I hid behind Jax and secretly gave him a thumbs–up.
Nice one. He gets into character fast when the enemy is around.
James, furious, raised his hand to strike.
But Mrs. Stanton, who had come out looking for him, stopped him.
She calmly looked me and Jax over, then spoke to me coolly.
“Laurie, we have guests today. Have your classmate come over another time.”
James’s mother had always looked down on me.
Especially after the chaotic night with James in our past life.
She became convinced that I was a social climber who had deliberately set up her son just to marry into their wealthy family.
Seeing the contempt in her eyes again, I don’t know where I found the courage.
Right in front of her, I affectionately linked my arm with Jax’s and said shyly, “Auntie, this is my boyfriend. Since you have guests,
maybe I should just come back later?”
I then put on a show of being inseparable from Jax, unwilling to leave his side.
In this life or the last, I had never liked James.
And I certainly didn’t covet the position of the Stanton family’s daughter–in–law.
Mrs. Stanton was clearly taken aback by my boldness. A flicker of shock crossed her face before she quickly composed herself,
once again the aloof matriarch.
Her anger, however, shifted from me to James. She shot him a look of utter disappointment.
“Useless boy. Get inside!”
She started dragging him back toward the house. When she noticed I wasn’t following, she paused, glanced back, and said flatly,
You too, Laurie. This concerns both of you.”
¡ patted Jax’s hand, signaling that he could let go.
But he looked worried. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’m not leaving. I’ll wait for you at the gate. Call me if anything happ-
ens.”
I nodded obediently and followed them back into the house.
I never expected to see who was waiting inside.
9
Grandma Stanton always went to bed early.
But today, at ten o’clock at night, she was still sitting in her traditional armchair, a troubled expression on her face.
I wondered what kind of guest could warrant her staying up this late.
As James and I entered, one after the other, she let out another long sigh.
“Oh, James… what have you done? You’ve completely disgraced the Stanton family!”
I silently looked at the guest sitting on the sofa, a defiant look on her face.
Chapter 2
I sighed internally as well.
06.49
You can plan all you want, but you can’t control fate. The person who had been missing for so long had now shown up on their own.
After crying and running away the day after the party, Isabella had vanished.
Now, over a month later, she was back.
Her disdainful gaze swept past me and landed on James. She rested a hand on her stomach and said pitifully, “James, I’m pregna-
- nt. Aren’t you going to take responsibility for me?”
At her words, Grandma Stanton sighed again.
James’s brow furrowed. He probably hadn’t expected that the unobtainable love of his past life would now be clinging to him like a
piece of gum.
I didn’t understand. This was what he had always wanted, so why did he look so miserable now?
kept my head down and stood beside Grandma Stanton.
Isabella was wearing heavy makeup, looking tough and nothing like a girl our age.
I had to admit, she had her methods. She had fooled everyone in our last life.
Even though her own parents were there, looking timid and meek, she w
ད་ང་རང་ཞ
the one addressing the Stanton elders directly.
Her terms were clear: either they get engaged now, securing her position as Mrs. Stanton, or they give ey for her silence, after which she would get an abortion.
Otherwise, she would blow the whole thing up and ruin the Stanton family’s reputation.
her a massive sum
of mon-
The moment she mentioned abortion, Grandma Stantont looked ready to marry them off right then and there.
But then her eyes fell on me, standing beside her, and she hesitated.
At this point, Mrs. Stanton could no longer sit still.
Me, the girl she had despised in her past life, had suddenly become the perfect, obedient daughter–in–law in her eyes.
“Laurie is the only daughter–in–law I will ever acknowledge. Who do you think you are? Who knows how you even got pregnant. You want money? Fine. Go get an amniocentesis and a paternity test. A Stanton child will certainly not be abandoned. But you? You will
never set foot in this house!”
Mrs. Stanton grew more and more agitated, and the scene descended into chaos.
Grandma Stanton shook her head and sighed, stopping her daughter–in–law. She told me and Mrs. Stanton that she had something
to discuss with us upstairs.
“James, you wait downstairs. Pour some water for our guests. Don’t be rude.”
I didn’t know what Grandma Stanton wanted to say. I just followed her upstairs.
Mrs. Stanton now acted as if she had just discovered my worth, holding my hand with a show of great affection.
Even after we entered the study, she kept talking.
“Laurie, dear, you are the only daughter–in–law I will ever accept. You grew up right before my eyes, so good and sensible. I love you the most, dear. Don’t let those people outside fool you. That boy you were with, he looks like trouble. Not steady and reliable like your brother James. Be a good girl, Laurie. Go abroad with James. When you come back, I’ll throw you the grandest wedding…”
The sound of Grandma Stanton’s cane tapping on the floor cut her off.
06 49
Chapter 2
Grandma sat at her desk, looking exhausted, her eyes on me as if she didn’t know how to begin.
I pulled my hand from Mrs. Stanton’s grasp and spoke to Grandma.
06:49
“Grandma, James doesn’t like me, and I’ve never wanted to marry him. Besides, everyone at school knows he likes the girl downst-
airs. Auntie, the Stanton family has been good to me all these years. I can’t repay your kindness with ingratitude. I’ll leave tonight
and make room for her. Grandma, I’m grown up now. I can take care of myself.”
By the time I finished, tears were welling up in Grandma Stanton’s eyes.
She had raised me like her own granddaughter.
She used to say that I should marry James when I grew up, so I wouldn’t be bullied by another family.
Grandma Stanton genuinely cared for me.
Now that this had happened with James, she wouldn’t for
But Mrs. Stanton was a different story.
me into anything.
She couldn’t stand to see her son rejected. Her finger, with its bright red nail polish, poked my forehead repeatedly
me ungrateful.
“Enough!”
A teacup shattered at Mrs. Stanton’s feet. Grandma’s voice was a roar.
as she called
She then took a folder out of her safe
and
handed it to me.
M when you got married, as a
“Laurie, dear. This… this is the company stock your birth parents left for you. I was going to give it to you dowry. But now, you’re grown up. It’s better if you keep it yourself.”
I stared at her, stunned.
My parents… they had left me something? I was loved by someone after all!
My hands trembled as I took the thick folder, my vision blurring with tears.
In my past life, I had died without ever hearing about this inheritance from my birth parents.
To be reborn and receive such an unexpected gift…
Mrs. Stanton saw me take it and tried to intervene.
“Mom, you’re not actually giving it to her, are you?”
I ignored her, trying to control my shaking hands as I flipped through the documents.
My parents had left me a substantial inheritance.
No wonder I had never heard of it in my past life. Mrs. Stanton had probably pocketed it all for herself.
I clutched the folder to my chest and bowed deeply to Grandma Stanton.
“Grandma, thank you for raising me all these years. I will take good care of myself from now on. I’ll move out tonight. I’ll come back to visit when I have time.”
I turned and left, going to my room to grab my documents.
As I came downstairs, James saw my bag and reached out to stop me.
His eyes were bottomless pits; I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Chapter 2
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
06.49
I glanced at the small bag in my hand and laughed at myself.
I had lived in the Stanton house for over a decade, and in the end, the only things that truly belonged to me could fit in this tiny bag.
Isabella, unable to stand seeing James interact with me, struck a possessive, proprietorial pose from across the room.
“Oh, leaving already? Don’t be a stranger, now.”
I ignored her.
I shook off James’s hand, disgustedly brushing off the spot he had touched, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“James, you’ve always wanted a child, haven’t you?”
“Well, look. Someone’s here to give you one.”
