16 . Mrs. West visit

Even though Darian knew that Serena was hiding the real reason, for now, he chose to pretend to believe her words. After all, who would visit a house at 3 AM in their pajamas just because they missed their mother?

Darian furrowed his brows, suddenly realizing that she was still wearing her own pajamas.

"Did you take a taxi here?"

Darian asked worriedly, glancing at Serena's pajamas.

"Ah…"

Serena, now aware of her attire, hesitated before shaking her head.

"Someone gave me a ride,"

she finally answered.

"Who?"

Darian's worry deepened. Serena didn't know whether to be honest or not.

"Serena..."

Darian called when she remained silent.

Serena took a deep breath. Ever since she had given her blessing to Darian and her mother's relationship, Darian had started acting like a father—nagging and demanding answers for everything.

"Iril's cousin," Serena finally decided to tell the truth.

Hearing her response, Darian raised an eyebrow.

"A guy?"

"Yeah."

"Are you two dating?"

"Professor, please, don't let your thoughts wander," Serena protested.

"Ah... so you're still in the talking stage?"

"Professor!!"

Serena was getting annoyed.

Seeing her reaction only made Darian more curious.

"If you two aren't involved, why would he drive you here at this hour?"

"It was just a coincidence," Serena replied briefly.

Darian opened his mouth to say something else, but Serena cut him off.

"Can we talk about this later? I need to rest."

Darian sighed and nodded. Serena went to her mother's room to check on Elena. Seeing her mother sleeping peacefully, Serena let out a relieved sigh.

As she was about to leave the room, she stopped in her tracks. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Darian's belongings were in Elena's room. She had assumed he was sleeping in the guest room, but it seemed she was wrong. Darian was sleeping in her mother's room. It looked like their relationship had reached its final stage.

Serena then headed to her room. She took off her coat and lay down on her bed. Without realizing it, she fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

The Next Morning

When Elena saw Serena in the morning, she was overjoyed. Seeing that her mother seemed to be recovering, Serena felt relieved, but she still noticed some swelling on Elena's face.

Serena knew it was David's doing. She truly wanted to make him pay, but she held herself back—she still had to be a law-abiding citizen.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Serena finally voiced her concern.

Elena froze for a moment before quickly composing herself.

"Of course, I'm fine. Why are you asking?"

She responded lightly. Darian, watching the mother-daughter interaction, chose to stay silent.

"Your face looks swollen."

"Ah… this… uh…"

Elena stammered, not expecting Serena to notice. In her mind, the swelling wasn't that noticeable.

Elena glanced at Darian, silently pleading for help.

"A few days ago, your mom had an allergic reaction, S," Darian explained.

Elena immediately nodded, relieved that Darian had covered for her.

Seeing how they interacted, Serena knew she couldn't do much.

"Next time, be more careful, Mom. Don't get sick again,"

Serena said, deciding to let it go.

"And if anything happens, you have to tell me. You're my mother, my only family—I need to know everything."

Elena smiled softly and held her daughter's hand.

"Alright."

They resumed their breakfast, but Darian stared at Serena, feeling a little betrayed.

"What?"

Serena asked when she noticed his gaze.

"What do you mean Elena is your only family? Do you not consider me family at all?"

Darian complained dramatically, pretending to be hurt.

Serena rolled her eyes, and Elena chuckled at their interaction.

"You and Mom aren't married yet, so for now, you don't count as family,"

Serena replied, unwilling to give in.

"Hey!!"

Darian protested.

"Whether you like it or not, sooner or later, your mom and I will get married, and my status will change!"

"I'll acknowledge it when you're officially married,"

Serena responded, standing firm in her stance.

Seeing their playful argument, Elena couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Watching her mother laugh happily, Serena felt truly grateful that she had been given a second chance to come back here. This time, she would do everything in her power to protect her mother's happiness.

Later That Day

Serena had a morning class, so after breakfast, she left for university. She was now able to focus better in class. She wanted to shorten her studies as much as possible, so she was working three times harder than before.

Even though she worked part-time with Ren, the job was relatively easy, and she often used her free time to study.

After class ended, Serena was about to leave for work when she suddenly stopped. She saw someone familiar waiting for her.

Her expression instantly turned cold.

The person noticed Serena and immediately approached her.

"We need to talk,"

Mrs. West commanded.

Hearing her tone, Serena smirked coldly.

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?"

She challenged, her gaze icy.

Mrs. West flinched slightly under Serena's stare but quickly dismissed the feeling. How could a young university student intimidate her?

"I am your grandmother!"

Mrs. West pressed.

"So?"

Mrs. West shot Serena a sharp glare. She hadn't expected Serena to be this infuriating.

"Do you want to ruin your reputation by disrespecting an elder?"

Mrs. West threatened.

"Reputation? Is that something I can eat?"

Serena mocked with a smirk.

"You—!"

Mrs. West couldn't believe that Serena was completely unfazed.

"Even though I don't care about my reputation, I'll be kind enough to spare you a few minutes of my valuable time,"

Serena added.

"Go ahead, speak!"

"Not here,"

Mrs. West refused.

Serena rolled her eyes, and the two of them went to a private café.

Before leaving, Serena made sure to message Rendy, letting him know that she would be a little late for work.