Chapter 21: The Misunderstanding of Seven Years Ago

"Laura, come on. Let Mom introduce you to a few young men again."

Anna refused to give up and pulled Laura's hand, leading her somewhere else. What surprised her was that after just a few words, the privileged young masters from Freton Province's government went away hastily, as if their tails had been stepped on.

"What's going on?"

Anna was confused. When she turned her head, she saw Henry following closely, "Henry, aren't you annoying? Can't you see Laura and I are busy?"

"Aunt, I want to speak to Laura for a moment."

"No! Laura is pure-hearted; I won't let you deceive her anymore!" Anna scolded.

"Mom, please leave first and let me talk to him."

"Laura, have you forgotten what happened seven years ago?" Anna asked sternly. Seeing her daughter's pale face, she felt some heartache but continued, "Seven years ago, Henry deceived you with his sweet words. Your father and I warned you, but you didn't listen and insisted on getting engaged to him."

"What happened later? Didn't you witness it yourself? He raped a woman from the subsidiary White family branch, causing the White family to pursue him."

"If it wasn't for your pleas, our Costa family wouldn't have gotten involved, and that beast wouldn't have escaped for seven years! Andrew White didn't mention it just now because he didn't want to confront you and show you some respect, but you must not forget this!"

Laura said sadly, "Mom, please stop. I... remember, I can never forget it!"

"Then do you still want to talk to him?" Anna snapped, "You are just too naive!"

Henry listened silently as the two of them brought up the past. His eyes, however, turned icy cold.

Naturally, he was unable to forget what had occurred seven years ago! After getting engaged to Laura, they went out to celebrate with friends. In the bar, he just had one drink before losing consciousness.

When he woke up, he was naked, lying in a hotel suite. Beside him was a Miss from the White family subsidiary branch, also naked.

Just as he realized he had been set up, the door to the suite opened, and Laura appeared, witnessing the scene.

He wanted to chase after her and explain, but the people from the White family had already arrived and began to chase after him. It was only with great difficulty that he escaped from Freton.

This incident caused an uproar, angering the White family, and even the Miller family did not dare to say anything. The messages he sent to Laura were all rejected. In despair, he finally fled to North State, where he stayed for seven years.

Returning to Freton, aside from saving his sister Isabella, he also wanted to uncover who had framed him back then.

"Mom, please go somewhere else. Don't worry, I won't easily forgive him!"

Faced with her daughter's desolate and earnest gaze, Anna no longer dissuaded her. She walked to the side, took a few steps, then turned back and shouted at Henry, "Henry, I advise you to think about it carefully and stop trying to get Laura's attention. You can't take on the Costa family's wrath!"

Henry remained calm, not uttering a word.

"What do you want to say to me?" Laura's attitude had returned to its icy state.

After her mother brought up the past again, she re-experienced the feelings of pain and despair she had felt back then. The more she loved someone, the more she hated them when she discovered their betrayal.

If Henry hadn't saved her just now, she wouldn't have given him the chance to speak.

Henry took a deep breath. "Laura, seven years ago, it was a misunderstanding. Things weren't what you think!"

"A misunderstanding? Is that all you're going to say?" Laura's gaze turned cold. "I saw you with Miss White from the White family lying on a bed, a bed... with Miss White’s blood. You're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"

"Someone framed me! They drugged me and put me with Miss White. Laura, think about it carefully. The timing of your appearance and the White family's pursuit, isn't it all too coincidental? It's like there's a script to seperate us!"

As Henry spoke, there was also hatred in his heart. To truly love someone and be separated by a misunderstanding, enduring seven years of pain! He had to find the manipulator behind the scenes; for that person, even death seemed like a luxury!

Laura couldn't believe what she heard about the truth of the matter for the first time. "You're not lying to me, are you? Would Miss White from the White family sacrifice her innocence for this role?"

"She was also drugged. We are both victims." Henry grabbed Laura's hand. "Laura, think about it. When we were together, so deeply in love, how could I go find another woman?"

Laura's mind was in disarray; she didn't know what to do.

The accumulated resentment of seven years propelled her to leave, to not get entangled with this bastard. A trace of reason told her, what if Henry was telling the truth?

If... it was a misunderstanding.

"Henry! What are you doing?" Anna had been watching from the side. When she noticed Henry holding her daughter's hand, she suddenly became furious and rushed over.

"Get lost! Do you want to die? The Costa family can crush you; it's no harder than crushing an ant!"

Anna approached and tried to push Henry, but it was like pushing a mountain. Henry just smiled at her and stepped back on his own.

"What did she say to you, daughter?" Anna looked at Laura's pained and confused expression, growing angrier. She took out her phone. "Someone come here and throw Henry out!"

"Don't bother. I'll leave on my own."

After explaining everything to Laura, Henry believed that with her intelligence, she would surely understand that something was amiss. He didn't need to say anything more.

With this much sudden information, she would need time to digest it. It would be better for her to calm down for now.

Henry glanced at Laura again, then turned and walked away. Just as he left the banquet hall, Anna caught up to him.

"Henry, if you step foot into the Costa family again, I'll break your legs!"

Henry shook his head. "Aunty, Laura and I are genuinely in love."

"Genuinely in love?" Anna sneered. "You were kicked out by the Miller family. The White family and the Lewis family are hunting you. You have nowhere to go, and you think by relying on Laura, you can drag our Costa family down. Do you think I don't know?"

"Henry, let me tell you the truth. If it weren't for Laura, I would personally send someone to kill you. I advise you to know your place!"

Suddenly, Anna's face showed a mocking smile. "In consideration of the fact that you were once my almost son-in-law in the Costa family, I'll give you ten million dollars. This amount is enough for you to leave Freton and settle down anywhere in Diony Country."

"Ten million dollars? That's too little." Henry smiled. "How about one hundred billion dollars?"

"You!" Anna's face turned angry. At this moment, the security team received a notification over the phone. "Throw him out!"

Henry glanced at these people, smiled again, and calmly left, pretending not to have seen them.

Stefano silently appeared.

"Well, why aren't you taking action?" Anna roared. "Do I pay you all for nothing?"

"Mistress, we cannot take action," the security team noticed Stefano. "They have an invitation."

An invitation called a ‘gun’!