“Miss Quinn…” Sylvia glanced at the hand Damian had stretched out toward her, then at the cutlery In his hand and the dishes arraigned before him.
She drew in a deep breath, inwardly patting her chest as she tried to calm the irritation rising within her.
‘Calm down… Calm down.
He’s just an invalid.’ She repeated the words silently, reminding herself that no matter how irritating Damian was, she could not afford to lose her temper in front of his family.
She finally stretched out her hand and took the cutlery from him.
“Of course,” she said, forcing a polite smile onto her lips.
“I will feed you.” No matter what happened, she could not allow the Evercrest family to believe she was bullying their sick son.
And if there was one thing she understood clearly, it was that Damian had done this intentionally.
‘If he wants me to lose face and fall into the Evercrest black book, then I better prove him wrong.’ With that thought firmly in mind, Sylvia carefully scooped a reasonable amount of food onto a clean plate and pulled it closer to herself.
It would be far too tiring and improper to keep stretching her hand across the table every time she needed to pick something from one of the dishes.
Once everything was within reach, she picked up the spoon and began feeding Damian one mouthful at a time.
But just as she had expected, the meal was anything but peaceful.
After the first and second spoonfuls, Damian began making things unnecessarily difficult.
One moment, he complained that the amount of food she had given him was too much.
The next moment, he complained that it was too little.
When she adjusted the portion, he found another problem with it.
Sylvia’s fingers gradually tightened around the spoon as she fought to suppress her irritation.
She could feel her patience thinning with every passing second, but she refused to give Damian the satisfaction of seeing her lose her temper.
The family members tried to act as though they were focused on their own meals, but several of them couldn’t help stealing glances in their direction.
They were not fools.
It was obvious that Damian was deliberately making things difficult for Sylvia.
He was purposely finding fault with everything she did, clearly trying to provoke her into losing her composure.
Everyone around the table could see what was happening.
But as long as it wasn’t happening to them, they were perfectly content to remain spectators.
“Miss Quinn, it seems you aren’t willing to help me…” Damian began, his voice carrying a hint of accusation.
Before he could finish, Sylvia scooped up another spoonful and shoved it into his mouth without warning.
Damian’s teeth clamped down on the spoon.
Sylvia immediately pulled it away, and in the process, his teeth caught his tongue.
Pain shot through him.
Damian winced, his expression tightening as the sharp sting spread across his nerves.
His jaw twitched slightly, and his hand curled into a tight fist beneath the table but Sylvia, however, showed no sign of guilt.
She had no intention of giving him the opportunity to turn the situation around and make her look like the villain.
Instead, she spoke with the calm patience of a mother addressing a stubborn child.
“A good child doesn’t talk while eating.
You wouldn’t want to choke on your food,” Sylvia murmured, her tone so gentle that it sounded almost sincere.
Damian’s chest rose and fell heavily.
His fingers tightened beneath the table as anger surged through him.
“Leslie Quinn!” he rasped.
Sylvia immediately widened her eyes in feigned surprise.
She deliberately gave herself the innocent expression of a child who had been unfairly scolded.
“What is it?” “You dare to ask me that…?” Damian’s voice was filled with restrained fury.
Sylvia blinked innocently before tilting her head slightly.
“Are you dissatisfied because I am clumsy?
Maybe you should try to eat by yourself,” she replied, her tone carrying exaggerated concern.
Several people around the table widened their eyes.
They weren’t blind.
Everyone knew exactly what Sylvia had just done and no doubt it was intentional.
Even Mark, who had been seated opposite held his breath as he waited to see what his master would do next.
But Sylvia only continued.
“Never mind… You certainly couldn’t… I will just…” “Are you finished?” Damian growled.
The muscles along his jaw tightened.
If not for the people surrounding them, he would have loved nothing more than to teach this woman a lesson.
Valen sighed heavily.
“Damian, take it easy.
You will get used to her with time.” “And why should I let her go when she intentionally harmed me?” Damian demanded.
Sylvia let out a quiet sigh.
“Damian, you can’t be unreasonable.
It was not intentional.” Then she leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice, almost as though she were genuinely explaining herself to him.
“Besides, you were talking non-stop.
There was no guarantee you wouldn’t get hurt while doing so.” Having said her piece, Sylvia no longer paid him any attention.
She simply pulled her plate closer, picked up her cutlery, and began eating as though nothing had happened.
Damian’s expression darken even further.
Seeing the situation deteriorate, Vivienne sighed helplessly.
“Leslie, please forgive Damian and continue helping him with his meal.” She paused for a moment before attempting to explain.
“He has been on medication, and with his current health challenges… he feels…” She glanced at Damian, then at Kyle, as though silently searching for the right words.
Sylvia slowly raised her eyes from her plate.
She stared directly at Vivienne, waiting patiently for her to finish.
But when Vivienne remained silent, Sylvia finally asked, “What does he feel?” Vivienne immediately shook her head, silently urging her not to press further.
The expressions around the table had already become unpleasant.
There was no doubt that whatever she said next would only make the situation more difficult.
But Sylvia merely raised a brow.
She had no intention of backing down.
Vivienne, feeling cornered by the question, swallowed before finally continuing.
“You should understand that it is really not easy for him,” she concluded.
Sylvia chuckled softly.
“Well, there is no doubt that you are right.
But he shouldn’t make things difficult for other people simply because things aren’t easy for him.
That is basic decency.” She slowly allowed her gaze to travel across the faces around the table.
“I don’t think he still needs to be taught about such basic ethics.
Otherwise, what makes the Evercrests different from the Quinns?”