Chapter 70
"Hermione, you have such good taste. Could you help me pick something? I've always thought of you and Phoenix as my own elders, and your opinion matters most to me."
The words sounded sweet, but both Phoenix and Hermione knew what Freya was really after.
Hermione snorted coldly and finally spoke: "Ms. Stewart should focus on her own business. We in the Adams family will prepare Kaida's gift ourselves. No need to trouble yourself."
Freya's smile froze for a moment, then quickly recovered as her eyes reddened slightly: "Hermione, I know you're still mad at me. What happened at the celebration banquet was all a misunderstanding. I was set up, too."
"And Ophelia is still suing me. I'm on edge every day, but I've always remembered how good you and Phoenix have been to me. I've never dared to forget."
Phoenix looked at her fake performance with disgust: "Whether we've misunderstood you or not, you know in your heart. As for the lawsuit, you brought it on yourself. Think about how to deal with it instead of always trying to blame others."
Freya bit her lip, looking like she'd been terribly wronged, her voice even softer: "I know, I didn't want this either, but Jeffrey and I truly want to be together."
"Actually, Jeffrey and I have already taken care of everything we needed to. We're the real family now, and we'll take good care of you and Grandpa in the future."
She said it casually, as if mentioning it in passing, then deliberately acted flustered and quickly waved her hands: "Hermione, Phoenix, I didn't mean to bring this up. Don't read too much into it."
"I have things to do, so I won't keep you from shopping. I'll come visit you another day."
Without waiting for Phoenix and Hermione to respond, she turned and hurried out of the jewelry store, as if afraid of saying too much.
Hermione and Phoenix exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
"Taken care of everything? What does she mean by that?" Hermione frowned, her tone puzzled.
Phoenix's heart sank with a bad feeling: "Mom, something's not right about this. Freya's never been honest. She might be hiding something."
"I need to have someone look into this and see what she and Jeffrey have been doing behind our backs."
Hermione nodded: "Yes, we must find out. This is no small matter. If something's really wrong, the Adams family will be completely humiliated."
Phoenix had someone investigate Jeffrey and Freya that very day. When the results came back, she nearly fainted from anger.
"Mom, I found out," Phoenix rushed to the Adams Mansion with the investigation results, her face extremely grim. "That bastard Jeffrey actually secretly registered his marriage with Freya, and Kaida—Kaida is actually their biological daughter!"
Hermione was drinking water when she heard this. The cup fell from her hand onto the table, water splashing everywhere.
"What did you say!" Hermione trembled with rage, pointing at the door. "That bastard Jeffrey! What did I tell him back then? I told him to stay away from Freya, but he just wouldn't listen!"
"Secretly registering his marriage with Freya is one thing, but hiding it from us all these years, making us dote on his illegitimate daughter like treasure for three years! If this gets out, how can the Adams family hold our heads up in Emerald City?"
Phoenix also had a splitting headache. While trying to calm Hermione down, she defended him: "Mom, please calm down. Jeffrey must have been manipulated by Freya. He's not usually this confused."
"Manipulated? Once or twice is manipulation, but being this clueless for so many years—that's just him being stupid!" Hermione's chest heaved with anger. "Call him back here right now. I want to ask him what he was thinking!"
When Wesley learned the news, he also lost his temper for once. He sat in the main seat in the living room, his face dark.
When Jeffrey got the call, he was at the company dealing with a mess. Hearing such a big problem at home, his heart sank. Not daring to delay, he rushed back immediately.
As soon as he entered, seeing the tense atmosphere in the living room, Wesley and Hermione's grim faces, and Phoenix looking anxious, he knew the truth had come out.
"Grandpa, Mom, Grandmother, why did you call me back?" Jeffrey asked reluctantly, his eyes evasive, not daring to meet their gaze.
"Why?" Wesley slammed the table, his voice booming. "You dare ask us why? We know everything about you and Freya!"
"You secretly registered your marriage with Freya, and you have an illegitimate daughter together. Jeffrey, you've really outdone yourself!"
Jeffrey's face instantly turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.
"Grandpa, I..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to explain.
"You what?" Hermione pointed at him, trembling with rage. "I never agreed to you being with Freya from the start. You promised so nicely, but did this behind our backs! Are you treating us like fools?"
Jeffrey knew he couldn't hide it anymore and simply gave up, dropping to his knees with a thud: "Grandpa, Mom, Grandmother, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden this from you."
"Freya and I truly love each other, and Kaida is my daughter. I can't abandon them."
"When Freya and I got together, I wanted to tell you, but Freya said she was afraid you wouldn't agree. She suggested we secretly register our marriage first and wait for you to slowly accept it. I never expected it would take so many years."
"Things are what they are now. Please accept Freya and me. We'll live well together, take good care of you, and raise Kaida properly. We absolutely won't bring shame to the Adams family."
Hermione looked at him like this, too angry to speak. She pointed at him for a long time before squeezing out: "Accept? How are we supposed to accept you? If this gets out, the Adams family's reputation will be ruined, and the company will be affected too!"
Wesley took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: "Jeffrey, do you know you were wrong?"
"I know I was wrong." Jeffrey kept his head down, not daring to look up.
"If you know you're wrong, you must be punished!" Wesley's tone was stern. "Kneel in the chapel all night and reflect properly on exactly where you went wrong!"
Jeffrey didn't dare resist and could only obediently get up and walk toward the chapel.
Phoenix watched Jeffrey's retreating figure, feeling both angry and pained, but knowing this was the punishment he deserved.
"Dad, Mom, what do we do now? Jeffrey and Freya are married and have a child. This marriage won't be easy to end." Phoenix looked worried.
Hermione sighed: "What else can we do? First, call Freya over. We need to talk to her and see what she really wants."
The next day, Hermione and Phoenix specifically arranged to meet Freya at a discreet café.