Chapter 8
Lila rubbed her eyes, wondering if they were playing tricks on her.
Noticing her unusual behavior, Tobias also couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Blackwood, is there anything wrong?”
Lila hesitantly handed the phone to Julian. “Mr. Grant, this…”
Julian glanced at the screen, realizing that Estelle had left the group chat. His expression darkened.
His phone immediately rang, and Susan’s sobs echoed from the other end of the line as soon as he picked up.
“Jules, what do I do? I think Ms. Summer is mad at me…”
He suddenly thought of Estelle and remembered how rarely she shed tears. The only time she did was when she pushed Susan into the waters, causing her to end up hospitalized.
Estelle had refused to admit that she was in the wrong. In order to punish her, he took Tobias to Grant Manor and threatened her that if she refused to apologize, she would never see her son again.
Back then, Tobias’ illness had flared up, and his fever wouldn’t recede.
Estelle had rushed all the way to Grant Manor, yet Julian had refused to let her in. There had been a heavy downpour that night, but everyone forgot about her existence outside while busily tending to Tobias’ fever.
It wasn’t until the butler came to remind Julian that he remembered she was still waiting outside.
Estelle had been completely drenched when she was brought in, and that was his first time seeing her cry.
Just then, Susan’s sobs snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Ms. Summer left the group chat earlier,” she whimpered. “Jules, forget it. Since she doesn’t want to cook medicinal meals for me, so be it. I don’t want to impose on her…”
A twinge of frustration suddenly prickled at Julian.
“Fine,” he said.
As if his response had caught her off guard, Susan stopped crying in a heartbeat.
“Since you benefit a lot from the medicinal meals, I’ll hire a professional to take care of you,” he continued.
“Jules, that’s such a hassle,” Susan immediately refused.
She absolutely loathed medicinal meals as they tasted horrible. She had never eaten a single mouthful of the meals Estelle made and had tossed it all into the trash instead. After all, she only sent those recipes to make things difficult for Estelle.
But Julian was unaware of her schemes.
“That’s final,” he stated. “I’ve got to go now, so bye.”
Susan was still spiraling in turmoil after he hung up on her. If he hired professional caregivers, her lies would immediately be exposed if they reported to him that she wasn’t eating the medicinal meals.
She clenched her teeth, certain that Estelle was behind this. Her resentment toward her grew even more.
…
Meanwhile, Lila was thrilled when she learned that they no longer had to prepare meals for Susan. It was a strenuous yet unrewarding process, after all.
To the wives of the upper crust, cooking served as a hobby and a stimulant to further strengthen relationships. But if they were to cook every day, what would make them any different than a maid?
“No wonder Mrs. Grant quit,” Lila thought.
After hanging up, Julian turned toward Tobias and said, “Sit down and eat. I’ll take you to the kindergarten later.”
Tobias rubbed his eyes and hummed in acknowledgment. As he was already weaker than most kids, these past few days of staying up late had been taking a toll on him.
The two sat across from each other and ate in silence.
Estelle normally took care of Tobias’ daily life and schoolwork while Julian was constantly busy with work and rarely got involved. Now, with only the two of them at the table, a wave of awkwardness crashed over them.
As Tobias picked at the breakfast Lila had made for him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it tasted off. He had already grown accustomed to Estelle’s cooking and could hardly eat a spoonful of Lila’s.
Just then, Julian’s cold voice rang out from across the table. “Who taught you to say that yesterday?”
Baffled, Tobias glanced up, only to meet his father’s piercing gaze. Before he could answer, Julian asked again, “Was it Estelle?”
While Tobias wasn’t afraid of Estelle, he had always been intimidated by the cold and stern Julian.
He didn’t dare meet Julian’s gaze. “No. It wasn’t Mom.”
But to Julian, Tobias’ hesitation looked like nothing but a diffident admission. Was that what Estelle had been teaching him at home?
“If she can’t even raise a child properly, she should take some time to reflect,” he sneered, then turned toward Tobias. “You’ll stay at Grant Manor for the time being.”
Tobias had wanted to say something, but he immediately perked up at Julian’s words. He had heard from his aunt that Estelle had refused to admit that she was in the wrong for pushing Susan into the water, but she eventually relented, apologizing to Julian and Susan after he was taken to Grant Manor.
Now that he had to go back to Grant Manor again, perhaps Estelle would come running to apologize to Susan again—just like last time.
…
Meanwhile, in the apartment, Zara gawked at Estelle as she swiftly left the group chat and blocked everyone else.
“Essie, you’re serious about this, huh?”
After leaving the group chat and blocking both Julian’s and Susan’s numbers, Estelle finally glanced up and asked, “Do I look like I’m kidding?”
Zara sighed. “You were also unyielding when Susan almost drowned back then. But then Tobias got sick… I’m just worried that Julian will try to manipulate you with your child.”
After all, most women relented easily—especially for the sake of their children. They could endure anything for them.
Otherwise, men wouldn’t believe that having children was the key to manipulating women. But that was the harsh truth, though. Almost 80% of the women fell tightly in their husbands’ grasp after having children.
“Don’t worry. This won’t happen again,” Estelle said indifferently.
“Are you sure?” Zara seemed skeptical.
Smiling, Estelle replied, “Yes. I thought giving my all to Tobias would make me a devoted mother, but in truth, all my efforts had gone unappreciated instead.”
“In this case…” Zara winked at her, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Dinner’s on me tonight. I’m going to let you have some fun.”
As a single woman, Zara often frequented bars and nightclubs.
But Estelle immediately refused, “Forget it.”
“No!” Zara interjected. “Back then, you were the campus belle of Alderidge University. Do you know how many men you captivated after performing that dance at the festival?”
She pouted and continued, “Essie, you play the violin, you can dance, and you even have the looks—you’re practically a goddess to those men. Yet you ended up marrying that ungrateful bastard instead.
“Aside from Julian, there are plenty of other men in this world who will cherish you! Just consider this a chance to hang out with me, okay?”
Unable to resist Zara’s pleas, Estelle eventually agreed.
…
At 8:00 pm, Estelle and Zara arrived at the bar.
The bar wasn’t as rowdy as Estelle had imagined. In fact, it seemed much more sophisticated than usual bars.
Zara arched her brow and said, “It hasn’t been long since this bar was established. The hosts here are absolutely delectable, and I promise you won’t regret it tonight.”
Since they were already here, Estelle no longer saw the need to be so uptight.
“Okay,” she said with a smile.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind her.
“Well, if it isn’t Julian’s limpet! Are you here to look for him again?”
