Chapter 310: Chapter 310: Mean

Felix glanced at Silas. "Are you going to tell him what went wrong?"

Silas lifted his head slowly. "No. He needs to suffer. Only then will he learn."

Felix stared for a moment. Then, very quietly, "That sounds personal."

Silas looked away. "Pain builds character."

Meanwhile, Martha sighed softly to herself once Kael disappeared around the corner. She lowered herself back onto the sofa, her gaze dropping to her hands.

’Why did he look... disappointed?’

The question rose unbidden, yet once it surfaced, it refused to sink back down.

’No. It must be my imagination. If anything, he is probably frustrated by Ivy’s sudden matchmaking talk earlier. I am the one who should not misunderstand.’

She clasped her hands a little tighter.

........

Inside the temporal storage, Ivy finally allowed the items to stop falling. The timer had ended. She stepped out of the temporal storage, reappearing in the bathroom with a soft exhale.

The moment she stepped into the living room, the atmosphere was... strange.

Martha was awkwardly avoiding eye contact with Kael, Kael was rigidly facing the opposite direction like a statue refusing to acknowledge anyone’s existence, and Silas and Felix were sitting with the expression of men who had just watched a slow-motion disaster and could not look away.

Ivy paused.

Her gaze slowly traveled from Kael’s stiff side profile... to Martha’s overly polite posture... to Silas’s hand covering his face... and Felix’s silent attempt to look anywhere but the center of the room.

She blinked once.

Then twice.

’What happened in the thirty minutes I was gone?’

A few moments before, Kael had walked toward the room assigned to him.

When he stepped into Silas and Felix’s room, Silas immediately looked at him with deep disappointment, while Felix, unable to watch his brother continue to crumble, spoke gently.

"At least talk to her," Felix said. "Clear up the misunderstanding between you two. Just don’t stand like a blockhead!"

Kael let out a long sigh. "It is useless. She hates me."

Hearing that self-defeating tone, Silas finally lost patience.

"Kael, she doesn’t hate you. She is confused. As long as you explain everything clearly, there is still a chance."

Kael paused, his expression wavering. Hope. Fear. Uncertainty.

He turned to leave, but Silas stopped him and continued, voice firm.

"Do not just explain. Speak honestly. Whatever you really feel for Martha...say it. Do not twist it. Do not hide it. If you want her to understand, you need to let her see it."

Kael nodded. For a moment, Silas truly believed a breakthrough had been made. He exhaled in relief and watched Kael step out of the room.

Silas and Felix peeked from the doorway like anxious parents watching a child walk into an exam.

Kael found Martha sitting on the sofa, deep in thought. The moment she sensed a presence, she turned and immediately stood up when she saw it was him.

"Did... something happen? Do you need to speak with me?"

Kael nodded. "About the past."

The color drained from Martha’s face. "The... past?"

Kael spoke stiffly, expression rigid. "The past was not what it looked like. I was not cold."

Martha nodded slowly, though her confusion only deepened. His face was stern, his voice heavy, and nothing about him felt warm.

Kael continued in his low, monotone voice. "I did not mean to be mean to you before."

Martha let out a tiny breath of relief.

Then Kael added bluntly, "It just came out naturally."

Martha stared at him. Her relief vanished. Her expression turned pale all over again.

Behind the corner, Silas and Felix instantly stiffened. Their souls almost left their bodies.

Silas stepped forward, about to intervene. Felix opened his mouth... ready to salvage at least something... but before either of them could, Ivy stepped out of her room.

Everyone froze.

Martha looked like she had just seen a savior.

She rushed forward.

"Miss Ivy, I will pick up the supplies later. I remembered I have an urgent task. I will be leaving now."

She did not wait for Ivy’s reply. She practically sprinted out of the house.

Ivy blinked, confused, watching Martha disappear as though chased by invisible doom. She slowly turned to Kael.

Kael sat down heavily on the sofa and covered his face with both hands.

Silas only shook his head helplessly. Felix sighed, defeated.

Ivy silently looked at Silas, her expression asking, What happened?

Silas simply tapped his temple. "It was all him."

Felix added under his breath, "It somehow got worse."

Outside, Martha leaned against a wall and patted her chest, trying to steady her breathing.

’I cannot come inside Ivy’s house ever again when Kael is present. I must avoid him at all costs.’

As she walked, she spotted Annie stepping out of the office building. An idea flashed through her mind.

She hurried over. "Annie, from now on, any reports or updates for Ivy... please deliver them on my behalf."

Annie frowned. "But aren’t you the one in charge of that role?"

Martha immediately explained.

"I have not been feeling well lately. I plan to take some time off. If possible, I would really appreciate your help."

Annie paused, noticing the tiredness in Martha’s expression, and sympathy quietly rose in her eyes.

"Alright. I’ll handle it. You should rest."

She took the stack of reports from Martha and walked away.

Martha let out a slow breath of relief. Even the heatwave feels less suffocating now...

But as she began walking again, that faint ache in her chest returned.

She did not understand why Kael said such things.

Why his words cut so deeply.

Why even now, she wanted...no, hoped...for something gentler from him.

’Am I truly someone who does not deserve even a shred of warmth from him?’

The thought stung.

Martha slapped her cheeks lightly and straightened her back.

"I am an independent woman. I do not need a man’s affection to live my life."

Yet her heart did not fully believe it.

If Kael could hear Martha’s inner thoughts, he might have truly cried.