Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 100: Chapter 100

Elsie felt Eugene's eyes boring into her, as if they could see right through her lies and into her soul.
Elsie felt a shiver run down her spine as every nerve in her body tensed up. She clenched her teeth, fighting back the urge to scream. "No, Eugene. It wasn't me—it was her, I swear! She really did push me, it was—"
A loud, unmistakable sound erupted from behind Elsie, filling the room with a foul stench. Her face, carefully enhanced by surgery, flushed a deep red with humiliation.
She couldn't hold back any longer and let out a scream, bolting for the bathroom. Raquel was on her feet in an instant, chasing after her.
Zackery sat there, his frustration and unease simmering beneath the surface. The family had been overjoyed when Eugene made a surprise visit, but he didn't get how things had gone so wrong.
He rose abruptly and kept apologizing, "Mr. Moore, I'm so sorry, really."
"Your apology isn't owed to me," Eugene said coldly, his face a mask of indifference. "You should be apologizing to Lorraine."
"What?" Zackery blurted out, his voice tinged with shock. But he could feel the cold, heavy atmosphere pressing down on him, and he instinctively bowed lower.
"N-no need," Lorraine waved her hands. She knew he was trying to help, but she couldn't accept it.
She'd only made it through today because Eugene had shown up and pretended to care. But she didn't think they could just cut all ties. Yet if she ever came back, Zackery would never let her forget it.
"Then you don't want their apology?" Eugene asked.
Lorraine twisted her hands together nervously, looking up to meet his gaze, her eyes brimming with gratitude. She knew he meant well—she truly did—but she just couldn't bring herself to accept it.
Seeing her shake her head in silent refusal, Eugene's voice turned grave. "Think carefully."
Outside the living room, in the small garden, Raquel stood with Elsie, gently holding her arm. "Elsie, you need to go back inside," she whispered softly. "Just explain what happened when you fell into the water. It doesn't matter what they think."
"I can't go back in there," Elsie said, her voice trembling. She stamped her foot in frustration. "Mom, I'm too humiliated to face anyone. It's all Lorraine's fault—that little witch! I want her dead."
Raquel quickly covered Elsie's mouth with her hand, silencing her. "Elsie, listen to me," she said urgently. "If that girl twists the story and blames you, you'll be the one in trouble. Think about your future, your reputation. It's just a small mistake. You can fix this."
Elsie pulled away, her eyes flashing. "Mom, stop. You're right. I can't stay out here. I'm going back."
Raquel smiled, relieved, "Good girl. Now, with Mr. Moore here, you have a chance to turn things around. You should do something, don't you think?"
The way Raquel talked and the calculating glint in her eyes gave Elsie a sudden burst of confidence. She leaned in and whispered, "Mom, here's what we'll do..."
Their voices were low and urgent, blending into the rustling of the leaves. No one else could hear their plans.
"Elsie, are you sure about this?" Raquel asked, her voice hesitant. Elsie nodded firmly. So Raquel sighed, but she nodded, "Alright. I'll help you."
As they left the garden, Raquel glanced at the plants she had tended so carefully. They were knocked askew, as if someone had rushed through them. She frowned, puzzled, but then followed Elsie back inside.
Lorraine thought it over under Eugene's probing gaze, then slowly shook her head.
She wasn't about to forget how the Shaw family had treated her, but today was Mary's memorial day. She didn't want the family to be at each other's throats, not on a day meant for remembrance.
"Well, Dad doesn't need to apologize," she said softly.
The sound of uneven footsteps broke the heavy silence as Raquel guided Elsie into the living room. Their entrance briefly disrupted the tension.
Lorraine caught a glimpse of the resentment on their faces. She looked at Elsie, her lips twitching into a cold smile. "If anyone should apologize, it's Elsie. To me."
Lorraine might hold back with her father, but Elsie was another story. Elsie had crossed a line, and Lorraine wasn't about to let her off the hook. The memory of that near-death moment sent a shiver down her spine, but she held Elsie's gaze, unyielding.
Elsie snarled, "Lorraine, have you lost your damn mind? Take a good look at yourself—"
"Enough, Elsie. You're way out of line. Apologize to Lorraine, now!" Zackery barked, clearly more willing to have Elsie swallow her pride than to do it himself.
Elsie wailed, "No way. It was definitely Lorraine who pushed me. Eugene—"
Eugene's laugh was cold and mocking. "Are you sure she pushed you? Are you just as helpless in the water as she is?"
He saw right through their little games. He knew exactly what Zackery and Elsie were up to, and he wasn't about to let them get away with it.
"I—" Elsie's voice caught in her throat, unnerved by his sharp insight.
"Apologize, Elsie. How could you be so thoughtless?" Raquel gave Elsie's hand a gentle squeeze and pushed her forward, not daring to show the slightest disregard for Eugene's words.
Zackery's voice was low and commanding. "Hurry up. Don't displease Mr. Moore."
Elsie shot Lorraine a hateful glare. Under the combined pressure of Eugene and her parents' stern gazes, she finally muttered grudgingly through clenched teeth, her voice barely audible and dripping with resentment, "I'm sorry."
Lorraine almost laughed. Elsie had nearly killed her, yet she still acted so self-righteous. Lorraine tilted her head, feigning innocence, and asked Eugene, "What did she say?"
"Didn't catch that as well," Eugene replied, playing along smoothly.
Raquel kept giving Elsie pointed looks, urging her to speak up. Elsie, cornered, reluctantly repeated herself, this time louder—though every word was clearly forced.
Lorraine suddenly felt a pang of emptiness. 'Satisfied? Maybe a little. But where's the family love? It's long gone. Anyway, I've accepted that reality a long time ago.'
Raquel let out a sigh of relief. Since Zackery was talking to Eugene, she gave Elsie's hand a gentle squeeze, a silent plea to endure just a little longer. Then she quietly slipped out of the room.
A few minutes later, she returned with steaming mugs of hot chocolate, serving one each to Eugene, Lorraine, and Elsie.
"Mr. Moore, since you were in the water earlier, please have some hot chocolate—we wouldn't want you catching a cold," Raquel said, her smile gentle and warm, almost motherly.
She then turned to Lorraine and Elsie and said, "Lorraine, Elsie, you two drink up as well. Once you've finished, head back to your rooms and get some rest. You'll feel better by morning. Be good."
Lorraine glanced at the hot chocolate in front of her and then at Eugene. Then she picked up her mug but hesitated to drink.
Not to be outdone, Elsie—who usually hated hot chocolate—quickly picked up her mug and took a sip with exaggerated grace, all the while sneaking glances at Eugene from the corner of her eye.
Only after Elsie took a sip did Lorraine finally lower her head and take small sips of her own hot chocolate. When she finished and noticed Eugene still hadn't touched his, she whispered, "Drink it, or you'll catch a cold."
Seeing the genuine concern on her face, Eugene's lips curved slightly. He raised his mug and drank the hot chocolate in one smooth gulp.
Elsie, her eyes hidden behind her empty mug, watched Eugene with a mix of anticipation and triumph.
As soon as he set down his cup, she quickly drained her own mug and placed it down with practiced grace. Uncharacteristically quiet, she waited, her rare silence revealing just how much she was hoping for something to happen.
"Lorraine dear, why don't you go back to your room and get a good night's sleep?" Raquel beamed with saccharine sweetness, her face the very picture of maternal warmth.
After finishing the hot chocolate, a thin sheen of sweat formed on Lorraine's forehead. A wave of drowsiness crept over her, yet she stubbornly refused to leave. Meanwhile, Elsie's gaze was practically glued to Eugene, making Lorraine too uneasy to walk away.
Raquel racked her brains trying to get Lorraine to leave the living room, but she didn't dare make it too obvious. She kept coaxing her, yet Lorraine stubbornly refused to budge.
Throughout this time, Eugene remained quiet. He didn't need to say anything. His presence alone was enough to calm Lorraine.
But more importantly, he began to feel something was off. The liquid he'd swallowed seemed to spread through his veins like fire, prickling under his skin, making him restless and overheated. All that restless energy surged downward with sudden urgency, overwhelming and direct.
He was no stranger to this feeling. Every time he held Lorraine in his arms, that same fierce, almost uncontrollable desire would surge through him in waves—like a fire burning hotter with each touch, as if it could melt everything around them.
A faint flush tinged Eugene's usually composed features as he glanced at Raquel and Elsie sitting across from him.
He caught the naked anticipation in their eyes, and his lips curled into a dangerous smirk. 'How dare they,' he thought coldly. 'They actually spiked my drink.'
Noticing the drug was taking effect on Eugene, Raquel discreetly dismissed all the servants from the room. With a deceptively sweet smile, she suggested, "Mr. Moore, you don't look well. Perhaps Elsie could show you to the guest room so you can rest?"
"Eugene, let me take you there. Come on." Elsie leaped at the opportunity, springing to her feet and reaching for Eugene's hand.
"Get lost!" Eugene snapped, forcefully brushing her hand away.
Elsie collapsed onto the floor with a dramatic thud, looking up at Eugene with exaggerated hurt. She whimpered, "Eugene, that really hurt."
Eugene didn't even glance at Elsie. Instead, he lowered his eyes and softly called Lorrain's name.
"Hmm?" Lorraine noticed something was off in his voice. She turned to look at him and saw an unusual flush spreading across his handsome face.
His eyes fixed on her flushed cheeks, Eugene's Adam's apple bobbed. "Remember your promise? I think I'm going to collect now."
Without waiting for a response, he lifted her into his arms, bridal-style, and strode toward the screen with purposeful steps, ignoring the stunned silence that had fallen over the room.
"Mr. Moore, w-what do you want?" Zackery stammered. As a man, he instantly recognized the desire burning in Eugene's eyes, but he was completely baffled by the situation.
Zackery glanced at Elsie and Raquel, and a cold realization settled over him. But the sight of Eugene's rigid back made Zackery's skin crawl.
Behind the screen was a delicate daybed. Eugene laid Lorraine down gently, then lowered himself over her.
Even Lorraine, who was usually slow to catch on, understood what was about to happen. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she pushed against Eugene's chest, her voice trembling. "Eugene, what are you doing? Get off me!"
"It's not about me," Eugene said, his voice rough. He took her hand and pressed it against his private part. "It's about what I can't control."
Feeling the prominent bulge, Lorraine immediately curled her fingers inward and tried to pull away. "Don't be crazy—we... we agreed not to—"
"No, I need you now," Eugene growled, his hands yanking up her skirt with a force that left no room for argument.
Lorraine gasped, but before she could scream, his mouth covered hers, silencing her.
The living room was deathly quiet, the only sound the soft rustle of fabric and the occasional intake of breath.
The screen separated them by mere feet, but it might as well have been miles. Zackery's face was a mask of mortification as he tried to pull Raquel and Elsie away.
Hearing the footsteps, Eugene released Lorraine's delicate earlobe and drawled with deliberate languor, "Nobody moves. Stay right where you are. Listen."