Mrs. Geoffrey spoke humorously, easing the atmosphere and alleviating Rebecca’s anxiety somewhat.
Mrs. Geoffrey then said, "Everyone says Christine Quinn is beautiful, but I think you’re much better looking than her."
Rebecca didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent.
"Howard was really inconsiderate. He was married to you for two years and never brought you to see me. It’s such a shame we’re only meeting now."
Although Mrs. Geoffrey’s voice sounded friendly, Rebecca still didn’t want any further connection with Howard’s relatives. She tried her best to calm herself, looked at Mrs. Geoffrey, and replied coolly, "Aunt, Howard and I are in the past."
Looking at Mrs. Geoffrey then, Rebecca realized Howard had inherited his good looks from his mother.
Mrs. Geoffrey looked at Rebecca’s beautiful face, now devoid of its former childishness, and asked, "You were twenty when you married Howard, right?"
"How could you not remember? You must be angry with my son and don’t want to talk about anything related to him now, right?" Mrs. Geoffrey said with a knowing smile.
Rebecca fell silent once more.
Mrs. Geoffrey reached out, gently patted Rebecca’s cold hand, and said kindly, "Silly child, if my son bullies you again, don’t be upset. I’ll stand up for you."
Rebecca stiffened at Mrs. Geoffrey’s words.
"To tell you the truth, I’m very dissatisfied that Howard is with Christine Quinn now. That’s also why Christine has never been able to marry into our Geoffrey family... I don’t know what your personality is like, but looking at you now, I liked you from the moment I saw you."
Ignoring her own potential rudeness, Rebecca stood up. "Aunt, I have something else to do, I..."
"Becca, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I flew all the way from the United States specifically because I have a few things to tell you."
Pulled back to her seat, Rebecca had no choice but to hear Mrs. Geoffrey out.
"Roger told me about what happened between you and Howard. I’m furious with my disobedient son. I also feel for you, and even more for my lost unborn grandson..."
"Aunt!" Rebecca struggled to suppress the choke in her voice. "Please, just let the past be the past!"
After all these years, the child remained a taboo subject buried deep in her heart. She could still clearly feel the suffocating pain of losing her child back then...
"Alright, we won’t talk about that... Let me just ask you one last question: do you still have feelings for my son?" Mrs. Geoffrey asked this question very seriously.
Whether she still cared or not, Rebecca could have immediately given Mrs. Geoffrey a negative answer. Yet, at this moment, she found herself hesitating.
Wasn’t she looking for an opportunity? If Mrs. Geoffrey’s initial fondness for her was sincere, then this was a good opportunity presenting itself.
Yes, she wanted to get close to Howard. She wanted him to know that there is such a thing as retribution in this world, and that even he couldn’t just casually destroy someone’s life.
Tonight, she had originally intended to appear vulnerable before him. But the moment she embraced him, thinking of the despicable things he had ordered to be done to her, she could no longer control her emotions...
Heaven knew how much she longed to expose him right then and demand to know what kind of hatred could drive him to be so cruel to her.
They had been husband and wife for two years...
Even if she later found out that marrying him had also been a great injustice to herself, she had never wronged him. She had been played like a fool, enduring and compromising so much. Even after they had nothing more to do with each other, he still refused to let her go...
He just wanted her to live in agony for the rest of her life, didn’t he?
If that was the case, there was no reason she should be the only one condemned to hell...
Seeing Rebecca hesitate for so long, Mrs. Geoffrey suddenly smiled knowingly. "From your reaction, I already know the answer, even if you don’t say it."
"Don’t say anything else. From now on, I’ll take charge of matters between you and Howard."
「One week later. New York, United States.」
Rebecca, dressed in casual home clothes, came downstairs from the second floor and saw Mrs. Geoffrey already seated in the dining room, waiting for her.
Rebecca offered a faint smile. "Aunt, I’m sorry for waking up late."
"I was the one who got up early. It’s rare these days for young people like you to be willing to have breakfast with an old woman like me. Come, sit down," Mrs. Geoffrey greeted her warmly.
A maid brought a delicious Western-style breakfast to Rebecca, who said, "Thank you."
As Mrs. Geoffrey arranged the toast on her plate, she said gently, "Later, pick out one of those dresses I bought for you. Dress up nicely today."
Rebecca put down the toast she was about to eat. "Hm?"
"Howard is coming back today."
Upon hearing his name, Rebecca genuinely stiffened; there was no need to act.
"Don’t worry, I’m here for you."
Mrs. Geoffrey gently patted Rebecca’s hand and reassured her, "I was the one who insisted you come to America with me. I definitely won’t allow anyone to bully you, and that includes my son."
Rebecca had heard that Howard was raised solely by Mrs. Geoffrey, so he never defied his mother’s wishes and respected her deeply. Hearing Mrs. Geoffrey’s assurance now, Rebecca’s tense heart relaxed slightly.
After breakfast, Rebecca accompanied Mrs. Geoffrey in the living room to work on flower arrangements, just as she had on previous days.
Just then, a maid entered from outside, smiling, and said respectfully, "Mrs. Geoffrey, Mr. Geoffrey has returned."
Continuing to arrange the flower stems at hand, Mrs. Geoffrey replied with satisfaction, "He knows to come see me as soon as he gets off the plane. It seems he hasn’t forgotten his mother."
Howard had been in the United States for these past four years.
This was his family home, a serene and pleasant estate in one of New York’s most expensive districts. However, because it was quite far from Skytop, he usually lived alone elsewhere. Nevertheless, no matter how busy he was at Skytop, he always made time to spend one or two days a week with Mrs. Geoffrey.
Howard’s voice carried in.
Mrs. Geoffrey stood up, pulling Rebecca along with her.
The next moment, Howard’s tall, imposing figure appeared in Rebecca’s line of sight. But before Rebecca could even think about how to face him, she saw Christine Quinn standing beside Howard, his arm wrapped around her waist.
Seeing this, Mrs. Geoffrey’s expression soured.
Rebecca’s gaze, however, was fixed entirely on the hand Howard had intimately wrapped around Christine Quinn’s waist. Uncontrollably, her heart felt as if it had been pierced.