The heavily pregnant Miss Emily stood before Andrea and greeted her warmly, “Sister.”
Andrea trembled with rage. Richard, meanwhile, directed the servants to carry Miss Emily’s luggage upstairs.
Andrea snapped, “Richard! What the hell is this? I’m not even dead yet, and you’re already bringing your mistress into the house? Are you waiting for me to die?!”
Richard’s voice was ice-cold. “Shut up, Andrea! I drafted the divorce papers ages ago. You refused to sign them. Since you won’t leave, I won’t force you. But you need to understand—Miss Emily is carrying my child. She’s due any day now. Since you’re still in the house, you should make yourself useful—boil some soup for her. The child she’s carrying is going to call you ‘Mom’ in the future.”
Andrea had never been humiliated like this in her life.
Her chest ached with fury. But she was already weakened from illness, drained of energy. She didn’t even have the strength to argue.
She sank into the sofa, her mind suddenly flashing back twenty years—to when she was pregnant with Henry.
Back then, she and Richard were still in love. Even though he was busy, he came home every night to see their child. It was his firstborn. He was both excited and proud. When the doctor told him it was a boy, he was so happy he couldn’t sleep for days. At the time, he truly adored their child.
But now?
All the tenderness he had once given her was now directed at another woman.
A woman twenty years younger than her.
Andrea felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. She couldn’t even summon the strength to demand a divorce. She had spent her entire life fighting, all so that her son could inherit more wealth. How could she give up now?
She clenched her fists and watched as Miss Emily, stroking her belly, smiled as she headed upstairs.
“I’ll take Olivia’s old room.”
Richard chuckled. “Go ahead, I’ll come find you later.”
After she left, his expression turned stern as he said to Andrea, “If you won’t agree to the divorce, you can stay. But Miss Emily must move in.”
Andrea remained silent, her back to him, her face dark with fury.
—
“Mom, has Dad gone crazy? How could he bring that cheap woman back?!”
Henry was shocked when he heard the news. Even if Richard wanted to do this, Grandpa and Grandma would never allow it. Isn’t this family already messy enough? What are they thinking?
“Grandpa and Grandma didn’t say anything to stop him?”
Andrea sat powerlessly on the sofa, her expression dark and sullen. She finally understood—Grandma didn’t actually like the child in Miss Emily’s belly. Weston brought back a pair of mixed-race twins, and the second son had countless children. If she truly loved children, weren’t there already enough in the Scott family? Was it really worth turning the whole household upside down for an unborn child? No, Grandma’s actions were purely meant to frustrate her, to make her unhappy.
So ruthless! Truly ruthless!
She had always believed that Grandma’s silence meant she was on her side.
But now, looking back, Grandma never liked that she had brought Olivia home, nor did she approve of how she raised her son.
Was today’s move a warning to her?
Andrea felt a mix of emotions. She had fought all her life, only to realize now that she had no bargaining chips left.
Olivia said anxiously, “Henry, think of a way quickly! If this goes on, that little slut’s son will take more than half of the inheritance!”
Henry was also anxious. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said, “Mom, I know someone who can help us.”
“Who?”
“Livinus!”
“Your uncle?” Andrea sighed. “How could he possibly help us? You know what kind of person he is. Even though he’s your uncle, he’s actually on the opposing side. With our family in turmoil, he’s the one benefiting the most. Why would he interfere at a time like this?”
Henry sneered, “I have a way to make him step in.”
“What way?”
Henry didn’t answer. The next day, he went to find Livinus.
Livinus had been away for a long time. After returning, he had been sitting in his study, handling business matters. When he saw Henry enter, he merely cast a fleeting glance at him and said nothing, continuing to work.
Henry stared at him, feeling an indescribable sense of inferiority and frustration. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he had always lived in Livinus’s shadow. That was the truth. When Grandpa used to teach him, he would always use Livinus as an example to follow.
But who would have thought that Livinus would even take his woman?
Henry felt suffocated with resentment and said, “I need to talk to you.”
Livinus continued writing without looking up. “Speak.”
Henry didn’t know how to start. He needed Livinus to talk to Grandpa and Grandma. They would definitely demand that Richard send the woman away. But convincing Livinus was not going to be easy.
“My dad brought his mistress home,” he said.
Livinus remained focused on his writing. “So?”
