Chapter 137 Deceitful Return
Christine knew Mandy had called the police. She couldn't afford to linger and quickly fled from Dorian's estate.
She was certain that once Mandy spoke with the police, she would reveal Christine's current hideout. That old dilapidated house was now permanently off-limits to her.
Mandy was truly Robert's child, betraying Christine when it mattered most.
Christine loathed herself for her poor judgment. How could she have spent her life with a spineless man like Robert? And how could she have given birth to a daughter like Mandy?
To preserve what little chance of escape she had left, Christine didn't attempt to enter Dorian's home. She slipped away quietly as police vehicles approached the estate.
The following morning, Harrison received a call from the police informing him they had leads on Christine's whereabouts. They requested his presence at the station to assist with the investigation.
Upon hearing there was news about Christine, Harrison headed to the police station.
As he walked in, he spotted Mandy sitting on a chair, looking frail and pitiful. When she saw Harrison, she immediately tried to throw herself into his arms.
"Harrison, I finally found you! Christine kidnapped me and made me suffer terribly. I thought I'd never see you again," she cried.
Her words made Harrison's brow furrow. Wait a minute.
The situation was unfolding too suddenly for him to process completely.
He pushed Mandy away with evident distaste.
"What are you saying? Christine kidnapped you? Weren't you plotting with her to harm Lily before fleeing together to escape punishment?" he asked coldly.
Hearing this, Mandy began crying and hastily explained.
Last night, she had gone to see Dorian first to seek his advice on how she could return to her former social circle. She claimed she never wanted to be on the run with Christine.
"Harrison, I'm Lily's mother. I carried her for nine months. How could I possibly want to harm her? As long as she's alive and well, you would take care of me for Lily's sake, wouldn't you?"
What Mandy said was true, in a way. If not for Lily's existence, Harrison would find a woman like Mandy too repulsive to even look at.
"Harrison, it was my mother—no, I mean Christine. That night when her dirty schemes were exposed, I followed her to the bedroom."
"I tried to persuade her to surrender to the police, thinking you might forgive her actions, and perhaps my father would let her off as well."
"But she wouldn't listen. Instead, she held a knife to my throat and forced me to leave with her."
"She stole many of my father's valuables. These past days, she's been nothing but abusive—look at these injuries on my body. They're all from her. Even this wound on my head was from her hitting me with a brick."
"Harrison, I'm innocent. I never imagined my own mother could be so evil. Her ambition ruined me. I've been dragged down by her greed."
"Harrison, I have no one else. For Lily's sake—the daughter I gave you—you can't abandon me, can you?"
Mandy shifted all blame onto Christine, and fearing Harrison wouldn't believe her, she burst into loud sobs, appearing utterly pitiful.
Harrison remained skeptical of her story.
At that moment, an officer approached and spoke quietly to Harrison.
"Mr. Frost, our investigation largely confirms Ms. Reed's account."
"As the mother of your daughter, we don't believe she had any motive to harm her own child. Of course, we'll continue investigating all details."
"However, we need you to make arrangements for Ms. Reed's accommodation for now."
The officer's words somewhat diminished Harrison's wariness.
After consideration, he decided to take Mandy home. He wanted to observe her closely to determine whether what she claimed was actually true.
That morning, Elena left for work with Charlotte picking her up. They had a business collaboration that required Elena's personal attendance.
As soon as they departed, Connor and Mia secretly slipped out through the back door of the house.
After discussing with Lily the previous night, they had agreed to let Mia temporarily swap identities with Lily—partly to ease Lily's longing for Elena, and partly because Connor wanted to use his medical knowledge to assess Lily's condition.
The two children crouched low as they entered the estate through the back entrance. They had arranged to meet Lily at the gazebo not far from the mansion to exchange identities.
Today, to ensure the deception would work, Mia wore a white princess dress and styled her hair in a cute bun. She and Connor arrived at the gazebo first, but Lily hadn't shown up yet.
Connor said to Mia, "Wait here while I go check if Lily has come out."
"Okay," Mia replied obediently.
After Connor left, Mia grew bored sitting alone. She plucked a small flower from the garden, held it between her teeth, and began humming a tune.
At that exact moment, Harrison was bringing Mandy back to the estate. Their car passed Elena and Charlotte's vehicle. Through the windshield, Elena and Charlotte both saw Mandy sitting in Harrison's car.
When Elena and Mandy's eyes met, Mandy's gaze was filled with undisguised challenge.
Charlotte witnessed this exchange, her expression darkening. She turned the car around and drove out of the estate.
She whispered to Elena, "What is Harrison thinking? Why is he bringing Mandy back home?"
"And what about Christine? Has he forgiven her actions too?"
Elena let out a cold snort. "Who cares? If he wants to forgive someone, that's his business."
"But you've been intimate with him, and now he's bringing Mandy home—what does that mean? Is he trying to hurt you?" Charlotte's briefly positive impression of Harrison instantly vanished.
Elena replied with apparent indifference, "He can't hurt me. I told you before, what happened between us was purely physical."
Elena spoke casually, but as the words left her mouth, she felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.
As Harrison's car entered the estate and passed by the gazebo, Mandy instantly spotted Mia sitting there, biting a flower and humming a tune!