Chapter 123 She Will Create Her Own Path
After all, Clio came from a distinguished family. Back then, she didn't mind that Patrick's background was ordinary - she married down because his family could provide the alliance support she needed to solve her family's urgent crisis.
If it weren't for that, she never would have married Patrick.
"You want to divorce me? Fine," Clio's voice trembled, "Fine! Patrick, I've managed the estate for over twenty years, and you treat me like this for a mistress. Don't you dare regret this!"
Cressida turned to watch Patrick's reaction.
He probably knew those words came from anger.
For a moment he just stood there breathing heavily, saying nothing.
Michael quickly knelt down: "Father, I can't be separated from you and Mother!"
Looking at Michael, who had just regained consciousness, a flash of pain crossed Patrick's eyes.
He didn't have many children. Apart from the one in Echo's belly, Michael was his only son.
Rose spoke up directly: "Father, if word gets out that you favor your mistress while mistreating your legal wife, will you have any chance of advancement in your career?"
This statement hit Patrick's fatal weakness.
A divorce would likely end up in the royal court, where Clio's family members could impeach him, making a big deal about his favoritism toward Echo.
Besides, if it blew up, it would be another family scandal. Patrick knew he couldn't bear that humiliation.
But he'd already said so much - if he backed down now, where would his authority as head of the family be?
He closed his eyes, pained by the stalemate.
Cressida could see that Patrick wasn't determined enough to go through with a divorce today.
However, Cressida certainly wouldn't let Clio off easy. She had to twist the knife right into Clio's weak spot.
Cressida stepped forward and gently helped Echo up.
"Father, Echo must be frightened. Mother certainly didn't mean to bully her. When you think about it, it's all Wilder's fault. How about this - to keep Echo safe, let her move into Mother's main villa, and Mother can temporarily move to the west wing to rest."
"You!" Michael was furious, "Cressida, do you have no heart!"
"That's settled then!" Patrick seemed to have found his way out and made the final decision. "Someone come! Help Mrs. Clio Hamilton pack her things and move to the west wing immediately. Give the main villa to Echo - she's pregnant now and needs the best care."
Rose quickly supported the swaying Clio: "Father! How can you treat Mother like this? She's your legal wife!"
Patrick's attitude was cold: "A legal wife should be gracious. What's wrong with her giving up a residence? She should rest well too!"
With that, he waved his sleeve, his mind made up.
In the end, Clio's legs gave out and she had to be helped away.
Her face was covered in tears, mumbling: "He's making me give up my home to a mistress, a mistress!"
As for Wilder, after going through all this, he was terrified. The wounds from the beating hurt so much he kept moaning.
Patrick ordered Wilder to pack up and get out of the estate immediately.
Then Patrick lovingly put his arm around Echo and walked her away.
He didn't forget to leave one more instruction: "Cressida, you're in charge of the estate - handle the aftermath!"
Cressida didn't have much to do, just had Noah drive Wilder away, along with Mira.
Cressida also warned Wilder that if he dared talk outside, what happened on the yacht would be spread around.
Then Cressida had Noah lead the servants to switch the residences for Clio and Echo.
Cressida was guarding against Clio's non-cooperation.
By the time all this was done, it was evening.
Cressida soaked her hands in hot water, listening to Emma and Verity chatting below the window about today's events.
"Mr. Hamilton sure has it easy - throws a fit then walks away, leaving Ms. Hamilton to clean up the mess. Look how exhausted Ms. Hamilton is. Such a shame."
"Shame about what?" Verity asked her.
Emma said sarcastically: "Shame I'm not a man. Otherwise, I'd marry several beautiful wives, dump all the troublesome matters on the estate's women to handle, and just enjoy myself."
"Can't rely on wives, but daughters can be used too. Just like my father - back then he sold me to a brothel, and the money he got wasn't even enough for a drink. Too bad I'm a woman."
Verity fell silent.
Hearing this, Cressida raised her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.
Wasn't Emma right?
Someone as selfish as Patrick - even though Clio had managed the estate for twenty years, so what?
As long as she angered him, no matter how hard Clio worked, she became a despised shrew.
Cressida had to deal with the whole family, men and women alike. But honestly, if Clio were a man, her abilities would surpass Patrick's.
Looking further, which woman in this world isn't strong?
They're resilient, willing to endure hardship, and sometimes have to be perfect at everything - no worse than men.
Cressida couldn't help thinking about herself. If she were a man, why would she need to disguise herself as one? After joining the army and earning military merit, no one could take it away.
Just because she was a woman, she had to use roundabout methods, pin her hopes on the next monarch, and risk everything to do the dangerous work of supporting a new ruler, all for a legitimate title.
But where was she lacking?
In martial arts, she was already the best in the army; in merit, no one in all of Novaria could match her.
She just happened to be a woman.
Thinking it over, Cressida felt the main problem was: why couldn't Novaria have a female general, a female minister?
Because no one had set the precedent before.
What if I become that precedent?
Thinking this, she opened her eyes, her resolve strengthened once more.
No one dared walk this path, so she would be the pioneer, carving out a smooth road through this thorn-covered future!
That way, when other women followed in her footsteps, they wouldn't struggle as much as she did today.
Cressida would take it step by step, steadily and surely.
She called Ingrid over: "Did you check on Echo's condition? The baby is fine, right?"
Ingrid nodded: "Ms. Cressida Hamilton, don't worry. I just came back. Echo is extremely happy. She said she never dreamed she'd live in Mrs. Hamilton's villa one day. If she wasn't afraid Mr. Patrick Hamilton would find out, she'd want to thank Ms. Cressida Hamilton right away."
Cressida took her hands out of the copper basin, water droplets hanging from her slender fingertips.
Emma wrapped her fingertips with a silk handkerchief, dried the water, and applied rejuvenating cream to nourish her skin.
"No need for thanks. She and I are just using each other, taking what we need."
Then Cressida instructed Ingrid: "Keep making her nutritious soups and take good care of her pregnancy."
Ingrid nodded, but looked a bit worried.
"I'm just afraid that on the day of delivery, when Echo discovers she's having a daughter instead of a son, she won't be able to accept it."
All the estate's doctors were already Cressida's people, which is why they wrote in the diagnosis that Echo was carrying a boy.
Doing this made Patrick value Echo, and made Echo feel she was carrying a precious heir, which is why she dared to risk everything today.
"She'll accept it, because even though Michael is a boy, hasn't he turned out useless? A daughter, properly raised, can also achieve great things."
After Cressida finished speaking, both Emma and Verity laughed.
"Exactly, just like Ms. Hamilton."
"If Mr. Patrick Hamilton knew Mr. Michael Hamilton owed huge debts outside, he'd be even more furious!"
"How much does Michael owe?" Cressida asked.
Verity brought her a secret ledger.
The ledger clearly showed he owed the gambling house two hundred thousand dollars.
Cressida closed the book: "That's enough. In the next few days, have their people come to the estate to collect the debt."
She managed the estate's finances and knew exactly how much money The Hamilton Mansion had in its public accounts.
All these years she'd earned merit for the family, stuck at military outposts, never enjoying any benefits.
Instead, they took Doyle's rewards and acquired many luxurious estates, lands, and shops.
Patrick had a secret vault hidden in his room, filled with gold, silver, and jewels.
All of this was earned with Cressida's life, and it was time to use this opportunity to make them return it all.