Chapter 61
I paused for a moment, then added, "I'll handle it myself."
I didn't want him to think I was using his sympathy to drag him into the mess of my past.
Those problems related to the Johnson family were my own business and should be settled by me alone.
He listened quietly without pressing further, just nodded, then quite naturally reached out his arm, wrapped it around my shoulders, and drew me closer to him.
My body stiffened for a moment, but soon completely relaxed to the sound of his steady, strong heartbeat.
I let my head rest against his solid shoulder, his clean, pleasant scent filling my senses, and an unprecedented wave of drowsiness washed over me.
I fell asleep.
After going through that tense situation and emotional ups and downs, I dozed off without any guard up, nestled beside him.
After that night, the relationship between Benjamin and me seemed to naturally grow closer.
We were still partners, but with an added intimacy that was hard to put into words.
This feeling was wonderful—so wonderful that it made all the noise from my past seem especially jarring.
Michael was the most annoying noise of all.
After returning from the Johnson Mansion, he seemed to have lost his mind, bombarding me with messages.
At first, it was humble apologies and pleas, but when I didn't reply to any of them, he pulled his old trick again, bringing Maddox into it.
Michael: [Ophelia, Grandpa refused to eat again today. He keeps asking about you.]
Michael: [The doctor says Grandpa can't handle any more stress. Could you please just take pity on him and reply?]
Michael: [I know I was wrong, but Grandpa is innocent. Can you really bear to see him like this?]
Message after message, full of emotional manipulation, made me increasingly irritated.
The peace I had felt beside Benjamin last night was completely destroyed by this clingy harassment.
Without hesitation, I blocked his number.
But I knew that as long as the misunderstanding with Maddox wasn't cleared up, Michael would always have an excuse to stick around.
Some things needed to be settled once and for all, clean and quick.
The next afternoon, I canceled an unimportant meeting and drove to the Johnson Mansion myself.
I didn't notify anyone—I just wanted to cut through this mess swiftly.
The villa was very quiet. When the servants saw it was me, a flash of surprise crossed their faces, but they still respectfully opened the door for me.
I had just changed my shoes when a shrill female voice came from the living room.
"What are you doing back here? Haven't you hurt the Johnson family enough already?" Freya stood up from the sofa. She was wearing designer loungewear, but her face carried a viciousness that clashed with her outfit.
I had ruined her marriage plans, and now with nowhere else to go, she had apparently crawled back to the Johnson Mansion.
I couldn't be bothered with her and headed straight for the stairs. "I'm here to visit Grandpa."
"Visit?" She quickly stepped in front of me, arms crossed, chin held high. "Ophelia, what are you pretending for? Now that you're about to marry into the Wilson family, you come back here to put on a show of deep affection? What, do you want to show off to us poor relatives about how high you've climbed?"
Her bitter words echoed through the spacious living room, but I didn't even raise an eyebrow.
Seeing my lack of reaction made her even more furious. She leaned closer, lowering her voice but filling it with poisonous jealousy. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You just want to come back and string my brother along because he still can't forget you, don't you? Ophelia, you've already left the Johnson family—stop coming back to boost your own ego. The Johnson family's meager dignity can't withstand your trampling!"
I looked at her face, twisted with jealousy, and curved my lips into a cold smile. "Freya, have you forgotten? That dear brother of yours lost the right to deserve even a glance from me long ago."
I walked past her, done wasting words, and went straight upstairs.
In Maddox's room, there was still that familiar medicinal smell.
He was leaning against the bed reading a newspaper. When he saw me, his cloudy eyes immediately lit up with joy. "Ophelia? What brings you here? Come, come sit down."
"Grandpa." I walked over and sat in the chair beside his bed, wearing a polite smile.
He held my hand, chattering away asking if I'd been well lately, if work was tiring, and once again started hinting at getting Michael and me back together. "Michael has feelings for you, he just can't bring himself to say it..."
"Grandpa," I gently interrupted him, my voice calm but firm. "I came today specifically to make this matter clear to you."
I took out an envelope from my purse, removed what was inside, and gently placed it on the blanket in front of him.
Michael and Freya's marriage certificate.
The smile on Maddox's face froze instantly. He picked up the paper in disbelief, his fingers trembling slightly. "What... what is this?"
"It's proof that Michael and I are done." My voice was soft but each word was clear. "While he and I were still engaged, he went behind my back and married his stepsister—your granddaughter Freya."
I recounted in the calmest tone how Michael had schemed against me for profit, how he had carried on secretly with Freya, keeping my account brief and to the point.
I didn't embellish anything, just stated the facts, because the facts themselves were already cruel and absurd enough.
Maddox's face went from red to pale. His hand holding the paper shook more and more violently, his lips moving but unable to form words for a long time.