Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 116

Sebastian paused. When it came to chess, he was no match for his father.

Perhaps it was because his mind was elsewhere. His father had dedicated years to the game and played with practiced ease.

He, on the other hand, had little time or mental energy to spare for it, which was why he was already losing badly so early in the game.

His father’s steady gaze gave him no room to think.

He placed another piece and answered, “Perhaps. It seems that all these years, I’ve never truly understood her.”

Old Mr. Blake sighed. “Your chess game is as terrible as ever.”

With that, he tossed his pieces back into the box and stood up, having no intention of continuing the game.

Sebastian looked at the board, thought for a moment, and understood why his father had stopped playing.

For a master like his father, playing with him was utterly pointless, probably like playing with a child.

Sebastian sorted the pieces back into their boxes and followed his father.

“Dad, why do you and Mom both want Lillian to come back?”

“And you?” Old Mr. Blake countered. “Do you want Lillian to come back, or would you rather have that Miss Ward move in? It seems Noah is fond of her. What are your thoughts?”

“Noah needs a mother,” Sebastian stated.

Without Lillian, how could he have a second child to save Noah?

Noah’s life was under constant threat from his illness. Sebastian didn’t want to delay any longer; he just wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

The old man looked at Sebastian, feeling that his son's thinking was as hopeless as his chess game.

“Sebastian, the Blake family’s hundred-year legacy really shouldn’t be destroyed in your hands.”

“Dad, what do you mean by that?”

Old Mr. Blake gave him a deep look but said nothing more.

Sebastian followed him, prompting his father to finally issue an ultimatum. “Sebastian, I’m giving you one month. If Lillian doesn’t come back, your mother and I are moving abroad.”

The words sounded simple enough, but paired with his earlier comment about the family legacy, Sebastian knew it was a threat.

Was his father implying that if he didn't bring Lillian back, he would go abroad to find or groom a new heir?

Sebastian had to avoid anything that threatened his position.

“Dad, don’t worry. Give me a month, and I will definitely bring Lillian back.”

It was just bringing someone back. With such a long deadline, he was sure he could do it.

Old Mr. Blake glanced at him but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lillian continued her routine of work and home. After returning to Halfridge Villas, she would first check on her grandmother and mother, then have dinner with Leonard.

After dinner, she would often accompany her mother for a walk in the back garden.

He would blush for no reason, then inexplicably avoid her at times.

What was going on?

She had considered asking if he was feeling unwell, but as she approached his room, the door closed. Figuring he might genuinely be feeling ill, she decided not to disturb him.

There were plenty of doctors in the villa who would be monitoring Leonard’s condition constantly. She didn’t need to worry.

Leonard was indeed feeling unwell.

Whenever he was around Lillian, his mind would invariably drift.

At dinner, for instance, a glimpse of Lillian’s lips would suddenly transport him back to the previous night, to the feeling of her lips near his ear, her warm breath making him flustered.

In those moments, a sudden heat would rush through him, his blood would boil, and his face would turn red.

When that happened, all he wanted to do was hide.

In his life of chronic illness, he had never experienced such a feeling before, and he was far less adept at handling it than he was at navigating the business world.

Moreover, he was afraid. Lillian was an experienced woman; what if she noticed something and it affected their current relationship? That would be a disaster.

Once Lillian started her computer, she was quickly absorbed in her work, all other thoughts pushed aside.

After finishing her work, she went to bed as usual.

But when she woke up the next morning, she could never have dreamed that an earthquake had just rocked the tech world.