Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 121: Chapter 121

Elsie winced in pain. Reluctantly, she smiled at Maria and said in a soft voice, "Hello, Mrs. Moore. I'm Elsie, Stephen's wife."
She didn't want to introduce herself as Stephen's wife, but she had no choice. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, but still, she felt no pain.
In her eyes, nothing else even came close to the agony of being Stephen's wife.
Maria kept glancing at Elsie, who had a strained expression. Instinctively, she disliked her, but she still had to keep up appearances.
Maria only remembered seeing that her last name was Shaw in the newspaper. She studied Elsie for a moment and gestured toward the couch. "Let's sit down and talk."
Maria thought she needed to get to the bottom of this. She thought, 'Didn't the paper say Stephen was already divorced? Then who is this girl with that heavily made-up face claiming to be his wife?'
Suddenly, Maria recalled what Hannah, the secretary at the Moore Group, had told her earlier. She wondered, 'Wait, could that seductive woman they mentioned actually be her?'
Stephen held Elsie's hand and guided her to sit down. As they settled in, their gaze toward Maria and Eugene was filled with marked deference.
Lorraine stared at Stephen and Elsie, her chest tightening with resentment. The last thing she wanted to see was the person who killed her child, let alone Elsie. However, she was stuck here, so she just looked down at her feet, zoning out.
"Stephen, what's going on here? Didn't the papers say you and your wife got divorced?" Maria cared so much about this issue because it involved Eugene.
Stephen glanced up, stealing a look at Eugene before quickly looking away. "Elsie and I love each other very much. Why would we ever get divorced? Where did you hear such rumors?"
Maria squinted in suspicion. "Are you not divorced?" she asked, glancing between Stephen and the girl named Elsie. She just didn't think they seemed like a married couple.
"We're not. Why would I ever lie to you about something like this?" Stephen smiled warmly, raising their clasped hands for Maria to see. "I'm telling the truth."
The wedding rings on their fingers shone brightly.
Elsie raised her dull eyes to Maria, having an impulse to spill everything and tell everyone that Lorraine was just a bitch.
Honestly, it wasn't until she saw Eugene and Lorraine together that she realized she had just been a shield for Lorraine in front of the Moore family.
It was only then that she realized Eugene was making her bear the full weight of Lorraine's disgrace.
However, she was left with no other choice but to obey Eugene's instructions because revealing the truth on her own terms would unleash consequences too fierce for her and the Shaw family to withstand.
It was the first time she realized that Eugene was a ruthless man, gentle only to Lorraine.
"Yeah, Stephen and I love each other very much. He treats me well, and we never thought about getting a divorce." Elsie forced a smile at Maria.
Maria was a shrewd woman, and she immediately caught the odd note in Elsie's voice. She studied her and Stephen, sensing something wasn't quite right between them.
Eugene noticed Maria's expression and fixed Stephen with an icy glance, which sent a chill down Stephen's spine.
Stephen gently patted Elsie's hand, letting out a soft sigh. "Sorry, Grandma. Elsie hasn't been feeling well lately. The media has been running a vicious smear campaign against the Moore family.
"People have been slandering Elsie, and I've been accused as well. She's been quietly dealing with all the divorce rumors and the pressure. It's really tough for her.
"She has been looking worn out lately. I try to spend time with her, hoping she can pull through this soon."
Elsie listened to Stephen's words, her mind seething with bitter mockery. She thought, 'You won't find a bigger bunch of hypocrites than the Moore family.'
Stephen's expression was so convincing, and it was hard to doubt him. Everything had been planned so seamlessly that even Maria bought it.
Lorraine was too stunned to speak. Slowly, she raised her head in confusion, meeting Eugene's gaze. However, Eugene gave a faint smile, but somehow it was enough to calm her nerves.
"Is that so?" Maria looked at Elsie, her expression softening with sympathy. She knew what this poor woman had been through.
Elsie stared into Maria's gentle eyes, and for some reason, tears suddenly began streaming down her face. She nodded as the tears kept falling, clearly on the verge of breaking down.
"Come on, Elsie, stop crying," Stephen said with a concerned frown, letting out a soft sigh. He pulled a tissue and gently wiped her tears. "Everything will be okay. We'll build our life together, and those nasty rumors will die down sooner or later."
His gentle words and tender actions made Lorraine sick.
Maria stared at them with apparent satisfaction, but her contentment had nothing to do with Stephen and Elsie. What reassured her was that the fact that Stephen hadn't divorced proved the rumor about Eugene being with some divorced woman was nothing but gossip.
Maria said, "Good. I just want you to live a happy life together."
Since the matter was mostly resolved, Eugene straightened up and turned to Stephen. "You still have some work to do, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do have some matters to deal with. I'm afraid I can't stay." Stephen immediately got what Eugene meant. With the matter settled, Eugene clearly wanted him and Elsie gone.
The only reason Stephen came here was because Eugene asked him to. He had no choice but to play along, pretending to be a willing pawn in Eugene's game.
Now that everything had been solved, he had no intention of staying any longer.
Maria said, "You must be busy. There's no need to trouble yourself coming all this way. I'm doing just fine, and there's nothing to worry about."
Maria couldn't wait for Stephen and Elsie to leave because she still needed to make dinner for Eugene and Lorraine, and she was hoping to give them some time alone.
Elsie blurted out, "You've been away for so long, and we haven't had a chance to see you. Now that you're finally back, we couldn't miss it."
Stephen pinched Elsie so hard under the table that tears nearly sprang to her eyes.
Stephen said with a practiced smile, "Yeah, Grandma. We just care about you. Don't worry. Elsie and I have always been doing well, and divorce was never even on the table."
"That's great," Maria said, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Maria asked about Gordie and Flora out of politeness. Stephen answered respectfully, and Elsie chimed in now and then. They seemed to have a quiet understanding between them.
"It's getting late. I still have work to finish, so I must be going now." Stephen adjusted his glasses, held Elsie's hand, and, with a polite smile, said goodbye to Maria.
"Work always comes first. Take care." Maria didn't even bother to pretend she wanted them to stay.
Eugene nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Stephen immediately took Elsie's hand and hurried her out.
As soon as they stepped outside, however, Elsie jerked her hand away from Stephen. And Stephen, clearly disgusted, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and thoroughly wiped his hand.
"What? Am I that disgusting to you?" Elsie snapped angrily.
"I didn't say that." Stephen snorted, tossing his handkerchief into the trash can. "Listen, just behave yourself for now. Whatever Eugene asks, you do it. And don't say things you shouldn't."
"What if I can't help it and just blurt it all out?" Elsie challenged.
Stephen stopped in his tracks, turned around, and fixed Elsie with a glare that made her blood run cold. "Then I'm not sure what Kevin might do to you."
His words sent a chill down Lorraine's spine.
Stephen continued, "Remember, you gotta hold back if you want a shot at getting even. Don't you think so, babe?" He sneered and glanced at the house behind them.
Maria remained seated on the couch long after Stephen and Elsie left, lost in thought. She gradually snapped out of it, carefully piecing together the events.
Lorraine's heart, which had been pounding out of control, finally settled down. Her clenched fists slowly relaxed, and she looked more at ease.
She had to admit that seeing Stephen and Elsie humbled themselves like that, she tasted for the first time the intoxicating thrill of wielding power over others.
She thought, 'Damn, this actually feels great, especially with Eugene backing me up.'
Lorraine instinctively turned her gaze toward Eugene, only to find that he was staring at her with an unreadable smile.
Lorraine's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away.
Maria said, "Eugene, you could have done better. You should have dealt with those irresponsible reporters who were carelessly stirring up trouble. Just look at how terrified Stephen's wife has become."
Eugene said coolly, "It was never a big deal. Just consider this whole thing a challenge for us."
No one knew what he meant by the word "challenge".
Maria finally snapped out of her thoughts, her gaze falling on Lorraine, who was sitting unusually quietly. With a warm smile, she asked, "By the way, you—"
"My name is Lorraine Shaw," she said softly.
The living room fell silent at once. Maria looked at Lorraine in stunned surprise, then turned to Eugene with equal bewilderment.