Glancing at his wristwatch, Mark remarked, "The timing is rather inconvenient. I have an impending meeting and my driver awaits."

Waylen halted Mark in his tracks, mustering a counterfeit smile, “It won't take much of your time. We can conclude our conversation before you attend your meeting."

Mark's expression soured, his brows knitted together.

As Waylen lowered his head, igniting a cigarette, and with a few puffs, he extinguished it between his fingers, saying nonchalantly, "I wish to discuss Cecilia with you, Mr. Evans."

Mr. Evans?

Mark exchanged a knowing wink with his secretary, prompting the secretary to depart, discreetly dismissing the remaining servants as well.

Left alone in each other's company, Mark too reached for a cigarette, Standing in a gust of wind, he indulged in its smoke, which billowed and dissipated, occasionally revealing his handsome countenance, now crystal clear, then shrouded in a delicate haze.

After a considerable duration, Mark, his voice hoarse, broke the silence, "How is she faring?"

Waylen sneered, his tone dripping with derision, “How is she faring, you ask? She is approaching the age of 31. She no longer returns home, nor does she embark on matrimony. Presently, she occupies a wretched 4Q-square-meter dwelling on rent, far from these opulent grounds... Mr. Evans, what are your thoughts on her state?"

Mark's slender fingers, gripping the cigarette, trembled ever so slightly, For as a man of high stature, he was accustomed to concealing his emotions beneath a composed facade.

Yet, even after the passage of more than two years, upon receiving news of that individual, he still struggled to regain his composure.

He surmised that Waylen had already gleaned fragments of the truth.

Mark's voice grew raspier, tainted with a hint of anguish.

“Why... why hasn't she returned home?"

Waylen locked his gaze fiercely upon Mark, as if he could rend him apart with his eyes.

Indeed, Waylen had come to confront Mark.

But his intention did not involve disclosing Edwin's existence.

After all, Cecilia belonged to the illustrious Fowler family, and she was Waylen's beloved sister. She had no reason to employ her child as a means to retain a man...

Waylen bore into Mark's eyes and inquired deliberately, each word meticulously chosen, “How long have you been intimate with her?"

Mark was taken aback, shocked by the sudden exposure of the secret he had harbored for three long years.

Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, he paused, then confessed, “About six months. It began during Rena's hospitalization... and continued sporadically for half a year thereafter."

Waylen recollected this.