Hearing what Elliot had said with fury, Selena was dumbstruck.
She stared at her foster mother unbelievably, and could hardly speak with her lips quivering. The shocked look of Selena rendered Elliot angrier.
She knew long before that Selena had some romantic illusion towards her brother.
At that time, she merely warned her by implication, hoping Selena could behave herself. But now Selena dared seduced her own brother and even had a baby. Elliot felt a surge of outrage inwardly.
"You are not qualified as my daughter. Don't you feel the least shameful by seducing your own brother? Selena, Have the Holland family owed you anything, making you treat your brother like this? I wondered then why were you insisting to get the child born, and I didn't expect that you were targeting your brother..."
Elliot's rage intensified while she was speaking, her eyes full of disappointment.
She got really disappointed in her foster daughter. Though she hadn't committed her heart and soul to looking after her as she did to Jasper, she gave maternal love to her literally. Now Selena betrayed her by what she had done.
"Get out. Leave the Holland family forever when Daniel's surgery finished. I don't want a daughter like you and don't stay with your brother or meet him anymore. If you dare come up with any improper thoughts towards him again, listen, I don't mind forcing you out of this country!"
Selena cried, lying prostrate on the ground.
"Mom, this is not the case, and you have got me wrong. My brother knows nothing, and even now, he still regards the child as his nephew ... I didn't seduce my brother, I really didn't seduce him ... I will leave him as soon as Dan gets his surgery done, and the child was indeed an accident..."
Selena was miserable. She didn't expect that the fact she had been afraid of for such a long time would get exposed now.
As she expected, her foster mother was quite annoyed and disappointed in her as well.
"How shameless you are to call it an accident. What kind of accident could lead you to carry your brother's child? Well, you explain it to me now!"
Elliot didn't trust her foster daughter at all, and she had known how she felt towards her brother long before.
Now she couldn't believe even one word of what Selena had said.
"Mom, it was an accident literally. Do you remember the birthday party of Mr. Murphy last year? On that night, everyone thought Jennifer went into my brother's room, and you even forced my brother to marry her later. Do you remember this?"
Elliot tried to recall and asked Selena with a frown.
"What has Jennifer to do with it?"
Selena let out a bitter smile, the look on her face turning extremely miserable.
"On the night before, I was drugged by an old foe, Emma Lane's brother Eden. He had made some mistakes before and I gave him a lesson when I worked in the police station. He hated me for that and even took nude pictures of me. At last, he wanted to insult me and my brother, cooking up a scandal about my brother and me. He bought off someone to work for him on the banquet, making me faint and drugging my brother, and then they put my brother and me in the same room. I was in a coma while my brother was drugged, the accident happened that way ... After that, I woke up first when my brother was still unconscious. Then I ran away because I didn't want my brother to know what had happened. Some time later, Jennifer knew it somehow, and she went to my brother's room intentionally, leading to your misunderstanding."
Selena finished in tears with pleading in her eyes. After all, Elliot was her foster mother, so she didn't want to let Elliot down.
"It's all one side of the story. Can you prove it?"
Elliot asked with a snort.
"Mother, Jason saw it then and helped me out, or I wouldn't have escaped abroad so easily one year ago. If I really intended to frame my brother up or seduced him, that day I would tell him the truth and let him know I am not his sister biologically. However, I know I shouldn't do that. Mom, please believe me this time. If it's not for Dan got sick and had to find blood relatives to speed up the match of bone marrow, I would not come back to bother you ... I had no choice. Dan is my only son and I couldn't bear his suffering due to the disease. I just want Dan to live on..."
Selena blubbered on her knees, her shoulders shaking violently.
Elliot didn't want to believe the girl she brought up would do such a thing either, so she asked Selena, "I give you a chance to call Jason right now since you said he knew the truth."
Selena knew it's the only chance, so she grabbed her cellphone from her pocket in a fluster.
Almost without a hint of hesitation, Selena called Jason immediately.
She worried that if she could make clear what happened then Elliot would suspend the surgery as well as the marrow donation. Though Dan was Elliot's grandson, Elliot's doubt and aversion to her rendered her frightened.
She dared not gamble and had to eliminate Elliot's hatred against her.
After ringing up, Selena switched to speakerphone mode.
Elliot was sitting aside, looking at Selena drily. This was the last chance she gave to Selena.
"Hello. Who's that speaking?"
It's not Jason answering the phone, and a woman's voice sounded. Elliot glanced at Selena with a cold look. Selena grew pale on her face and asked hurriedly.
"I'm Selena. Isn't it Jason's phone number? Is he there? I would like to let him answer the phone."
"Did you say you were Selena?"
The woman on the phone raised her tone abruptly, and Selena replied puzzledly.
"Yes, I'm Selena. Miss, could you please put Jason on the phone? I have something important to talk to him."
"He is busy now. I can pass your question to him and answer you directly."
"May I ask who's that please?"
Elliot couldn't trust the woman. This matter was so crucial that she merely wanted Jason to answer the phone by himself.
She was aware that Jason had always been flirty, so maybe some girl happened to take his phone.
"I'm Miranda, Jason's fiancee. I can answer whatever relates to him on his behalf. Do you think I am ineligible?"
Perceiving the hostility in her voice at once, Selena hurried to apologize.
"Sorry, I got you wrong. I thought ..."
Selena didn't finish. After all, she's Jason's fiancee, so she couldn't slip out her speculation, which would be too unrespectful.
Miranda sniffed on the other end.
"Go ahead. You can tell me your question to Jason, and I will ask him for you later."
Miranda knew it well that Selena grew up with Jason. She heard that the two families almost got them engaged last year. She had little vigilance against other women around him, and she took them so lightly that she simply asked someone to deal with them.
But Selena was the only one to make her on her guard.
Anyhow, they almost got married. She was always afraid that Selena would regret it and intended to reconcile with Jason. So Miranda didn't want Selena to contact Jason at all.
In fact, Jason was now socializing in a banquet, chatting with someone. It happened that Jason took off his suit jacket and Miranda was carrying it for him with the phone right in its pocket, giving her the chance to answer the phone call.
With anyone else calling, she could be polite; however, only to Selena, Miranda couldn't be calm.
She felt Selena was special to Jason, and a woman was always sensitive to such things.
Selena cast a glance on her foster mother helplessly and turn off the speakerphone.
"Mom, Jason can't answer the phone now. I will call him again when he is free. OK?"
Elliot snorted.
"You would have been in collusion with him when you call him later. Of course, he would tell me what you asked him to. Give me the cellphone now, and let me ask him!"
Selena passed her cellphone to Elliot reluctantly, and the latter turned on the speakerphone before inquiring Miranda directly.
"You go and ask Jason did he go anywhere else halfway or be together with my daughter the day Mr. Murphy held his birthday party last year, the same day Robert went missing."
Just now it's Selena calling, and now it changed to Selena's mother. Miranda had met Elliot and knew how stubborn the seniors of their generation were, and also aware that the Holland family and the Murphy family intended to connect by marriage.
It was said that the two families backed off, and now Elliot was asking if Jason and Selena were together at night last year.
Did they regret it and want to let Jason and Selena get married as planned?
Miranda knew the Holland family and the Murphy family were close and Jason liked Selena as well. If Elliot suggested that way, maybe Jason would really dump her and be together with Selena.
At the thought of this, Miranda felt unendurable, so she sneered.
"That night Jason hadn't met Selena at all because he was with me, his fiancee. We two had been attracted by each other long before and there's no way Jason would be with Ms. Holland. Please behave yourself, Ms. Holland!"
On finishing her remarks, Miranda hung up with a snort.
She had not been familiar with Selena, and it was said that she had gone missing one year ago.
Probably she pursued her true love outside, and after getting beaten by reality, she went back to ask Jason to marry her. She wishes!
Thinking about this with hatred, Miranda glanced at the call history and considered it would be noticed by Jason definitely. No way. She wouldn't let Jason find it.
Miranda deleted the call record. Before long, Jason went out. Due to the alcohol, his face flushed a bit and his narrow eyes resembling the petals of peach blossom were with a faint sign of getting drunk, conveying a trace of affection while looking at others.
Miranda's heart was pounding. She didn't regret her decision. The person she liked should surely stay with her, and with such great effort she had paid to lock Jason by her side, she would not allow anyone else to take him away.
"Hand me my coat."
It's a little cold outside. The two were in France, and Jason had just come out from the banquet. Feeling the strong wind outside, he intended to put on his coat.
Miranda let out a peal of laughter and walked to the back of Jason to put on the coat for him.
Jason stretched his arms reluctantly, letting Miranda wear him the coat.
After that, Jason took his phone out, and before a glance at it, he asked Miranda subconsciously.
"Did anyone call me just now?"
"No."
Miranda answered directly with a beaming face. Jason nodded. He went abroad since he was afraid Jasper would trouble him. But he heard later Jasper didn't bother Robert seemingly due to his family affairs, which made Jason relieved before he decided to handle his official affairs abroad by the way and inspect his business overseas.
However, with Miranda pestering him all the time so that they appeared to be extremely close, his family began to push him to get married.
Looking at Miranda following him for such a long time, Jason asked abruptly with a smile.
"Do you fancy me that much?"
The question from Jason was obscure, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
After Miranda's confession, Jason had always been avoided her as if he hated their relationship going this way.
But tonight, maybe for the wine he had drunk, Jason even showed a trace of affection towards Miranda. It was a sudden surprise for her, making her jump onto him and hang her body on his.
"I have acted so obviously, and you still can't see it? Anyway, you would enter a political marriage, so why couldn't you choose me?"
Jason was holding Miranda's body in his arms, which made him feel a bit funny. Miranda was sometimes aggressive in front of him, yet sometimes turned tender and eager.
Of course, he knew he would have a political marriage. But he intended to behave himself and be a good husband after marrying Selena.
If his partner was someone else from other families, they could play around respectively. While Miranda was so devoted to him that he would consider it improper to have flings with other women.
He presumed that Miranda would make uproar so he preferred to marry someone with little interest in him. Then both could have their own fun. He planned to enjoy his life as a playboy.
However, Miranda had been keen on him, and even shield him behind her instantly when they became in danger earlier on this business trip.
Jason suddenly felt maybe he should give Miranda a chance.
"You know how I was. I'm not a good man and can promise you nothing. Yet seeing you like me so much, I can give you a chance to be together with me, and we'll see if we are well matched. After returning home, we can move together. If we get along with each other, let the two families prepare for the marriage. But you should prepare yourself mentally because I don't even believe myself to be a good man."
Miranda was overwhelmed with joy. She thought it would cost her a long time to badger him, maybe a lifetime, before he could give her a chance.
She gave Jason a big hug and kissed him, violently and passionately.
Jason was touched in his heart. This woman was sometimes bold and enthusiastic together with him, while sometimes mild and sensitive. Perhaps it's not bad to restrain himself for such a woman. There grew some sweet atmosphere between the two.
Meanwhile, at home, Elliot's face turned completely icy on hanging up the phone.