Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 131: Chapter 131

"Laurel, go find my mom. She goes to Belle Spa every Friday for her beauty treatments. I don't want her... I don't want anything to happen to her." Ivan's voice was weak, barely above a whisper.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway. I quickly ended my call with Marvin and threw myself onto the sofa in the room.
The door handle turned. I frowned slightly. I wondered if Alex was back.
If it had been Hector outside, he would have knocked first.
A sudden text notification startled me, just as Alex walked in from the hallway.
Seeing the way I flinched, he narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold and assessing.
"Feeling guilty about something?" His voice was low, laced with quiet amusement.
"Not at all." I hurriedly denied it, lowering my head to check the message on my phone.
It was from Angela.
She had arrived in Newton City and had been texting me without getting a reply.
Alex said, "You're coming with me to the family estate tonight."
"The family estate?" I was taken aback. Had Alex already managed to deal with the two elders? Something felt off.
The Herrera family had never liked me. To them, I was nothing more than an outsider, a lowly civilian.
Even before I married into the family, they had looked down on me when I was still with Austin.
The first time I met Amanda, she hadn't even bothered to give me a formal gift.
As for the other elders, I had seen them before, but never in any official capacity.
Amanda frequently went out for food and shopping trips with the Herrera family's daughters-in-law.
Sometimes, she would drag me along. She used me as her personal errand girl and unpaid chauffeur.
In front of them, Amanda never missed an opportunity to belittle me, saying I had the personality of a servant rather than a daughter-in-law.
To put it bluntly, she saw me as free labor.
With a mother-in-law who openly disliked me, it was no surprise that the rest of the Herrera family treated me the same way.
Alex said, "We're having dinner together tonight."
"A family dinner? Am I even supposed to be there?" I looked at Alex with a faint smile.
"Are you scared?" Alex's dark eyes locked onto mine, a glimmer of amusement dancing in them. "Or have you forgotten that we're already married?"
"So you're going to just spring this on them?" I stared at Alex, realizing he was pushing me straight into the fire.
He simply nodded, utterly unfazed.
After a brief silence, he spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate. "What? Are you afraid?"
I let out a long sigh. "If you're not afraid, why should I be?"
Alex reached out and brushed his fingers over my hand, his gaze unexpectedly soft. "I'll have the driver pick you up tonight."
I nodded.
"Get some rest. Tonight..." Alex stopped mid-sentence. He smiled and turned to leave.
My heart pounded, and I couldn't tell if it was from the anxiety of facing the Herrera family or from the way Alex's wickedly handsome face was making me lose focus.
I exhaled slowly, trying to collect myself. Had Alex come back just to tell me this in person? He could have easily called or sent a text.
Outside, the sky had darkened, heavy with storm clouds. A strong wind had started to pick up.
Angela called. She was worried because I hadn't replied to her messages.
"Make sure to text me at midnight," she said.
"Midnight? What, planning to make a wish in front of a mirror?" I teased.
I told Angela about going to the Herrera family estate tonight.
To my surprise, she didn't sound the least bit concerned. Instead, she was giddy. "Making your relationship public isn't a bad thing at all! What are you so afraid of? You act like you've been sneaking around with a secret lover."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back and start a full-on war." I sighed. "That would only make things difficult for Alex."
Angela replied, "Laurel, sounds like you're starting to like Mr. Herrera."
I let out a dry, sarcastic laugh.
"Then why are you so worried about him?" Angela's tone turned serious. "Instead of stressing over him, you should be thinking about how to win over the old lady."
I said, "I'll be lucky if she doesn't throw me out. Winning her over?"
"Just don't let the Herrera family push you around. If anyone dares lay a hand on you, I'll be there in a heartbeat to back you up."
"Angela, if you so much as step into the Herrera estate looking for trouble, do you think your mom won't lock you up at home and never let you out again?"
The other end of the line went silent. A few seconds later, Angela finally let out a low, reluctant "Yeah, probably."
"So what now?" she asked, sounding a little anxious.
I replied, "Don't worry. I'll behave."
She said, "You better."
I frowned slightly. Something about her tone felt off.
After hanging up, I decided to rest for a while before getting ready. I had to make sure I looked presentable. No way was I going to let Alex lose face because of me.
Not that it really mattered. At this point, my reputation had probably been doomed from the start.
By the time I woke up, it was already 4 pm. I freshened up and glanced out the window. A drizzle had begun, raindrops tapping softly against the glass, trickling down in slow streams. For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into my chest.
Lawrence came to pick me up. Seeing a familiar face helped ease some of the tension if only a little.
But then I remembered who else I'd be seeing tonight, and my stomach tightened with irritation.
The entire Herrera family would be there. Every single one of them was there, whether I had met them before or not.
The thought was almost laughable. I had been with Austin for six years and had only ever met his parents and a handful of his friends.
The one person I saw most often was Rosemary, who would pop up every now and then just to remind me she existed.
As for the rest of his family? I had never even caught a glimpse of them.
The Herrera estate was located on the west side of town, about a thirty-minute drive from the outskirts.
On the way there, Alex texted me. He would be late for an hour. I could wait for him outside the estate.
Did he really think I was that much of a coward?
Half an hour later, the car pulled into the Herrera estate.
As we neared the main house, I sent Angela a message: [Walking straight into the lion's den.]
The security guards at the gate recognized Alex's car immediately and opened the gate without hesitation.
But when their eyes landed on me sitting in the back seat, a flicker of confusion crossed their otherwise expressionless faces.
It wasn't my first time coming to the estate, but it was the first time I was actually being allowed inside.
Every other time, Amanda had made sure to keep me out.
So while the security guards had seen me before, they had probably assumed I was just another servant.
When the car pulled up to the grand entrance, Lawrence stepped out first and opened my door.
The rain had stopped.
As I stepped out, my gaze immediately landed on Amanda. She was getting out of a nearby car, her arm looped around Austin's, with Rosemary trailing behind them.
The moment they saw me, their faces twisted in shock.
Austin's voice was laced with disbelief. "Laurel, what the hell are you doing here?"