Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 103: Chapter 103

Eugene glanced at Lorraine, his eyes narrowing just a bit. He'd been watching her out of the corner of his eye the whole time. He gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Why would I be?"
The Bentley glided to a halt in front of the palatial stone manor. Eugene stepped out, intending to open Lorraine's door, but she had already slipped out on her own. She stood there, just out of arm's reach, as if she were anchored to the spot.
Eugene reached for her, but she sidestepped with a fluid grace, leaving his hand to swing uselessly through the air. The emptiness of that gesture unsettled him. "Lorraine..." he said, his voice a low murmur.
"I-I think I'll stay out here," Lorraine whispered, her voice barely audible. She couldn't bear the thought of being judged, especially by him. The idea of seeing even a flicker of disgust in his eyes was more than she could handle.
Eugene's jaw tightened. He bent down, scooped her up over his shoulder, and carried her inside. He laid her gently on the bed, his movements careful and deliberate.
Lorraine hugged her knees to her chest, looking up at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. Her face was pale, almost translucent. "Eugene... aren't you afraid?" she murmured, thinking of Sandy's illness.
Eugene's expression softened. "We've already crossed that bridge," he said quietly. "Why would I be afraid?"
Unlike others who shunned them like the plague, Eugene not only personally drove Lorraine back to the sanatorium, but was still willing to bring me back here.
"But..." Lorraine bit her lip, her bright eyes gradually clouding over with an unshakable sorrow.
Eugene's eyes darkened, and he ran his fingers through her hair. "You look exhausted," he said softly. "Just rest. Everything will seem better when you wake up."
"But I still need to go to work," Lorraine protested weakly. After all, she was just an intern.
"I'll call in sick for you. Sleep," Eugene said, gently pinching Lorraine's cheek before heading for the door.
Lorraine clutched the quilt as he left the room. She closed her eyes, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her. She tried to follow his advice and drift off.
But just as she began to relax, the shrill ring of her phone startled her. She answered, thinking it was Sheila, but Shirin's voice came through the line instead.
"Lorraine, are you feeling okay? Alice told me you called in sick," Shirin asked, her worry as obvious as ever.
"Oh, uh, yeah... Just a slight cold. Nothing serious. I'll be back at work tomorrow," Lorraine answered. Then she thought to herself, 'Wow, Eugene really works fast—did he call in for me the moment he stepped outside?'
"Oh, great then," Shirin said, a mischievous note creeping into her voice. "So, did you see today's news?"
"Not yet. What's the scoop?" Lorraine replied, her voice dragging a bit. She wasn't in the mood for gossip, but she humored Shirin anyway.
Shirin laughed, "You really have no idea, do you? You'd never guess—Elsie actually kissed a dog, and she looked totally into it! How kinky is that?"
"Mm... huh? Wait, what did you just say?" Lorraine answered absentmindedly at first, and then suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes widening in shock. "The newspaper actually wrote that?"
Shirin said, "Exactly what you heard. Can you believe it? Elsie always seemed shady, but who would've thought she'd be into something this freaky? Ugh, making out with a dog—how could Elsie even bring herself to do that?"
Lorraine had been feeling pretty low after her dad's stunt this morning, but hearing this made her feel a bit better. "Shirin, is that the only thing in the papers? Nothing else about the Shaw family?"
"Nope, this one story's more than enough. I bet Elsie's absolutely losing it right now. Serves her right—maybe she'll even catch rabies from that dog kiss."
After a few more minutes of chatting, Lorraine hung up and sat there, staring at her phone. It was nice to hear something that made her feel a little better. Elsie had totally been humiliated—proof that sometimes, karma was real.
Lorraine knew Eugene had something to do with it. She reached for the pillow he usually slept on, hugged it close, and breathed in his faint scent. She nuzzled her cheek against it and finally drifted off to sleep.
After finishing his work in the study, Eugene returned to the bedroom. Seeing the faint crease between Lorraine's brows, he couldn't resist reaching out to gently smooth it with his finger.
Sensing his touch, Lorraine frowned slightly, shifted positions, and turned her back to him, continuing to sleep.
Eugene's lips twitched into a soft smile. He chuckled quietly, adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, and then tiptoed out, closing the door gently behind him.
Back in the study, he sat down at his desk, his mind filled with images of Lorraine's sorrow and vulnerability.
The humiliation the Shaw family had inflicted on her was both an insult and a means of coercion—and it was something he couldn't let stand. He scrolled through his recent calls and dialed without hesitation.
Isaac was aback when he received another call from Eugene so soon. He answered immediately, his voice filled with respect. "Sir, how can I assist you?"
Eugene's fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the desk. Lorraine was his, and no one else had the right to hurt her. Every humiliation the Shaw family had heaped on her would be repaid a hundredfold.
His voice was calm but deadly serious. "I don't care what it takes. Bring the Shaw family down. Now."
"But Ms. Godfrey suggested keeping the Shaw family around for a while longer. She mentioned that they still have some use—there are a few moles in the company that Zackery needs to deal with. And..." Isaac hesitated, knowing that Queenie's opinion carried weight.
Eugene's fingers stilled. What had happened today couldn't just be swept under the rug. His voice was firm and resolute. "No. I need the Shaw family ruined—completely. They will never recover."
Isaac hesitated again, "But what about Ms. Godfrey?"
"Do as I say," Eugene's voice was cold, a clear warning. "I want the entire Shaw family to pay for what they did this morning. I want them to beg Lorraine for forgiveness."
Isaac could feel the chill in Eugene's voice even through the phone. He shivered slightly. The Shaw family had a knack for courting disaster. They always managed to stir up trouble and went too far by targeting Eugene's woman.
Isaac replied, "Understood, sir. But how quickly do you want this done?"
Eugene said, "The sooner, the better. I don't want them to see tomorrow."
With those words, it was clear: the Shaw family's fate was sealed. Isaac nodded, even though Eugene couldn't see him, and got to work—no mercy, no hesitation.
The Shaw family had no idea that disaster was already at their doorstep.
Elsie stood in the living room, barking orders at the household staff to haul out the sofa. "Move your asses! What's with the snail's pace—haven't you eaten? Get that damn sofa out of here, now."
Raquel, her face hidden behind a mask, wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yeah, chop it up and burn it."
"Mom, even burning it feels like it'll taint our air," Elsie complained, scared of HIV. "And this living room—make sure they disinfect every inch. Honestly, I'm thinking we should just move to a new house."
She took a gin and tonic from the maid and leaned in closer to Raquel. "Mom, I heard Lorraine and Sheila left in Eugene's car. What am I supposed to do? Is he seriously not afraid of HIV?"
"Stop obsessing over that," Raquel said impatiently. "What you need to do is get to Eugene's office right now. This is the perfect time—he might finally cut ties with that little tramp for good. We're talking about HIV here. Who knows if Lorraine's already infected?"
Convinced by her mother's words, Elsie quickly downed her gin and tonic, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "You're right, Mom. I'm heading over now. Dad will be on my side too."
"Right, your father..." Raquel's voice trailed off. Zackery had gone out to the garden to take a call, and he'd been gone for ages.
"Whatever, I'm not waiting for Dad. Gotta go." Elsie huffed, grabbing her designer bag and strutting toward the living room door.
Just as Elsie reached the doorway, Zackery blocked her path, his face livid. His voice was cold and oppressive as he demanded, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see Eugene," Elsie said dismissively, trying to sidestep her father and leave.
Zackery grabbed Elsie by the wrist, yanked her into the living room, and shoved her roughly aside. Then he smacked her in the face with a newspaper.
Gritting his teeth, his face twisted with rage, he roared, "These reporters are all spouting nonsense! Just look at what they've written! See what you've done? You're not going anywhere—stay home and reflect on your actions. You've disgraced this entire family!"
Raquel picked up the newspaper that had fallen to the floor. Splashed across the front page in bold letters was the headline: [Forbidden Love: Woman's Scandalous Passionate Moment with Dog].
Apparently, all the photos had been doctored—everyone in the background erased, leaving only Elsie lying seductively on the ground, lips slightly parted as she passionately kissed a large male dog. Her ecstatic expression made her look exactly like a bitch in heat.
"How could this be?" Raquel clutched the newspaper so tightly her knuckles turned white, her face drained of color as panic washed over her.
Elsie completely broke down when she saw the news, her face turning pale. She wasn't stupid—if neither Eugene nor Lorraine was mentioned, it had to be his doing.
"That's not true... It's not like that! Dad, I need to see Eugene—I'm going to find him," she cried, her voice trembling with desperation.
"What's the point of going to him now? You two useless idiots—get your asses back home and stay there!" Zackery flung his hand away in disgust and stormed out; he still had to check on the factory.
They thought this incident would soon blow over with time, but little did they know that this was just the beginning of their nightmare.