Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 136: Chapter 136

In the afternoon, Sheila crouched alone on the ground, scribbling away with a secretive air, making sure Lorenzo didn't get too close.
Sheila heard footsteps outside the courtyard. In a flash, she hastily erased the escape route sketched on the ground and sprang to her feet.
Norah returned with her entourage. As she caught sight of Sheila, a flicker of anger flashed in her eyes, though she quickly hid it behind a practiced smile.
Norah flashed a sweet smile at Sheila and said, "Miss, this is Leonard's place. Did you get the address wrong?" She was clearly offering Sheila an easy out.
Sheila shot back, "No mistake. I did it on purpose. Just don't want you to come in."
The two women locked eyes, sparks flying between them. Both women were sharp enough to size each other up instantly.
Norah had long known that Lorraine had a best friend named Sheila, but she hadn't expected the girl to be this pretty and full of tricks. Norah asked, "I'm here to see Eugene. Is he in?"
Sheila dragged over a stool, casually fished out a handful of nuts from her white trench coat pocket, walked to the doorway, and plopped down. She admitted bluntly, "Yeah, he's here."
"Would you step aside?" Norah said with practiced patience. "I need to see my fiancé."
"Pfft," Sheila spat out a nutshell. "Think you can just walk in?"
"Yes," Norah replied.
"Well, you've got to make it worth my while if you want to get in," Sheila teased.
Norah paused momentarily, then casually pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills from her designer clutch and extended them forward. "Be a dear and step aside."
Sheila scoffed, "What's that supposed to mean? Do I look like someone who would need your money?"
Norah forced a smile, her patience wearing thin. "So, what exactly do you want from me?"
Norah knew full well that Sheila was deliberately making things difficult for her. She also knew the Stuard family was far from strapped for cash; at least in Auretian, the Stuard family was a prominent and well-respected family.
'Still, no matter how prominent the Stuard family is, they never compared to the Pedler family,' she wondered. Norah mentally noted this against Sheila.
"Dunno. Wait here. I'll tell you what I want when I figure it out," Sheila said bluntly.
"So, how long is this going to take?" Norah asked.
Sheila snapped her fingers, eyeing her with mock admiration. "Clever girl. Honestly, who knows how long it'll take? I always take my afternoon nap. Why don't you just wait until I wake up?"
"Don't you dare go too far." Briana, ever protective, immediately stepped forward to shield Norah behind her. "Do you know who you're dealing with?"
Sheila retorted, "Am I bullying anyone? I got here first. If I want to sit here sunbathing and napping, that's my business."
She popped another nut into her mouth with a smirk. "If you don't want to use the main entrance, feel free to try that side entrance over there."
Sheila pointed off to the side with a smirk. That was just a doggy door.
The Pedler family had never suffered such humiliation. Even the bodyguards were getting a bit angry.
"Briana, I'm fine." Norah's expression flickered briefly as she composed herself, standing patiently outside the door. "We'll just wait here, then. Might I ask what Eugene is doing right now?"
Sheila cracked a nut between her teeth, a smirk playing on her lips. "He's napping with Lorraine."
Briana and the bodyguards behind her all turned ashen-faced, their expressions twisted in barely contained fury.
Norah smiled innocently. "Accompanying her for a nap? That's perfectly fine. I'll just wait for him."
Honestly, on her way here, she still wasn't all that confident. But after hearing what Woody and the others said and thinking it through, Norah realized Lorraine wasn't even a threat to her.
Norah thought to herself, 'Others may not fully grasp Eugene's obsessive cleanliness, but I know it inside out. Someone like her? Eugene would never touch a woman that filthy.'
Seeing that Norah had finally settled down, Sheila casually pulled the hood of her trench coat over her face and closed her eyes, pretending to rest while actually deep in thought.
'Norah may look like a delicate socialite,' Sheila thought, 'but she's no different from those hypocritical women in the so-called high society. She may seem gentle on the surface, but who knows what's really going on beneath?'
This kind of woman lived as if she were some untouchable goddess—pristine and aloof, sacred and out of reach. But the schemes she pulled behind the scenes were dirtier than a sewer rat, and fouler than the filth in a gutter.
'Yeah, this one's going to be a real handful. With Lorraine's limited skills, she's really in over her head.' Sheila shook her head as she wondered, 'Guess I'll keep covering for her a bit longer.'
It was early autumn in the mountains, not too hot, not too cold, but the midday sun could still be pretty harsh.
Norah was soon sweating under the harsh midday sun, her makeup starting to streak down her face.
One of the bodyguards produced a foldable stool from somewhere and set it behind her. "Please have a seat, Ms. Pedler," he said respectfully.
Briana took out a makeup bag and began to touch up Norah's smudged makeup.
Norah waved them off, standing firm. "I'll remain standing. As Eugene's fiancée, insulting me would be no different from insulting him directly."
'What does she mean by that?' she wondered. Sheila yanked her hat down sharply. "Ms. Pedler, being engaged doesn't make you his wife. So cut the talk about sharing glory and disgrace, or being bound together in life and death."
Sheila's words were cutting, but Norah showed no anger. Instead, she bent down with a deceptively sweet smile and said, "Believe it or not, Sheila, no matter who's by Eugene's side right now, in the end, he'll only marry me."
Sheila froze not at Norah's words, but at the unwavering certainty in her eyes.
That certainty, that absolute conviction, was as unshakable as the Earth's eternal orbit around the Sun—utterly impossible to change.
Lorenzo emerged from the kitchen and immediately sized up the tense standoff at the doorway. In one swift motion, he pulled Sheila up and shielded her behind him. "What exactly are you people trying to do?"
Lorenzo glared at the bodyguards, his demeanor turning fierce. An intimidating aura radiated from him, a stark contrast to his usual self as the gentle doctor or the carefree suitor.
It was the first time Sheila had seen Lorenzo so stern. She froze for a moment, her gaze lingering on his face before she finally shook her head with a smirk. "These clowns are no match for me."
"Ah, Dr. Eaton, you're here too," Norah greeted him with practiced politeness. "Since we're all acquainted, perhaps we could wait inside?"
Lorenzo offered her a polite yet distant smile. "Here to see Eugene? I'm afraid he's unavailable at the moment. Why don't you take a stroll around and enjoy the scenery instead?"
The instant Lorenzo stepped in to protect Sheila, Norah knew exactly whose side he was on, though his half-hearted attitude still took Norah by surprise.
Norah smiled faintly, said nothing, and made no move to leave.
However, Briana stepped forward sharply. "Go get Eugene. Or does he not care about Queenie's husband anymore?"
Lorenzo's expression shifted subtly. 'This is no trivial matter. Given Queenie's health, we can't afford to act impulsively,' he wondered.
Lorenzo leaned in and whispered a few words into Sheila's ear. Though she fumed with resentment, she had no choice but to swallow her pride.
With a final dirty look at Norah, Sheila reluctantly called a truce for now.
Lorenzo wasn't comfortable leaving Sheila alone, so he pulled her along as they headed upstairs.
The second-floor bedroom door was slightly ajar, revealing Eugene and Lorraine peacefully entwined in sleep on the bed.
Eugene lay with most of his body dangling off the edge of the bed, the blanket nearly all wrapped around Lorraine.
He lay on his side, his arm cradling her head, his entire body curled protectively around her, utterly still.
"You go in. I'll wait out here," Sheila said, nudging Lorenzo and turning to gaze out the window.
Norah remained standing in place, her posture impeccable—every inch the poised socialite.
'Ugh, she's just so damn annoying, no matter how you look at her,' wondered Sheila.
Lorenzo nodded and crept in, convinced he was being stealthy enough yet the instant he drew near, Eugene's eyes snapped open.
His eyes snapped open, sharp and wary. But when he turned and recognized who it was, the tension in his features eased. "What is it?" he said.
"Norah's here. She's brought news about Queenie's husband," Lorenzo whispered. "I've no idea how she tracked us down, but I've got to hand it to the Pedler family.
"Their intelligence network really is as legendary as everyone says. There's nothing they don't know."
Lorenzo said those last few words deliberately. Whatever Eugene had in mind, Lorenzo remained clear-headed. Now was not the moment to cross the Pedler family.
A flicker of surprise crossed Eugene's eyes, but he gave a composed nod. Lorenzo quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Lorraine was still peacefully asleep in his arms. Eugene gazed down at her, gently kissed her forehead, then began to ease himself up.
As the warmth around her suddenly faded, Lorraine stirred uneasily. Her eyes fluttered open, still drowsy as she gazed up at him and murmured instinctively, "Where are you going?"
Eugene immediately froze mid-movement, half-reclining on the edge of the bed as he glanced out the window.
The sun had mellowed, a breeze picked up, and the temperature turned pleasantly cool.
"Would you like to go downstairs and get some sun?" Eugene asked softly.
Still half-asleep, Lorraine murmured softly, "Is that okay?"
"Of course. If you want to," Eugene replied softly.
"Okay," she murmured, nodding. After lying there for so long, she really did feel sore and tired.
Eugene gently slipped his arm out from under Lorraine, took his time getting dressed, and then carefully found a large shawl to wrap her up snugly, leaving only her delicate face peeking out.
Only when he was certain she was properly wrapped against the chill did Eugene scoop her up and carry her out the door.
Lorenzo and Sheila waited outside, exchanging baffled glances at Eugene's unexpected move.
'With his fiancée waiting downstairs, what the hell is Eugene thinking, carrying Lorraine down like that?' Sheila couldn't help but think.
Eugene said calmly, his face unreadable, "Get a lounge chair and add extra padding. I'm taking her down to get some sun."
Lorenzo immediately did as he was told.
Norah stood in the courtyard, surveying her surroundings as a faint trace of disdain flickered across her carefully composed expression.
Then she saw Lorenzo emerge from the room, carrying a chair, which he placed beneath the tree in the courtyard. He busily went in and out, now bringing a quilt, then fetching slippers.
He personally handled every detail, even lining up the slippers perfectly.
Norah looked a bit confused and asked, "Dr. Eaton, what exactly are you doing?"
Lorenzo gave her an inscrutable look, offered a polite yet distant smile, then turned away to attend to his tasks.
A moment later, the door of the room swung open again.
At the sound, Norah turned and saw Eugene emerge, tall, straight-backed, his composure unwavering and Lorraine, cradled in his arms.