Mila Anderson was also taken aback.
She hadn't expected that she had truly fallen for her daughter's scheme to drive a wedge between them. Remembering how impulsively she had slapped Julia Bluen, she didn't know what to do. Pointing at Adele Horne, she was angry and frustrated. Cursing through clenched teeth, she said, "Adele, how did I usually teach you? As an unmarried girl, your mouth shouldn't be like that of a gossiping old biddy. Even if you don't like Julia, she is your sister-in-law! How could you harm her ? You even deceived me, making me look like an unreasonable, senseless mother-in-law who only protects her own child! You..." She was too angry to say more.
"Who put you up to this?" Glades Horne's expression was still cold and icy. The revelation that the family had misunderstood Julia Bluen didn't lessen his fury.
"Orlando Evans. It was Orlando Evans! She told me to make a big deal out of... Sister-in-law's light slap. She guaranteed it would make everyone misunderstand and dislike Sister-in-law, so I... Brother, I was drunk! It was the alcohol that made me impulsive enough to believe Orlando's words, I..."
At this point, Adele Horne could no longer protect Orlando Evans. Orlando's scheme had backfired on her as well, so she naturally had to expose her.
The next moment, Glades Horne took out his phone and dialed Jonathan Allen's number. Once Jonathan picked up, he ordered coldly, "Jonathan, kidnap a woman named Orlando Evans for me. If she resists, even if you have to break her limbs, tie her up and bring her to the Horne family villa! Within half an hour!" Then, without waiting for Jonathan to respond, he hung up.
After instructing Jonathan Allen, Glades swiftly turned towards his mother. His oppressive aura made Mila uncertain of what he would do next. Would he seek justice for Julia Bluen and slap her hard?
"Mom!" Glades called out heavily. His eyes still held a disheartening chill that pained Mila's heart. His fists clenched tighter as he faced his mother; he was struggling to control his rage. She was his mother; no matter what she had done to Julia, he couldn't possibly strike her.
Seeing his demeanor, Julia Bluen knew that if she didn't intervene now, he might harbor resentment towards his mother from this day forward, becoming completely estranged. That was not what she wanted to see.
The events of this evening had indeed deeply hurt her. They let her know that life inside this grand mansion wasn't as calm as it seemed on the surface. The Horne family was large, unlike her own close-knit Bluen family. When several branches of the family gathered, they formed a large group. With each person having their own thoughts and intentions, who could guarantee that no troubles would arise?
But this was now her home too. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
She had married Glades Horne, and she was to spend a lifetime with him. His family was now an indispensable part of her life.
Family unity brings prosperity to everything!
She didn't want the family to fall into discord because of her, much less cause estrangement between Glades Horne and his mother. That would be terribly unfilial.
She handed the ice pack back to Auntie and stood up from the sofa. She quickly walked to Glades Horne and said gently, "Stop being angry, okay? Mom was just misled. I'm fine now. Don't treat Mom ; she's your mother." Then gently, she pried open his clenched fist, one finger at a time.
"Julia..." Guilt washed over Mila Anderson like a tide, making her feel deeply ashamed before Julia Bluen. She had misunderstood Julia and even slapped her, yet Julia was still trying to protect the relationship between mother and son. In fact, wasn't her misunderstanding and falling for her daughter's divisive scheme a result of her prior dislike for Julia? If she had liked Julia as she did before and trusted her character, how could she have been deceived by such a scheme?
This daughter-in-law was like another daughter to her, someone she had watched grow up. She knew her character and temperament—what didn't she know about her? Simply because Julia's sister had run away from her marriage, Mila had unfairly blamed Julia for half of it and had come to dislike her.
Regret and self-reproach flooded Mila Anderson's mind.
Julia knew that to quell Glades Horne's raging temper at this moment, only her tenderness could soothe him. The situation had arisen because of her, and she felt a responsibility to calm his fiery anger.
Lifting his eyes, Glades looked at his mother.
"Julia did indeed slap Adele, but it was a light slap," he said. "Adele was being unreasonable and insulting Julia, which is why she was slapped. Julia is the sister-in-law, and Adele is the younger sister. When a younger sister insults her sister-in-law, and the sister-in-law only gives a light slap in return, I don't think Julia did anything wrong. Besides, after the slap, Adele's face wasn't even red. There was no mark at all; Julia was merely making a point. Julia knows Adele is my only sister. Outwardly, they may not seem to get along, but deep down, she cares for Adele and treats her like her own younger sister. When Adele deliberately ran onto the lawn and damaged the streetlight, Julia immediately rushed forward. Her concern was whether Adele was hurt, not the streetlight. It was Adele who didn't appreciate her kindness and instead turned around to insult and accuse her."