My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 235: Not Important

"Mommy, can I have more jam?" Maya’s voice was muffled, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk as he tried to speak around her food.

Katherine, standing at the stove with a spatula still in her hand, laughed softly and shook her head. "Swallow first, Maya. You’ll choke like that."

Maya made a show of gulping down the bread, thumping her chest once in exaggeration before beaming at her mother. "Done! More jam, please!"

Nathan, already neater than his twin, dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin and added quietly, "Me too, Mom."

Katherine moved to the counter, her every motion precise but with that faint tiredness clinging to her bones. She scooped fresh strawberry jam onto both of their plates, smoothing it over the bread slices. The twins’ bright eyes followed her every move, so full of trust and expectation that it made her chest ache in ways she didn’t want to think too deeply about.

As she set the plates back in front of them, Maya tilted her head. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked, brushing his hair out of her face.

"Why didn’t Uncle Leonard come again?"

The words hung in the air like an unwelcome echo. Katherine stilled, her hand hovering just a second too long above Maya’s head before she forced a smile.

"Uncle Leonard must be busy," she said lightly, her tone careful, as if choosing each word one by one. "He has work, remember?"

"But he promised," Maya murmured, her small brows knitting together.

Felix, who had been leaning casually against the counter watching the exchange, finally pushed off it.

"You don’t need to worry about Leonard anymore," he said, adjusting the cuff of his shirt as if it were an afterthought. His eyes, however, flicked toward Katherine, catching the subtle shift in her face. "Just focus on us."

The twins looked between them, too young to understand the weight in his tone. Katherine blinked, lips parting slightly as though to argue, but no words came out. There was a quiet certainty in Felix’s voice, one that carried more than just reassurance, it was a line drawn, an unspoken promise that didn’t need elaboration.

Before she could say anything else, Maya pushed her empty plate away and hopped off the chair. "Mommy, braid, please!"

Katherine opened her mouth to respond, but Maya had already skipped toward Felix, holding out the hair tie with both tiny hands. "Uncle Felix, can you do it?"

Felix froze, staring down at the little girl with visible hesitation. "Me?"

Maya nodded enthusiastically, climbing onto the sofa with a bounce. "Yes, you!"

Katherine couldn’t help it as she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Maya, sweetheart, Uncle Felix doesn’t know how to do braids."

Felix arched a brow at Katherine, then crouched down in front of Maya, taking the hair tie like it was a foreign object. "I’m a businessman, not a hairstylist but I’ll still do it," he said dryly, his voice layered with mock seriousness.

Katherine leaned against the table, her laughter spilling into the room. She watched as Felix, clearly out of his depth, clumsily gathered Maya’s hair, his large hands awkward against the fine strands. He fumbled, lost his grip twice, and when he finally managed to twist the hair tie into place, the braid was lopsided and loose, strands sticking out at odd angles.

"There," he announced, straightening up with exaggerated pride. "Perfect."

Maya turned her head to the side, reaching up to touch the braid before pouting slightly. "It’s... funny."

Katherine couldn’t resist. She stepped closer, tilting her head at the uneven braid, and smirked. "Hmm. Well, I suppose it’s a start. With a little more practice, maybe you’ll get promoted to hairstylist."

Felix gave her a long look, dry amusement sparking in his dark eyes. "Promoted, hm? Should I add that to my résumé?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Stick to business, Felix. The hairstyling industry might not survive you."

The twins dissolved into more laughter, and for a fleeting moment, everything felt easy. Natural. Katherine found herself smiling without thought, her gaze catching Felix’s as he brushed imaginary dust off his sleeve. There was warmth in his expression, subtle but undeniable, and she felt her chest tighten at the way it reached his eyes..

A short while later, with jackets on and bags slung over their shoulders, they prepared to leave. Katherine held Nathan’s small hand as they walked down the quiet hallway, Felix carrying Maya with ease.

The corridor was still. Each step echoed faintly against the walls until they looked at Leonard’s apartment door.

It stood closed, silent, its dark wood oddly heavy, as if it carried its own gravity.

Nathan tugged at Katherine’s hand, looking up curiously. "Mommy... is Uncle Leonard inside?"

Katherine’s gaze lingered on the door. Something in her chest tightened again, a small crease forming between her brows. She swallowed, shifting her weight, the silence pressing harder than it should have. "I don’t know, sweetheart."

For a moment, she thought she heard something, footsteps, a faint stirring from within. Her heart jumped, but when she held her breath to listen, the stillness remained unbroken. Just silence.

"Kath?"

Felix’s voice pulled her back. She turned slightly to see him watching her, his head tilted, eyes narrowing with quiet scrutiny. His tone was soft but grounding, a gentle tether that pulled her away from the door. "We’ll be late if we don’t get going."

Katherine blinked, realizing how long she’d been staring. She forced a smile, though it felt thin around the edges. Her hand tightened around Nathan’s, as if anchoring herself.

"You’re right," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. She glanced once more at the door, then deliberately turned her back on it. "Let’s go."

The hallway stretched forward, brightened by the sun streaming through the far window. Katherine focused on that light, on the warmth of the little hand in hers and the sound of Maya giggling softly against Felix’s shoulder.

She told herself firmly, almost like a mantra, Let’s not think about something not important.