Chapter 197 Unhappy
Emma stared at the paternity test results with a dark expression.
Elizabeth was actually Freya and Russell's long-lost daughter.
Emma went to a convenience store to buy a lighter. You couldn't just burn paper anywhere in the big city, so she had the driver take her to a church.
The test results were burned in the church, just right for the gods above to see.
As long as she, Emma, was around, Elizabeth would never have a chance to return to the Nightingale family.
Right now, only Emma knew about this. Even Calista didn't know who Elizabeth's real parents were.
Emma needed to make backup plans, just in case.
Just then, her phone rang. Emma looked at the caller ID and answered with a gentle expression, "Godmother, I'm free. I'll come over now."
Harmony City.
Mabel hadn't known about Elizabeth's return until yesterday when Yosef told her.
She planned to go back to Border Ridge City the day after tomorrow.
No matter what, she still needed to apologize to Elizabeth.
Back then, if Elizabeth hadn't come back to find her, Elizabeth wouldn't have been taken away by Jake.
Mabel had spent these past few years living with guilt.
She ate until she was seventy percent full, put down her utensils, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the restaurant.
Mabel had just reached the restaurant entrance.
A black sedan stopped in front of her.
The window rolled down.
Revealing Alfonso Carr sitting inside.
With his refined and scholarly appearance.
Mabel frowned and turned to walk toward the car behind.
"Mabel," Alfonso's voice was gentle, "get in. Let's talk."
Mabel pretended not to hear and walked toward her own car.
Alfonso's eyes turned cold and fierce. He opened the door and got out. Just as Mabel was about to get into her car, he wrapped his arm around her waist and picked her up.
The two bodyguards beside Mabel were blocked by Alfonso's bodyguards.
In broad daylight and in public, Mabel felt too embarrassed to struggle and curse out loud.
She was stuffed into the car.
The door closed and locked.
"Drive."
A series of smooth, practiced movements.
The driver drove away. Mabel's face flushed red with anger. "Alfonso, are you sick?"
Alfonso let Mabel curse at him. That's all she ever said anyway—that he was sick.
Mabel knew cursing was useless, so she turned her face toward the window with a stiff expression.
Out of sight, out of mind.
She was wearing a knee-length dress today, and her struggle had exposed her long legs.
Alfonso glanced at them, his eyelashes flickering slightly, but said nothing.
After about a minute.
Alfonso lifted his eyelids to look at Mabel. "I just want to talk to you properly. If you cooperated, I wouldn't have to carry you into the car like this."
Was he saying this was her fault?
Mabel turned to glance at him, finally giving him some attention. "We have nothing to talk about, do we?"
What happened between them was in the past.
Alfonso moved closer, approaching Mabel.
"Don't come near me!"
He continued moving closer, trapping her between the window and his arm, looking pitiful. "Nothing to talk about?"
In the past, whenever he acted vulnerable, she would soften.
Mabel frowned and snorted coldly. There really was nothing to talk about.
Alfonso's eyes turned cold as he reached out to turn Mabel's head, forcing her to look at him. "Mabel, I already explained to you. I had no choice but to take the money and leave you back then. Your parents had people threaten my mother."
Mabel was forced to look at Alfonso now—white shirt, dress pants, his appearance more mature and charming than before. "So what? It's been so many years. Why are you suddenly coming back to find me?"
Alfonso's eyes were full of emotion. "Mabel, I can protect you now. Come back to me, okay?"
"Impossible." Mabel answered without thinking.
Mabel had stayed away from Border Ridge City for five years and, with Timothy's help, had finally shed the label of being Manuel's mistress.
Although she was now free to marry whoever she wanted, she didn't want to rekindle things with Alfonso.
What was missed was missed.
Alfonso narrowed his eyes and pulled out a photo from his pocket. "Is it because of this man named Yosef? Do you like him?"
Mabel looked up. "You investigated me? Who I like has nothing to do with you."
Alfonso stared at Mabel. He stroked her hair, coaxing, "Mabel, stop being difficult, okay? He's not right for you."
He, Alfonso, had worked hard all these years just to come back and marry his Mabel.
How could he possibly give her up to Yosef who appeared out of nowhere?
The humiliation of being threatened back then—Alfonso remembered it well. Mabel's profit-obsessed parents, Jerald and Arabella, Alfonso would find a chance to teach them a lesson.
Mabel rolled her eyes. "How can you even say that? He's not right for me, and neither are you."
When Alfonso left back then, Mabel cried for a long time. Every day she pathetically and shamelessly missed him.
During the day she pretended to smile and go about her life, at night she pretended to smile and go out.
No matter how intense the feelings, over time, they fade.
Alfonso had waited all these years—how could he give up easily? He hugged her.
His bloodshot eyes, in a place Mabel couldn't see, stared out the window.
"Mabel, give me one more chance. I'll prove that we're the most suitable for each other."
Suddenly being hugged, Mabel's eyes widened slightly.
He was hugging too tightly. She was like a little chick, unable to break free from his embrace.
"Let me go!"
"No."
Mabel reached out to grab his dick, but as if he had eyes down there, he restrained both her hands with one of his.
The car arrived at where Mabel was currently living.
Alfonso saw Yosef standing downstairs.
Yosef also saw Mabel sitting in the car, held in someone's arms. He froze for a moment, then strode over.
Alfonso slowly curved his lips into a faint smile. He held the back of Mabel's head.
Alfonso quickly kissed Mabel.
Yosef saw this scene, clenched his fists, his face darkening, and knocked on the window. "Mabel."
At this moment, at the Sherman Group.
Elizabeth had been busy all morning and was about to eat the lunch box Timothy had sent when she received a call from Calliope.
Calliope said, "Elizabeth, Brice's mother came to see me today."
Elizabeth had expected to hear Calliope questioning her, but instead she heard Calliope say, "Do what you need to do. Don't worry about us."
After saying this, Calliope hung up.
Elizabeth looked at her phone, silent for a moment.
Vincent and Calliope were very reasonable people.
Elizabeth thought of Jake and frowned. She called on the intercom, "Robbie, cancel the three o'clock meeting. Have the driver pick me up at three."
No matter what, since Calliope had shown such a good attitude, Elizabeth should go thank her this afternoon.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Elizabeth went to The Sherman Mansion.
Eugene politely led Elizabeth to see Calliope and the others.
"Mr. Sherman and Mrs. Sherman are at the vineyard right now. Mr. Nightingale and Mrs. Nightingale are there too."
Elizabeth said, "If today isn't convenient, I can come another day."
Eugene smiled. "Ms. Penrose, don't worry. Mrs. Sherman asked you to come."
Elizabeth nodded and followed Eugene to where the grapes were planted.
When she arrived, she saw Vincent and Calliope with Freya and Russell all picking grapes.
Emma was there too.
Emma smiled at Elizabeth as a greeting.
Calliope saw Elizabeth arrive and put the grapes she'd picked into a basket, saying, "Elizabeth, take some grapes home with you later. They're sweet."
Elizabeth nodded. "Okay, thank you."
Calliope knew why Elizabeth had come.
Calliope felt it was a shame—Elizabeth was generous and clear about gratitude and grudges.
Calliope regretted that Elizabeth wasn't Jake's real wife.
Elizabeth also greeted Vincent, Freya, and Russell.
Freya smiled faintly and nodded, then turned back to continue cutting grapes.
Since Elizabeth had come, she couldn't just say one sentence and leave—that would be rude.
She asked Eugene for scissors and stood beside Calliope, cutting grapes with her.
Standing next to her were Freya and Emma.
Emma chatted intimately with Freya. "Godmother, should we plant some grapevines too? Too bad I don't know how to make wine."
"Sure, we can plant a few. But we'll have to ask Calliope how to plant them," Freya was picking grapes for the first time and found it quite fun. "I should have brought Jane and the others today. The kids would probably love it here."
Calliope smiled. "You can bring them another day."
Emma immediately spoke up. "If they come, they'll probably make a mess."
Freya laughed.
Emma turned to look at Elizabeth and suddenly asked, "Mrs. Sherman, last time at the restaurant I saw you holding a cute little girl. Is she your daughter?"
Elizabeth paused but didn't look at Emma. "Yes."
Emma smiled. "Your and Mr. Sherman's daughter is very cute. Is she in kindergarten yet?"
This time Elizabeth finally turned to look at Emma. She smiled and said, "Seraphina is my and Timothy's daughter."
Although Elizabeth couldn't show affection with Timothy in public right now, there was no need to wrong Seraphina by not letting her acknowledge her real father Timothy.
Emma was shocked and dropped the grape in her hand.
And Freya's expression instantly turned displeased. She looked at Elizabeth. "Which Timothy? The one from the Manuel family?"