Chapter 632 Caring And Doting
Nicole thought Allie had come to see her, and she felt a surge of joy in her heart the moment she saw Allie.
She opened the door and warmly welcomed Allie inside. “What has brought you here, Mrs. Moore?”
Allie used to have a favorable impression of Nicole. After all, Nicole was a sweet talker and always brought various luxury goods for Allie when she visited her. However, since the scandal of Nicole allegedly seducing Felix broke, Allie had distanced herself from Nicole and even found her repulsive.
After such a scandal, Allie believed that Nicole was no longer worthy of her son.
Facing Nicole's excessive enthusiasm, Allie stepped inside and put on a fake smile. “Nicole, where's your mom? Is she at home?”
Nicole answered truthfully, “My mom hurt her neck and is resting in the room. What brings you here, Mrs. Moore?”
She knew that Allie and her mother didn't have a good relationship and hadn't been in contact for many years. Why is she looking for Mom at this time?
If Allie had come to visit her mother, she should have brought something, but she appeared to be empty-handed.
It was Allie's first time visiting the Lambert residence, and she couldn't help but look around the place.
The Lambert residence's interior was luxurious but not ostentatious.
The house was filled with exquisite crystal chandeliers, Western Epea-style carpet from the eighteenth century, delicate sculptures, and romantic flower arrangements; even the white piano in the corner seemed to be of great value.
The decorations showed a clear sense of Claire's taste.
There were several ancient ink landscape paintings and portraits of women on the walls, and Allie could tell they were Claire's creations just by looking at the familiar brushwork.
Shortly afterward, Allie pursed her lips and withdrew her scrutinizing gaze.
Claire really enjoyed putting on a sophisticated persona and acting cultured.
Allie believed that women should only concentrate on beauty and skincare. Writing and painting were insignificant in comparison.
Allie's inner thoughts were unknown to Nicole. She personally fetched a pair of brand-new slippers for Allie and handed them to her, saying, “Mrs. Moore, these slippers were just purchased by the housekeeper. Please put them on.”
The offer interrupted Allie's train of thought.
Allie recalled Nicole's earlier mention of Claire's neck injury. She stopped putting on the slippers and looked up at Nicole, asking, “What happened to your mother? How did she get hurt?”
Nicole briefly recounted the scene at the fashion expo to Allie.
Allie's eyes flashed with a mix of emotions as she clicked her tongue, possibly gloating at Claire's misfortunes.
After putting on the slippers, Allie followed Nicole to Claire's bedroom on the second floor.
Nicole lightly knocked on the door and politely asked, “Dad, Mrs. Moore is here to visit Mom. Can we come in now?”
“Come in,” William said calmly and firmly from inside the room.
Hearing that familiar yet foreign voice caused Allie's heartbeat to briefly quicken.
The door opened, revealing William's stern and imposing face.
Allie's heart began to beat faster the moment she saw William.
Despite the unrelenting march of time, the man, who was almost fifty, maintained a handsome appearance and radiated a dignified aura. His thin, tightly pressed lips and deep eyes added to his commanding and imposing presence. He was the man that all women, including her, admired when she was younger.
Time seemed to have left no trace on William's face or body.
If there was a change, it was that he got even more charming after years in politics.
William only nodded slightly at Allie, without saying much, and returned to Claire's side.
It was Claire who reacted first to Allie's presence and called her out, sounding quite surprised. “Allie, why are you here?”
Jealousy flared in Allie's heart as she witnessed William caringly and dotingly holding Claire's hand and thought back to how coldly Bruce had treated her.
She took a deep breath and moved slowly to the edge of Claire's bed. She pretended to be concerned when she saw the bandage wrapped around Claire's neck and said, “I heard about your neck injury, so I came to visit you. Claire, how could you be so careless and hurt yourself while shopping? You should bring bodyguards with you when you go out in the future.”
Claire was momentarily stunned. She hardly ever heard Allie speak in such a tone after having severed ties with her for so many years. She appeared to have traveled back in time to when Allie used to follow her around and give her advice like that when they were younger.
She looked at Allie and replied, “I'm fine. It's just a minor external injury, nothing serious.”
Remembering her reason for visiting that day, Allie clenched the bag she was carrying.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she made up her mind and piped up, “Claire, I came here today to talk to you privately about something. Mr. Lambert, could you please give us some time alone? It will not take long.”
William glanced at Allie, and a hint of surprise flickered across his eyes. However, when he saw Claire nodding at him, he regained his composure and uttered gently, “I will be in the living room downstairs. If you need anything, just call me.”
“Okay.” Claire nodded.
Meanwhile, Nicole felt uneasy for some reason. She had a bad feeling about Allie's visit.
She was about to say she wanted to stay with her mother when Claire said, “Nicole, go downstairs with your father first. I purchased some coffee beans and stored them in the study's cabinet. Please help your father make coffee.”
“All right, Mom.” Although she was unwilling, Nicole still obeyed her mother's orders and reluctantly left.
In the bedroom, only Claire and Allie remained.
When Claire noticed Allie hesitating to speak, she went straight to the point. “Allie, I do not think you came here just to visit me. Considering our current relationship, you would not bother doing it. Am I right?”
Even though Claire appeared frail and pale, her kind and perceptive eyes were fixed directly on Allie, giving the latter the impression that she was being seen through.
Allie didn't beat around the bush and said bluntly, “You're right. You are well aware of how tense things are between us. To be honest, I would rather go shopping or to a spa with some friends than visit you. Claire, did you ask your husband to meddle in my son's business and cause his company's projects to be delayed, leading to a broken funding chain?”
Claire made no denials. “Yes. Will and I did it.”
Allie snorted and sat on the chair by Claire's window, probing cunningly. “What if I tell you where your biological daughter is? Can you ask Mr. Lambert to stop?”
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