Chapter 469

Marguerite swiftly clamped a hand over Teresa’s mouth, her voice laced with irritation as she scolded, “Don’t you ever talk like that!”

Teresa stiffened under Marguerite’s stern gaze, wide-eyed with shock.

Why is Mommy so fierce? She just didn’t want that bothersome Yuna hanging around the Winston Estate! What did she do wrong?

Feeling her temper flare, Teresa puffed out her cheeks in defiance.

Shaking off her mother’s hand, she huffed indignantly and stomped away, her little frame shaking and her small face clouded with displeasure…

Jocelyn sighed softly, glancing at Marguerite, “You were a bit harsh with her. Teresa’s so young;

sometimes she can’t tell what should or shouldn’t be said.”

“A child’s true nature shows early on, and now’s the time to set boundaries. If we don’t correct her mistakes promptly, she’ll grow up arrogant and overbearing. I don’t want to raise her to be like that.”

Marguerite’s words prompted Frederick to regard her with newfound respect.

As a mother, she really was exemplary. If only Yuna had a fraction of Marguerite’s discernment, Manley wouldn’t have turned out the way he has!

So young, yet so imperious and selfish. Frederick now found it a struggle to set him straight.

Soon, a few servants arrived with nutritional supplements to administer to Manley through an IV drip.

Hayes, concerned for Teresa, hurried off to find her.

At that moment, Teresa was channeling her frustration into studying an anatomical model and furiously scribbling in her notebook.

Hayes skittered over, propping his chin in his hands, and asked, “Are you upset?”

Teresa tossed her pencil down in a huff, leaned back with her arms crossed, and pouted, “Little mute, tell me! Was I wrong just now? Anemia isn’t a serious illness! Why did Mommy have to scold me? Ugh, it’s so infuriating!”

Hayes had so much he wanted to say to comfort Teresa, but, tongue-tied as he was, he could only make funny faces to make her laugh. Then, he poked Teresa’s puffed-up cheek with his index finger and gently patted her head, cooing, “Don’t be mad!”

Teresa regarded Hayes with a sigh, sounding like a miniature adult.

Truth be told, her anger wasn’t so much about Yuna not leaving the estate.

It was because every time her Daddy tried to send Yuna away, something inexplicably interfered, and Teresa was thoroughly annoyed. But considering Yuna was Hayes’ mommy, Teresa kept her thoughts to herself out of consideration for his feelings.

Seeing that Teresa seemed less angry, Hayes leaned over her desk to look at her drawing and noticed she had sketched a rough outline of a figure.

He blinked earnestly, asking with delight, “You can… draw now?”

Teresa nodded, repositioned herself in her chair, and resumed her work with one hand on the anatomical model and the other bringing her vision to life on paper.

“It’ll take a little more time. But I’ve got the hang of my godfather’s sister’s bone structure, so it shouldn’t be long now.”

Hayes’ heart leapt with joy If godfather knew about this, he’d be over the moon!