Chapter213 Catching Father and Aunt Together
For the next three days, Miranda's life returned to calm as she threw herself fully into work.
Perhaps having learned her lesson on the lawn that day, Isabella had been behaving like an invisible person these past few days.
Even when they ran into each other at the Prescott estate, she would just turn and walk away.
Arthur and Isabella were staying at the Prescott estate as guests, but these past few days, they'd barely disturbed Miranda.
This suited Miranda just fine.
That afternoon, after handling company matters, Miranda drove to the hospital.
In the VIP ward, Christian looked much better, leaning against the headboard reading a book.
"Christian." Miranda placed the fruit she'd brought on the bedside table, studying his face carefully. "How are you feeling today?"
Christian set down his book and smiled warmly. "The doctor checked on me this morning. Said I'm recovering well. In a while, I can start preparing for physical therapy."
Hearing everything was developing in a positive direction, the weight on Miranda's heart finally lifted, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.
"That's wonderful."
She sat in the chair by the bed, peeling an apple. As if suddenly remembering something, her movements paused.
"Christian, Mom should be coming back soon."
Mentioning their mother, Christian's smile faded somewhat, his brow clouding with worry.
"I'm afraid we can't hide my accident from her." He sighed. "When the time comes, let's tell Mom it was just a minor injury so she won't worry."
"Okay." Miranda nodded. This was what she'd planned to say too. Their mother's health was poor and she couldn't handle shocks.
Christian looked out the window, seeming to remember something, and suddenly spoke. "By the way, Miranda, could you go back to the house for me?"
"What's wrong?"
"In the drawer of my study, there's a locked project file. I need it for a video conference tomorrow. Can you go get it for me?"
"Sure." Miranda agreed without hesitation.
Leaving the hospital, she drove straight back to the Lancaster villa.
As soon as her car turned into the yard, Miranda frowned.
Something was wrong.
Dominic's car was parked at the garage entrance. At this time, he should be at the company.
She parked her car in a corner and walked toward the living room, but before she got close, she faintly heard a woman's laughter from inside, mixed with Dominic's occasional responses.
That voice wasn't any of the household servants.
Miranda's steps halted, her expression instantly turning cold.
She didn't go in. Instead, she retreated, returning to her car and opening an app on her phone.
It was the villa's security system, allowing her to view surveillance footage from inside the house at any time.
When the living room's live feed appeared clearly on her phone screen, Miranda's breath caught sharply.
On the sofa, sitting beside Dominic, was a mature, still-attractive middle-aged woman.
It was her aunt, Ariana's mother—Evelyn.
In the surveillance footage, Evelyn was smiling as she poured water into Dominic's cup, her body leaning close intentionally or unintentionally, her fingers even seemingly accidentally brushing across Dominic's hand.
Dominic didn't avoid it. Instead, he lowered his head and said something to her.
Though there was no sound, the sticky, ambiguous atmosphere practically overflowed through the cold screen, stabbing painfully at Miranda's eyes.
A wave of nausea and fury exploded from her chest.
Her knuckles gripping the steering wheel turned white from the force.
Perfect.
Just perfect!
How long had her mother been away traveling? And this pair of shameless cheaters were already so eager to make themselves at home!
Miranda closed her eyes, forcefully suppressing the urge to rush in and tear off their hypocritical masks.
She quickly pulled up her contacts and sent a message to a trusted elderly servant, asking her to get the documents from her brother's room and bring them to the entrance.
A few minutes later, the servant hurried out with the document folder.
Miranda took the documents, hit the gas, and drove away from this nauseating place without looking back.
An hour later, inside the Lancaster villa.
Evelyn had changed into a sexy silk nightgown, holding a glass of red wine, her seductive eyes hooked around Dominic's neck as she breathed sweetly.
"Dominic, let's go upstairs? I haven't slept in the master bedroom yet..."
Dominic was tempted by her teasing, his Adam's apple bobbing. Just as he was about to sweep her up, noisy engine sounds and clamoring voices suddenly came from the yard outside the villa.
"What's going on?" Evelyn jumped in fright, the seductive look on her face instantly vanishing as she frowned in displeasure.
She walked to the window and looked out, only to see two vans marked "All-Purpose Cleaning Company" had somehow driven into the yard. More than a dozen people in uniform were getting out, carrying various cleaning tools.
Dominic also came downstairs with a dark expression. Seeing this scene, he shouted sternly, "Who told you to come! Don't you know this is a private residence? Get out immediately! Or I'll call the police and report you for trespassing!"
A middle-aged woman who appeared to be the supervisor walked forward calmly, holding an electronic order form.
"Good day, sir. We received an order from Ms. Miranda requesting we come immediately for a complete deep cleaning of the villa."
The supervisor paused, then repeated Miranda's exact words verbatim for everyone in the villa to hear.
"Miranda said her mother, Ms. Ariana, will be returning soon. This villa, top to bottom, inside and out, must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. There absolutely cannot be a trace of anything dirty or disgusting left behind to affect her mother's mood when she comes home."
The words "disgusting" and "dirty" felt like slaps across Dominic and Evelyn's faces.
Their expressions instantly changed from red to green, from green to white, becoming extremely ugly.
The supervisor, as if not noticing their expressions, waved to the group behind her after finishing. "Get to work! Ms. Miranda paid us double. Everyone stay sharp, don't miss a single corner! We must satisfy Ms. Miranda!"
"Got it!"
More than a dozen people responded in unison like trained soldiers, flooding into the villa and beginning to clean systematically.
...
In the hospital room.
Miranda sat in a chair with a laptop on her lap, the screen displaying live surveillance footage from the Lancaster villa.
Watching those dozen cleaning staff turn the villa upside down while Dominic and Evelyn fumed helplessly, the frustration that had been building in her heart finally dissipated considerably, leaving her feeling immensely satisfied.
She hadn't expected that with her mother merely away traveling, this dear aunt of hers had already become brazen enough to make herself at home.
And dared to sleep in the master bedroom?
She switched the view to the surveillance camera outside the master bedroom hallway.
Soon, two cleaning ladies walked in and unceremoniously stripped off the garish bedding that didn't belong to her mother—obviously brought by Evelyn—along with the cosmetics on the nightstand that belonged to her, sweeping everything into a trash bag.
Watching those things thrown out like garbage, Miranda's lips curved upward.
But soon, as if thinking of something, the smile on her lips gradually straightened and fell.
Mother still didn't know anything.
She still didn't know that her most trusted husband and most beloved sister had long been carrying on behind her back, giving her the cruelest betrayal.
With Mother's temperament, if she suddenly learned this news, how could her body possibly withstand it?
No.
She had to prepare Mother in advance, let her have some psychological preparation. She absolutely couldn't let her be blindsided by these two scumbags.
With this thought, Miranda's fingers gripping the phone tightened inch by inch.