Chapter 50

Chapter 50
Clara’s POV

 

“Clara, dear, after I married your father, I became your stepmother. That makes me an elder too.” Her tone was sickly sweet, deliberately soft. “I just want to repair the relationship between you and your family. Come home so we can talk properly.”

 

She paused, and her voice hardened slightly. “Of course, if you’re too busy, I can also visit your workplace. I’d be very happy to see where the famous Gloria works in person.”

 

She made it very clear—if I did not go back, she would come here. She wanted to force me into yielding. I was not afraid of her, but I did not want her to bring the family’s filth into my workplace. I did not want any of that touching Gloria Nguyen’s reputation, and I did not want my team dragged into this mess.

 

I weighed the pros and cons in my mind, then spoke.

 

“All right. Wait there. I’m coming home now.”

 

I hung up, set my phone on the desk, and rubbed my temples with two fingers.

 

Paige looked at me, her face full of concern and confusion. “Clara, what’s wrong?”

 

“Monica found my house,” I said.

 

Paige’s brows immediately knit together. It was not polite concern—it was real worry. “Monica doesn’t know about Ethan and Chloe, right? What if she barges in and hurts them?”

 

The moment I heard that, something inside me tightened.

 

The children.

 

“They should be fine,” I said. “There’s security at the house. She wouldn’t dare do anything reckless.” But as I said that, I was already picking up my phone and sending Ethan a voice message.

 

I sent: Ethan, stay upstairs with Chloe. There’s an unfriendly visitor in the house. Both of you stay safe.

 

Ethan replied quickly: Okay, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll protect Chloe.

 

When I saw that message, the tension inside me eased a little.

 

Paige was still standing there, the worry still on her face. “Are you okay going back alone? I can go with you.”

 

I thought about it, then shook my head. Those people were despicable. I did not want Paige to become the target of their anger. Some things I had to deal with myself.

 

“It’s fine. I can handle it,” I said. Then I gave her another task and asked her to help find a good kindergarten for the children. They were five now. They should begin receiving formal education. It was not good for them to stay shut up at home all the time.

 

After that, I gathered my things and left the office.

 

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Ethan’s POV

 

When Mom’s voice message came in, I was sitting in the room reading with Zoe.

 

I listened to it, put the phone down, and turned to look at Zoe. “There’s an unfriendly visitor in the house. Mom told us to stay upstairs.”

 

Zoe nodded and did not ask any questions.

 

From the window, I glanced toward the living room—a woman dressed very elegantly, but with an air of trying too hard about her, was sitting there eating fruit. Her posture was casual, but it was the kind of casualness that came from acting like the owner in someone else’s house.

 

I frowned.

 

Zoe also came over, stood on tiptoe to look outside, then stepped back. There was obvious recognition in her eyes.

 

I gently tugged at her sleeve and lowered my voice. “Zoe, who is that lady?”

 

Zoe lowered her head and said quietly, “She’s my mother’s mother.”

 

I froze for a moment. “Iris’s mother?”

 

Zoe nodded.

 

“When I used to be at their house, she said she wanted to help me bathe,” she said, her voice getting softer and softer. “But she just pushed my head under the bathwater and made me swallow a lot of water.”

 

She paused, and there was something so heavy in that pause that I could hardly bear to hear the rest.

 

“I cried very loudly, and only then did she let go. She told me not to tell my dad, or else she would...” Zoe’s voice trembled, and the fear in it was real. “She said she would strangle me. I was so scared she would really hurt me, so I never went back to their house again.”

 

I stood there listening to all of it, feeling something slowly begin to burn in my chest.

 

It was not ordinary anger. It was the kind buried deep inside, smoldering under the surface.

 

I bent down and kept my voice steady. “Don’t be afraid, Zoe. If she dares hurt you again, I’ll make her pay.”

 

Zoe looked up at me, and in her eyes was something that wanted to believe me, but did not quite dare to.

 

I led Zoe upstairs to the little pavilion on the rooftop. There were potted plants there, and beside them was a long garden hose used by the house staff for watering. There were still drops of water clinging to the nozzle.

 

When I saw that hose, something in my mind turned, and a clear idea took shape.

 

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