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"Okay." Lanie's cool face lit up with a faint smile as he scampered upstairs.
"Don't run when you're on the stairs. Be careful,” warned Luca when she saw that.
Even though Lanie had his own thoughts, he heeded Luca's advice and switched to
walking. He gripped the staircase railing with his right hand.
"Ms. Luca, let's go wash our hands!" said Rainie with a bright smile on her face.
Luca nodded and walked into the bathroom with Rainie. After they washed their hands,
they saw Luke and Lanie coming downstairs together.
"Time for dinner." Luca turned to look at Luke, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Yes." Luke nodded, and they all sat down at the dining table.
Aunt Neile brought out a delicious spread of four dishes and a bowl of soup, which made
for a very hearty meal.
Everyone was happily enjoying their meal. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Mallory Manor
was quite somber.
Old Master Mallory sat in the living room, with Karen sitting on the sofa next to him. He
was staring at her with a cold expression on his face.
After the chauffeur brought Karen back, she hid in her bedroom and refused to come out.
It was not until now that she stepped out of her bedroom.
Old Master Mallory was even more unhappy now.
Karen almost got into trouble. She did not come back as she was afraid that she would be
scolded. Now that she had returned, she remained reluctant to admit her mistakes.
Instead, she stayed in her room and refused to come out.
If she did not know Percy would be bringing Nina over for dinner later, she likely would not
come out anytime soon.
Karen looked at the fruits placed on the coffee table by Mr. Bennet. When she was about
to pick up a grape, Old Master Mallory's gaze became sharp as he fixed it on her.
Karen could sense the old man's gaze. She could not decide whether to pull her hand back
or pick up the grape.
Eventually, she reluctantly picked up the grape and brought it to her lips.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMr. Bennet, sensing the tension in the air of the living room, carefully poured a cup of tea
for each of them and stepped back to the side.
"Where did you go last night?!" Old Master Mallory's tone was sharp.
Karen clenched her fist and replied without changing the expression on her face, "I went to
Percy's place."
"You didn't go to the hospital?" Old Master Mallory frowned. If he had not been keeping
track of her whereabouts, he might have been fooled by her words.
Karen knew that Old Master Mallory had been keeping an eye on her all along. Since
Pierre's incident, the old master had been worried about her and got someone to watch
her. She pouted her mouth and admitted, "I did."
"Why didn't you listen to me?!" Old Master Mallory's brows furrowed as a glint of
sharpness flashed across his weathered eyes.
Initially, Karen had been obedient, but Percy and Nina's marriage and Pierre's situation
had turned her into the person she was now.
However, Old Master Mallory also understood that Karen was never a calm person to begin
with.
The issues with his two grandsons were merely catalysts that had brought out her frantic
behavior.
There was no one to point fingers at. If he were to blame someone, it was his own
unreliable son's fault.
Now, Old Master Mallory felt increasingly helpless. It seemed that everyone in this family
had slipped out of his control. He even wondered if the Mallory family would cease to exist
after his passing if he made one wrong decision.
Karen was silenced by Old Master Mallory's words, and the grape she had yet to swallow
immediately lost its sweetness.
Old Master Mallory's gaze turned even colder.
Karen took a deep breath. Tears suddenly streamed down her face. "Father, I did go to the
hospital. I went because I felt sorry for Pierre. He's my flesh and blood, after all. Now that
his leg is injured and he's unable to walk, I'm in pain too. I wanted to visit him more, and I
wanted to encourage him. This is a crucial time for him...
"You have no idea how he is since you've been avoiding going to the hospital these days.
Pierre's personality has changed drastically after his leg was injured. If I don't go, I won't
know what he might become. Isn't this all for the good of the Mallory family's heir? Once
Pierre regains his strength and recovers, he'll be able to help you!"
Old Master Mallory felt frustrated as he listened to her emotionally charged accusation.
Pierre brought this upon himself, which was why he ended up like this.
No one forced him to cooperate with that organization, nor had anyone compelled him to
create trouble for others after benefiting from them.
Percy had mentioned to Old Master Mallory the organization before, and he was aware of
the organization's dangerous nature.
That was why even though Old Master Mallory was unconvinced and felt sorry for Pierre,
he had to clean up his mess first.
Karen, on the other hand, was not helping at all. She was only making things worse.
If it were not for Percy, who arrived in time to take her away yesterday, the police might
have caught onto the Mallory family's Achilles' heel.
The online public opinion would not only target Pierre but implicate the entire Mallory
family as well.
"When a mom spoils her kid rotten, she ends up raising a real troublemaker. Look at what
you've become! You cry and throw tantrums whenever something doesn't go your way.
Fortunately, Percy received advance notice last night and took you away from the hospital.
Otherwise, the Mallory family would be in big trouble today!"
Old Master Mallory exclaimed and slammed on the coffee table.
His hand landed on the provincial newspaper left on the table, which covered the police
operation in a private hospital the previous day.
Karen shivered for a moment.
She bit her lip and replied, "Yes, it was me who raised him. When he was working for the
Mallory family, it was his elder brother who took all the credit. Now that things have gone
wrong, it's all his fault! Father, why are you so biased? Is it because Percy has been with
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmyou since he was young? Is that why you're playing favorites with him?"
Old Master Mallory opened his palm and closed it repeatedly. How he wished he could slap
her across the face when he heard Karen say those things without a hint of remorse.
However, he could not do that.
Percy was going to bring that woman over for dinner later. The Mallory family's disgrace
should not be exposed to outsiders.
"Karen, I'm warning you again. If you don't listen, you'll be staying in a nursing home!" Old
Master Mallory no longer had any tolerance for her and issued a stern warning. "From now
on, you'd better listen to what I say. If you cause any more trouble, you'll either leave the
country or go to a nursing home. There are no other options!"
Karen was shocked. Even though her thoughts were a bit unclear, she understood that this
was Old Master Mallory's final ultimatum.
If she was locked up in a nursing home or sent abroad, would that not give the foreign
woman and her husband an opportunity?
Something like that must not happen!
In a twist of fate, Percy and Pierre's father was forced to stay overseas by Old Master
Mallory due to his affair with a foreign woman. They said he was managing the business
overseas, but in reality, it was more like an exile.
That man never really held any real power over the companies abroad.
Karen was happy with this decision. After all, she had given birth to two sons for the
Mallory family.
However, if she was no longer in the picture, there was no guarantee that Old Master
Mallory would not accept that foreign woman.
At the end of the day, a son was still closer to his parents than a daughter-in-law.
She had given it her all to win Old Master Mallory's favor and to make him choose her as
his daughterin-law in the past. If she continued to cause trouble, Karen could not even
imagine what would happen next.
That woman had been oppressed for such a long time. If she really returned to the country
with her husband, there was a chance that she might slowly take over everything in the
Mallory family.
Karen's decades of hard work would be completely in vain.
Karen fell silent, not daring to argue further with the old master.
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