Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 123: Chapter 123

Every word she said sounded like a direct accusation. It pulled Eugene back to the harsh reality. He knew Queenie would be against it. He had already realized that during their time on the island.
But he hadn't expected her reaction to be this strong. Then the two siblings stayed silent for a very long time.
Queenie turned on the faucet again. She held her shaking hands under the hot water, letting the warmth wash over them.
She didn't dare think back. She couldn't bear to picture the man she loved living in a cold, dark prison. She was afraid she would fall apart.
So, over the years, she had learned to protect herself. She had built up walls and become the woman she was now.
She just didn't know if that man ever got the chance to leave prison and see her again, whether he would still recognize her.
A soft, steady knock came from the bathroom door. A waiter spoke politely, "Ms. Godfrey, are you in there?"
"Yes." Queenie glanced at the door. She moved the phone slightly away from her ear and replied calmly, "What is it?"
"It's Ms. Pedler. She saw that you've been gone for a while and got worried. She asked me to check on you."
"Let her know I'm fine. I'll be out in a moment."
"Yes, ma'am." The waiter left the door.
Queenie brought the phone back to her ear. Her voice stayed cold. "I'm having dinner with Norah. You know the only person you can marry is her. Only someone from her family can get your brother-in-law out. You know that, right? I'm hanging up now."
She ended the call right after speaking. She put the phone away, pulled out her compact, and touched up her makeup.
She stared at herself in the mirror and waited for the redness in her eyes to fade. Then she fixed her hair and clothes and walked out with her usual elegance.
She walked through the hallway, which was covered with a thick carpet. She opened the door to the private room on the top floor of the Delant restaurant.
A young woman sat inside with graceful posture. She wore the newest dusty rose dress from Chanel and had long, flowing curls. She waited quietly and politely.
When she heard the door open, she turned at once and smiled sweetly. "Queenie."
Queenie walked in and sat down across from her. She smiled at Norah. "Sorry, I took a while. I stepped out to call Eugene."
"Really? Then, how is Eugene doing? What's he working on these days?" Norah asked carefully.
She was only in her early twenties. She had grown up like a real-life princess. She was innocent and clearly in love. She couldn't hide the affection in her eyes. Even her voice sounded soft and hopeful.
Queenie smiled gently. She looked at Norah and answered as if she were being honest. "Mm, Eugene's had a lot on his plate. You know, he just took over the president's role. There's been a lot to clean up."
"I know. Eugene's always been hardworking. Now that he's the president, he must be even busier. He's probably even more amazing than before."
Norah pictured that handsome, god-like man. Her gaze softened. She stirred her coffee slowly, then looked at Queenie and smiled with hope. "Then can I go visit him when school's out?"
Queenie nodded, and her voice grew warmer. "Of course. Once your parents say yes, come with me. My mom hasn't met you either. When she hears about you, she'll be so happy."
Eugene put his phone away and slowly sat down by himself on the swing out in the yard. A cool breeze drifted by. He just sat there quietly.
His dad had passed away over ten years ago. Eugene was only a teenager back then. Gordie, on the other hand, was already grown and full of ambition.
He caused all kinds of chaos and tried to take over everything the Moore family owned. He even tried to kick Eugene and his mom out of the house.
It was his newly married sister who flew back from overseas with her husband. She came back fierce, like a storm, and fought to protect everything Eugene had left.
Gordie didn't take the loss well. He tried to have them killed in secret. Eugene's brother-in-law didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger and shot Gordie in the head.
But Gordie survived. The bullet stayed lodged in his skull. The doctors were too afraid to take it out. It was too risky. That same bullet became the one thing that proved the attempted murder.
But this became the ironclad evidence of Stephen's attempted murder. The whole case blew up. The media, the pressure—it was everywhere. By the time Eugene learned what had really happened, his brother-in-law was already locked up. Life sentence. No parole.
Since then, Eugene and Queenie had worked side by side, crushing Gordie and his father with everything they had. So in Queenie's eyes, his actions this time were truly irrational and far from level-headed.
Eugene sat quietly for a while, then tilted her head and glanced at the dim light coming from the bedroom.
For a second, he wondered what the point was in living this life full of fights, violence, and power games. But he didn't know how to walk away from it. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips.
Just then, the door creaked open. Lorraine stepped out. Her sleepy eyes found him right away in the dark. She looked at him and asked softly, "Eugene, it's really late. Aren't you coming to bed?"
She wore a pale blue nightgown. The breeze lifted the hem a little, making it look like soft moonlight. She was barefoot. Her tiny toes looked like little pearls on the wooden floor.
"Come here," Eugene said, cigarette still in his mouth. He waved her over.
Lorraine walked over slowly. He pulled her down beside him, and they sat together on the swing. "Smoking's bad for you," she mumbled gently.
But this time, Eugene didn't put it out like he usually did when she was around. Instead, he lit it, took a slow drag, and then leaned over to kiss her, passing a bit of smoke into her mouth.
Lorraine started choking right away. Her eyes teared up as she tried to stand. Eugene flicked the cigarette away, shifted his position, and gently moved her to sit facing him on the swing's wooden frame.
Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered, "Don't move. Just let me hold you for a minute." She could feel something was off. So she stayed still, letting him hold her close.
She lifted her hands to cup his face, wanting to see what he was feeling. But Eugene suddenly covered her eyes with his hand. Then he leaned down and gently kissed her lips.
His tongue traced the shape of her mouth, soft and slow. It was just a light touch. No heat. No urgency.
There was no desire in it. Something about him felt different tonight. Lorraine shifted, uncomfortable, and tried to pull his hand away. She wanted to see his face.
But he wouldn't let her. He kept her eyes covered. He kissed her again and again softly, like dragonfly wings brushing against her skin. And the night just went on, quiet and endless.
It was early the next morning. Lorraine was still in bed when her phone started ringing. She moved her fingers and reached around to find it.
But instead of grabbing her phone, her hand landed on something warm. It was a bare chest. She pulled her hand back fast and opened her sleepy eyes.
Right there in front of her was Eugene's ridiculously good-looking face. She let out a yawn and said, "You're still not up?"
She fell asleep out on the swing last night. She had no clue when he carried her back inside. Eugene raised an eyebrow lazily, totally unreadable.
It was like the sadness she thought she saw in him last night had never happened. He glanced at her phone and handed it over. "Answer it."
Lorraine checked the screen, and then picked up. "Hey Sheila, what's going on?" She remembered Sheila was not a morning person at all.
"Of course something's going on! Something major! I gave up my beauty sleep to call you—obviously it's important. Think about it. You'll get there." Sheila's voice was just as smooth and charming as always.
"Uh, what is it?" Lorraine thought about it, but nothing came to mind.
"Lorraine, seriously? Can you try having a halfway decent memory? It's your birthday today! Did you actually forget?"
Sheila shot up in bed. "I've always been the one throwing you a birthday. This year, let's bring Shirin too, yeah? She says she found this crazy good restaurant."
Sounded like Sheila had put the call on speaker, because Shirin's voice suddenly chimed in, full of energy and squeals. That girl always got excited when food was involved.
"Birthday?" Lorraine counted the days in her head, and it finally dawned on her. Today really was her birthday. Summer was nearly over. Her birthday was never celebrated in the Shaw family. After Grandma died and her sister took off, no one ever remembered.
But once Sheila came into her life, she made sure her birthday was a big deal every single year. "Okay. Text me the address and I'll—" Before she could finish, someone yanked the phone out of her hand.
Eugene took the call himself. "Sheila?"
"Wait, Eugene?" Sheila was annoyed. 'What the heck? Doesn't this guy realize this is girl talk?' she thought.
"I'm celebrating her birthday." After that, he hung up. Sheila just sat there, staring at her phone in shock, and didn't know what to say.
Shirin ran over with sparkles in her eyes. "Was that Mr. Moore? Omg! Lorraine's life is unreal!" Sheila was speechless.
Eugene tossed the phone back to Lorraine and ruffled her hair. "You skipping work?"
'Why does he suddenly sound so serious? Is the birthday thing just something he said to get rid of Sheila?' Lorraine freaked out a little. She jumped out of bed barefoot and ran toward the bathroom. "No skipping! I'm heading to work now, Boss!"
Her nightgown flipped up, and her peachy round butt bounced right in front of him. Eugene reached out, grabbed her, and pinned her to the wall. "What did you just call me? Say it again."
"B-Boss..." she stammered. The look in his eyes was wild.
"Good girl. Now your boss is gonna take real good care of you." He gave a mischievous grin, squeezing her butt in a very not-innocent way. "Wanna try something new with your boss?"