“Norton, I will never follow your arrangements! I am destined to be Jonathan’s woman!”
The next morning, a row of luxury cars lined up in the Sheffield family mansion’s courtyard. Norton was in the living room, receiving the Cheever family’s father and son duo.
Jensen Cheever had a bright smile on his face, chatting and laughing with Norton. His son, Wilmer Cheever, sat quietly beside them. He was a good-looking young man exuding an elegant aura.
“Mr. Cheever, Madilyn should be back in a day. or two. We’ll arrange for her to meet with Mr. Wilmer then, so the youngsters can get to know each other better,” Norton chirped.
Jensen nodded and echoed, “I heard Ms. Madilyn is already a hospital director. It is remarkable that she has achieved so much at such a young age. I feel that my son may be inadequate to be a match for her. Hahaha.”
“Hahaha! Mr. Cheever, you must be joking. That’s not true at all! He’s definitely good enough for my daughter! Mr. Wilmer is truly a talented young man, helping Cheever Group. secure two major projects at such a young age. With such achievements, he stands out among his peers even across the nation!”
After exchanging words of flattery, Norton stood up to see the guests off. When the living room quieted down, he turned and went upstairs, pushing open the guest room door.
At that moment, Mildred was still trying her best to persuade Lorraine. “All the grudges and grievances are in the past. We’re also of advanced age now. I know that you’ve harbored hatred all your life. But now that you’re getting old, you should think more about your daughter’s future.”
Noticing Norton entering the room, Mildred shot an angry look at him. Lorraine remained indifferent regardless of how they tried to persuade her. Now, she even stubbornly refused to talk and was reluctant to nod in agreement.
However, in order to finalize that marriage of convenience, Lorraine had to attend the ceremony. Jensen and Wilmer had stated they would respect Madilyn and her mother’s opinion. Norton waved his hand at Mildred, signaling her to leave the room and let him converse with Lorraine.
The expression in Mildred’s eyes darkened, and she gave Lorraine’s back a fierce glare before leaving. “Norton, there’s no need to waste your breath. You cannot arrange Madilyn’s marriage as you please. Besides, you never treated her like your biological daughter. Over the years, you’ve neglected her, not even providing her with basic child support. Don’t you have any shame?” Lorraine shifted her gaze from the windowsill and stared angrily at Norton.
“Lorraine, I understand that I’ve wronged you in this lifetime. That’s why-”
Norton began to defend himself but was immediately interrupted by Lorraine, “That’s enough. Are you sure that’s how you feel? You’ve been perfectly content all this while. I’ve come to understand everything after all that I’ve been through. I admit I’ve been foolish for falling for your deceit in the past. There’s no such thing as love in your eyes. You only care about your personal gains.”
Norton was stumped. His expression stiffened, and he furrowed his brows in fury.
“Lorraine, let’s not talk about feelings and discuss benefits. As long as you can get Madilyn to agree to marry the Cheever family’s scion, I promise to compensate you and your daughter with several properties and a company. This way, you can also secure a foothold in Xandenia in the future. This should be sufficient to prove my sincerity, right? No matter how hard Madilyn works in Horington, she’ll always just be working for others!”
Lorraine was dumbfounded. Indeed, this man is forever only concerned about interests, assuming everyone in the world can be bribed.
A bitter smile spread across her face as she regarded him with an expression as if she no longer recognized him. Any previously lingering fantasies in her mind and feelings in her heart were shattered at that instant.
Norton tried threatening and tempting her, but Lorraine remained unmoved. Finally, she said placidly, “Norton, stop wasting your energy. Get out now. I really don’t wish to see you!”
Suddenly, the veins on Norton’s forehead. popped as he said with a chilling gaze in his eyes, “Lorraine, if you refuse to agree, you can look forward to spending the rest of your life here.”
Upon hearing that, Lorraine let out an unfathomable laugh. “Don’t worry. That is not going to happen. My daughter will be here to save me very soon.”
“Ha! Do you really think your daughter is capable enough to take you away under my nose?” Suddenly, Mildred pushed the door open and strode into the room furiously. As she was worried that her husband would catch feelings for his former lover again, she had been eavesdropping outside all this time.
“Mildred, I know it’s hard for you to believe it, but try to have a little patience. You will receive your karma for everything you have done to harm my daughter and me!” Lorraine glared at Mildred fearlessly, her eyes filled with resentment.
Enraged, Mildred dashed past Norton and stopped in front of Lorraine before raising her hand and slapping the woman across her face. A loud slap rang out and reverberated in the air.
“Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to curse me?” Mildred bellowed through gritted teeth, almost choking on her rage.
The next moment, Norton pulled her back and said, “Mildred, what are you doing? Why bother arguing with someone like her!”
Almost instantly, a red palm print surfaced on Lorraine’s left cheek. Lorraine had already lost count of the number of times she had been slapped by Mildred.
As she used to be weak and cowardly, she had never dared to defend herself or retaliate. Every time it happened, all she did was cower in fear.
However, things were no longer the same. After returning from the brink of death, and in addition to her daughter’s constant encouragement and support, Lorraine was no longer willing to be someone else’s punching bag. She leaped to her feet at once and returned a forceful slap to Mildred.
Smack! Mildred froze and widened her eyes in disbelief. Norton was stunned as well and looked at Lorraine with a shocked expression. He was under the impression that Lorraine was a soft and weak woman who would never be able to stand up for herself.
“Mildred, do you think being the daughter of a prominent family gives you the right to treat others inhumanely? What makes you think you can scold or hit others whenever you like?” Lorraine was not intending to stop at just one slap.
As she raised her hand, preparing to give Mildred a second slap, Norton reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Lorraine, that’s enough!” Norton chided coldly before pushing her away. Lorraine staggered a few steps backward and fell to the ground.
After returning to her senses, fury surged through Mildred. From the distorted expression on her face, it was obvious that she was dying to strangle Lorraine there and then. Cursing loudly, Mildred was just about to attack Lorraine when Norton stopped her.
“Stop it! Why are the two of you fighting? We are supposed to be having a discussion. Mildred, calm down!”
In the end, Norton had to drag his wife out of the guest room. After the two of them left, a satisfied smile appeared on Lorraine’s face. She was not feeling the least bit aggrieved.
To her, Norton was no different from a stranger. She would no longer do foolish things because of him. Naturally, nothing he did would affect her.
Currently, Lorraine’s priority was to find a way to contact her daughter. She was concerned that Madilyn would be worried if she did not see her when she returned home. Lorraine could only hope that, with Jonathan around, the girl would be less anxious.
Lorraine was certain that Norton would threaten Madilyn to return to Xandenia. Jonathan would be accompanying her, right?
He’s definitely the best match for her.
Mildred was a ball of pure anger and continued cursing even after leaving the guest room. In the living room, she glared at her husband
furiously and said, “It seems like you’re siding with that woman. Why did you stop me from hitting her? She must be sick of living. How dare she slap me!”
With a grim expression on his face, Norton replied, “Mildred, have you forgotten our objective? If we fail to become in-laws with the Cheever family, it’s just a matter of time that Southern Star Group will crumble due to our debts. Everything will be over for us if that happens!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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