Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 99: Chapter 99

Zackery was startled and instinctively glanced at Elsie and Raquel. Elsie lay in Raquel's arms, her eyes tightly closed, seemingly unconscious.
Lorraine's lips trembled, and she was left speechless for a moment. Eugene's large hand gently patted her shoulder, stroke after soothing stroke, radiating warmth.
"Mr. Moore," Zackery hesitated, "Elsie's unconscious. Maybe we should wait until she wakes up to ask her anything."
He knew perfectly well that Elsie was an excellent swimmer—the idea of her passing out from drowning was absurd. But he understood her little scheme and was happy to play along.
Outside the wall, reporters were going wild, snapping photos, their flashes lighting up the courtyard like a stage.
A brilliant idea flashed through Zackery's mind—if Eugene gave Elsie mouth-to-mouth resuscitation right now, those sensationalist reporters would surely pair them as a couple. Then his wish would come true.
Eugene cast a cool glance at Zackery. "If she's unconscious, just toss her back in the water and see if she 'wakes up'."
Zackery wiped the sweat from his brow, forcing a nervous smile. "Mr. Moore, you must be joking. Elsie passed out, and none of us here know how to do first aid. What are we supposed to do?"
His unspoken message was clear: no one in the Shaw family dared to step up and say they could perform CPR.
Hearing this, Eugene curled his lips coldly and continued gently patting Lorraine's back. His strong embrace was unusually warm—perhaps it was the soothing rhythm of his touch that calmed her. She had stopped trembling; now, though, Lorraine found herself worrying about what Zackery had just said.
Lorraine knew Elsie couldn't possibly have drowned, but Eugene didn't. The thought that he might actually try made her panic. She quickly let go of his lapel, straightened up, and stepped forward. "I'll do it. I know how to give mouth-to-mouth," Lorraine blurted out.
Lorraine rushed to Elsie's side, pressed on her chest, bent down, and pinched open her nose and mouth, ready to perform mouth-to-mouth.
The others were stunned, frozen in place—the scene was just too much, almost too awkward to look at.
Eugene froze for a moment and then pulled her back into his arms. "Why the rush?"
Lorraine's heart skipped a beat. 'Is Eugene really going to do it himself?' she thought anxiously.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Eugene's arm around her waist pulled her back sharply. As she refocused, she saw the pet husky bounding over, its tail wagging excitedly.
The dog, who usually followed Elsie around like a shadow, trotted up to her, sniffed her face, circled her once, and then began licking her lips with an enthusiasm that bordered on obsession. It was clear the dog was enjoying this new game a little too much.
Raquel, Zackery and all the servants stared in stunned silence. Still holding Lorraine in his arms, Eugene arched a brow and coolly surveyed the absurd scene, and then took a deliberate step forward.
Raquel's face went pale as she moved to chase the dog away, but Eugene caught her eye and pinned her with a frosty glare, leaving her frozen on the spot.
'What is Elsie thinking?' Raquel panicked and thought inwardly. 'She didn't even get Eugene's mouth-to-mouth, and now she's letting the dog kiss her—can't she even tell the difference?'
Zackery's face turned livid with rage. Outside the wall, the paparazzi grew even more frenzied. And the dog was just indulged in the kiss. But with Eugene silent, no one dared to speak up.
After the initial shock wore off, the Shaw family's servants averted their gazes, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Still, the slight quiver of their shoulders gave away their efforts to stifle their laughter.
The husky's coarse tongue rasped against Elsie's lips, a sensation that was both illicit and thrilling. Even Elsie, pretending to be unconscious, felt a strange, tingling pleasure.
'So this is what it feels like to be kissed by Eugene,' she mused dreamily. 'His tongue is surprisingly nimble.' She was so lost in the sensation that she unconsciously parted her lips, hoping for more.
Sure enough, the tongue slipped in, and Elsie's mind raced. 'This feels incredible,' she thought, her heart fluttering. 'Who would have thought that Eugene, always so aloof, could be this passionate? Even CPR feels intoxicating.'
Elsie's lips curved into an unconscious smile, and a hint of coyness softened her features. She couldn't help but let out soft, breathy sounds, completely unaware of the reality.
'Maybe mouth-to-mouth takes a while,' she thought. 'I can enjoy this a little longer, then slowly wake up and throw myself into my prince's arms.'
Elsie was lost in her beautiful fantasy, but reality was far less kind. Watching their daughter's intoxicated expression, Zackery and Raquel could barely contain themselves—they were on the verge of shooing the dog away or blurting out a warning to snap her back to reality.
Gradually, Elsie began to sense something was wrong. The soft, furry sensation against her lips felt nothing like Eugene's clean-shaven face. His breathing was too heavy, and there was a strange taste in her mouth.
She tentatively licked her lips and suddenly froze. Her eyes flew open in horror. 'This doesn't feel like a human tongue at all!'
Her tightly shut eyes cracked open just a sliver, and there was the dog's face, blissfully unaware. Elsie felt a wave of terror and revulsion. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her world felt bleak, and she was on the verge of a complete meltdown.
Then, someone in the crowd finally let out a small snicker. It was enough to break the tension, and soon everyone was shaking with laughter, their shoulders trembling as they tried to hold it in.
Elsie's face turned bright red, then pale. She coughed a couple of times, shifted her head, and forced herself to look groggy. "Oh, Where am I?" she muttered with a few coughs, her voice barely above a whisper.
The husky, not grasping the situation, barked in protest when Elsie pulled away. It howled and lunged forward, knocking her over again.
This time, even Lorraine couldn't hold back her laughter. 'How can that dog be so clever?' she thought gleefully. 'That stuck-up Elsie actually got kissed by a dog—serves her right!'
Raquel's face turned bright red, while Elsie could only helplessly keep up her act—pretending she'd just woken up, looking weak and utterly clueless about what had happened.
"Thank goodness you're awake," Raquel said hurriedly, motioning for someone to remove the dog as she pulled Elsie into a gentle embrace and murmured soothing words in her ear.
Eugene watched the scene with amused interest. His gaze dropped to Lorraine—no longer fearful, but now watching with relish. The corners of his lips quirked slightly.
Zackery's face darkened like a thundercloud. 'What an idiot Elsie is—she can't even tell a man from a dog, and she just had to take so damn long to 'wake up',' he fumed inwardly.
Just as Zackery was about to speak, Eugene's deep, icy voice cut him off. "Now that you're awake, start explaining what happened."
Soon, Lorraine and Elsie were sent to separate bathrooms for a hot soak. Eugene sat on the living room sofa, his icy gaze fixed on Raquel and Zackery, who sat before him in terrified silence.
He narrowed his eyes, the tension in the air palpable—he didn't buy this "accidental fall" story. If he found out the truth, they'd better brace for consequences.
Lorraine lay in the hot bath, her arms wrapped around her knees. The warm water soothed her skin and chased away the chill. Just moments ago, when water had flooded her mouth and ears, she'd felt the raw terror of drowning.
There was a pool in the house, but Lorraine had nearly drowned as a child and never dared go in again. After her grandmother passed away, Raquel banned her from the pool entirely, making it Elsie's private domain.
It was there that Elsie had honed her impressive swimming skills. So Lorraine didn't believe Elsie would have drowned.
Recalling what had just happened, Lorraine bit her lip, lost in thought. Suddenly, she sneezed. Rubbing her nose, she got out of the tub, wrapped herself in a loose robe, and hurried to change into a comfortable linen dress.
She dashed out, her long hair still dripping wet, hoping Eugene wasn't waiting impatiently.
Hearing the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, Eugene looked up to see Lorraine—fresh-faced and wide-eyed, like an eternal child.
His gaze landed on her still-damp hair, flickering with displeasure before the expression vanished as quickly as it came. Extending a hand, he beckoned her closer. "Come here," he said.
Lorraine walked over and sat primly beside him, her small hands neatly folded on her knees, sitting so upright that anyone might have thought she was a student in class.
Eugene wrapped his arm around her, gently running his fingers through her damp hair. He glanced at the maid and said, "Bring a towel."
With a soft, shy look in her eyes, Lorraine let him wrap her hair in the towel, gently smoothing down the last few stray strands. Only then did he turn to Elsie, who was finally making her way down the stairs.
"Speak." Eugene's voice was low and icy, heavy with command.
Elsie sat on the sofa beside Eugene, her nerves jangling. She shot Lorraine a venomous glare before turning to Eugene with tearful eyes. "Eugene, you have to believe me... Lorraine pushed me into the water."
"Oh, and she just happened to jump in after you?" Eugene's voice dripped with sarcasm. He felt Lorraine shiver beside him and instinctively pulled her closer.
Zackery and Raquel sat across from them. Sensing the danger in Eugene's tone, Zackery nervously cleared his throat. "Mr. Moore, I think—"
"Who gave you permission to speak?" Eugene's icy gaze sliced across Zackery's face like a blade, freezing him in place. His aged features flushed crimson with humiliation.
"Eugene, really! It was Lorraine," Elsie sobbed, her voice trembling. "She's jealous because you're nice to me, so she pushed me in. She wanted me to drown. It's true, I swear."
If only she could, Elsie would have crawled into Eugene's lap, snuggling into his chest and acting pitiful, hoping he'd defend her and make Lorraine pay.
Eugene's lips twitched with a hint of amusement as he turned to Lorraine. "What do you have to say about this?"
His words hung in the air, leaving the Shaw family stunned. Letting Lorraine speak—that was the last thing they wanted.
Zackery cleared his throat again, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists. He shot Lorraine a warning look that said, "Be careful what you say."
Lorraine bit her lip, caught off guard. 'Should I just accuse Elsie back? It will be easy, but will he believe me? He's good at pretending to care, but that doesn't mean he actually will trust me.'
"Can't speak or won't speak?" Eugene narrowed his eyes, his voice edged with displeasure.
Lorraine blinked, her eyes soft but earnest. "I didn't push her. Do you believe me?"
"Yes," Eugene replied, his voice firm and clear, cutting through the tense silence.
Relief washed over Lorraine's face, her heart swelling with warmth at his answer.
"So, you're saying Elsie pushed you?" Eugene raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Elsie.