“I’m fine,” Audrey replied indifferently. Her bandaged right hand was hidden under the quilt. Cornell and Cecilia couldn’t see it. There was no need to let them know about it.
“I’m glad to know that you’re fine. It means you can go through the procedure this afternoon, right?” Cecilia said at once. Obviously, this had been her purpose of coming here.
Cornell raised his eyebrow when he heard Cecilia’s question. He looked at her with a frown and was about to say something.
But before Cornell could open his mouth, Audrey spoke first.
“Of course, I can. Don’t worry. I’ll be there on time.”
Even if Cornell and Cecilia didn’t come here, Audrey had planned to go to the court in the afternoon. Although it was inconvenient to use her left hand due to her injured right hand, she could still sign the documents with her left hand.
Cornell’s eyes narrowed, and his expression darkened when he heard Audrey’s words.
But Cecilia was too excited to notice the sudden change in Cornell’s expression. Cecilia held Cornell’s arm and said happily, “Thank you, Audrey. As I have said, even if you and Cornell divorce, we will still treat you as family. We will look after you.”
Cornell’s frown deepened upon hearing this.
Suddenly, the door was slammed open.
“Really? Since when did an outsider have the right to make decisions for the Clement family? Why didn’t I know?” Luciana snapped as she stormed in.
Luciana looked noble and elegant in her red dress. She put the Lunch box on the bedside table, took a cushion, and put it behind Audrey to serve as Audrey’s backrest. Then she said warmly to Audrey, “Audrey, are you hungry? I’m sorry I’m a bit late. I let the maids make these dishes for you, and it took them a while to finish.”
Luciana ignored Cornell and Cecilia. It was as if only she and Audrey were in the ward.
Luciana walked in so quickly that Cecilia didn’t clearly see who came in. But she felt that the aura this woman exuded was undoubtedly strong.
Cecilia thought she had to fight back. She had to show this woman that she was not a pushover.
Besides, this woman was kind to Audrey. She never saw any wealthy people around Audrey. Cecilia assumed this woman was not a big shot.
With all these thoughts, Cecilia held her head high and asked arrogantly, “Who are you? Are you related to Audrey?”
Luciana snorted coldly, turned around, and looked at Cecilia disdainfully.
“Me? Am I related to Audrey? Of course, I am! I’m her mother-in-law.”
As soon as Luciana said this, there was pin-drop silence in the ward.
The air around them instantly froze.
Finally, Cecilia saw Luciana’s face clearly. Her legs went weak. If she hadn’t been holding Cornell’s arm, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
It turned out the woman was Cornell’s mother. Cecilia didn’t expect Luciana to come here.
Luciana looked at Cecilia sharply. It was as if she wanted to swallow Cecilia alive. Cecilia was so scared that she quickly hid behind Cornell.
Cornell was also surprised about Luciana’s appearance. He pursed his thin lips and asked, “Mom, why did you come back out of the blue?”
Luciana looked at Cornell and sneered, “You’re the fine one to ask.
Can’t I come back anytime I want? It’s actually a good thing that I decided to come back today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have witnessed such a dramatic scene. You brat! Your wife is injured, but you don’t even know how to comfort her. Instead, you show up here with your mistress. How can you be so insensitive? You are so cruel!”
Luciana was furious. She showed no mercy even to Cornell.
Cecilia’s face turned pale at once. Then, resentment filled her heart.
She was looking forward to marrying into the Clement family. How dare Luciana call her a mistress!
Cecilia knew that Luciana always despised her. But now, Luciana even humiliated her like this. Luciana was going too far.
But she could not lose her temper. So Cecilia bit her lower lip and said pitifully, “Luciana, I’m Cecilia. I am the daughter of Tommy Murray. Don’t you remember me?”
“Cecilia…” Luciana repeated. She thought for a while, then said, “Wait. Did you just say you are Tommy’s daughter?”
When Luciana mentioned Tommy’s name, her expression gradually changed.
Cecilia’s eyes lit up upon seeing Luciana’s reaction. She smiled and answered, “Yes, I am his daughter. When I was a child, I used to…”
But before Cecilia could finish her words, Luciana shook her head and interrupted, “As far as I know, the Murray family is a family of scholars. They will never have a shameless descendant like you who seduces a married man.”
The smile on Cecilia’s face instantly froze. She was at a loss for words.
Luciana stared at Cecilia with piercing eyes and continued, “If you are really the daughter of the Murray family, I will have a good chat with Tommy. He must be so busy with his work that he doesn’t have time to discipline his child. He has to know what kind of person his daughter is.”
Luciana paused, snorted coldly, and continued, “Or does he support you for being the shameless other woman? Does he have no objection to your behavior? Humph! What kind of a father is he?”
Luciana was a straightforward person. She said whatever she wanted to say without hesitation.
So, it was not surprising that her words were ruthless, directly belittling Cecilia and the Murray family.
Audrey, who had been listening to Luciana and Cecilia silently on the bed, was still in astonishment.
She never expected that Luciana was her mother-in-law.
Although Audrey and Cornell were married for two years, Audrey never got the chance to meet Cornell’s parents. All she knew was that they lived abroad.
But one time, Audrey overheard the maids of the Clement family mention that Cornell’s parents didn’t like her at all.
The reason was very simple. Audrey came from a humble family and didn’t deserve to marry into the rich and powerful Clement family.
Since then, Audrey had always thought that Cornell’s parents didn’t like her.
But now, Luciana stormed into the ward with a lunch box for Audrey and scolded Cornell and Cecilia. She even introduced herself as Audrey’s mother-in-law and defended Audrey.
Audrey was in utter disbelief. Yet, seeing the depressed look on Cecilia’s face made Audrey feel somehow complacent.
Audrey thought she must have been affected by Cecilia’s wickedness since she had been dealing with Cecilia frequently these days. That was why she would feel this way now.
At this moment, Cecilia’s face flushed like she had been slapped countless times. She felt embarrassed and pissed but she knew she couldn’t lose her temper at this juncture. With mixed feelings burning within her, she looked weird with that pitiful look she put on.
When Cornell saw this, he subconsciously frowned and tried to explain, “Mom, it’s not like that…”
“Not like what?” Luciana interrupted forcefully. She pointed at Cecilia and snapped, “Is this woman not your mistress, or Audrey is not your wife?”
Upon hearing this, Cecilia’s face turned pale. She felt like she was about to die from the inner anger of being humiliated.
Cecilia, who had been putting on an act of being weak, realized what it really felt like to be on the brink of death now.
She felt Luciana would piss her off so badly any moment from now.
She was known for her facade of a tender and attractive young lady in Ardlens with men chasing after her. But Cornell’s mother just called her a side chick. Infuriating!
It was so annoying that Luciana even pretended not to recognize her, saying Tommy’s daughter wouldn’t be so shameless like her. Luciana was so hateful.
Left with no choice at the moment, Cecilia resorted to her acting skills. She leaned against Cornell and sobbed.
“You have gotten this all wrong, Luciana. I really didn’t…”
“Well, that’s good to know. But remember, it’s immoral and shameless to cling to a married man. Keep your distance from him from now on!”
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.