Chapter 7
“Rylie!” When Julia saw that Rylie had become low–spirited suddenly, she hurried to comfort her. “Rylie, even though Joseph and I are divorced, you can still see me as your daughter. And I will still treat you as my mother.”
This remark lifted Rylie’s mood, but her expression darkened again when she looked at Joseph. “You ungrateful bastard!”
Joseph took in Rylie’s anger silently. He couldn’t help but soften as he watched Julia constantly trying to pacify Rylie. The scene seemed quite pleasing, but when he saw Rylie’s gaze, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow in frustration.
“Alright, let’s eat.” Rylie stood up, waved her hand, and said, “After dinner, you two can stay here.”
‘Stay here?‘ Julia repeated inwardly. She was taken aback. She was about to ask when Rylie walked toward the dining table without looking back and said, “If either of you dare to leave, it means you don’t see me as your family, especially you, Joseph. If you dare to say a word of refusal, you’ll never be allowed to come back to this house.”
Rylie seemed to realize that Joseph wouldn’t be intimidated by this threat. She turned around and walked a few steps to him, looking at him expressionlessly. “I heard that woman’s illness is almost cured. Joseph, don’t refuse me if you wish to marry her.”
Joseph’s eyes darkened. It was as if a bottle of ink had spilled in them, making them pitch black.
Julia couldn’t hear clearly, but Joseph indeed did not refuse. She frowned in perplexity. ‘What should I do now?‘ she thought. After dinner, Rylie stretched lazily. “Well, I’m going to have a rest. The room is ready for you.”
Julia knew Rylie was referring to their original room, but Julia’s current status made it awkward for her to share a room with Joseph. She thought she would wait for Rylie to go to her room before finding another room to spend the night in. But she checked every room in the old mansion, and not one could be opened.
Julia sighed helplessly, knowing Rylie did this on purpose. Julia was about to settle for a night on the couch in the living room when she saw Joseph standing at the door of his room, looking at her indifferently. “Come in.”
Julia hesitated, raising her chin toward the living room. “It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the couch…”
Joseph frowned, a coldness gathering between his brows. “If you don’t want Rylie to…” He didn’t know how to describe it for a moment. He paused before continuing coldly, “Just come in.”
Thinking of Rylie, Julia obediently lowered her head and walked in.
Next door, Rylie took the cup of coffee prepared by the housekeeper, feeling somewhat lost. “Do you think what I’m doing is right?”
“Mrs. Mullins, the children will make their own decisions…” The housekeeper replied.
“Julia is a good girl. I don’t have much time left. Julia was the one who saved me, but now she can’t. Before I die, I want to try my best to bring them together.” Rylie turned the cup in her hand, her voice soft.
“Mrs. Mullins…”
“Even though they’ve divorced without my consent, I want to try one last time. Joseph’s girlfriend, that woman named…” Rylie paused abruptly.
The housekeeper reminded her, “Amelie Hamilton.”
“Yeah, Amelie, Rylie continued her words smoothly and furrowed her brow slightly. “She’s too calculating and not a kind girl. I don’t like her. She’s not worthy of Joseph.”
Inside the room, Julia started to feel worried again. She noted that the floor was wide enough to sleep on, so she politely said, “I can sleep on the floor today. Don’t worry…”
1/2
2:56 PM dd
Chapter 7
Joseph’s expression darkened. ‘What’s wrong with this woman?‘ he asked inwardly. ‘Why is she avoiding him like the plague?‘ He couldn’t help but recall the scene he had witnessed earlier, feeling increasingly annoyed by it.
Joseph took a deep breath. Finally, he could not bear it any longer when he saw how Julia was trying to make a bed on the floor. He grabbed her delicate wrist and pulled her toward him.
Julia was still lost in thought when she was suddenly pulled over. She was startled and instinctively stepped backward. After a few steps, she felt her back against the cold wall.
