Chapter 109 Gemma
Harriet froze for a moment, then quickly remembered something. "Mom's back in the country for Tristan's wedding, right?"
Uma didn't answer. "Mrs. Harriet Lancaster, please come with me."
Harriet was taken directly to the hotel.
In the presidential suite, a beautiful middle-aged woman lay on a custom rocking chair with a thin blanket covering her. She was Tristan's mother, Gemma Stewart.
Harriet walked forward and greeted her politely. "Mom, you're back."
Gemma looked at her coldly. "Uma, slap her."
"Yes." Uma walked up to Harriet and slapped her across the face.
Harriet's head turned from the force.
She covered her left cheek and turned back to look at Gemma. "Are you hitting me because of my divorce from Tristan?"
"Looks like you know what you did wrong." Gemma sneered. "Harriet, I don't ask much of you. As long as you take care of Tristan and do your duty as a wife, I'll let you keep your position as Mrs. Lancaster."
"But what did you do? Not only did you cause Tristan to get hurt, you also abandoned him on your own. What right do you have to abandon him?"
Harriet spoke calmly. "Mom, getting angry isn't good for your health. Please calm down. I brought my medical kit. Let me check on you."
Harriet walked forward, and as soon as she got close, she smelled an unpleasant odor.
Harriet immediately said, "Uma, go get some water."
"Okay."
Harriet lifted the thin blanket off Gemma, raised her dress, and efficiently changed her diaper.
Gemma had been paralyzed for twenty years. She couldn't move anything below her neck, couldn't take care of herself at all—she was basically a living corpse.
Back then, Harriet had worked as Gemma's caregiver for the Lancaster family, and later Haven had taken notice of her and arranged for her to marry Tristan.
Uma brought water. "Mrs. Harriet Lancaster, let me do it."
"No need. I'm a caregiver anyway. Taking care of Mom is what I should do."
Gemma looked at her, her expression softening a bit. "After all these years, you still take care of me the best."
"If you need me, I'll always take care of you." Harriet smiled. "I've become Mr. Jones's student now, and he and I have been studying your condition."
Gemma smiled. "Harriet, if you're really that devoted, then let me die. I know you must have a way."
"Mom, a bad life is better than a good death. Medical science is advancing every day. We can't give up hope."
"Why do you all insist on keeping me alive like this!" Gemma suddenly exploded in rage. "My life is so hard, don't you know that!"
Harriet put the diaper on her and covered her with the blanket again. "Mom, dying is easy, but it would only make your loved ones sad and your enemies happy. If you die, you're just making room for another woman."
Gemma closed her eyes in pain.
Harriet examined her.
Over the past year, Gemma had been receiving treatment abroad. Apart from severe depression, there weren't any other problems.
Harriet made a cup of tea and held it to Gemma's lips. "This is your favorite tea. Try it."
Gemma slowly opened her eyes, anger floating in them, and scolded harshly, "Get out!"
Harriet wasn't surprised.
Gemma's moods were unpredictable and hard to read. She was used to it by now.
"Then rest well."
Harriet picked up her medical kit and turned to leave.
As soon as she opened the door, she ran into Lark.
"Harriet?" As soon as Lark saw Harriet, she got angry. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you came to see Mrs. Lancaster to cause trouble at my wedding?"
Harriet ignored her and left directly.
Lark was so angry her chest heaved. It took her a while to calm down before she knocked and entered the room.
"Why are you here?" Gemma didn't look pleased to see Lark.
Lark smiled gracefully and sweetly. "Mom, I came to see you, of course."
"What did you call me?"
"Mom. I'm marrying Tristan tomorrow, so I should start calling you that now."
Gemma smiled. "So should I give you money for changing how you address me?"
"Mom, you don't have to. We're family. No need to be so formal."
"Who's family with you?" Gemma's face turned cold. "Lark, you're quite something. I underestimated you before."
"Mom, how can you say that about me?" Lark's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm your daughter-in-law. Even if you don't like me, you should accept me for Tristan's sake. After all, you even accepted someone like Harriet back then."
"Who told you I accepted Harriet?" Gemma said coldly. "Harriet naturally isn't good enough for Tristan, but she has a simple mind. Even if she sits in Mrs. Lancaster's position temporarily, I don't worry about her scheming for anything. But you're different."
"What am I scheming for?" Lark looked hurt and accused sadly, "I've loved Tristan since I was little. When have I ever schemed against him?"
"No matter what you say, I won't agree to this marriage." Gemma said, "I'm giving you a chance to cancel the wedding yourself. That way you'll save some face and it won't affect your future marriage prospects."
"Mom, I've always respected you. I've never upset you. Why are you forcing me like this?" Lark looked down at her legs. "Harriet pushed me down the stairs with her own hands, which is why I ended up like this. Can't you sympathize with me?"
"Twenty years ago, you were also pushed down the stairs by a woman who wanted to steal Mr. Owen Lancaster, which is why you became like this. We're both pitiful people. Why can't you feel sorry for me?"
Gemma's face turned black as a pot. "Uma, teach her a good lesson!"
Uma immediately stepped forward and slapped Lark hard twice across the face.
Lark cried out in pain. "How dare you hit me! I'm Mrs. Lancaster!"
Gemma snorted coldly. "This is where you're different from Harriet. When she got slapped, she just took it quietly. I didn't even need to pull rank as her mother-in-law."
"I'm nothing like that bitch Harriet. Her obedience is all an act, deliberately playing nice in front of you." Lark covered her face and said pitifully, "Mom, I came today especially to see you, but you had Uma hit me. I'm getting married tomorrow. If my face swells up, the guests will laugh at me, and that will embarrass the Lancaster family. Mr. Owen Lancaster will definitely be angry."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I wouldn't dare." Lark sobbed. "Since you don't want to see me, I'll leave. Mom, rest well and don't let me upset you, especially since you'll be attending my wedding with Tristan tomorrow."
Gemma narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I told you to cancel the wedding yourself."
"I will never cancel the wedding. I must marry Tristan." Lark waved at her. "See you tomorrow, Mom."
That last "Mom" was said with particular emphasis, almost tauntingly.
Gemma watched her leave, her face turning dark with anger.
"Mrs. Lancaster, I feel like Lark is different from before." Uma said doubtfully. "She never dared to talk to you like this before. She would only try to please you."
"The Brown Group has been swallowed up by the Johnson family. She's lost even her last bit of backing. If she dares to talk to me like this, she must have found another supporter." Gemma frowned. "In the Lancaster family, her mother doesn't like her, Tristan has always been devoted to me, Xavier doesn't have enough influence to protect her, so the only one who could give Lark this much confidence is Owen! That bitch!"
"You mean Lark has gotten involved with Mr. Owen Lancaster?" Uma couldn't believe it. "That can't be possible, can it? Lark isn't any more beautiful than Mr. Owen Lancaster's other women."
"As long as you have the right tactics, looks aren't the most important thing. After Opal's husband died, didn't she immediately try to seduce Owen? You can see she has those genes in her. Besides, men are all cheap. When they're really hungry, they'll eat anything." Gemma's eyes were ice cold. "Go investigate. If this is really happening, I'm not done with her!"
"Yes."
In the blink of an eye, it was the day Lark had been looking forward to most.
She had waited over twenty years and could finally fulfill her dream of marrying Tristan today.
The wedding was held at Emberfall's only seven-star hotel, and the scene was incredibly lavish.