Chapter 4Waiting for a Spring of My Own

"Choosing Yvonne's assistant is her personal matter. Just pick someone suitable. You don't need to ask me about every little thing."

"But I do have a few requirements."

"The assistant needs to be attentive. Yvonne can be careless, so the person should be smart and sensible, someone who won't cause trouble or create extra problems."

"And it has to be a woman. Men and women should keep their distance, after all. A woman would be more convenient for taking care of her."

"Forget it. I don't trust your judgment. I'll choose someone myself."

Only after hanging up did Yannick finally notice that I'd been standing there for quite some time.

He let out an "Oh," as if he'd just remembered I was there, then casually pulled out a black card and tossed it to me. "You didn't like the clothes, did you? I'll have Logan take you shopping," he said offhandedly.

I asked as casually as I could, "Isn't Logan a man, too?"

He fell silent for a long moment before finally muttering, "It's different."

Of course it was different. Perhaps in his eyes, the whole notion of men and women keeping their distance applied only to Yvonne.

On the day I was discharged, Yannick came to pick me up himself. I was almost flattered by the unexpected attention.

In the car, his expression remained as cold and distant as ever. He merely glanced up at me and said in a low, even voice, "I got something for you."

After a brief pause, a hint of nervousness and anticipation crept into his voice. "Consider it a way of making it up to you... I hope you like it."

The car drove all the way to a new villa. The moment we stepped inside, Yvonne's voice rang out. "Well, look who's back!"

Acting like the lady of the house, she began showing me around. "Nick and I picked this place out together. It's a gift for you. The views are beautiful, and it gets plenty of natural light."

She said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world, a smile playing on her lips. "And best of all, it's close to me, so I can drop by to see Nick whenever I want."

I slowly took in the entire house, my heart sinking.

They called it a gift for me, but the interior was decorated in Yvonne's favorite classic, sophisticated style, not the rustic, nature-inspired style I loved.

To top it all off, I'd never learned to play the piano, yet an expensive grand piano sat conspicuously in the middle of the living room.

Seeing how absorbed I was, Yannick and Yvonne exchanged a smile before turning their expectant eyes on me. "Well? Do you like it?"

I forced a faint smile. "It's nice," I said evenly.

And it was. It was just better suited to being a home for the two of them.

Suddenly, Yvonne seemed to remember something and added offhandedly, "Oh, right. I've moved everything from your bedroom over and unpacked it for you. You can move in tonight."

My mind went blank. I snapped back to my senses, my voice trembling. "What did you say? You moved everything here?"

Without another word, I spun around and rushed upstairs to the bedroom.

I yanked open the wardrobe, then opened the safe on the bottom shelf. It was completely empty. There was nothing inside.

Downstairs, the two of them were still chatting and laughing.

My legs felt unsteady as I made my way down the stairs and fixed my gaze on Yvonne.

I swallowed the bitterness and panic churning inside me and stared hard at her, my voice trembling. "Where's my necklace? The watch necklace I left on the nightstand in the old house. Where did you put it?"

Yvonne froze for a moment, looking somewhat innocent. "When I was packing your things, I saw how badly tarnished it was. I thought you'd just been too lazy to throw it away, so I..."

"Where did you throw it?"

"That necklace was a keepsake my mom left me! What gave you the right to throw away my things without asking me?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks. My hands and feet turned icy cold, and my lips trembled uncontrollably.

All I could think about was how, when I was little, I'd curled up in Mom's arms in her final moments, as she wiped away my tears again and again.

"Nico, don't cry. I'll always live inside this necklace and protect you. Don't be afraid. I'm right here..."

The hurt surging through my chest left me seeing red. In a fit of anger, the words burst out before I could stop myself.

"Just because you're adopted, does that mean she isn't your mother?"

"Nicolette, shut up!"