Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 158: Chapter 158

Clutching her phone, Queenie's knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Every place had its own set of unspoken rules. They were unspoken, yet they were so powerful that everyone had no choice but to follow them.
That special prison was in Jonalesburg. If Queenie wanted to see Kye, the Pedler family's help was a must. At this moment, she truly hated herself for her powerlessness. Even seeing him or making a phone call was so difficult.
Lorraine was jolted awake by the sound of her buzzing phone. The caller was none other than Zackery. She hadn't heard from him in ages. She propped herself up, fumbled for her phone on the nightstand, and answered the call.
Zackery bellowed, "Finally answering your phone? Do you even see me as your father?"
Lorraine was speechless. It was always her fault in their eyes, never theirs. He never asked if she was having a hard time out there alone, nor did he care if she was being bullied.
She thought, 'Maybe no matter how much others hurt me, it could never compare to the cruelty from my family.'
She gave a self-deprecating chuckle and asked with an icy and distant tone, "What do you want, Dad?"
Zackery's tone remained vicious. "Your school sent some damn expulsion notice yesterday. Don't you know we don't live in the old villa anymore? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?"
Lorraine thought, 'Figures. I'm about to get expelled, and all my dear father cares about is his own pride.'
She clutched her phone. "Where are you now? I'll come get it."
Lorraine worried the Shaw family might use this against her. Judging by Zackery's attitude, he probably still didn't know she was with Eugene.
Zackery spat out an address with a string of curses. It was a place located in the city's most notorious slum. Lorraine carefully noted the address. "Then later, I'll—"
But before she could finish, the call was abruptly disconnected.
Lorraine sat clutching her phone, staring blankly into space. Even though she was used to it, being treated this way by her own father still stung a little. After all, parents were supposed to be the ones who cherished their kids most in this world.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Lorraine's waist. She looked down, only to find Eugene's soulful eyes. At some point, Eugene had woken up, his striking eyes now clear and focused. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll go with you."
'He heard everything?' Lorraine wondered.
"Don't you need to go to the Moore Group?" Lorraine blinked. She had worked at the Moore Group before and was no stranger to all the gossip.
After the chaos last night, the PR department must be in total meltdown, waiting for Eugene to make a decision. She wondered whether he'd still have time for her.
Eugene rolled out of bed and pulled on a white tee, impossibly handsome. Lorraine sat there in a daze. He leaned down and kissed Lorraine. "Come on, Mrs. Moore, time to get up and make breakfast for your husband."
With a casual turn, Eugene strode into the bathroom. Lorraine was stunned, thinking, 'M-Mrs. Moore? He's getting way too into this act. But the way his lips moved when he called me "Mrs. Moore" was just devastatingly attractive. It made my heart pound so wildly.'
Lorraine slapped her cheeks, telling herself, "Don't let your mind wander." She quickly scrambled out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and dashed into the kitchen to make breakfast.
However, recalling how Eugene called her "Mrs. Moore," Lorraine couldn't help but break into a soft smile, her eyes crinkling with quiet delight.
After breakfast, Lorraine and Eugene changed clothes and stepped out of the palatial stone manor. Bailey and Baylor stood dutifully at the entrance. They greeted. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Moore."
Eugene nodded slightly, then wrapped his arm around Lorraine's waist and led her forward, with everyone watching.
Lorraine discreetly tugged at Eugene's sleeve, hesitating as she asked, "Um, aren't you going to explain things to Bailey and Baylor?"
Eugene answered, "Explain what?"
"Explain that it was only an expedient last night. I'm not really Mrs. Moore."
"Good morning, Mrs. Moore!" The bread vendor on the street suddenly called out, beaming with joy at her.
'Who would've thought this young lady was hiding such a secret? She said Mr. Moore wasn't her husband, and now it's all over the news.
'The high-society Moores actually live right here on our street and come by every morning to buy our bread. What an honor!' the bread vendor thought.
Lorraine flustered. She stared at the woman, waving her hands in an attempt to explain.
Then the lollipop vendor said, "Mr. and Mrs. Moore, how do you like the taste of our lollipops? Any tips to help us sell better? Maybe next year, with your help, our store can go public just like your company."
After the vendor finished, he rubbed his hands together hopefully and gave Eugene an honest, expectant smile. Eugene responded with a faint smile.
Someone in the crowd gasped, "Oh wow, he's nothing like that ice-cold persona on TV. He's really a good man. Mrs. Moore, you're so lucky."
Lorraine thought helplessly, 'There's no way I can explain this now.'
She forced out an awkward chuckle as she and Eugene finally made their escape from the enthusiastic crowd. After getting into the car, Lorraine was still baffled. She muttered to herself, "I can't explain this now. What should I do?"
"Afraid you can't explain our relationship?" Eugene didn't start the car right away, his slender fingers tapping idly on the steering wheel.
Lorraine stammered, "N-no, not at all." She was just worried it might cause him trouble.
Suddenly, Eugene leaned in close, his eyes locking onto her clear ones. He asked, "If you can't explain it, will you just be with me?"
As Eugene leaned in, his breath brushed against her skin, instantly sending Lorraine's heart into a frantic rhythm. 'Why does his tone sound so teasing, yet his eyes look so utterly serious?' Lorraine wondered.
Lorraine's palms grew clammy with sweat, her heart pounding so loudly it nearly deafened her. All she could do was force a nervous laugh. "What kind of joke is that?"
'How could a college student like me be with the CEO of a multinational corporation? That's completely absurd,' she thought.
After saying that, Lorraine shrank into her seat like a frightened turtle, not daring to move. Eugene studied her for a long moment, then looked away and started the engine.
Zackery and Raquel's current place was downright squalid. Filthy water pooled on the ground, rotting vegetable scraps littered every corner, barefoot kids darted about, and even in broad daylight, scantily clad women leaned in their doorways, openly soliciting business.
Compared to their former life of luxury, this was a world apart. Yet Lorraine felt no sympathy for them. She simply followed the address and, after much difficulty, finally tracked them down.
Zackery squatted on the ground, smoking cheap cigarettes, the kind he once would have considered beneath him. Now, cigarette butts littered the ground around him.
Raquel looked like a mess, her eyes all spaced out as she slumped against the doorframe. She barely even blinked when she saw Lorraine, and the second she locked eyes with Eugene, she just seemed to zone out even more.
She knew begging would be pointless now. They had already begged him in utter humiliation, yet Eugene still didn't let them off the hook, nor did he spare their only daughter.
Every time Raquel thought about Elsie getting humiliated and tormented by Stephen, a fresh wave of silent agony ripped through her heart.
With Eugene by Lorraine's side, Zackery didn't dare act out of line. He simply pulled out the expulsion notice and handed it straight to Lorraine.
Watching them walk away, Zackery seethed with frustration and resentment. After much internal struggle, he finally scrambled after them and pleaded, "Mr. Moore, can't you give me just one more chance? Even if—"
"Go wait for me in the car," Eugene said to Lorraine, cutting Zackery off as he handed the car keys to her.
She hesitated, pulled Eugene aside, and whispered so softly it was barely audible, "If they try to use me as leverage to get something from you, promise me you won't give in, okay?"
She really didn't want to be a burden to him anymore. She knew better than anyone just how greedy her family could get.
Eugene had expected her to plead for Zackery, but to his surprise, she actually took his side after all. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Don't worry. You're no longer tied to them."
Lorraine was a little confused, but Eugene gently nudged her. "Your husband knows what he's doing. Go wait in the car, sweetie."
She didn't ask any more questions, just nodded obediently and got into the car. The car wasn't far away. Lorraine sat in the passenger seat, watching them intently but unable to make out their words.
Eugene turned and shot Zackery a cold look—a hunched frame, tattered clothes, and eyes all cloudy. This was a guy whose fighting spirit had been stomped out for good.
"Mr. Moore..." Zackery whimpered, all polite and scared.
Eugene told him, "You should understand the only reason you, your wife, and your daughter are still breathing is because I haven't gone to extremes.
"But don't think it's for your sake. You can keep living like this, or, if you'd prefer things to get even worse, I can easily arrange that."
Zackery froze in place, his voice trembling. "Mr. Moore, you—"
"If you want to stay in one piece, then agree to one thing."
"P-please, just tell me," Zackery stammered, cold sweat dripping down his face.
It turned out that just letting them live was about as far as Eugene's tolerance went. Zackery had actually thought that if he begged Eugene again and used Lorraine as leverage, maybe he could still find a glimmer of hope in the business world.
Eugene glanced back toward his car. Through the windshield, Lorraine watched him, a hint of nervousness in her eyes. He gave her a soft smile to reassure her.
Eugene turned back to Zackery and said coldly, "I don't care what you're thinking or what you still hope to get from me. It's not going to happen.
"But as for what you did to Lorraine in the past, whether you meant it or not, you are never to apologize to her."
Zackery was baffled and asked why. Just now, when he saw Eugene, he actually had a fleeting thought of apologizing to Lorraine, but he didn't expect that even such a subtle intention could not escape Eugene's notice. 'His insight is downright terrifying,' Zackery thought.
"Because she's pure-hearted," Eugene said coldly. "If you apologize, whether you mean it or not, she'll blame herself for not being able to forgive you. She'll wonder if she's just being petty. But forgiving people like you would only cause her suffering.
"I won't tolerate you bringing my wife even an ounce of distress ever again."