Exposing the Charade of Deep Affection (PDF)
Chapter 342

Chapter 342 Unintentional Eavesdropping

As she spoke, she handed me the dirty but seemingly precious rabbit from her arms, her face full of sincerity.

I was genuinely surprised that she would like this backpack, and couldn't help but say, "No need, this backpack is for you, let's consider it as us becoming friends, okay?"

The little girl hesitated for a few seconds, her small hand scratching at her body. After a long while, she pulled out a piece of candy from her cotton-padded jacket and handed it to me, saying, "Sister, this is for you."

I was somewhat surprised, then the corners of my mouth lifted, I accepted the candy and handed her the backpack.

It seemed that the little girl was very happy to get what she liked. She hugged her schoolbag and ran towards the place where the children were taking a nap.

I was genuinely surprised, standing up and looking at Walter, "How did you know she liked that backpack?"

Walter's expression was calm as he spoke, "She looked at that package many times, it's hard for her not to know."

Uh...

Alright, your observational skills were pretty good.

After all the items were distributed, because it was snowing heavily outside, there was concern that the children would get sick-if they stayed outside too long, so they mostly played indoors.

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I truly didn't have the talent to mingle with children, so I didn't participate. It seemed that Walter was the same. When he didn't speak, there was no difference between him and a piece of wood. Worried that his presence in the classroom would affect the

atmosphere, I left the classroom with him and watched the snow in the corridor.

"This place is about to be demolished," the person next to me suddenly said. I was bewildered, turning to look at him, "What?"

He raised his eyebrows, speaking calmly again, "This land belongs to the Hinton Group. It's planned for the development of the new district. They have to move out within half a year."

I hadn't expected him to suddenly bring this up. Looking at him, I said, "So many children, where could they possibly move to?"

To rehouse these children, not only accommodation was needed, but also food and daily necessities. If there was no help from outsiders, for the director, relying solely on state subsidies was not enough. Walter lowered his gaze to me, smiling faintly, "In your eyes, am I just a businessman devoid of humanity?"

I pursed my lips, offering no explanation. It wasn't that I missed him so much, it was just that there were so many children to be settled, which would be a considerable expense. Businessmen are profit-driven, and besides, this land originally belonged to the Hinton family. If these children were not settled and were forcibly moved away, it would not be unjustifiable.

Seeing me silent, Walter laughed helplessly, "Grandma has donated to many welfare homes over the years, she has arranged for their future."

Old lady.

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III

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I was taken aback, involuntarily recalling the events of ten years ago. Over these years, the old lady had either been donating to welfare homes or building hope primary schools in mountain villages. She had even donated quite a lot to temples and children in impoverished mountainous areas.

Because of her inner guilt, the old lady almost spared no effort in doing charity work.

Without telling him these things, I slowly strolled down the corridor, admiring the heavy snow outside, and thought to myself, "It would be good to properly place these children and give them a different life." Walter's phone vibrated, he turned around to answer it, and I lay in the corridor admiring the snow scene.

Unconsciously, I thought of the death of Alexander's parents, which he had been investigating recently. I didn't know how his investigation was going. I knew the whole story, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to speak about it.

In my heart, it was tormenting. On one side was the trust of the Hinton family in me, on the other was the hundred lives that were concealed. Ten years had passed, even if I were to speak now, what could I possibly say?

"Olivia, I'm sorry, I can't give you a satisfactory answer, you're a good girl." A voice came from the nearby staircase, I was taken aback, this voice was indeed familiar.

It was Alexander's.

Olivia?

These two people were...

A thought occurred to me, I had intended to leave, but as I turned

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around, I saw Marjorie approaching from not far away. She was looking around, presumably searching for someone,

If I had approached her at that moment, I would have inevitably disturbed Olivia and Alexander. In almost an instant, after weighing the pros and cons, I stepped back and stood behind a stone pillar, avoiding Marjorie's line of sight.

The sound of conversation continued to come from the stairwell.

It was Olivia's voice, choked with disappointment, "So, you are rejecting me?"

There was silence for a few seconds, then came Alexander's cold voice, "Olivia, we're not right for each other. It's my fault. Maybe I should have made it clear from the start. I shouldn't have led you on. I'm not a man suited for marriage, let alone for dating. I can't give you the stability and security you want. Your affection, I'm sorry, I can't reciprocate."

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