Chapter 79
The question struck like a thunderbolt, making Ashley tremble all over.
These past days, she'd been thinking over and over—was Juliana here to avenge that dead child? Did she want to take Dami away?
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. It had to be!
If Lucas found out she'd had another child back then who died because of her negligence, how could he still acknowledge her as his mother?
And her grandson would never recognize her as his grandmother either!
Ashley grew more terrified the more she thought about it.
"What relationship could I possibly have with her! Lucas, listen to me—we absolutely cannot let that Juliana into our family!"
Lucas's brow furrowed tightly. "Why?"
"She... she's a jinx!" Ashley spoke without thinking. "Look, as soon as she came back, Dami got hurt! She brings bad luck to the Sharp family, to your son! If you marry her, who knows what disasters will follow!"
Lucas was almost amused by such absurd reasoning.
"Mom, what century are we living in?"
"I don't care!" Ashley grew agitated. The thought of Juliana possibly revealing the truth to Damian and making her grandson hate her made her panic. "I'm telling you, as long as I'm alive, I will never agree to her marrying you! If you want her to enter this family, it'll be over my dead body!"
"You wicked woman!"
A clear childish voice suddenly came from the doorway.
They both turned to see Matthew had returned at some point, his emerald-like eyes glaring angrily at Ashley.
Ashley stared at the returning "Damian," first stunned, then furious.
Juliana must have taught him this! That bitch must have been poisoning his mind behind the scenes!
Ashley trembled with rage. "Dami, how can you speak to me like this? You just said you liked me."
The fear and resentment bottled up in her heart exploded completely in that moment. She whirled around.
"Juliana, you bitch! Get out here!"
Matthew's ears rang from the sudden volume.
Lucas's expression had sunk to rock bottom.
He pulled Matthew behind him protectively, his tall figure like a mountain completely blocking Ashley's crazed glare.
"Have you made enough of a scene?"
"I'm making a scene?" Ashley pointed toward the door, her hand shaking uncontrollably. "It's her! That bitch! She's corrupted my son, and now she wants to steal my grandson! Lucas, wake up—she's a jinx!"
Outside the door, Juliana's expression instantly turned cold. She was about to step forward when David subtly blocked her.
Inside the room, Lucas looked at his mother's hysterical appearance with an almost scrutinizing, completely unfamiliar gaze.
"Why do you hate her so much? From the first day she appeared, you decided she had bad intentions. Mom, what exactly are you afraid of? Or rather, what are you still hiding from me about the surrogacy back then?"
Ashley's breathing hitched, her pupils contracting violently.
She was afraid of being exposed, afraid Lucas would learn about her schemes back then, afraid he'd find out she'd indirectly caused someone's death, and even more afraid that Juliana had truly returned for revenge!
But she couldn't say any of this.
"I... I have nothing to hide! I just hate her! A woman of unknown origins shows up with a bastard child and throws our family into chaos—do I need a reason to dislike her?"
Lucas closed his eyes. "Fine. I understand."
He said nothing more, bent down to pick up the still-defensive Matthew, and turned to leave.
"Put my grandson down!"
Lucas's steps didn't falter. Passing through the doorway, he said coldly to David, "Watch her. Don't let her come out and make a scene again."
All the strength drained from Ashley's body. She staggered and collapsed onto the sofa, still muttering, "Too much... this is too much..."
David leaned against the doorframe, watching her distraught state, and sighed.
Now they'd really torn off all pretenses.
……
That night, Ashley slept extremely fitfully.
She had a long, chaotic dream.
The Sharp Estate was lively and bustling, but she, once the mistress of the Sharp family, was bound to a chair, unable to move.
Juliana wore a gorgeous gown, her arm linked with Lucas's as they slowly descended the stairs. A victor's smile graced her face.
Damian stood beside Juliana.
"Grandma, why did you take me away back then and abandon Mommy and my brother?" Damian asked.
No... that's not how it was...
Ashley wanted to explain but couldn't make any sound.
Then she saw Juliana walk toward her. "Mom, you're getting old. You should go somewhere quiet to rest properly."
The next second, several servants came forward and roughly dragged her from the chair, all the way to the lakeside in the back garden.
The icy lake water was right before her eyes.
"No! Don't!" She finally screamed. "Lucas! Save me! I'm your mother!"
But Lucas just stood coldly beside Juliana. Juliana bent down and whispered in her ear with a light laugh, "Back then, didn't you desperately want me dead? Now, it's your turn."
An icy hand suddenly gripped her throat, violently pushing her head into the water!
"Ah—!"
Ashley screamed as she bolted upright in bed.
Her confused gaze fell on the family portrait on the wall. She breathed heavily. Any woman in the world could be Dami's mother if he wanted—anyone except Juliana!
She absolutely couldn't let that woman destroy the Sharp family, destroy her son and grandson!
……
At the Hale Mansion, an expensive antique vase was violently smashed to the ground, shards flying everywhere.
Bianca's chest heaved violently, her exquisitely made-up face twisted with rage. "You want me to beg him? Dad, have you lost your mind? Can't you see what he's like now? His eyes, his heart—they're all filled with that bitch Juliana! He'd put that woman on a pedestal if he could!"
Marcus's face was ashen. News of the company's broken capital chain weighed on him like a mountain. If they didn't inject a massive amount of capital within three days, the Hale family's decades of foundation would be ruined.
"Besides Lucas, who else can come up with that much money at once? Bee, I know you feel wronged. But you were Dami's 'mother' all those years. The Sharp family owes you. Go ask him, for the sake of that—"
"For the sake of what?" Bianca laughed as if she'd heard the world's greatest joke. "Now that he knows Dami isn't my biological child, he only thinks I deceived him! He wishes I'd disappear! If I go crawling to him now, won't I just be humiliating myself!"
As she spoke, tears fell. Hatred and resentment nearly consumed her.
"I won't go! I'd rather die than beg him! For Juliana's sake, he'd do anything. He won't help me... he'll just watch me make a fool of myself..."
Marcus looked at his daughter's breakdown and closed his eyes. The room was in shambles, just like his desperate mood at this moment.