CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 92: AUSTIN WHITE DROWNS HIS SORROWS

Irene Rowe smiled and greeted him before getting into the car.

"What happened to your face? Got into a fight with someone? Who hit you so hard?" Once in the car, Irene finally noticed the bruise at the corner of Austin White’s mouth and furrowed her brows with worry.

She leaned in a bit closer, took a wet wipe from her bag, and raised her hand to help him wipe away the dried bloodstain nearby.

Irene carried a light perfume scent, and as she suddenly approached, the fragrance filled Austin’s nostrils, quickening his heartbeat. He instinctively shrank back: "It’s nothing, let’s talk about it later."

"I can’t tell; are you shy?" Irene noticed Austin’s discomfort and couldn’t help but lift the corners of her lips.

Just as Austin breathed a sigh of relief, in the next second, Irene roughly pinched his jaw, making him unable to retreat.

Irene’s beautiful face drew closer, enlarging before Austin’s eyes. Unlike Seraphina Sinclair’s delicate and clean appearance, Irene’s features were more striking, carrying a bold allure.

For a moment, Austin could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat and instinctively held his breath.

Irene gently wiped the bloodstain from his mouth, carelessly tossed the tissue aside, clapped her hands, and chuckled lightly: "Such a kid, full of bravado when asking me out, now looking all guilty. Let’s hurry up and go."

"Oh..." Austin was dumbfounded for a long time before he snapped back to reality and started taking deep breaths, feeling as if he almost suffocated himself.

He couldn’t help but feel frustrated. He had met plenty of girls on the island, so why did he become so flustered around Irene, like a child?

They reached home quickly, and after a few drinks, Austin couldn’t help but start complaining.

"Irene, I really don’t understand how my godmother could have such poor taste! Out of all the options, she picked such a downer!"

Once he picked up the wine glass, Austin seemed to return to the past, and the complaints about Desmond Fairchild flowed freely.

From the first time he met Desmond, Austin sensed the scrutiny in the man’s eyes. He knew the man never liked him from start to finish.

Yet, despite this, Austin tried his best to maintain a good relationship with Desmond because he didn’t want Seraphina Sinclair to be put in an awkward position in the middle.

Who knew Desmond couldn’t even take good care of Seraphina, still speaking coldly to him. What right did he have?

After all, the time Seraphina spent with him greatly exceeded that of the sudden appearance of this outsider, Desmond!

Looking at Austin whining while holding a wine glass, Irene’s eyes involuntarily softened, and a smile tugged at her lips.

Having spent many years in the business world, she was used to scheming and deceit, everyone wearing their guard up. Encountering a straightforward, unreserved guy like Austin was rare for Irene. That’s why, when dealing with Austin, she inexplicably lowered her guard and became tender.

"Alright, Seraphina has her own choices, you little kid, stop meddling."

Though Austin’s demeanor was quite endearing, Irene still felt that it was Seraphina’s own choice. Though they were colleagues on the surface, their personal relationship was also pretty good, so she naturally knew the significance of Desmond to Seraphina.

Besides, the Seraphina she knew always had her own ideas; she believed she had her own thoughts when choosing a partner.

"Hmph! Sooner or later, I’ll break them up..."

Due to drinking too much, Austin even started to stutter while talking.

"Do you have a crush on your godmother?" Irene teased, but before Austin could answer, he had already collapsed onto the table, knocking his forehead with a crisp sound.

"Austin? Are you alright?"

Irene hadn’t expected Austin to drink so much and hurried forward to call his name.

Unfortunately, by now, Austin was dead drunk, and nothing Irene said could get through.

This presented a bit of a dilemma for Irene, being alone in the room with an unconscious man, even if nothing happened, felt a bit awkward.

But seeing Austin like this, how could she bear to kick him out?

Oh well, he’s just a kid. After some inner conflict, Irene finally decided to drag Austin to the sofa, so he could sleep more comfortably.

Looking at his face flushed from drinking, Irene couldn’t help but smile a bit as she muttered:

"It’s strange; just the other day, you claimed to be grown, and today you’re back to being a child."

Meanwhile, after briefly waking, Seraphina Sinclair fell into another two-day sleep.

During this time, Seraphina was constantly talking in her sleep, with beads of sweat dotting her forehead.

Jude Sinclair felt pity for his mom, staying by Seraphina’s side day and night, no matter how Desmond Fairchild called, he wouldn’t budge.

Seeing the little guy’s exhausted figure, Desmond was heartbroken.

"Jude, Daddy will stay here with Mommy; you go get some sleep." Desmond, feeling rare tenderness towards his child.

In truth, he felt guilty toward Jude. Whenever he recalled the conversation at the Fairchild Family’s old residence, Desmond felt he’d let his son down.

"No, I’ll sleep in Mommy’s room from now on. I’ll only go back when she’s awake."

Jude’s tone was still a bit cold. His mom had taught him since childhood to be a little man with responsibility, making Julian Sinclair always dependable, feeling the need to protect his mom.

As a result, he felt very disappointed in Desmond.

During the time spent abroad with his mom, Jude often saw her weak mentally, needing regular medication. It took a long time of recovery before she finally improved somewhat.

Who would have thought that Seraphina would fall ill again, and at the side of someone she trusted most, her dad, just thinking about it pained Jude.

"No... quickly put out the fire!"

Suddenly, Seraphina spoke again in bed, making both Jude and Desmond’s hearts leap into their throats.

Then, Seraphina suddenly opened her eyes, staring intently at the ceiling.

Sweat from her forehead slid down her temples, soaking half of her hair.

After a good while, she slowly regained her senses, lowered her head, and gradually realized where she was.

Ever since being kidnapped last time, she had been muddled, dreaming repeatedly of events five years ago.

If it weren’t for Jude calling out "Mom" repeatedly, Seraphina might still be trapped in her nightmares.

After calming down, Seraphina turned on her side, gazing gently at the small figure of Jude at the foot of her bed.

"Jude, Mommy is alright, don’t worry."

Hearing Seraphina speak like this, Desmond knew she had awakened and finally released the breath he’d been holding.

Jude, hearing his mom’s words, broke down crying, clutching Seraphina’s hand tightly: "Mommy, don’t scare me like that again; Jude was really worried about you!"

Even though he’s strong, at the end of the day, he’s just a kid. When faced with certain blows, he couldn’t help but reveal a vulnerable side.

Seraphina felt sorry for him, constantly running her hands through Jude’s hair, trying to calm him down in this way.

"By the way, where’s Austin? Why didn’t he come over?"

After calming down, Seraphina naturally remembered other things. She glanced around, realizing only Desmond and Jude were there, Austin was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn’t help but worry.

If Austin hadn’t been there that night, Seraphina had no idea how things would have ended for her.

When those seven or eight burly men appeared, Seraphina was as frightened as when she was locked in the mental hospital five years ago.

If Austin got hurt saving her, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself for the rest of her life.

Seeing Seraphina ask about Austin, Desmond’s brow slightly furrowed.

Since arguing with Austin that night, Desmond’s focus had been entirely on Seraphina, not having time to care about Austin’s whereabouts.

However, one thing was certain, Austin seemed never to have returned after leaving that night.

"Desmond, I’m asking you, where did Austin go?"

Seeing Desmond’s complex expression, Seraphina couldn’t help feeling a bad premonition and got anxious.

Being called, Desmond snapped back to attention.

Soon, he regained his composure and calmly replied, "Austin went out, he’s not home right now."

"Went out? I remember he was injured that day too. Why didn’t he stay home to recover?"