Fleur looked up, equally surprised to see Dylan.

Wiping away her tears, she asked cautiously, "Dylan, Melissa was doing such a great job. Why are you firing her?"

Dylan glanced at Fleur, his expression cold and grim. Turning his gaze back to Melissa, he said, "Elise is my wife. No matter how unreasonable she might be, she is still my woman. Who do you think you are to sit in judgment of her?"

Melissa’s face turned stark white.

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Dylan would defend Elise like this. He certainly hadn’t been like this before...

A cold sweat broke out across Melissa’s back.

The salary Dylan paid was three times what she could make anywhere else; she absolutely could not afford to lose this job!

"Mr. Bennett, I was wrong! Please give me another chance, all right?" Melissa pleaded desperately. "I’ll go apologize to Madam. I lost my head, but I only spoke up because I was worried about Miss Bonnaire! Please, just give me one more chance. I promise I will treat Madam with nothing but respect from now on!"

"I’ll say it one last time. Leave. Now." Dylan’s voice was completely devoid of warmth.

Even though his face remained expressionless, a terrifying, suffocating aura radiated from him.

Seeing that pleading with Dylan was useless, Melissa turned to Fleur and dropped to her knees.

"Miss, you have the kindest heart. Please, help me beg Mr. Bennett, won’t you? My—my family member needs surgery and we still need to pay for the medical fees. I really can’t lose this job..."

"Melissa, don’t panic just yet." Fleur hurriedly pulled Melissa to her feet. "Let me talk to him..."

"Fleur," Dylan coldly cut her off. "There is no need to plead on her behalf. My decision is final."

Fleur paused, looking up at him. "But Melissa really is facing difficulties at home..."

"That is her own business," Dylan replied indifferently. "I will not employ someone who disrespects my wife."

Hearing this, Fleur looked at Melissa, her voice soft. "I’m sorry, Melissa. I’ve dragged you into this mess..."

Panic seized Melissa. She grabbed Fleur’s hand. "Miss, I only offended Madam for your sake! If you don’t help me now, how can your conscience bear it?"

Fleur snapped her head up, staring at Melissa in utter disbelief. Her slender frame swayed slightly before she sank onto the sofa.

"Melissa, how can you say such a thing? When did I ever speak ill of Elise to you? When did I ever ask you to stick your neck out for me? Saying things like that is slander!"

Melissa was left utterly speechless.

It was true—Fleur had never said a bad word about Elise, let alone asked her to cross her. Melissa had simply pitied Fleur... No, rather, she had seen how much Dylan valued Fleur. Coupled with the fact that she knew Elise and Dylan were going through a divorce, she assumed Fleur held far more weight in Dylan’s heart than his wife did.

Besides, ever since her role as Dylan’s spy to keep tabs on Elise was exposed, Elise had already despised her.

She figured her best bet was to latch onto Fleur. After all, Fleur was now considered the eldest Madam of the Bennett family, backed by Dylan, the man who held the reins of the entire family estate. Following Fleur was bound to be a lucrative path!

Who could have anticipated that Dylan, who had just been arguing with Elise over Fleur, would turn around and fire her?

And the reason was actually because she disrespected Elise?

Melissa felt both deeply wronged and furious!

The person who respected Elise the least in this house was obviously Dylan himself!

She cursed herself for trying to be clever and backing the wrong horse.

Looking at the situation now, there was no turning back.

Gritting her teeth, she yanked her hand away, turned on her heel, and marched back to the maid’s quarters.

In less than ten minutes, Melissa had packed her belongings and walked out, suitcase in hand.

Only after Melissa had left did Dylan look at Fleur and speak. "Oliver has already scouted a new housekeeper. She can start this afternoon."

Still sitting on the sofa, Fleur looked at Dylan through eyes swollen from crying. Finally, she gathered her courage and asked, "Dylan, are you blaming me too?"

Dylan looked down at her; his eyes were deep and unreadable. "Fleur, I know it hasn’t been easy for you. But Elise was right about one thing—your emotions are too unstable right now. It really isn’t good for Robin."

Fleur’s face drained of color. She gripped the armrest of the sofa so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"So, you also think it was a mistake for me to come back and try to reunite with my son?"

"I didn’t say that." Dylan pressed his lips together, letting out a helpless sigh. "It’s just that, as you can see, Robin is more comfortable living with Elise right now. You are his biological mother, and I am his uncle. We both just want him to be happy, don’t we?"

Fleur stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

Dylan lifted his wrist and checked his watch. "I have a meeting to attend, so I must head out. Oliver will be here shortly. If you need anything at all, just let him know and he will handle it for you."

"Dylan!" Fleur stood up, calling out to stop him just as he turned to leave.

Dylan paused and turned back to face her. "Is there something else?"

Fleur looked at him, nervously picking at her nails.

Noticing her anxious movements, Dylan frowned. "Relax. I don’t blame you for this."

"I know..." Fleur lowered her head, her voice laced with grievance. "I just don’t understand why depression has made me so insufferable. I... I know I’m a burden right now. Maybe I should just go back abroad."

"What about your job here then?" Dylan asked.

"Robin won’t accept me, and I don’t think I’m in the right headspace to work anyway."

Fleur sniffled, her tears falling once more. "Ever since George passed away, I ask myself every single day: why was I the one left behind? I miss him so much. Robin looks more and more like him every day. I thought I could pull myself together for his sake, but I still ruined everything. I hate myself like this..."

Covering her face, Fleur began to sob again.

Watching her break down again, Dylan stepped forward, pulled out a few tissues, and handed them to her.

"Fleur, you are strong. To have held on for Robin’s sake after my brother passed away is already no small feat."

"As for Robin, Elise said she will slowly guide him to spend time with you. It’s a gradual process. He is a good kid, and the bond between mother and son runs deep. It’s only a matter of time before he accepts you."

Hearing this, Fleur nodded and took the tissues to dry her eyes.

A moment later, she looked up at him again. "When you go back, please remember to explain things to Elise for me. What Melissa did really wasn’t my doing. And... please thank her for me."

"Okay," Dylan replied.

"Go on then, I’m fine now. You’re busy at the company, so hurry along. Don’t let me hold you up."

"Alright." Dylan truly was pressed for time. Seeing that her emotions had stabilized, he didn’t linger. He turned and walked straight out.

Watching his tall, commanding figure recede, Fleur crumpled the tissue paper in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Beneath her tear-filled eyes, a flicker of resentment faintly surfaced.