Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 114

Inside the Rolls-Royce.

Noah sat fidgeting, his small hands unsure of where to rest.

Sebastian had been staring out the window, but when he turned back, he seemed to notice his son's unease.

“Noah, when you were born, Mommy had a very difficult birth. She went through a lot of pain to bring you safely into this world.”

“Daddy, I’m sorry,” Noah mumbled. “I didn’t mean to be scared of Mommy, but... she was in prison.”

Sebastian didn't seem to blame his son too harshly.

“Noah, that was an accident. Mommy is not a murderer. As for her being in prison, you’ll understand when you’re older that your mother was actually innocent. You need to be understanding, okay?”

Noah looked confused. All he knew was that his mother had, in fact, been in prison.

Besides, Auntie Bella had told him that Mommy almost killed their grandmother, and she still hadn't woken up.

Mommy was so scary. What if...

Seeing Noah’s silence, Sebastian tried again. “Don’t you remember how much Mommy used to love you?”

Noah lowered his head. “I remember, but Mommy hasn’t read me a story in two years. I like Auntie Bella more.”

In front of Bella, Noah would bravely declare that he wanted his dad to be with her.

But in front of Sebastian, he didn’t dare say it so directly.

He was afraid his dad would get angry.

Sebastian didn’t say anything more. He told the driver to head to the preschool; it was time to drop his son off.

Emma hadn’t seen Sebastian in person for several years, and it was the first time she had ever seen Lillian and Sebastian’s son, Noah.

Even from a distance, she had seen it all clearly.

The sense of detachment between Lillian and Sebastian was palpable; they were like strangers.

The child was stunningly beautiful. Anyone could see he was destined to be a handsome man.

He was a perfect blend of Sebastian and Lillian’s good looks, blessed with exceptional features.

But Emma had also noticed that the child wasn’t close to Lillian.

When Lillian had reached out to touch him, he had flinched away.

As they rode the elevator up, Emma couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Mercer, you and Mr. Blake, and your son...”

Before she could finish, Lillian cut her off. “Sebastian and I are getting a divorce. I’m leaving with nothing, and he’s getting full custody of our son.”

Emma was utterly shocked. “Ms. Mercer, how can you not take anything? You were with Mr. Blake from the very beginning, helping him start his company. You brought in the investments, the resources—everything!

It’s no exaggeration to say that without you, there would be no Mr. Blake today.

The company would never have been so successful.

You put in eighty percent of the money and effort. Why would you walk away with nothing?

That’s just handing it all over to...”

As for who Noah wanted as a mother, that was his business and had nothing to do with her.

Today, she had to set aside time to personally interview candidates, which was already a luxury for her.

After a full morning of interviews, Lillian had selected three candidates.

But for her project, she was still far from having enough manpower.

At the very least, the skills of these three were nowhere near enough.

Seeing Lillian’s worried expression, Ethan suggested, “Ms. Mercer, perhaps I could increase the salary offer and use a headhunter to poach some experienced, well-known programmers?”

Lillian rubbed her temples. The doctored drink from last night must still be affecting her a little.

She shook her head. “No, don’t bother. I’ll recruit the people we need myself. Three people to handle the basic tasks is enough for now. Even if you use a headhunter, anyone with an existing contract will have a non-compete agreement. They might not be willing to come over.

Mid- and lower-level employees are easy to find, but top-tier talent is a different story.”

Ethan, being familiar with the recruitment process, couldn't hide his concern when Lillian said she would handle it herself.

Could Lillian really find people? Top-tier programmers, at that?

Skeptical, Ethan mentioned it to Nathan and Leonard.

To his surprise, they both told him not to interfere and to just let Lillian do as she pleased.

Ethan scratched his head. Did Ms. Mercer have some special connections he didn't know about?