Haynes had nothing to say.


    He honestly couldn''t remember Ste ever mentioning anything about this to him. Or maybe,e to think of it, he''d rarely ever paid much attention to anything she said at all.


    For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Even the air felt thick, as if frozen in ce.


    Galen shot Jasper a vicious re, silently vowing that once they got home, he''d make Jasper pay dearly for this.


    Meanwhile, Deanna was already regretting her choices. If she''d known it was Mr. Burton who was bringing the medicine, there''s no way she would''ve let someone else go in her ce.


    If she had gone herself, she could be the one standing at Mr. Burton''s side right now!


    That thought made Deanna shoot Ste a covert, resentful look.


    That wretched woman must have known who Mr. Burton really was all along, and deliberately left her out!


    Watching how much attention Mr. Burton paid to Ste, Deanna realized that after tonight, Ste would undoubtedly be the darling of their social circle.


    And if Ste and Haynes weren''t already divorced, the O''Brien family would be reaping all the benefits.


    Who would have believed that this useless woman actually had some tricks up her sleeve?


    A pang of regret flickered in Deanna''s chest. But she was too proud to admit, even to herself, that she might have misjudged someone.


    She nudged Keen quietly. "Keen, didn''t you say you haven''t seen your mom in ages and you missed her?"


    "Now that she''s here, why don''t you go talk to her? There''s no such thing as a grudge between mother and son thatsts overnight, right?"


    If sucking up to Mr. Burton was what it took, Deanna could do that.


    But to fawn over someone she''d always looked down on-someone she''d


    dismissed and sneered at her pride simply wouldn''t allow it.


    Yet, she couldn''t bear to let this rare opportunity slip away, and Keen was her best bet at breaking the ice.


    Before Keen could move, though, a childish voice called out from nearby.


    "Ste! Mr. Burton!"


    A small figure dashed toward them.


    As soon as Mr. Burton saw who it was, his face lit up in delight. "Well, if it isn''t Marvin!"


    Marvin looked up at him eagerly. "Mr. Burton, how did I do with my violin today?"


    Mr. Burton patted Marvin''s head


    affectionately. "You yed beautifully. Much better thanst time at school-you''ve really improved."


    Deanna''s eyes nearly popped out of her head at the scene.


    She recognized Marvin-she knew Ste was helping take care of the boy. But


    why did Marvin and Mr. Burton seem so close?


    Was it because of Neville?


    Deanna didn''t want to believe that their friendship was all thanks to Ste.


    As she stewed over this, Neville himself—a tall, striking man-walked over, calm and self-assured.


    "Mr. Burton. Star," Neville greeted.


    Mr. Burton responded with a polite nod, but it wasn''t the warm, easy manner he used with Ste; with Neville, the exchange was more formal, almost distant.


    Seeing Neville, Ste''s eyes flickered with a trace of concern as she remembered the situation with


    Sherman. But now was clearly not


    the time to bring it up.


    With that, Mr. Burton seemed content to let the matter drop and started to walk


    away.


    Rachel, who had been holding her breath, finally began to rx.


    But just as Mr. Burton was passing by, he paused, as if suddenly remembering something.


    Rachel''s fingers curled nervously, her expression tightening.


    Mr. Burton nced at her. "Is your illness any better now, Ms. Pearce?"


    Rachel felt a chill run down her spine, palms damp with cold sweat.


    "Y-yes, much better. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Burton."


    Mr. Burton replied, "Don''t get me wrong-I''m not worried about you. I just don''t want my reputation ruined."