Real Heiress: Flash Marriage With Boyfriend's Uncle - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Cunning old lady

Orabela sprinted towards her grandmother and wrapped her arms tightly around her, burying her face into the comforting embrace. She held on, her heart easing from the momentary burden of missing her so deeply. After a long moment, she pulled away, her eyes brimming with affection.

“Grandma, I missed you so much,” Orabela said, her voice tinged with a hint of longing. “Why did it take so long for you to come back?”

Lady Agatha smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with fondness as she stroked Orabela’s hair. “Oh, my dear, forgive me,” she said softly, her tone filled with regret. “I ended up traveling the world with some old friends of mine—an adventure I hadn’t expected to last so long. And after that, I went to visit your aunt to spend some time there.” She gave a small chuckle as if recounting fond memories.

As Lady Agatha stepped back to get a better look at her granddaughter, her expression shifted to one of concern. “But, my goodness, why do you look so thin?” she exclaimed, her sharp gaze immediately darting over to Miriam and Darius, who stood nearby.

“Aren’t you feeding her well?” she added, her voice taking on a more stern, reprimanding tone as she looked at them both with a mix of authority and maternal protectiveness. Miriam and Darius exchanged a quick, uncomfortable glance, clearly caught off guard by Lady Agatha’s sudden disapproval.

Orabela smiled sheepishly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been busy with work and other things,” she offered, trying to downplay her grandmother’s concern.

But Lady Agatha wasn’t convinced. “Nonsense!” she huffed. “You need to take better care of yourself. A growing girl like you shouldn’t be skipping meals. We’ll fix that now that I’m here.” She softened her tone as she turned back to Orabela, her affection clear. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Mother, why don’t you sit? Your favorite tea is here. Drink it and then you can rest,” Miriam politely said.

Lady Agatha hummed and settled on the couch. A servant came with a tray in her hand, which made the old lady frown.

“Where is Layla?” Lady Agatha asked, picking up the saucer with the cup carefully.

“Layla got married,” Orabela promptly said.

“What? She got married before you!?” Lady Agatha looked at her son. “I thought you promised me to keep her as a servant forever,” she sternly said.

“Mother, it’s a long story,” Darius said as he finally took the seat along with his wife. Orabela didn’t wait to sit next to her grandmother and swiftly took her seat.

Lady Agatha took a long sip, telling her son to tell her what happened exactly. She already had sensed a strange expression on her son’s face.

“Lucius De Salvo had sent a marriage proposal for Layla. I couldn’t ignore it and we decided to marry her off,” Darius replied.

“And it turned out to be the biggest mistake, Grandma,” Orabela added. “She sent Lucius here to kill us and what not!” She put oil into the fire because she knew her grandmother would teach Layla a good lesson now.

“What?” Lady Agatha’s voice pierced the room, her usually composed face hardening with anger.

“It was our fault, Mother,” Miriam admitted, her voice unusually soft. She knew how relentless her mother-in-law could be when it came to family matters.

“Seraphina slapped Layla, and things spiraled out of control from there. Even Bella was at fault,” she confessed. It was the first time Miriam openly acknowledged how wrong they had been toward Layla, and the weight of her words made Orabela’s eyes widen in shock. Her mother never spoke like this before.

Lady Agatha’s eyes flared with indignation. “How could you blame my granddaughter for something Seraphina did?” she snapped, her voice rising. Her hand shook as she set the saucer down on the table, the sound of porcelain meeting wood loud in the tense silence.

“Mother, please, don’t raise your blood pressure,” Darius said, attempting to calm her, his voice laced with concern. “We all made mistakes in this situation, but let’s not get involved with Lucius anymore. He isn’t an easy man to deal with,” he added, his voice steady, but with a hint of caution.

The mention of Lucius De Salvo clearly unsettled him, and though Lady Agatha had never heard the name before, how her son spoke made it clear that Lucius was a man to be feared.

Lady Agatha’s face remained firm, her mind already made up. “Kick Seraphina out of this house,” she ordered sharply. “She shouldn’t live here anymore.”

Darius blinked in surprise, not understanding the sudden decision. “Why, Mother?” he asked, unsure of the reasoning behind her sudden demand.

“Seraphina has brought nothing but trouble,” Lady Agatha declared, her tone unyielding. “If she dares to cause such strife in this family, then she has no place here. Her actions have consequences. And it’s your fault even to have a mistress and a child with her. I told you the day Layla was born– to throw her into an orphanage or a bin. Now, I realize why my granddaughter looks so fragile. It must be Layla, who stressed her out.”

Darius exchanged a quick glance with Miriam, realizing that there was no point in arguing. Lady Agatha was not one to back down, especially when it came to matters of family integrity.

“You have really not changed,” Layla’s voice roared in the living hall, attracting everyone’s attention.

Lady Agatha immediately rose to her feet and so were the others.

“What is wrong with your tone?” Lady Agatha questioned with a frown. She walked to Layla. “Seems like you have not been disciplined for so long,” she pronounced. Raising her hand, she was ready to slap Layla, but she caught the old lady’s hand in mid-air.

“How dare you?” Lady Agatha tried to pull away, but Layla pushed her away. The cunning old lady fell to the floor, causing everyone to rush to her side. She cried loudly, telling everyone that her foot was injured.

“You are as good an actress as Orabela, aren’t you? She really took the training from you,” Layla remarked.

Orabela stood this time and told Layla to leave the house. “If you can’t respect us, then it’s fine, but I can’t stand what you do to my grandmother,” she pronounced.

Layla chuckled and she slapped Orabela hard this time, shocking everyone present in the hall.