Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 113: Chapter 113

Lorraine was surprised Eugene had figured it out so quickly. She was just about to reply to him. Her heart warmed as she answered the call. Eugene's deep, velvety voice came through—soothing to her ears, yet it brought an unexpected pang of grievance.
Eugene asked gently, "Hey, I just asked you something. Why'd you go silent? Did Queenie give you a hard time? Is that why you're thinking about moving back to campus?"
Lorraine's eyes stung a little as she sniffled. She replied, her voice soft and a bit choked, "Yeah. I tried so hard to get along with her, even spent ages cooking, but she turned up her nose at it and dumped it into the trash."
Lorraine must have been truly wronged and upset to blurt out something like that. Eugene could almost picture her now—lips pressed tight, eyes reddened with unshed tears. The thought made his heart ache, and when he spoke to her, his voice softened.
Eugene said softly, "She's always been like that since childhood. Just ignore her."
"Since childhood?" Lorraine instantly picked up on the implication, a note of surprise slipping into her voice. "You... you and Queenie... you've known each other that long?"
She pronounced the last four words with crisp clarity, and the faint tremor in her voice made Eugene feel both a pang of sympathy and quiet amusement.
Eugene deliberately teased her, his voice tinged with subtle amusement. "Are you jealous? Jealous of Queenie, huh?"
Lorraine fell silent, clutching her phone and staring at her toes, simply refusing to answer his question.
But given her stubborn silence, Eugene could easily picture her expression—even without a word. He chuckled softly. "Let go of your lip. Don't bite it."
'How did he know?' Lorraine wondered, instinctively releasing her lip. Pouting her cheeks, she stayed silent, her free hand balled into a tight fist. She was a bundle of nerves.
"You're so young, yet so jealous—first over my mom, now over my sister. What a little green-eyed monster you are."
Lorraine stammered, "Wait... you just said... Queenie... she... she's your sister?" Lorraine was stunned. She never expected the truth of the matter to be like this—Queenie and Eugene were actually brother and sister.
"Of course, she's my older sister—same parents and all. Didn't Stephen ever mention it to you?" He assumed she already knew, so he didn't elaborate further.
Lorraine froze for a moment, aback. "No, Stephen never tells me anything about the Moore family. But Queenie doesn't even share your last name, does she?"
Eugene chuckled, his deep voice low and pleasant. "What's so strange about that? My sister took our mom's last name."
"Oh, so you're siblings." A weight lifted off Lorraine's mind, and suddenly, even the air around her seemed lighter.
Eugene chuckled, "Uh-huh, what else did you think?"
Lorraine blushed, murmuring softly, "I wasn't thinking anything. It must be late there, Eugene. Get some sleep. I'm hanging up now."
"Wait, don't hang up yet. Tell me—are you still thinking about moving back to campus?"
Lorraine stammered, "Oh? No, no need. I'm hanging up—really, I'm hanging up." She hurriedly ended the call before Eugene could say another word. Phone in hand, she dashed out to the backyard and plopped down on the swing.
'What a relief! So Queenie and Eugene aren't in a romantic relationship after all,' Lorraine thought. Tilting her head back, she squinted at the azure sky. Suddenly, even the harsh sunlight seemed to soften.
The gloom that had weighed on Lorraine's heart for so long instantly lifted, and a radiant smile bloomed across her face. Feeling light-hearted, Lorraine sprang to her feet and dashed into the kitchen to clean up the mess.
After enjoying a delicious meal at the Delant revolving restaurant, Queenie returned home and immediately noticed that Lorraine was looking at her with completely different eyes.
In just a few hours, Lorraine's attitude toward Queenie shifted dramatically. Queenie settled into the sofa, eyeing Lorraine as she carefully carried a glass of water over. She tilted her head slightly, picked up the remote beside her, and turned on the TV.
A soft clink came from the coffee table beside her. Lowering her gaze, she saw a glass of water set in front of her and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Queenie raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with disdain. "I just trashed the meal you slaved over, and now you're rushing over to hand me plain water?"
Her words were cutting and unfeeling, yet made perfect sense. By all rights, Lorraine shouldn't have done this.
But now that Lorraine knew Queenie was Eugene's biological sister, she instinctively became more tolerant. "It's really not your fault. My cooking just wasn't up to par. If I'd made something that looked, smelled, and tasted amazing, I doubt you would have thrown it out."
Lorraine had already decided to get along peacefully with Queenie, so she chose to let Queenie's arrogance slide.
Queenie didn't like Lorraine, so she saw no reason to pretend. "Wrong. Even if you did it perfectly, I'd still hate it." She glared at Lorraine. "It's you I can't stand. Everything about you is wrong—the way you walk, talk, even breathe. Get it?"
That was just how Queenie was—blunt to a fault, and her words cut deep.
Lorraine's smile faltered for just a second, and she clenched the hand hanging by her side. She chose not to respond. After a brief silence, her phone chimed—a calendar reminder. It was the weekend, time to visit her sister at the sanatorium.
After letting Queenie know she was heading out, Lorraine grabbed her bag and left.
Queenie stared at the glass of water before her, her delicate features tightening as she recalled the warm smile Lorraine had worn while checking her phone.
Queenie thought, 'With Lorraine's background and checkered past... the Moore family would never allow a woman like her to stay by Eugene's side.'
Lorraine took the bus to the sanatorium. The moment she stepped off, she spotted her sister Sandy waiting at the entrance. Sandy hurried forward to greet her with a warm, beaming smile.
"Sandy, why did you come out? The sun's scorching—why didn't you bring an umbrella?" Lorraine hurriedly jogged over to Sandy, pulled a tissue from her bag, and gently dabbed the sweat from her forehead.
Sandy waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, I'm not that fragile—whether I use an umbrella or not makes no difference. But you, Lorraine, how could you go out without bringing a sunshade? Let's head inside and talk."
The last time they met at the Shaw residence, things ended on an unpleasant note, and with Eugene present, they never really got to talk properly. This time, Lorraine was determined to have a proper conversation with Sandy.
Hand in hand, they walked back to Sandy's room. As soon as the door closed, Lorraine eagerly turned to Sandy and asked, "Sandy, how have you been feeling lately?"
"Well, much better. Don't worry about me," Sandy said as she sat down, gesturing for Lorraine to sit beside her. "As long as things don't get worse, I'm content. With this frail body of mine, it doesn't really matter anymore. It's you I'm worried about."
After parting ways with Eugene and Lorraine that day, Sandy Googled Eugene on her phone and uncovered the complicated relationship between him and Lorraine, which left her genuinely concerned.
Having witnessed countless toxic relationships in that sordid past, Sandy couldn't help but worry that Lorraine's awkward status as Stephen's ex-fiancée's sister might complicate her future love life.
Lorraine had always been so devoted and single-minded when it came to love. If anything ever went wrong in the future, Sandy was afraid Lorraine would end up heartbroken.
Holding Sandy's hand, Lorraine smiled brightly and said, "Sandy, don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself." Her smile was as radiant and hopeful as the first blossoms of spring.
Sandy opened her mouth, then hesitated. "So... you and Mr. Moore..."
"Don't worry, Sandy," Lorraine said gently. "I know what's on your mind—I'll handle things myself." Lowering her lashes to conceal her thoughts, Lorraine let a faint smile curve her lips. She forced her expression to appear relaxed, carefully modulating her tone to sound natural.
Whether there was a future with Eugene or not, she'd cherish every moment they had now.
Sandy wanted to say more, but when she saw the happiness in the curve of Lorraine's lips and the determination in her clear eyes—expressions she'd never seen on Lorraine's face before—she stopped herself.
Sandy decided to drop the subject and began sharing stories about life at the sanatorium. Lorraine, eager to steer clear of this sensitive topic, readily played along. Soon, the two were chatting away happily about lighter matters.
After chatting for a while, Lorraine noticed Sandy's energy waning. Seeing Sandy break into a cold sweat again, her heart ached. She carefully helped Sandy to bed so she could rest, then reluctantly left the bedroom, lingering at the door before finally leaving.
After gently closing the door, Lorraine turned away—and in that instant, the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over. She felt heartbroken that Sandy had to go through this.
Lorraine could see Sandy had grown even thinner, and her health still wasn't improving. Yet all she could do was visit from time to time—the helplessness gnawed at her heart.
All she could do was work hard after graduation, earn enough money, and hope she could help keep Sandy's condition under control. With her resolve steeled, Lorraine wiped away her tears and started down the cobblestone path.
She hadn't more than a few steps when she spotted, under a nearby large tree, an elderly lady dressed elegantly and fashionably in a sapphire blue dress. The woman was struggling to stand up, using the tree for support, her face contorted in pain.
Seeing this, Lorraine rushed over. "Madam, are you all right?"
"Oh, I accidentally slipped and took a little tumble while walking just now," the old lady said with a wry smile. "At my age, these old legs just aren't what they used to be."
"Let me help you up," Lorraine offered hurriedly, bending down to extend both hands. With considerable effort, she managed to pull the elderly woman to her feet.
Lorraine slipped her arm around the old lady's shoulders and, with some effort, guided her over to a shady bench to sit down. "Madam, please sit here and take a break. Let me check if you've injured yourself anywhere. Do you feel any pain? "
As Lorraine spoke, she carefully rolled up the old lady's trouser leg and, with practiced hands, gently palpated her ankle twice.
The elderly lady smiled kindly at Lorraine, clearly pleased by her helpfulness. "It doesn't really hurt anywhere, so I guess it's nothing serious. You're such a sweet girl. Judging by how skillful you are, are you studying medicine?"
"Yes, I'm a medical student, but I haven't graduated yet. If you're feeling unwell, you should get checked at the hospital."
Maria smiled warmly at Lorraine and said, "What a kind girl!" She beamed at Lorraine, but couldn't shake the feeling that Lorraine looked oddly familiar. It was as if they'd met somewhere.