Chapter 14
The next afternoon, Preston was still asleep when a sudden shake jolted him awake.
He pressed a hand to his throbbing head and opened his eyes. Just as he was about to snap, he caught sight of Simone, her face streaked with tears.
“Pres, Mrs. Norwood wants to tire my parents and kick our whole family out. You have to do something!”
At those words, the haze clouding Preston’s thoughts vanished instantly. He bolted upright, his voice filled with disbelief as he replied, “That’s impossible!”
Without a second thought, he grabbed his phone and called Paige to get to the bottom of it.
But as soon as the call connected and she learned the reason for his call, she curtly cut him off.
“That’s final,” she said before hanging up.
Simone overheard Paige’s firm response, and her sobs grew louder. She clung to Preston, begging, “Mr. Norwood, please, talk to Mrs. Norwood again. My family hasn’t done anything wrong. I just want to stay by your side. You understand how I feel about you, don’t you?”
Preston’s chest tightened at the sight of her despair.
After finding out where Paige was, he decided to take the entire Baker family to the Norwood residence.
The usually quiet house was abuzz with activity. Preston could hear voices floating out from the residence, despite the distance.
Not knowing what was unfolding inside, he decided to wait for Paige to come out before raising the matter.
However, a few minutes in, Simone’s persistent pleas wore him down. He couldn’t endure it any longer and stormed into the house.
As the doors swung open, every head turned.
The entire Norwood family, young and old, was gathered, along with Francis and Gloria. Nearby, Cedric and Jolene were standing before Louis, serving him food.
In an instant, Preston realized the timing was far from ideal. And so, he wanted to leave with the Bakers.
Unfortunately, Simone’s mother, Helen Foster, failed to take the hint.
In a flash, she dropped to her knees before Charles and Paige, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried out, “Mrs. Norwood, Derek and I have served you and Mr. Norwood for over a decade. We watched Mr. Preston grow up too.
“Why would you fire us? What did we do wrong? Just tell us, and I promise we’ll change!”
Paige’s expression turned grim at the sight of her household staff causing a scene in front of everyone.
“Enough! We’ll talk later! This is the Norwood residence. Helen, you’re out of line!” she snapped.
Yet, the mention of the Norwood residence only fueled Helen’s despair. She shuffled forward, kneeling before Louis and begging him for justice.
What should have been a peaceful family gathering turned into a courtroom drama.
The Bakers insisted that Louis intervene. Although Charles and Paige were livid, they couldn’t bring themselves to stop them out of respect for the elders.
Louis was known for his kindness and had never treated his household staff harshly. So, he couldn’t ignore Helen’s pleas and resolved to get to the bottom of it. Seeing his grandfather stepping in, Preston knew things had escalated. He dared not utter a single word. Instead, he frantically signaled to Simone, urging her to stop. Overwhelmed by desperation, she thought he was giving up on them entirely. Without warning, she knelt beside Helen and joined her in pleading with Louis.
Just as the situation seemed to spiral out of control, Cedric grabbed a glass from the table and hurled it in front of the Bakers.
The glass shattered, its pieces flying everywhere. In a split second, the once chaotic living room was engulfed in silence.
Once order was restored, Cedric helped Jolene to her seat. Then, he approached Louis, bowed slightly, and suggested, “Dad, why don’t you and Mr. and Mrs. Miller head upstairs for coffee? I’ll handle this and make sure everyone gets a proper explanation.”
