathan was tracing invisible patterns on the wood with his finger, his brow furrowed in deep concentration over some thought, while Maya leaned back in her chair, spinning slightly side to side. Felix had angled himself so he could rest one arm on the back of his chair, posture relaxed, but Katherine could see the way his attention was fully on the twins, softened in a way it rarely was in the boardroom or in business.

Her gaze drifted to Leonard. Seemed like he didn’t have much to say. Or maybe he was choosing not to for now.

"Hey," Katherine began, breaking a comfortable lull in the conversation. She leaned an elbow on the table, her voice casual. "Didn’t you two have that family tree homework you were telling me about earlier? Why don’t we get started on it before it gets too late?"

Maya groaned immediately, letting her head loll dramatically to one side. "Mommy, it’s not due until next week," she said, waving her small hand dismissively like a miniature aristocrat. "We can finish it later."

Nathan glanced up from his invisible drawings. "Yeah," he agreed quickly, "We have time. And I need to ask Uncle Felix something first."

Katherine gave them both a look, part warning, part indulgence. "Mm-hm. And I know exactly how ’later’ turns into ’last minute panic.’"

Felix chuckled under his breath. "I see they inherited your negotiating skills."

"Don’t encourage them," she replied, though there was no real bite in her tone.

Nathan, oblivious to their exchange, leaned forward, his eyes bright with curiosity. "What’s Singapore like?"

Felix’s attention shifted fully to the boy, his expression softening in a way Katherine always noticed, even if she pretended not to. "It’s... very different from here. Small, but clean and tidy. Oh, and hot, way much hotter than here."

"How hot?" Maya asked, interest piqued now that her brother was leading the conversation.

"Hot enough that you’ll want ice cream every day," Felix answered, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "And there are gardens that feel like something out of a movie. Marina Bay has this skyline, tall, glass buildings reflecting the sunlight so bright it almost blinds you. At night, everything glows. Lights everywhere."

Maya gasped softly. "Like Christmas lights?"

Felix nodded. "Bigger. Brighter. And not just once a year."

"That’s so cool," Nathan murmured, his eyes far away as though already picturing it.

Katherine listened quietly, one hand curled loosely around her water glass. His voice was smooth, even soothing, and it struck her how easily he seemed to hold the twins’ attention, how naturally he became part of the picture at this table.

Maya tilted her head, studying him with the curiosity only a child could get away with. "So... are you really getting engaged?" she changed the topic suddenly.

Katherine’s hand paused halfway to her mouth. She blinked, glancing between them.

Felix froze for only the briefest moment, just a fraction of a second where something flickered across his expression. Then he smiled, leaning back in his chair as though unfazed. "Where did you hear that?"

Nathan frowned, tilting his head. "TV. Is the lady the one who came to your office that day?"

Katherine felt her stomach tighten. She remembered that day vividly, the way the twins had been in Felix’s office, the tension in the air when that woman appeared.

Felix’s gaze flicked briefly to her before returning to the twins. "Ah. So that’s the source." His tone was almost amused, but his jaw flexed subtly, a tiny movement most people might miss. "No. It’s nothing but gossip. People make up stories when they don’t have enough to do. It’s not worth thinking about." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"But-" Maya started, her brows knitting.

He cut her off gently, his voice steady but with an edge of finality. "Really. Don’t let it take up space in your head. There’s no truth to it."

The twins exchanged a look, as though weighing whether to press further. Then Nathan shrugged, apparently satisfied. Maya seemed less convinced, but she let it drop, reaching for a leftover grape instead.

Katherine kept her gaze on her plate, though she wasn’t seeing it. She’d caught that flicker in his eyes, the faint clench of his jaw. The way he’d dismissed the question was calm. He’d been careful not to let the topic carry weight, not for the twins’ sake.

She glanced at him then, and found his expression smoothed over entirely, listening to Nathan now babble about his school’s work. Still, the shadow of that moment lingered like the aftertaste of something bitter.

The rest of the evening slid back into lighter rhythms, Nathan telling a joke that made Maya laugh so hard she nearly fell off her chair, Felix recounting an exaggerated story about getting caught in the rain in Singapore, Katherine shaking her head at his dramatics. Yet, beneath the warmth and laughter, that one conversation sat quietly in the back of her mind, stubborn and heavy.

Out of habit, her gaze swept the table again, and caught on Leonard.

It struck her that he hadn’t added much to the conversation at all. Not out of disinterest, but in a way that seemed almost... content. He sat with an ease that was rare for him.

She wondered if it was intentional or if he was simply in a mood to listen.

Katherine looked away before her thoughts could wander further.