Chapter 194: Lillian Takes Action on Julia
Carter halted Lillian’s furious advance.
“Mom, please calm down,” Carter requested, attempting to diffuse the tense situation.
“Calm down? How can I calm down? One hundred million! We lost a hundred million because of Julia!” Lillian’s frustration was palpable, causing her words to be punctuated by a sharp tone. Vivien joined in to pacify her mother. “Mom, it’s not worth it. They have bodyguards. If you confront them, you might just be thrown out again, just like last time.”
The memories of her previous failed attempts at confrontation made Lillian seethe even more. Her molars ground, emitting a grinding noise as she glared at Villa No. 8.
“Julia! Did I offend you in a past life? Is that why you treat me like this? I—”
But before Lillian could finish, a melodious voice interjected, “It might be true. You might have been a grave robber who disturbed my rest in your past life. Perhaps you deserved this treatment for balance.”
Lillian’s veins bulged with fury. The voice was all too familiar–it was Julia.
“Julia!” The two words tumbled out of Lillian’s mouth, her words full of derision and unadulterated
rage.
At the sight of Julia, Carter’s brows furrowed instantly. He had always assumed that her claim of being married to that man was a calculated attempt to provoke him, to make him care.
It wasn’t until that night at the KTV when Jared had presented the marriage certificate that Carter’s perspective had shifted. He had seen the certificate before, but he dismissed it as a fabrication. In his mind, the paper held no validity.
However, that day in the KTV room, the registration date on the marriage certificate caught his attention the very day he and Julia had married and subsequently separated. Jared’s revelation about being tricked into a phony relationship with Julia added to the puzzle. The pieces came together: Julia was truly married.
Facing Lillian’s incensed demeanor, Julia stood her ground with a bemused smile. “I’m here, no need to shout. What’s wrong? Did you just turn fifty and lose your hearing? Shouting so loudly?” Lillian’s anger was already at its peak, and Julia’s dismissive words further stoked the flames. Enraged, Lillian lunged at Julia, her hand aiming for Julia’s mouth.
However, Julia’s reflexes were swift. She sidestepped Lillian’s attack, leaving her sprawling on the ground, a posture reminiscent of a dog eating something unsavory.
The scene played out in surreal quietness.
Julia couldn’t help but laugh heartily at Lillian’s ridiculous appearance. “You look hideous! It’s hilarious! Hahaha-”
Lillian’s face seemed to be particularly ill–suited to such expressions, further fueling Julia’s
amusement.
Lillian, her face flushed with embarrassment and fury, sent daggers in Julia’s direction. Yet, the unfazed smile on Julia’s lips only served to stoke Lillian’s ire.
In the wake of the fall, Vivien stepped forward, her voice laced with a calculated vulnerability. “Julia, you’ve gone too far. You’ve left my mother in this state. And still, you can laugh? Don’t you have even an ounce of empathy?”
Julia’s crescent eyebrows arched, her gaze unyielding. “It’s hilarious. Are you chiding me for what
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Chapter 194: Lillian Takes Action on Julia
you just said? I’m standing right here. She lacks the courage to approach me, and I’m not obliged to stand still while someone attacks me. If someone takes a swing at me, am I at fault for evading it? What reasoning is this? The ethics of the Ross family? Nietzsche and the Dalai Lama’s teachings? You want others to stand still like wooden poles and let you vent your frustrations?” Julia had long recognized the audacious tactics of the Ross family and Vivien. She wasn’t oblivious to their intentions. Vivien’s sudden appearance was a calculated move to win more favor from Lillian, with Julia serving as nothing more than a pawn.
“I didn’t mean it that way. What I meant was, you shouldn’t laugh,” Vivien feigned vulnerability in front of Julia. Her actions were deliberate, designed to portray herself as a victim of Julia’s supposed bullying.
Julia saw through Vivien’s motives; her actions were meant to curry favor with Lillian by painting herself as a victim. Julia remained unmoved, knowing that exposing Vivien’s schemes would be futile. Carter and Lillian were blind to her manipulation.
Julia held to a belief that actions were under the scrutiny of fate, and eventually, the truth would come to light. She patiently awaited the day when Lillian would discover the reality–the depths of cruelty that lay beneath the façade of the future daughter–in–law she so fiercely protected. A cruelty that was willing to sacrifice others even risking their lives, to maintain a grip on Carter’s affections.
“Heh-” A wry chuckle escaped Julia’s lips, and she glanced at Lillian’s comical visage. “This face is a riot. I can’t help but laugh. Is it such a problem? Are you not my mother–in–law anymore? Why do you concern yourself with me? If you’re dissatisfied, are you brave enough to confront me like your mother–in–law? I promise you’ll end up like her.”
Julia’s audacity incensed Lillian and Vivien, their teeth grinding with frustration.
Lillian gripped Carter’s hand. “Don’t hold back. Teach her a lesson! Make her face pay the price!” Carter’s expression darkened, his hesitancy clear. He seemed torn between his emotions and his sense of propriety.
Lillian grew impatient. “I told you to teach her a lesson. Can’t you hear me? This insolent girl disrespected me. Aren’t you going to defend your mother?”
Carter hesitated for a moment, then calmly spoke, “I’m not in a position to reprimand her.”
Lillian’s eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth agape.
Carter’s words sparked realization within Lillian. She hadn’t previously considered the implications of Julia’s absence from their family. If she were to reprimand Julia, it would be as if she were disciplining a stranger’s daughter.
It was a truth she hadn’t faced until now.
Once, Lillian had wielded the power to berate and mistreat Julia without restraint. Yet, now that Julia was no longer part of her family, striking her felt akin to harming someone else’s child. This reality gnawed at Lillian, but she struggled to suppress her anger.
“Julia!” Lillian’s gaze bore into her, an edge of sharpness cutting through the air. “Here’s your last chance: kneel down and apologize to me now, or you’ll never lay eyes on my son again.”
The ultimatum was meant to intimidate Julia, but Carter’s hushed words in Lillian’s ear changed the
game. “She’s already married.”
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Chapter 195: Vivien Gets Arrested
