"Godmother!"

Robin slipped out of Fleur’s arms and trotted over to Elise.

She reached out and patted his head. "Godmother is going to have breakfast first. Why don’t you keep your mother company for a bit?"

"Okay!" Robin said, looking up at Elise with his chin tilted. "Go ahead and eat, Godmother. But Mommy brought you a matcha cake, too—she made it herself!"

Elise gave him a gentle smile. "Is that so? Then could you do me a favor and say thank you to your mother for me?"

Hearing this, Robin’s anxiety instantly melted away. The fact that his godmother was willing to thank his mother meant she truly welcomed her this time! With that thought, Robin spun around and ran over to Fleur.

"Mommy, see? I told you Godmother is really nice! Now that she knows you’ve improved, she isn’t mad at you anymore!"

"Yes, your godmother is very kind," Fleur said, stroking Robin’s hair. She then looked at Elise, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Elise."

Elise studied Fleur closely. It had been a little over a week since they last met, and Fleur indeed seemed much more stable than before. As long as Fleur didn’t stir up trouble, Elise was more than willing to maintain this surface harmony for Robin’s sake.

"It’s all for Robin’s sake. As long as he’s happy," Elise said, looking at Fleur. After a brief pause, she added, "Please, make yourselves at home. I’ll go have some breakfast."

Fleur nodded. "Of course, go ahead. Robin and I are in no rush."

Elise gave a faint nod and turned to walk toward the dining room.

Just as she sat down at the dining table, Mrs. Lander immediately brought over a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of her.

"This porridge was made with the berries Miss Rina bought for you, Mrs. Bennett," the housekeeper whispered, glancing over at the living room. "Miss Bonnaire, too, brought some food additions, but... I noticed the packaging isn’t great. Not that they’re fake, but they certainly can’t compare to what your sister sent."

"Thank you. You can deal with Fleur’s as you see fit, Mrs. Lander. There’s so much of it, I won’t be able to finish it anyway. If you don’t mind, you can keep it for yourself."

"Oh, I couldn’t! That was a gift to you from the eldest mistress. How could I take it?"

"I can’t finish it all anyway," Elise said after taking a scoop of porridge. "It has an expiration date, and it would be a waste if it goes bad. You might as well have it."

"But this..."

"Just take it quietly, don’t let Fleur know."

Mrs. Lander hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then I’ll accept it. Thank you, Madam! What else would you like for breakfast? I’ll go make it right now."

"Whatever you think is fine."

"You got it!" Mrs. Lander turned and walked into the kitchen.

Elise quietly finished her breakfast alone. Before long, the sound of a car arrived from outside. It was likely Dylan returning.

This past week, Dylan rarely came back during the day. Yet, from Robin’s little chatterbox of a mouth, Elise knew that Dylan hadn’t spent all his daytime hours at the office over the past week; at the very least, whenever Robin was at the Orchard Villa, Dylan was usually there too.

However, Elise didn’t care about any of this. With both the adult and the child staying over at the Orchard Villa, she could finally enjoy some peace and quiet.

"Daddy!" Robin’s bright, childish voice snapped Elise out of her thoughts.

Fleur, too, perked up and asked in a gentle voice, "Dylan, why are you back so early today?"

"Things are quiet at the office. Knowing that you were visiting today, I thought I’d come back to see how things are going."

"Oh, you worry too much. Elise is actually a wonderful person. It’s clearly your own blunt way of speaking that always upsets her, yet you always blame it on her bad temper."

"Daddy, Mommy made a matcha cake for Godmother! When Godmother came downstairs just now, she even talked to Mommy. I saw her smile! She really isn’t mad anymore."

"Is that so?" Dylan’s voice was deep, his tone softer than usual. "That’s all thanks to Robin."

Listening to the harmonious chatter of the three in the living room, Elise sat perfectly still. Mrs. Lander couldn’t help but look at her with a mix of heartache and helplessness.

In the end, Elise stood up, intending to go for a walk outside, but as she turned around, she found Fleur standing there.

"Elise," Fleur said, holding the cake box and explaining with a smile. "This is made with dairy cream, so it’ll melt if left out. I thought it would be best to put it in the fridge."

Elise glanced at the cake in Fleur’s hands. It was a six-inch cake, quite elegantly decorated. Without overcomplicating things, Elise simply said, "Mrs. Lander is in the kitchen. You can just take it to her."

Fleur simply nodded. "Alright."

Elise walked past her and headed straight for the back garden. Stopping at the kitchen entrance, Fleur turned around to watch Elise’s departing figure, her expression stiffening.

. . .

It was a bright, sunny day. Elise walked slowly through the back garden, soaking in the warmth of the sun. As she strolled, she opened a work email from Sandra Winston.

The company was currently run by professional managers. As the chairwoman, Elise only needed to step in for major decisions and high-level meetings. Sandra, now the assistant to the president, essentially served as Elise’s eyes and ears. Though she rarely visited the office lately, she remained fully aware of everything happening within the company. When necessary, she would personally attend crucial overseas conferences.

Financially, Elise had always been entirely independent. Whether she chose to leave or stay, she had never relied on Dylan for financial support. Even if she were to raise a child entirely on her own, she wouldn’t need to scheme, build a fake persona, or depend on a man just to survive.

"Elise." Fleur’s voice called out from behind her.

Elise paused, tapped out the final letter on her screen, and hit send. Locking her phone, she turned around. Fleur was holding a platter filled with freshly washed strawberries and cherries.

"Mrs. Lander just washed these. Would you like some?"

"Thank you," Elise replied, her tone polite but distant. "But I’ve just eaten and can’t manage anything else right now. Why don’t you take them inside and share them with Robin?"

"I see..." Fleur looked at Elise, a trace of hesitation in her expression. "Elise, I was actually looking for an opportunity to talk to you in private."

Elise looked back at her calmly. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Fleur bit her lip slightly before speaking. "I know you only agreed to let me visit for Robin’s sake. And I know a lot of the things I did before were wrong. But since Miss Martin started helping me, I’ve learned a lot and come to understand many things. That’s why I’ve been thinking over the last couple of days... we are family, after all, and I should offer you a formal apology."