Crippled Luna's Farewell Half A Life Without My Alpha's Deadly Deception novel Chapter 170

Alex, who had been stirring his juice absentmindedly, perked up at the question.

“Yeah! Mom took me to the movies once, and we played in the park a few times.” He paused, his enthusiasm dimming slightly. “But she’s been really busy. Most of the time, she was working.”

Charles, sitting across the table, let out a quiet scoff. His expression remained neutral, but there was an unmistakable hint of disdain in his eyes.

Busy? What was Sarah so busy with? Chasing after men?

Charles had a very low image of Sarah. He thought of Linda as a higher and better person.

But every time the topic of Sarah came, he thought her to be a fake woman who is only behind men and chases status without a class.

He didn’t say it out loud, of course. He wasn’t foolish enough to talk like that in front of Alex. But the thought curled in his mind, distasteful and sharp.

Linda, who had been reading a book in silence, flicked her gaze toward Alex as he absentmindedly reached for the book’s cover, tilting his head curiously.

“This looks familiar,” he mused, tracing the embossed title with his small fingers. “I think my mom has this book too.”

At his words, Linda’s fingers, which had been lightly tapping against the pages, stilled.

Cole noticed the subtle shift in her expression.. just for a fraction of a second, a flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes before she smoothed it away with a practiced smile.

“Really?” Cole asked, his voice calm. “I didn’t know Sarah was interested in these kinds of books.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, she has one that looks just like this.”

Linda let out a quiet chuckle and leaned back in her chair. “Oh, then she must have the beginner’s edition.”

Cole’s gaze sharpened slightly at that remark.

Alex, blinking in confusion, looked between them. “Beginner’s edition?”

Linda flipped to a random page and tapped a passage with her perfectly manicured nail. “This is the advanced edition, Alex. It’s the kind of content that even graduate students struggle with. Most people start with something much simpler.”

She said it lightly, as if it were an obvious fact.

Alex frowned slightly. He was probably too little to understand it.. And he didn’t seem interested either..

But the less Cole said, the more Charles’s curiosity grew. He leaned back in his chair, swirling his glass in one hand, his sharp eyes glinting with interest.

Say,” he drawled, as if the thought had just casually occurred to him. “Coming back to the subject, how’s that ‘aunt’ of yours and Abby’s doing now?”

Cole stiffened.

It was subtle....just a small movement, a flicker in his expression....but it was enough. His grip on his fork tightened ever so slightly before he forced himself to relax. Still, he didn’t answer.

Flora felt her heart skip a beat.

She tugged at Linda’s sleeve under the table, her anxiety evident in her wide-eyed expression.

Earlier, Charles had spoken to her, as if trying to dissuade her, warning that Cole already had a favorite. She hadn’t believed it then. She had dismissed it as just another one of Charles’s games, another attempt to manipulate her.

But now…

Now, seeing the way Cole reacted....seeing the way he refused to acknowledge the question....Flora felt something cold creep into her chest.