[Denise: I agree with your condition, but how will you prove that you’re indeed Brettley and Bethan’s son? I wouldn’t want to be tricked, either.]
Nigel froze when he saw this. He was a little surprised that Denise would make such a request.
A split second later, he curled his lips into a smile.
[Nigel: I guess you’re not as dumb as I thought.]
He initially thought that this woman, who had been brainwashed by her family into liking Thomas against her true will, would not be the sharpest tool in the shed. Therefore, he was surprised to see that she still had some basic awareness.
Denise furrowed her brow, feeling a little uneasy as she stared at the screen.
The more she thought about the fact that a seven–year–old child had called her ‘dumb’, the more outraged she got.
She bit her lip and typed a response.
[Denise: Didn’t Brettley or Bethan ever teach you manners?]
[Nigel: I wasn’t trying to be rude, I’m just telling the truth.]
Nigel turned on the webcam.
The moment he did so, the screen of Denise’s laptop was filled with the image of a young boy that was almost identical to Brettley. To be specific, Nigel’s features resembled Bethan’s more, but the air of arrogance on his face was unmistakable.
The steely look in his eyes was as suffocating as his father’s.
Denise froze when she saw this.
“Now do you trust me?”
Nigel curled his lips into a smirk. “Do you need me to provide any more evidence?”
Denise paused, then quickly shook her head.
There was no need.
Nigel’s face and the look in his eyes were more than enough to prove himself. Genetics could not lie. “Alright.”
With that, Nigel turned off the camera and resumed talking to her through the chatbox
[Nigel: My Uncle Thomas is already in Saigen City. He’s staying at Aurora Suites; I’ll send his room number to you in a while. Please bring Riley over as soon as you can.]
With that, he proceeded to send her the address to the hotel, along with the room number and a long chain of numbers.
Denise knew that this was the combination to unlock the hotel room door. She bit her lip and took a photo of the information, then replied.
[Denise: I’ll try to bring Riley over before the day ends.]
With that, she let out an exhale and was about to ask Nigel about the recordings he had promised, but before she could do so, a string of audio files appeared in the chat. Denise put on her earphones and began listening. The information contained within the recordings was so shocking that her face gradually turned white. By the time she emerged from her room, looking desolate, the Hughes family were already eating lunch. When they saw her coming downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes exchanged a glance, then smiled at her. “What time did you sleep last night, Denise?”
Mrs. Hughes said with a hint of gentle scolding.
“Why did you wake up so late?”
Mr. Hughes was a little upset by this. “It’s already noon! I’ve never seen any young socialite commit such ludicrosity!”
Denise could not help sneering when she heard this. She was not a young socialite at all but a daughter from a poor family. However, despite thinking this, she still put on a brave front and pursed her lips rather defiantly. “It’s just this one time.”
Mr. Hughes scoffed and pretended to forgive her. “Alright. You’re not to do this again! Come sit down and have lunch!”
Denise trotted over to the dining table and sat down across from them. “Where’s Steven? Isn’t he home?”
“Steven? Where else do you think he’d be?”
Mrs. Hughes chuckled. “He went out to find Kate, of course. Your brother and Kate are growing closer and closer.”
She glanced surreptitiously at Denise and added, “By the way, how are you and Thomas doing now?
“This morning, your Aunt Tina told me she’d been trying to set you and Thomas up; how did everything go?”
Denise’s heart turned cold when she heard this.
After listening to the audio recordings that Nigel had sent her, Denise finally knew the truth.
The reason Tina had so willingly treated her like a tool against Thomas was all because of Mrs. Hughes, her ‘mother.’
Mrs. Hughes had once promised Tina that her daughter would listen to her every command. Not only that, but Mrs. Hughes was the one who had given Tina the idea to use Denise to seduce Thomas.
“She came from a poor family, and if she hadn’t caught my eye when she was a child because of her looks, she might’ve been sold by her family and be working as a prostitute by now. It’s her blessing to be able to live such a comfortable life.
“Sleeping with Thomas once isn’t going to do her any harm. If she’s lucky and gets herself pregnant with Thomas’ child, she’ll be able to live the rest of her life worry–free.
“The best thing you can do is use this against Thomas to keep him tied to your side, but you can’t overdo it either. If Thomas isn’t willing to marry Denise, you shouldn’t try to argue with him–think of it as Denise’s loss.
“After all, with such modern technology nowadays, we can always reconstruct her hymen, and she’ll be able to sleep with other rich men again…”
Mrs. Hughes and Tina’s voices rang in her ear over and over.
Denise never thought that Mrs. Hughes, the woman who had treated her like her own daughter for so many years, turned out to be using her all along.
She never cared about Denise’s thoughts or feelings. In her eyes, she was nothing more than a pretty girl who had managed to catch their attention.
“Denise?”
Mrs. Hughes furrowed her brow when she noticed that Denise was staring into space instead of answering her question. “I’m talking to you.”
Denise finally snapped out of her stupor. She curled her lips into a smile and said, “Don’t worry, Mother; Aunt Tina’s plan worked. I’m sure that in no time, Thomas will change his mind and return to my side.”
As she said this, Denise placed her hand strategically on her belly as though there really was a baby in there.
Mrs. Hughes was happy to see this. She quickly ordered the servants to bring Denise another bowl of soup, then turned to grin at her. “I’m so happy to hear this, my dear. It’s always been a dream of mine to see you become Thomas’ wife, and now it’s finally coming true.”
Denise lowered her head, chuckling. “You’re right, Mother.”
After lunch. Mrs. Hughes had intended to sit Denise down for a chat, but she acted as though she was not feeling well and disappeared upstairs. She pretended to close the door but secretly hid behind the staircase railing and peeped around the side to watch Mr. and Mrs. Hughes.
“Didn’t Tina say that…they had failed?”
Mr. Hughes furrowed his brow and asked in a low voice, “Didn’t she say that Steven had even taken Denise’s phone and stopped her from getting in touch with Denise again?”
Mrs. Hughes rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t you know how soft–hearted your son is? I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave her phone back. Besides, Denise is such an obedient girl, so even if Steven were in the way, she’d find a way of accomplishing her task.”
Then, she furrowed her brows and added, “However… I still want to straighten some things out with Tina in person.”
Mr. Hughes was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”
With that, the two of them put on their coats and left. Denise let out a sigh of relief when she heard the car pull away, then stood up and tiptoed towards Mr. Hughes’ study. If she remembered correctly…all the evidence of Luke’s surgery would be kept there.
At the hotel. Gwen had just finished her lunch and was about to invite Bethan to go with her to visit Yannie when she received a call from Denise.
“Ms. Larson, I’ve sent you an email. Please take a look at it.”
Gwen’s eyebrows furrowed at this. “That’s fast.”
Denise had just agreed to work with her to find evidence of the Hughes and Miller families’ wrongdoings just a night before. All too quickly, she sent her an email less than 24 hours after their agreement. How was this possible?
“Of course.”
Denise curled her lips into a smile. “I’ve lived in this household for more than twenty years, so I know every nook and cranny where confidential information is stored.”
Then, she sighed and added, “Unfortunately, this is all I can find for today, and I’m not sure if there are others. I’ll continue searching for a few more days. Don’t forget our promise.”
Gwen nodded. “Yes, I still remember.”
With that, Denise hung up the phone. Gwen froze for a long time when she heard the dial tone, then finally tucked her phone away and strode into her room.
When she turned on her laptop, she discovered an email from an unknown sender. Gwen let out a sigh as she clicked on the email.
It was full of photos that Denise had taken less than 20 minutes ago. Not only were there contracts and agreements regarding Steven’s surgery…but there was even a copy of an agreement Luke had signed himself.
According to the agreement, Luke was willing to give up all his assets and savings under his name, provided the Miller family could help him save Gwen.
Gwen could not stop her tears from falling when she saw this. She clamped her hand over her mouth as tears slid silently down her cheeks.
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.