Chapter 77
Joshua froze.
He stared at Ella in shock.
This weak and helpless Ella had actually slapped him?
She actually hit him?
Joshua could hardly believe it. He pressed his tongue against his cheek, desperately suppressing the rage about to explode in his chest.
Scarlett beside him was even more stunned.
She never expected Ella would even hit Joshua.
Had she lost her mind?
Wasn't she afraid Joshua would slap her right back?
But seeing Joshua just standing there without making any move, Scarlett burst into tears. "Ella, if you have a problem, come at me. Why hit Joshua?"
She moved closer to Joshua, putting on a concerned face, and raised her hand to touch his slapped cheek.
"Joshua, are you okay?"
Joshua waved her off, avoiding her touch, his cold gaze fixed on Ella.
"Do you have a death wish?"
He had never laid a hand on Ella.
Yet she came up and slapped him.
Did she know that if he really hardened his heart, she and her child would have been dead long ago?
Ella looked at the two of them, still with that fierce determination.
"If you dare hurt my child again, I'll fight you to the death, especially you."
She pointed at Scarlett.
"You fed Dorian sleeping pills and broke a plate to frame him. Don't think that just because he's a child he doesn't understand anything. If there's a next time, I'll take you down with me."
"What are you talking about?"
Scarlett's eyes flickered, guilty yet aggrieved as she explained to Joshua, "Joshua, I didn't. Don't listen to her nonsense."
On Joshua's handsome face, four finger marks were clearly visible.
Obviously, he'd been hit hard. Feeling resentful, he pulled Scarlett to his side protectively.
"Ella, do you think everyone is like you? Scarlett is so much more gentle and kind than you. Stop slandering her."
Ella gave a sarcastic laugh.
Watching Joshua protect Scarlett like she was his precious treasure, her heart turned to ashes.
"One day, you'll see her true colors."
Not wanting to breathe the same air as these two. It was too disgusting. Ella turned and left.
Joshua glared at her thin figure but said nothing more.
Instead, Scarlett beside him cried softly, "Joshua, I don't know why Ella has such hostility toward me. I really haven't done anything."
Joshua casually comforted her, "She's just sick. Don't take it to heart. I'll have Karen bring you some ice."
He turned to leave.
But Scarlett grabbed his arm. "Joshua, you're hurt pretty badly too. Let me get the ice and put it on your face."
Joshua didn't know what to say and let her.
As Scarlett applied ice to his face in the living room, his mind was filled with images of Ella losing her temper and hitting him.
Ella was petite, but she hit pretty hard.
Thinking about how Ella would fight him to the death for someone else's child made Joshua irritated.
He uncomfortably avoided Scarlett's touch and said tactfully, "Maybe you should go home. Living here, I'm afraid Ella might go crazy and attack you again."
After all, this was his and Ella's marital home.
No matter how dissatisfied he was with Ella or how much he wanted to punish her, having another woman move in was still inappropriate.
To prevent Ella from accusing him further, he could only ask Scarlett to leave first.
"Joshua, you know that as soon as I go home, my parents will force me to go on blind dates."
Scarlett didn't want to leave. She held Joshua's arm and deliberately leaned on his shoulder.
"Please, don't send me away, okay?"
Joshua knew that the Lewis family indeed only wanted Scarlett for a marriage alliance.
As for who she married or what he was like, the Lewis family probably didn't care at all.
What they cared about was only what benefited the Lewis family.
But letting Scarlett stay made Joshua inexplicably guilty.
After thinking, Joshua said, "Didn't I give you that villa last time? Go stay there for now, and I'll come keep you company when I'm free."
"But..."
Scarlett wanted to say more, but Joshua had already stood up and said firmly, "I'll call Brian and have him pick you up."
Scarlett hesitated, knowing she couldn't change Joshua's mind.
If she kept refusing to leave, it would only make him uncomfortable.
Fine.
She would find a way to make Joshua come back to her obediently.
In less than half an hour, Brian came to pick her up.
At dinner time, only Joshua sat in the dining room.
He had no appetite. Looking at Karen, he asked, "Who made the food?"
Karen nodded, "Mr. Thomas, I made it."
"Didn't I tell Ella to cook? Why didn't you let her do it?"
That hateful Ella should serve as the Thomas family's slave to repay the Thomas family.
Keeping her here wasn't so she could enjoy herself.
Karen looked troubled, "Mrs. Thomas—Ella, she..."
Realizing she'd used the wrong title, Karen quickly corrected herself, "Ms. Garcia cleaned the entire villa inside and out today. She's already worked very hard, and she's still sick."
She felt somewhat sympathetic anyway.
But Joshua didn't care at all. He ordered coldly, "Tell Ella to come cook for me. If she doesn't want to, she can leave."
But if she left, she shouldn't expect to see Aurora again.
Karen had no choice but to call Ella.
When Ella came over and saw the dishes on the table, she asked uncomfortably, "Isn't this enough for you to eat? What exactly do you want me to make?"
Joshua stared at her and replied casually, "Do you still want Aurora or not?"
Ella immediately shut up, said nothing more, and hurried into the kitchen.
To avoid wasting ingredients, she just made a bowl of noodles and quickly placed it in front of Joshua.
"Make do with this. There aren't any other ingredients in the kitchen."
She noticed Scarlett was gone.
Had she gone home?
Good riddance—out of sight, out of mind.
Joshua looked at the noodles before him and lost his appetite completely. With a dark expression, he suddenly stood up and strode away.
Ella watched him act that way and cursed him a thousand times in her heart.
If he wouldn't eat it, she'd take it to Dorian.
While keeping Dorian company during dinner, Ella tried calling Patricia.
But the phone was turned off.
If she wanted to know about Aurora's condition, she could only ask Joshua.
After dinner, Ella got Dorian settled in bed with a book, then prepared some fruit to take to Joshua's study.
Seeing the study door was open, she knocked lightly and went straight in.
She placed the fruit plate on the desk. Joshua didn't even glance at her, as if treating her like air.
Ella held her breath and spoke, "Joshua, I can sign the divorce papers with you right away, but let me take care of Aurora, okay?"
He should love Scarlett very much.
Using divorce as leverage, maybe he'd compromise for Scarlett's sake.
Joshua still didn't want to look at Ella. He stared at the documents in front of him, pretending to review them. After a long pause, he finally moved his lips.
"After that slap you gave me, do you think I'll still let Aurora live?"