At two sharp, the miserable-looking Pearsons arrived at the manor entrance. Although Samuel’s appearance was still considered acceptable, Gina and Aubree looked as if someone had died. After they cried in a panic the entire journey, their hair had become nothing but a mess. “Go in and apologize!”
Samuel shot his daughter a glare, and Aubree nodded without hesitation. After all, they had no other choice given the current situation. The three of them entered the mansion with their hearts hanging in their throats.
The moment she stepped in, Aubree saw Roxanne sitting with Lucian. It went without saying that the three children had filled the space between both of them.
An insidious glint flashed across Aubree’s eyes. Even at her closest to Lucian, she had never. shared a couch with him. He would always be seated in a single seater.
And now, right before her eyes, they looked exactly like a family. As rage began to boil within her, Aubree caught a glimpse of Cory from the corner of her eye.
In that instant, she felt weak and almost dropped to her knees. Prior to her entrance, she had still hoped that Lucian had discovered something else instead.
However, the sight of Cory dampened those hopes and drowned her in despair. “Lucian, what’s with the crowd-”
Samuel had wanted to pretend as if nothing had happened but held his tongue upon noticing Sonya’s presence. Gina, on the other hand, felt her limbs go cold. and looked as if she was about to faint at any moment.
“Ms. Pearson, I’m sure you recognize the man behind me.” Lucian’s frosty voice rang out. At his cue, Cory came forward and stood in front of Aubree.
The Pearsons turned pale upon noticing that Lucian had changed the way he addressed Aubree. Ms. Pearson… Lucian must have decided to sever ties with our family! “Speak! I don’t remember you to be deaf!”
Lucian had kept his temper in check due to the presence of the children. Nevertheless, his icy tone still struck fear into the hearts of others.
Even the children moved toward Roxanne when they, too, sensed his anger. Roxanne responded by giving their heads a reassuring stroke before turning her attention. to Aubree, who was wearing a frosty expression.
Ever since I returned to the country, this woman has been trying to harm me time and again. I don’t mind her attacking the research institute or me, but she has crossed the line by choosing to hurt my children. In fact, she has done so more than once!
Roxanne was filled with the urge to pay Aubree back for what she had done to the children. Meanwhile, Aubree couldn’t help but tremble under Lucian’s gaze. A long while passed before she finally found her voice. “I… I do.”
Lucian narrowed his eyes in displeasure. “Is that all?” His question sent a shiver down her spine. She might have had the courage to confess her misdeeds to Sonya, but it didn’t mean that she dared to do the same in front of Lucian, who would never let her off.
In her desperation, Aubree threw herself at Lucian. “Lucian, listen to me. Everything I did was for your sake. I love you. You can’t treat me this way!”
Before she could even get close, Cayden grabbed her and shoved her back toward Gina’s side. He didn’t hold back his strength after tolerating her all this while. Stung by the pain in her arm and the dejection welling up inside her, Aubree burst into tears.
“Since you have trouble recalling, I’ll let Mr. Zaythrone remind you of them.” All Lucian feit when he saw her tears was disgust. “If he gets anything wrong, you’re welcome to correct him.”
With that, he gave Cory a look to signal for him to begin. Acknowledging the cue, Cory cleared his throat and spoke. “Ms. Pearson hired me to keep an eye on Ms. Jarvis. She-”
He had barely begun when Aubree lunged at him suddenly. “Shut up! I don’t know you! You’re a madman! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Go to hell!”
Even though her outburst caught him off guard, the physical strength between them was just too great. The moment he regained his senses, Cory easily pushed her away from him. “Stop raving like a lunatic, you shrew!”
Upon crashing to the ground, Aubree snarled, “You’ll suffer divine retribution for this! Do you think the Farwells will let you off just because you snitched on me?”
Cory paid Aubree no heed as he turned to face. Lucian and Roxanne with an ingratiating look.
“Ms. Jarvis, I’m sorry, but I was just doing my job. It was Aubree who forced me to do it. But other than taking a few pictures, I definitely didn’t do anything to harm you.”
As she watched Aubree go wild, a look of realization flashed across Roxanne’s eyes. This was the first time she had seen her lose her composure, for the latter had always appeared aloof.
Soon, a look of conviction formed in Roxanne’s eyes. For harming the children, Aubree deserves to be punished! She threw Cory a cold glance. “What did you capture with your camera?”
Cory was surprised by Roxanne’s quick reaction. He said, “When you took the children camping, I saw Aubree put something into their cups. Also, I was the one who took all those pictures of you and Mr. Damaris on her instructions…”
One by one, Cory listed out Aubree’s misdeeds while Aubree unleashed a constant tirade on him. When he finally finished, Aubree shouted, “I didn’t! That wasn’t my intention. Lucian, you have to believe me!”
Cory looked at her disdainfully. When he first worked with her, she had always put on airs and didn’t show him any respect. And here I was, thinking that she was someone capable. But in the end, she still has to grovel at Lucian’s feet, begging for forgiveness.
Having had enough of the pathetic Aubree, Cory. ruthlessly put the final nail in her coffin. “I have evidence of everything she did in my camera. As for the pictures with Mr. Damaris, I have more pictures of the scene from a different angle. They clearly show that Ms. Jarvis wasn’t sharing an intimate moment with him at all.”
When Cory’s final words rolled off his tongue, Aubree’s voice gradually faded away. All that could be heard from her were sobs of dejection.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Lucian’s eyes were brimming with contempt. He was simply disgusted by the sight of Aubree. When she raised her head and saw him sitting with Roxanne, Aubree could feel madness take over her mind.
“I didn’t do anything! Roxanne framed me!” Since I’ve lost everything, I’m going to drag her down with me! Aubree’s eyes were burning with rage as she stared at Roxanne, who was seated on the couch.
“Roxanne, you b*tch! Why are you doing this to me? I’m the one Lucian loved in the first place. It’s all your fault! He left me because you keep pestering him. You deserve to die! I won’t forgive you.
Who do you think you are, taking Lucian away from me like this? He’s going to see your true colors one day. You’re just a piece of trash who’s been bedded by thousands of men.” Aubree pointed at Roxanne. Her
hysterical screams echoed in the mansion hall. “I won’t let you talk about Mommy like that! You evil woman! I hate you! I hate you so much!”
Estella suddenly lost control of her emotions and burst into tears. As she cried, she picked up the things around her and threw them at Aubree. Roxanne hurriedly pulled Estella into her embrace. She was racked with guilt.
I should’ve brought the children upstairs. This kind of situation is too overwhelming for them, especially Essie. She’s already emotionally unstable to begin with.
Estella cried so hard that she could barely breathe properly. “I don’t want the evil lady here! She scolds me and even pinches my arms and legs! Mommy! I want Mommy!”
All Roxanne could feel was her heart aching. She could not even process what Estella was saying. “Calm down, Essie. I’m here. Don’t cry. I’ll help you chase the evil lady away…”
Lucian’s and Sonya’s expressions changed when they heard Estella’s words. Samuel cast Aubree a cold glare. Aubree had lost her mind and was still lashing out verbally.
Samuel shifted his gaze from Lucian to Sonya before he slapped Aubree across the face. “Shut up, you idiot!” This time, Samuel did not go easy on her, which left Aubree dizzy from the slap.
It took her some time to return to her senses. Still, she continued screaming, “How could you hit me? You’re on that b*tch’s side, too, aren’t you?”
Samuel landed another slap on her cheek, which sounded loud and clear. After two slaps, Aubree’s cheeks had swelled. Samuel turned around to apologize to Lucian and Sonya.
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.