Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Elsie shouted through the end of the line, "Lorraine! Are you deaf or what? Took you long enough to answer."
Hearing Elsie's arrogant, rude voice, Lorraine frowned. Her lowered hand slowly clenched into a fist. It was never good news when Elsie called. She replied icily, "What do you want?"
They'd already fallen out that morning. There had never been any peace between them.
"Come home for dinner tonight," Elsie snapped, her voice sharp with impatience.
Raquel snatched the phone from Elsie's hand, shooting her a reproachful look before saying into the receiver, "Lorraine, dear, come home for dinner tonight, okay?" While her tone was a bit more restrained than Elsie's, it still reeked of annoyance.
"No. I've got things to do here, so I won't be coming over," Lorraine replied, her voice instinctively cold. The thought of returning made her recoil. The Shaw residence was nothing but a living hell for her. There was no way she would go back there.
Raquel's eyes narrowed as she sneered, her voice turning shrill, "Oh, you're busy? And what could possibly be more important than coming home? Your father said you must come back tonight. No excuses."
Lorraine's body trembled reflexively, her slender frame swaying before she found herself enveloped in Eugene's warm embrace.
His faint woody scent drifted over, weaving its way through her senses and seeping deep into her heart. Her fingers slowly relaxed, and she nestled motionless in his arms, clutching her phone.
Eugene's brows furrowed slightly. A cold glint flashed imperceptibly in his deep eyes as he tightened his embrace around her.
Lorraine composed herself and said firmly, "I have something extremely important to handle. I can't come back."
At her words, Eugene's lips curved up slightly. Clearly, he was pleased with her response.
Raquel put her phone on speaker. Hearing Lorraine's words, Elsie was pissed off and shouted from the side, "Important things? What important things could you possibly have? Don't tell me you're trying to seduce Eugene again. As if someone like you would ever stand a chance."
Lorraine glanced up at Eugene, her eyes flickering with complex emotions. Then she shot back, "You think I'm like you?"
Elsie snapped, "What do you mean by that? Wait and—"
Raquel interjected, "Enough! I don't care what so-called important things you have going on. You must come back tonight. Nothing is more important than the anniversary of Mary's death. If you don't show up, you'll be a disgrace to this family."
The accusation weighed heavily on Lorraine's chest, choking her. It was not because of Raquel's harsh words, but because Raquel had mentioned Mary, the only warmth Lorraine had ever known.
Mary had been the only glimmer of light in the darkness of Lorraine's past—now gone forever. A faint sorrow welled in Lorraine's eyes. With no heart left to argue with Raquel and Elsie, Lorraine simply murmured, "Okay," and hung up.
Eugene couldn't bear seeing Lorraine so sad. He tightened his embrace around her slender waist, just enough to cause a twinge of pain, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"You're going back." Eugene's cool, magnetic voice slid into her ear. Lorraine gave a slight nod, gripping her phone tighter. Just the thought of returning there and all the possible humiliations awaiting her made her heart tremble with dread. Yet, she had no choice but to go.
"I'll go back with you," Eugene said quietly.
Lorraine's head snapped up at his words, the question tumbling out before she could stop herself. "Why?"
Lorraine gazed at him, her glistening, limpid eyes shining with uncertainty, her pink lips slightly parted in an unconsciously alluring way. She was searching for an answer—to a question she didn't even know why she was asking, and for a response she couldn't name or even hope for.
Her persistent gaze locked onto him. A flicker passed through Eugene's eyes as his lips curved into a smirk. "Just to watch the fun. That's all," he said.
Lorraine's eyelids drooped slightly, the glimmer of hope in her eyes fading. She almost laughed at herself—what exactly had she been expecting?
She knew exactly what was waiting for her—a trap, plain and simple. Elsie was sure to seek revenge after losing face earlier.
Just thinking about Zackery's fists, the kicks, the wooden rods, and that pair of scissors he'd slammed into her knee not long ago sent an uncontrollable chill through Lorraine's body.
Lorraine's soft hand quietly clutched and tugged at Eugene's shirt collar. With her head lowered, she bit her lip until it turned white, and then whispered timidly, "Could I... ask you for a favor?"
"What?" Eugene asked, lowering his head to look at the two cowlicks on top of her head. His voice softened slightly at her tug.
Her fingers clenched. She worried her lip between her teeth, eyes fixed on her toes, before finally mustering the courage to speak.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, fragile and trembling with both hope and apprehension. "Could I... could I ask you to pretend to like me?" The words slipped out soft and uncertain, laced with nervous yearning.
Lorraine's shoulders trembled as she forced the words out. It was so hard to say, but she had no choice. She needed his protection. Her nerves stretched to the breaking point. She could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest, completely out of control.
Eugene hated seeing her so timid, so afraid of rejection. It gave him a crawling sensation in his chest.
'The woman I love should be free-spirited and carefree,' Eugene thought. 'But look at her now. She agonizes over even the simplest request. Her nerves stretched so thin she couldn't even meet my eyes.
'All of this was thanks to the Shaw family. Just what kind of life had she been living before? She could put up a calm front in every other aspect, yet never dared to hope for anyone's affection when it came to matters of the heart.'
Eugene pressed his thin lips together. His hand, resting on her waist, slowly traced up along her slender curves. He neither agreed nor refused her, letting the tension simmer between them.
His dry palm radiated warmth through the thin fabric, her body instinctively responding with heightened sensitivity, a faint weakness spreading through her limbs.
"Tell me, what's the point of pretending to like you?" Eugene's fingertips trailed from her back to the slender, swan-like curve of her neck, drawing slow, teasing circles.
Lorraine's heart fluttered wildly, like a tiny boat tossed on the waves—rising, falling, yearning for everything to finally settle. She lowered her head, chin nearly touching her collarbone, and squirmed slightly to ease the teasing sensation of Eugene's fingertips.
His warm breath, tinged with a woody scent, brushed against her ear, making her freeze, lips parting slightly as if to speak, yet no words came.
"Look up and tell me why you said that." Eugene's velvet voice was mesmerizing, coaxing Lorraine's lowered head to move. As if enchanted, she slowly raised her gaze.
Her long, curled lashes fluttered like butterfly wings as she struggled inside, trying to summon her courage. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, slightly red-rimmed.
"Because only if you pretend to like me will they treat me a little better," she blurted out in one breath. Biting her lip, she looked up at him nervously, like a helpless kitten desperately needing care.
She knew better than to think Eugene actually liked her. But right now, she desperately needed him.
Eugene was inwardly amused but kept his expression neutral. A slight quirk of his brow vanished in an instant, and he replied with perfect seriousness, "Alright."
That single word was music to Lorraine's ears. Instantly, a radiant smile blossomed on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with dazzling light.
"Really? You're really coming with me?" Lorraine tugged at Eugene's hem and rose onto her tiptoes to get a clearer look at his expression.
Eugene's thin lips curved slightly. He lowered his head and brushed a light kiss against her lips, his voice low and magnetic as he teased, "Of course. But how do you plan to return the favor?"
Lorraine froze for a moment before realization dawned on her. Her cheeks flushed deeper and deeper.
Lorraine's eyes shimmered with a soft glow, weaving an invisible web that held Eugene's gaze captive.
Since Eugene was willing to help her, Lorraine relaxed her lips, parting them slightly to allow him to deepen the kiss. Tentatively, her inexperienced tongue reached out to shyly respond to him.
That single inexperienced move was enough to shatter Eugene's famed self-control. He cupped the back of Lorraine's head, claiming her lips in a searing, possessive kiss that stole every last breath from her lungs.
His hand at her waist pulled her so tightly against him that not an inch separated them. Lorraine could feel his body pressing into her, making it almost unbearable; her breath came in short, desperate gasps as she struggled to turn her head away.
"Still can't breathe during a kiss? Don't move. Let me help you with that," Eugene murmured, trapping her slender legs between his with unyielding strength.
"Mm, s-stop fooling around. Let's go," Lorraine stammered nervously, glancing at the ajar door. "What if someone walks in on us?"
"I can go. But what about this?"Eugene lowered his gaze meaningfully, a devilish smirk playing on his lips as he deliberately pressed himself against her, grinding lightly.
Lorraine's heart pounded wildly, but she was too weak to push Eugene away. "Eugene, please. Let's just go," she pleaded breathlessly.
Suppressing his desire, Eugene said hoarsely, "Fine, you owe me for now. But when we get back, I'll collect with interest."
Speechless, Lorraine shut her mouth and said nothing more, just looking at Eugene with those big, moist eyes. Ripples stirred in his heart, and in the end, he gave in to that look. Wrapping his arm around her slender waist, he led her away at a leisurely pace.
Raquel was livid. "That little bitch actually dared to hang up on me. Who does she think she is?"
"Mom, did you hear that? This is outrageous. Just listen to the way she talks to us. She would never have dared to speak like this before," Elsie fumed, her anger boiling over with no outlet but to complain to her mother.
Raquel didn't argue this time. 'Could Lorraine really have dirt on Elsie? Otherwise, where did she get the nerve to say no to me?' she wondered.
Then, with a cold edge in her voice, she said, "You're right. Something's off. But it doesn't matter. We'll get to the bottom of it soon."
Raquel sneered in her heart, 'Does she really think she can escape my grasp? With just a flick of my finger, I could crush her.'
"I don't care. You didn't see how cocky she was in front of me today. You have to get back at her for me." Elsie clung to Raquel's arm, her heavily-lined eyes gleaming with malice. Her gritted teeth twisted her face into a hideous grimace.
"Don't worry. As long as you've prepared everything I told you to, just sit back and watch the fireworks."
Zackery's voice suddenly rang out from the living room doorway: "What are you two whispering about? Who's gotten on your nerves this time?" The moment his words hit, Raquel and Elsie instantly fell silent.