Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 120: Chapter 120

Lorraine hesitated when she saw Maria's expectant gaze, unsure whether she should answer. It was just a simple name, yet it stuck in her throat.
"If I tell her—" Lorraine thought, lowering her head and pressing on her injured finger as a sharp pain shot through it.
"What are you thinking?" Seeing Lorraine was distracted, Maria gently patted her on the shoulder. "You haven't told me your name."
Lorraine bit her lips. "I—"
Just then, the kitchen door slid open, and Eugene came in. "Mom, where's that shirt I bought last time? I'm not comfortable with this one. Could you help me look for it?"
Hearing Eugene's words, Maria withdrew her gaze from Lorraine and said, "It's been a year, and I'm not sure where I put it. I'll go look for it. Just wait here, dear. I'll be right back."
As Maria left the kitchen and went upstairs, a temporary wave of relief washed over Lorraine. She looked up at Eugene in confusion, thinking, 'How did he show up just in time?'
Eugene raised an eyebrow, allowing her gaze to linger. Then he said with a teasing smile, "You can keep staring like that when we get home. I promise I'll make sure you're completely mine."
Lorrain blushed at once. "Stop."
Eugene leaned closer to her with a smirk. "What?"
Lorraine shot him a suspicious look. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"
Eugene pursed his lips in silence, gripped Lorraine's wrist, and pulled her into the living room. "Just wait here. It will take Mom a while to come down."
He had already that shirt to the palatial stone manor. He knew Maria would have to rummage through everything looking for it, and he did that on purpose because that would buy them just enough time.
Lorraine nodded and settled onto the couch and gazed at Eugene, feeling much more relieved.
Seeing that Lorraine had calmed down, Eugene clutched his phone and headed for the door.
"Eugene, where are you going?" Lorraine reached out to grab him, but couldn't even catch his shirt.
Eugene looked back and saw the warmth in her eyes. Smiling, he said, "I'm not going anywhere. Just sit here. I just need to make a quick call."
After Eugene left the living room, he found a quiet corner and scrolled through his phone until he found a number he hadn't contacted in ages. Then he held the phone to his ear and waited.
Lorraine sat in the living room, her eyes fixed on the picture of Fletcher on the desk. As she carefully compared Eugene's features to Fletcher's, she realized Maria was right—they looked remarkably alike.
Not only did they share strikingly similar features, but even the way they carried themselves exuded the same commanding presence.
Lorraine lowered her gaze to her bandaged finger as a flicker of unease crossed her eyes. There was no escaping it now. Maria would learn the truth tonight.
Just then, a sudden thought struck her. She thought she could slip away from the Moore manor now to avoid Maria's questions.
Lorraine thought, 'Maybe this is the best way out.' She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. Peeking out, she glanced around and found no sign of Eugene. A surge of relief washed over her as she stepped out, ready to make her escape.
"Where are you going?" Eugene's chilly tone cut through the quiet, and Lorraine turned around, only to find him striding toward the living room.
Lorraine clutched her bag with a frustrated look, not daring to meet Eugene's eyes. "I need to get out of here," she said.
"Are you trying to run away?" Eugene closed in, gripping Lorraine's shoulders and forcing her to meet his gaze. "Is running away your only solution when things get tough?"
Eugene's tone was too harsh. Lorraine stared up at him with teary eyes, hurt and grievance welling up inside her.
Lorraine sniffled, her voice choked with tears. "I'm not running away, but this is the only way I can handle it. I just don't want you to get dragged into this because of me."
Eugene was aback. His eyes softened considerably, but his voice remained serious. "You think you could get me into trouble, huh? Lorraine, you're overestimating yourself."
Lorraine couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She thought, 'What on earth did Eugene mean by that last sentence? Did he mean that I was over-worrying? He thinks he can handle this, right?'
Lorraine let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, I got it."
She thought, 'No matter what his plan is, and even if he has to dump me, it's okay. I'll just stay here and follow his lead.'
In her eyes, Eugene saw a heartbreaking resolve, saying that no matter if he meant to dump her, she was determined to follow his will and never let go. This just made him uncomfortable.
He pulled Lorraine back into the living room and sat directly across from her. His penetrating gaze locked onto her, the intensity of it making her feel even more flustered.
Just then, footsteps jolted Lorraine out of her anxious thoughts. She quickly looked up, only to see Maria coming down the stairs. She sighed and thought, 'Fine, there's no escaping it.'
Maria said, "Eugene, I've searched all the closets but still couldn't find that shirt of yours. Why don't you go upstairs and change into something else? I'll look for it again later. I still need to get dinner ready."
Eugene turned to Maria with a faint smile. "No worries. I'll just stick with what I'm wearing. Could you buy me another one next time you go shopping?"
"Sure, I'll go with her next time," Maria said as her gaze turned to Lorraine.
Having realized that she hadn't known Lorraine's name, she asked, "By the way, you haven't told me your name. Is your—"
But before she could even finish her sentence, the doorbell rang.
Lorraine felt her heart in her throat, and when the doorbell suddenly rang, her tense nerves finally eased a bit.
Eugene lowered his gaze to his watch with a knowing smile.
Maria hurried to open the door, muttering, "Who could it be? Didn't Queenie go to Jonalesburg?"
The door swung open, and when Maria saw who was standing there, her happy smile vanished in an instant.
The man outside gave a polite nod. "Hi, Grandma. My dad heard you're back and he wanted to visit, but he's out of town for work, so my wife and I thought we'd stop by to say hello."
Lorraine recognized it was Stephen, and her anxiety grew. She didn't even dare to turn and face him.
Every nerve in her body tensed, and she clenched her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palm. The searing pain shattered her fog, leaving her mind sharp. She knew that there was no escaping tonight.
"Oh, it's you. Come in then," Maria said, glancing at the gifts in Stephen's hands before she pursed her lips and headed inside.
After Stephen entered the living room, he saw Eugene and Lorraine seated on the couch. He walked toward them and greeted Eugene. "Hi, Eugene."
Eugene's ruthless restraint had broken Stephen's once brazen spirit, and he was no longer as defiant as before.
Lorraine was utterly bewildered by Stephen's behavior because he only greeted Eugene and didn't utter a single sarcastic word to her this time.
Every time Stephen saw her before, he wore an air of arrogance and repulsiveness, so his unexpected politeness and that smile on his face threw her for a loop.
Lorraine clenched her fists, looking up at Stephen. A wave of disgust and anger rose inside her. She thought, 'If it weren't for him, my baby would still be alive.'
Lorraine instinctively placed a hand over her belly, then turned her questioning gaze to Eugene, her eyes clouded with confusion.
She could tell from the look in Eugene's eyes that he knew exactly what was going on. She just didn't understand why he would bring the man she hated so much here.
Maria asked, "Stephen, is your wife with you?"
There was never much warmth between Maria and Stephen. The only thing she really cared about was the wife he mentioned.
Maria still remembered the news online, claiming that the divorced woman was Stephen's ex-wife, and now she was somehow with Eugene.
"Yeah." Stephen stole a glance at Eugene, then lowered his head and pursed his lips.
Maria was confused. "Didn't you two get divorced?"
"No, we didn't. Don't listen to those bullshit," Stephen quickly explained. Then he pulled Elsie, who had been hiding behind him, out into view and nudged her forward. "Elsie, this is my grandma."
Stephen showing up made Lorraine feel nothing but hatred but seeing Elsie left her confused and a little surprised. She thought, 'Didn't Sheila say Elsie had gone missing? How can she be here as Stephen's wife? This is ridiculous.'
Actually, the moment Elsie stepped into the living room, she saw Eugene and Lorraine. She hated Lorraine and wished she could tear her apart, but she couldn't.
Elsie hadn't forgotten how Lorraine had wormed her way into Eugene's life, and, step by step, pushed the Shaw family to the brink of ruin. It was around that time that Eugene gave Zackery one shot to save the family—by having Elsie marry Stephen.
Elsie didn't want to. She had resisted, tried to kill herself, and even gone on hunger strikes, but none of these worked.
Zackery, who once loved her, accepted Eugene's terms and handed her over to Stephen without a moment's hesitation. What followed was a marriage steeped in pain because Stephen had no love for women.
From that moment on, Elsie harbored a bitter hatred for Lorraine.
Lorraine fixed her gaze on Elsie. The arrogance that once defined her features was gone, replaced by a lifeless pallor that not even layers of makeup could conceal, which confused Lorraine.
She thought, 'How did Elsie end up married to Stephen? How could Zackery let her marry him? He clearly knew that Stephen would never love her.'
Elsie kept her eyes locked on Lorraine, her gaze burning with venomous hatred she dared not unleash.
Eugene raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to Stephen, who was, for once, keeping himself in check. His glare sent a chill down Stephen's spine, and the latter nudged Elsie quietly and said, "Say hello to everyone."