Winston had advised Karen not to come in contact with Yvonne after the truth of her beating the old master came to light. However, not only did she ignore her husband’s wishes and continued to keep in contact with Yvonne, they had even come up with such a revolting scheme to hurt Niamh. Winston had never thought them more abominable.
Karen stood by the door as she watched Kendrick and Winston help the old master lie down. Mulling over the thought, she decided she would talk to them after all.
“Kendrick, Win, you must be tired with how busy you’ve been the past few days. I’ll take care of the old master.” She volunteered, looking like she was trying to redeem her merits.
Ignoring her, Kendrick turned around and left.
Karen called after him, “Kendrick, Kendrick, I’m still your mother. How—”
“You claim that you know your place, so why did you do it? How could you join forces with your niece to harm your own daughter-in-law?” Winston accused angrily.
Karen huffed in indignance. Realizing Kendrick had walked out the door, she opened her mouth to scold, “What daughter-in-law? Are you acknowledging her as your daughter-in-law? She’s the reason so much has happened at home! Yvonne only made such a mistake because of that woman. Ever since we met her, Yvonne’s and my luck has only made a turn straight to hell!”
“You’re hopeless.” Winston had no energy to argue with Karen. “Dad doesn’t need your care. Someone will come to look after him, so go spend time with that niece of yours if you have nothing better to do.”
“Hmph!” Karen’s fury bubbled at how Winston seemed to be berating her. “Those are your words, not mine. I’ll go find Yvonne now!”
“You…” Winston turned around in infuriation to instruct the care worker, “Please take good care of the old master. I’ll be out for a while.”
“Understood, sir.” The care worker nodded and entered the room quickly, not wanting to be a part of her employers’ personal affairs.
Karen’s rage grew now that both Kendrick and Winston were gone. She took her phone to call Yvonne. “My mood’s especially great today, Yvonne! Come to the villa, I’ll bring you out for a shopping spree! Don’t worry, they’re not here.”
Yvonne, who was drunk, immediately shot up and pushed the man by her side away when Karen promised her a shopping spree.
She had lost her job ever since her reputation was tarnished during the jewelry design competition, and with no money, she resorted to wasting away with different men in nightclubs.
Yvonne blearily hailed a ride to the villa and walked in as if she owned the place, knowing that neither Kendrick nor Winston were there.
“Aunty Karen,” she called out, but the lack of response had her making a beeline for Karen’s bedroom.
Reaching the entrance, her thieving eyes zoned in on the wallet by the end of the bed.
Yvonne’s eyes shone, her mind still muddled by the influence of alcohol.
She quickly entered the room and took the wallet. Turning her head, her eyes fell on the jewelry on the vanity table. She swept them all into a jewelry box before turning to leave with the box in tow.
Yvonne was about to run out of the room with the valuables when she heard Karen’s complaints.
“Hmph. You’re all going to boycott me because of that b*tch, right? Then don’t blame me when I buy with your money to my heart’s content!”
Yvonne was about to turn around, but it was too late. Karen was one second away from appearing in front of her.
Yvonne felt indignant about the fact that the valuables she had just acquired would be lost to her, so she decisively lifted the jewelry box with a fierce expression on her face.
Karen turned around, and before she could see what was happening, she saw a fleeting shadow before a pang of pain shot up her head.
“Ah!” Karen exclaimed, falling to the floor. She lifted her arms instinctively to shield her face.
Yvonne then turned around and ran down the stairs.
Running down the stairs, she saw someone push Old Master Waldburg out of the room. Their eyes met as they stared at each other.
Knowing the old master could not speak, Yvonne simply glared at him without fear.
However, just as she was about to run out the doors, she was met with Niamh entering.
Panicked, Yvonne threw the wallet and jewelry box toward the flowerbed before squatting behind them to hide.
With her head bleeding from the hit, Karen held a hand over her wound to stop the bleeding as she staggered to her feet and ran down the stairs. She then came face to face with Niamh. Marching forward, she grabbed Niamh by the wrist.
“It was you! How could you be so cruel, Niamh?”
Niamh had just gotten through the doors when Karen decided to unleash her fury.
Calmly, she shot her a sharp gaze. “What are you even saying?”
“Stop pretending, Niamh!” Karen pressed the bleeding wound on her forehead. “You were the one who hit me just now!”
Niamh glanced at Karen’s forehead and frowned slightly when she caught sight of her bleeding wound. She replied, “I suggest you make a trip to the hospital immediately since something’s wrong with your head. Don’t just start framing people left and right.”
She flung Karen’s hand off and walked toward the old master who had left his room.
“You…” Karen’s expression paled. Reaching out to grab Niamh, she felt her head throb dizzily.
“I’m here, Aunty Karen!” Yvonne ran in, pretending to have just arrived. Seeing Karen’s situation, she quickly ran over with a frantic expression to help her. “What happened to your head, Aunty Karen? Why are you bleeding so much?”
“What do you mean bleeding? Ah… Blood!” Only then did Karen realize the intensity of her wound. The flowing blood had her face losing more of its color.
“What’s happening?” Winston returned as well, meeting a bloodied Karen right as he entered the house. He immediately went to check up on her. “What’s with all this blood? Quick, we’ve got to get you to the hospital!”
“It’s Niamh! She was the one who hit me, that evil woman!” Karen’s tone was weak, but her expression was fierce when she clenched her jaw to point at Niamh.
Kendrick chose to walk in just in time to hear Karen point fingers at Niamh. He denied it in displeasure. “Nonsense. Nia would never do such a thing.”
Niamh stared quietly at Kendrick’s strong demeanor. Was he protecting her?
Karen was frustrated and indignant. “I am your mother, Kendrick! Instead of believing me, how could you opt to believe the b*tch who caused our family’s downfall?”
“I will not stand for such vocabulary about Nia.” Kendrick’s brows furrowed as his expression grew cold. “Go to the hospital and get someone to look at the wound before it scars.”
As frustrated Karen was of Kendrick defending Niamh, she was also afraid of scarring.
“Kendrick’s right, Aunty Karen. Let’s go to the hospital first, alright? Let’s cool down a bit first.” Yvonne agreed to Kendrick’s words and helped Karen out.
With Yvonne turned around, Old Master Waldburg began to whimper distressingly at her.
Everyone assumed that the old master was merely unwell, while Yvonne glared secretly at Old Master Waldburg.
‘So you think that you can tell them about what you saw, old man?
‘You can forget about speaking until the day you die!’
Yvonne cursed him internally, sparing a glance at the flowerbed as she stepped out the door.
It was unlikely that anyone would find the jewelry box and wallet that were still there.
She thought to herself as her lips curled secretly.
The old master huffed and widened his eyes as he watched Yvonne leave so easily. With difficulty, he lifted his index finger and pointed it at the door. “Yvo…”
Niamh and Kendrick shared a look before looking in the direction where the old master was pointing in.
They found a few drops of blood on the floor, probably from Karen’s wound.
Kendrick immediately had the servants clean the floor for them. Realizing that neither Niamh nor Kendrick understood his meaning, the old master pouted like a child throwing a tantrum.
Niamh walked up behind the old master and slowly pushed him toward the courtyard outside.
Kendrick followed. “What happened just now, Nia?”
Nia.
He called her that again.
Niamh remembered being annoyed by the nickname in the beginning, but she found herself already used to it now.
“Your mom grabbed my hand and said that I was cruel the moment I walked in through the doors. She claimed that I hit her head and made her bleed.”
At that, the old master tried hard to form words but could only make muffled sounds.
Niamh stopped pushing the wheelchair and went in front of the old master with a small smile. “Are you feeling unwell, Grandfather?”
The old master stared at Niamh, his eyes brimming with kind affection. “Nia…”
“Are you trying to say ‘Niamh’?”
“Ni…amh…”
Niamh smiled. “If you wish, you can call me ‘Niamh’ as you used to, Grandfather.”
The old master’s brows relaxed as a relieved and pleased expression washed over his hollow features.
Kendrick watched the scene from afar, the corners of his lips tugging into a smile. However, as he stared at Niamh, all that could be seen in his eyes was heartache.
‘No, Nia.
‘I never wish for you to be Niamh Delgado again.
‘You’re Eveline Montgomery, the pearl and heart of the Montgomery family. You’re no longer the Niamh who was used by the Delgado family.’
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.