Chapter 498

Martha smiled warmly as she added fuel to the fire. "Miss Stella, Mr. Roland's bowl is still empty. Why don't you serve him some too?"

Stella's fingers, clutching a tissue, paused slightly.

Adrian leaned on his cane, attempting to stand. "It's fine. I can help myself."

"Don't move." Stella frowned and pressed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop pushing yourself when your leg isn't healed yet."

Benjamin and Martha exchanged a glance, their lips curling into knowing smiles.

She ladled a bowl of pear soup and slid it toward him, her fingertips trembling faintly against the rim.

"Martha's cooking is as excellent as ever," Adrian remarked after taking a sip. "The tremella is perfectly tender, and the pears are refreshingly sweet. Perfect for this season."

Stella busied herself straightening the napkins. "Celeste, you never drink enough water. Have some more today."

"Mommy, this is way better than the soup at kindergarten!" Celeste gulped it down eagerly.

"Martha used to be a professional chef," Stella said, ruffling her daughter's hair.

Martha beamed, her eyes crinkling. "You flatter me, Miss Stella."

Stella gazed at the children's cheerful faces and murmured, "It really has been a long time since I last tasted your cooking."

"Come by more often, then! I'll cook for you every day!"

Stella gave a vague response.

After dinner, the children obediently settled down to do their homework. Ethan spread out his workbook to tackle math problems, Luna gripped her crayons with concentration, and Celeste brandished safety scissors excitedly. "Let's make a family portrait!"

"Isn't that too difficult?" Stella had just sat on the sofa when Adrian limped over with his cane.

"Daddy will help," he said gently.

Celeste clapped her hands in delight.

Stella stiffened before shoving the scissors into his hand. "I'll go help Martha in the kitchen."

She hurried away, leaving only a flustered silhouette behind.

Adrian sighed softly as he watched her retreating figure.

"Daddy," Luna looked up with innocent eyes, "did you make Mommy mad? Teacher says we should apologize when we do something wrong."

Celeste nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Daniel took my eraser last time, but after he said sorry, we became friends again!"

Adrian gave a wry smile and patted their heads. "Alright, Daddy will find a chance to apologize. For now, let's focus on the craft, okay?"

The two little girls snuggled against him, one on each side.

In the kitchen, Stella rolled up her sleeves to assist.

"No need, no need!" Martha waved her off. "Penny has already cleaned up."

Penny shrank into the corner, timid. "Stella, you're not here to scold me, are you?"

"Do I seem that scary?" Stella tapped her forehead lightly. "Just don't lie to me again."

As Martha washed strawberries, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, when I came back this afternoon, I saw Mr. Roland sitting on the sofa, sighing heavily."

Stella's fingers twitched.

"Mr. Astor tried to console him for a long time, but it didn't help," Martha recalled. "Then Mr. Roland suddenly asked me how he's different from before."

Stella's head lifted instinctively.

"I searched for a while," Martha said quietly, "and finally found a single white hair at his temple."

The cloth in Stella's hand slipped into the sink.