Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 157: Chapter 157

"Laurel, dinner's ready." A voice called out to me, followed by footsteps. I snapped out of my stupor, hastily shutting off my phone.
I turned on the sink in the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, hoping to snap myself out of the fog. After a moment, I took a deep breath and regained my focus.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I managed a faint smile. My face looked pale and worn out, but my eyes were unnervingly bright.
I forced my lips into a twisted smile, the contempt in my expression deepening. The mockery in my eyes only made the underlying coldness and resentment more apparent.
I had always believed that Austin hadn't touched me because he was too shy or scared to take responsibility. No, the truth was far worse. He was bold enough to sell me out, probably for a good price.
I had always thought Austin was just indifferent to relationships, but it turned out he was a complete bastard.
I was not the kind of person to let things slide. If someone crossed me, I would make them regret it. I couldn't openly confront him now since I was his uncle's wife, but I would be damned if I let him off easy.
If I hadn't known what he did, I wouldn't have bothered to waste my time with him. But as it stood, it seemed like Austin, this piece of trash, was a perfect match for someone like Rosemary, a madwoman, just like him.
Someone knocked lightly on the frosted glass bathroom door three times. I took a deep breath, and as I opened the door, I froze for a moment.
"What took you so long in there? Are you feeling okay?" Alex frowned, looking at me with a complex expression.
His voice was filled with concern, yet his handsome face remained disturbingly calm, an almost imperceptible chill to it.
I looked up at Alex and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine."
"Everyone has to die. The dead are gone, but the living must continue living. The world won't change just because someone dies," he said.
I did not argue with Alex. I simply nodded, not knowing how to respond. And I did not expect him to be so unsatisfactory when comforting people.
If I had still been caught up in the grief of losing Angela, his words might have shattered me completely.
Yes, everyone died, but Angela was only 27. She had barely lived a third of her life. Why did she have to go? If she hadn't gone to that meeting, she would still be alive.
The guilt hit me hard. If I had told Angela about the Parks family sooner, maybe she wouldn't have been so taken in by Isaac. Maybe she wouldn't have gone alone to that meeting after work.
But of course, there was no such thing as "what if" in this world, and I couldn't save Angela, the one person who had treated me better than anyone else.
At the dinner table, perhaps because Sophina was present, Javier did not press further about Angela.
When Yvette found out that the Herrera family had accepted me, she was overjoyed and ate more than usual that evening.
"Mom, I need to head back to Newton City on Monday. I'll have Sophina stay here with you. I'll also get you a maid in the next couple of days. I don't feel right leaving you alone," I said.
"No need. I can manage by myself." Yvette waved me off.
"Mom, you can't keep bothering Bonnie to stay with you. Her vacation is over," I said, looking at Bonnie with a pleading expression.
Having already lost Angela, I wanted to keep my mom close for as long as possible. Death was inevitable, but I was not ready to face it yet.
"Yvette, just listen to Laurel. I'll be worried if you're left alone," Bonnie added.
"I'm fine. I can take care of myself," Yvette insisted.
"Mrs. Parks, I've already found a chef, and the maid should be here tomorrow," Alex spoke up, looking at Bonnie and Yvette. "From now on, Laurel and I will be coming by to eat regularly."
Bonnie smiled warmly, holding Yvette's hand. "Yvette, Laurel's husband is so kind."
Yvette chuckled. "Maybe Maliyah's husband is even better."
All eyes in the room turned to Maliyah. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but I noticed a flicker of panic in her eyes.
Some things, even if she said she had let them go, were not so easily forgotten.
Even though the men who hurt her had received their punishment, the painful memories could not simply be erased from her mind. Perhaps it would take time to let the wounds heal, little by little.
What I hadn't expected was for Alex to have already arranged for a maid and even hired a chef.
I almost began to believe what Angela had said that Alex truly loved me deeply and that he was willing to go to any lengths to marry me.
And yet, it seemed I had never done anything for him in return. I felt a twinge of guilt. Without thinking, I picked up a piece of lamb chop and placed it on Alex's plate.
A brief flash of surprise crossed Alex's eyes, but it was gone almost instantly.
'Oh no, I just remembered that Alex is a bit of a neat freak. And I used my own fork to serve him,' I wondered.
Alex turned his head and gave me a meaningful glance, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. But somehow, I felt like there was a subtle hint of disdain in his eyes.
"Don't you like it? I can eat it if you want," I said, offering the fork to his plate.
"Darling, how could I not like the food you serve me?" He said, popping the meat from his plate into his mouth while gazing at me with affection.
My heart skipped a beat. Something about his gaze felt a bit off.
"Alex, let me get you some more soup," Bonnie said as she stood up.
"Mom, there's still soup on the table," Javier replied.
Bonnie shot him a sideways glance. "It's cold now. I'm going to heat it up."
Just as I reached for the soup to stop her, the phone on the table rang, and I quickly grabbed it. Seeing the caller ID, I answered in a hurry.
"I'm outside. Come out for a minute. It's important." Marvin's voice was unusually serious, almost like he was reporting at the end of the year.
"I'm just going downstairs to grab a package," I said.
"Laurel, let me get it for you," Maliyah offered.
I waved her off and stood up. "No, I'll grab it myself. I'll be right back." With that, I headed for the door.
Outside, by the curb, Marvin was chain-smoking, his cigarette butts piling up on the ground, at least three by now.
His hair was a mess, the dark bags under his eyes made him look utterly exhausted, and his complexion was pale.
If I hadn't known his profession, I would have thought he was a junkie.
"Mr. Yeats had a sudden heart palpitation in the office today," Marvin said, flicking the cigarette butt to the ground. He looked at me with heavy eyes, silent for a moment before continuing. "I suspect that Angela's death wasn't an accident, and you might be the next target."