Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 117: Chapter 117

Maria ground her teeth as if she wanted to drag that woman out and tear her apart.
Lorraine gently held her arm and asked, "Did you see her?"
"No, I didn't. My son is always so busy. I'm not even sure if I missed him leaving for work." Maria sighed and began sizing up Lorraine from head to toe. "My dear, I—"
"Ma'am, please feel free to speak your mind," Lorraine said to Maria with a gentle smile.
"Could you do me a favor? Can you bring me in? You know, I came here quietly, and I don't want my son to see me. I just want to sneak in and check on him, okay?" Maria said.
Lorraine hesitated, feeling a bit awkward. The Moore Group had strict security protocols, and all visitors had to register before they entered.
Given that Maria wanted to keep her visit a secret from her son, Lorraine knew she couldn't just smuggle her in like this.
"Don't worry, dear. I'm just going in for a quick look, and I promise I won't get you into any trouble. Trust me." As Maria spoke, she held Lorraine's arm gently, kind of like she was being a bit clingy.
Lorraine just couldn't say no to such a sweet old lady. "Alright, I can help, but I'm afraid you might have to keep a low profile."
"No problem. I just want to get in, and that's all that matters," Maria said cheerfully, brushing aside Lorraine's concerns. Anyway, hardly anyone here knew her.
"Come with me," Lorraine said, taking Maria's hand. She led her around a landscaped area and came to a stop beneath a window.
Lorraine said sheepishly, pointing at the window, "This window leads to the first-floor balcony, so we can get in from here, but your leg is still injured. Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"Do you want me to climb through here?" Maria exclaimed, suddenly realizing what Lorraine was worried about. "I've never had to sneak into a building like this in my life."
Her voice was full of excitement, and even behind the sunglasses, her eyes seemed to light up, which left Lorraine a little thrown off.
Lorraine said, "Yep, I'll use this stone to climb up first, and once I'm inside, I'll help you in from there."
"Sure. Let's get started. I can't wait to see my son," Maria said.
Clutching her bag tightly, Lorraine stepped onto the stone, hooked her foot onto the window frame, and started climbing in.
She thought, 'Thankfully I came to work in jeans. Climbing over that windowsill in a skirt would have been a nightmare.'
She climbed up to the window and carefully slipped inside. After landing on her numb feet, she found a stool and placed it beneath the window. Then she turned around and reached her hand out the window. "Ma'am, come on up."
Maria didn't hesitate for a second. She scrambled up onto the stone and started climbing through the window with surprising agility, moving even more deftly than Lorraine.
After Lorraine had helped Maria through the window, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Holding Maria's hand, she led her inside. "Ma'am, you really impressed me."
"Oh please, this is nothing. You should have seen me back in the day, but don't mind that. I need to find my son. Go ahead, I can take care of myself," said Maria.
Maria was about to reminisce more about her younger days when she suddenly remembered the real purpose of this trip and quickly said goodbye to Lorraine.
Lorraine asked, concerned that Maria might get lost in the building, "Do you know which department your son works in? Would you like me to take you there?"
Maria said, "I've been here before. Don't worry about me. See you, dear."
Lorraine waved goodbye to Maria and turned around, only to see Shirin standing right behind her, arm raised in greeting.
"Are you trying to sneak up on me?" Lorraine chuckled.
Shirin asked curiously, "Who was that old lady with you just now? What was she doing here?"
Lorraine linked arms with Shirin as they walked toward the medical room, saying, "I met her at a sanatorium. Her son works here.
"She heard her son was dating a divorced woman and got worried he might be serious about her, so she came by to see for herself."
"That's indeed troubling. Parents always worry so much about their kids." Shirin sighed. "She seemed cute. I wonder who her son is."
"Stop gossiping and get to work." Lorraine tugged her along. "And seriously, put your phone down before Alice flunks your internship."
After saying goodbye to Lorraine, Maria headed straight for the elevator and quickly made her way up to Eugene's office.
The new intern secretary Hannah saw this stylish, dignified-looking elderly lady arrive and immediately hurried over to greet her.
"Hi, is Isaac here?" Maria said.
"Yeah, Isaac is in the CEO's office. He—" Hannah was called away mid-sentence, too busy to finish.
Hearing that, Maria figured that Isaac was probably there to fetch some files. She thought, 'Eugene probably went to Lesvinton after learning that I was missing. He might still be abroad. Well, I should just go to the CEO's office to look for Isaac.'
Therefore, she quickly pushed open the CEO's office door and strode right in, not bothering to knock.
Isaac was in the middle of briefing Eugene on the schedule when the door suddenly opened, and both of them turned their gaze toward the entrance.
Maria never expected to see Eugene's grim expression the moment she walked in. Stunned, she thought, 'Wait. When did he come back?'
Eugene wasn't surprised to see Maria, only exasperated. He had spent two weeks searching for her in Lesvinton, yet she showed up herself.
"Mom?" Eugene glanced at Maria and then waved Isaac away. "Isaac, you may leave now."
Isaac nodded and turned to leave. As he passed by Maria, he gave a respectful bow and opened the door to leave.
Eugene and Maria were left alone in the office.
Eugene watched Maria quietly as she walked over and sat down on the couch. His lips tightened, but he said nothing. However, his chilling presence was overwhelming, and the intensity of his gaze made her deeply uneasy.
After a while, Maria found the heavy silence unbearable, and she was starting to get bored. She could only manage an awkward smile.
Maria said, "What's that look on your face? Aren't you happy to see me?" She smiled and tried to force a cheerful tone. "Anyway, I'm thrilled to see you."
Eugene rose from his chair and strode toward Maria. "Why would I? You disappeared without a word. Haven't you ever thought about how worried we would be?"
"Hey, I'm fine," said Maria. She thought, 'Come on, I know getting all grumpy is just your weird way of showing you care.'
"Mom, where have you been these past two weeks? And why did you sneak out of the hospital without telling anyone?" Eugene asked.
"Stop it, Eugene. Since when did you become such a nag? See? I'm perfectly fine." Maria had no patience for Eugene's lectures. Quiet as he usually was, once he got going, she just couldn't take it.
Eugene had that same cold, unreadable look as always. Good thing Maria was used to it. Otherwise, she would be out that door.
"Stop dodging the question. Why did you leave the hospital?" Eugene sat down across from Maria as he scrutinized her every expression.
"Well, I was just bored. With none of you around, staying there alone was so dull. I missed you, so I thought I'd come back and see you. That's all," Maria said.
Eugene raised an eyebrow. A faint smile played at his lips, but he said nothing. "Fine. Now you see me. Just go back to the hospital."
Maria frowned. "So eager to get rid of me, huh? You and your sister are both the same. You're grown now, and maybe it's time to find someone who makes you happy.
"You know, if you settled down and gave me a grandchild, I might not need to go to the sanatorium anymore. That kind of joy could probably beat any medication."
The moment Maria brought up having kids, all Eugene could picture was Lorraine's pretty little face. He even caught himself smiling before he even realized it.
He thought, 'If we had a kid together... huh. That sounds nice.'
Seeing that weird little smile on Eugene's face, Maria suddenly felt uneasy. She thought, 'Wait, could what they said online actually be true?'
She said, "Come on, don't just sit there. Just tell me. Do you actually like her? If she's a nice girl and you're serious about it, then what are we waiting for?"
She put extra emphasis on the word "nice". That made Eugene soften his smile a bit and squint. He said, "Mom, why do you suddenly mention this?"
Maria said, "That's because I care about you, okay? If you've got your eye on someone, just tell me. As long as she's a good, decent girl, you know I'm all for it."
She couldn't just ask Eugene why he was interested in Stephen's ex-wife. Even if that woman was divorced, it still wouldn't be right for Eugene to be with her.
Therefore, all she could do was beat around the bush, carefully steering the conversation to fish for answers, but she failed in the end.
Eugene quickly caught on to her intention. After a moment's thought, he felt there were some matters he should share with Maria, so he sat up straight and said, "Yeah, I did have a thing for someone."
"Who is she?" Maria asked excitedly as she rose from the couch to sit beside Eugene. However, deep down, she silently hoped it wasn't Stephen's ex-wife.
Eugene said, "It's not the right time yet. I'll tell you when the relationship is settled. For now, just knowing there's someone is enough."
"Have you really fallen for that woman?" Maria asked in a serious tone. She couldn't help but feel that Eugene seemed different this time.
She knew Eugene too well; once he was set on something, there was no turning back. That was why she needed to understand what this Shaw woman meant to him, so she could find a way to stop it.
"Mom, what exactly are you trying to find out?" Eugene raised an eyebrow.
Maria could tell Eugene was playing dumb. Realizing that subtle hints were getting her nowhere, she decided to cut to the chase. "I've heard some rumors, and I want to ask you directly."