Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 242: Chapter 242

Gideon's words shocked me, but I kept my expression composed.
Maybe I never truly understood what kind of person Alex really was.
"So, you think I married him just to get back at Austin?" I lifted my gaze to meet Gideon's, a cold smirk on my lips.
"Isn't that the case?" Gideon shot me a sharp glance before lazily shifting his focus elsewhere and sinking onto the couch.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, casting a golden glow over his face, making his naturally roguish charm even more pronounced.
However, his bright red hair stood out too much, stripping away any sense of refinement. Instead, he looked more like someone who had strayed into a life of crime, yet there was an undeniable arrogance and defiance in his demeanor.
Sophina nervously placed a freshly brewed cup of coffee beside him, then quickly stepped back, her face flushed.
Whether it was fear or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. Her lips twitched slightly as she furrowed her brows, but in the end, she simply pressed them together and stayed silent.
"Get me a glass of milk and two fried eggs," I said with a light smile, sending Sophina away.
I sat down beside Gideon and asked calmly, "So, what brings you here?"
"Nothing much." His deep black eyes locked onto mine as he spoke in a lazy drawl. "Now that you're married to Mr. Herrera, do you still plan on returning to the Parks residence, or should that be reconsidered?"
"There's nothing to reconsider." I rejected the idea immediately.
"If you go back, you'll be seeing Austin quite often. After all, he'll be staying with the Parks family from now on," Gideon remarked with curiosity, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"So, should he call you Aunt Laurel? Or just Laurel?"
I couldn't be bothered to answer his nonsense.
But from his tone, it was clear the wedding between the Parks family and the Herrera family hadn't been called off.
It made sense. After all, the only person who died was an adopted daughter of the Herrera family, and Alex remained unharmed. It was just an engagement party—there was no way they'd cancel it so easily.
Even with public pressure mounting against the Herrera family, the announcement of Alex's inheritance of Herrera Group had caused their stock prices to rise.
It was evident that someone didn't want him taking over.
Whoever sent the assassins could have been from the Herrera family. But it could have also been the Parks family.
The Parks had long been eyeing a piece of the Herrera empire. And now, with Alex's engagement offending both the Harvey Group and the Parks families, they had even more reason to act against him.
But there was another possibility. The real target of the kidnapping might not have been Alex at all. It might have been me.
Perhaps Melody had started to suspect my identity and hired someone to kill me.
The reason wasn't because I was important but because my existence could completely destroy the past she had worked so hard to bury.
Whatever she had done to my mother all those years ago had left her living in fear for the rest of her life.
The thought tightened in my chest, and I clenched my fists, feeling an unshakable sense of unease creeping in.
"Laurel, have you really thought this through? Do you truly want to return to the Parks family?" Gideon suddenly spoke, his sharp gaze locking onto me, a sly smile playing at his lips.
"From what I know, Kailyn never intended to marry Austin in the first place."
I studied him for a moment, then responded thoughtfully, "So, you came here just to convince me not to return?"
Deep down, whether Maddox knew of my existence or not, I could never forgive him.
But I didn't hate him either. Hate was useless.
"Aren't you afraid of making enemies with the Shepherd family?" Gideon's smirk faded, his expression growing serious.
His brows furrowed, voice dipping into a low, somber tone. "What exactly do you want from going back to the Parks family?"
I lifted my head and met his gaze, my voice cold and steady. "Of course, it's to take revenge."
The room fell into silence. Outside, the sun shone brightly as if the torrential rain from yesterday had never happened.
After a long pause, Gideon set his coffee cup on the table and blinked slowly before swallowing the last sip.
"So, you're ready to risk not just your own life, but the life of the child you're carrying?"
A smirk tugged at his lips, mischievous and mocking. "If Mr. Herrera finds out you're Maddox's biological daughter, do you think he'll regret marrying you?"
"If he regrets it, I can divorce him anytime," I said without hesitation, my tone indifferent. "I'll be sure to ask him for you."
Gideon's mouth twitched slightly. He picked up his coffee again and took a deep sip as if trying to suppress his unease.
"No need. That's between you two lovebirds."
With that, he stood up, pressing his lips together. "I should head back now. Mr. Herrera will definitely bring you along next Sunday. See you then."
I nodded and walked Gideon to the door.
It was only after I had closed it that I realized I had forgotten to return the expensive emerald ring he had given me. But more importantly, his words had reminded me of something.
Alex didn't seem to want any ties to the Parks family. If he found out I was Maddox's daughter, maybe he really wouldn't have married me.
But something didn't add up. If Alex had never intended to form an alliance with the Parks family, it had to mean he had seen through their ulterior motives from the start. That would explain why he had Austin marry into the family.
Perhaps his real goal had always been to send a warning—telling the Parks family to stay away from Herrera Group.
If that was truly the case, then Maddox would never let it go so easily.
Now that Alex was officially the heir to the Herrera Group, there was no way Maddox would still agree to marry Kailyn off to Austin, a man who had no real chance of taking control of the company.
No. That wasn't right. If anything happened to Alex, the company's next leader would have to be chosen from the remaining family members.
And since Lena had always despised Alex for being the illegitimate son, there was no way she'd let control of the company fall into his hands.
Which meant that those who wanted Alex dead weren't just from the Parks family. Some were from the Herrera family itself.
"Laurel, what are you thinking about?" Sophina set a glass of milk in front of me. Seeing that I hadn't taken a sip, she gave me a puzzled look.
I hesitated for a moment before asking, "I want to know, before Alex Herrera took over as CEO of the Herrera Group, who was managing the company?"
"That would be the Mr. Raphael, of course!" Sophina thought for a moment before answering seriously. "If his health hadn't suddenly declined, he wouldn't have stepped down so early. The original plan was for Kayden to take over. But no one expected Mr. Herrera to become the CEO instead."
After hearing Sophina's brief explanation, my eyelid twitched involuntarily. So, Alex had taken the CEO position of Herrera Group from Kayden back then.