Chapter 134

Yasir thought Nevin might freak out. But Nevin, though visibly upset, simply asked, "What's going on with my brother?"

Yasir, feeling helpless, replied, "What do you mean? He left with his wife. Is that a problem?"

Nevin responded, "That is the problem. Doesn't he love Joanna? Why—" He trailed off, pausing abruptly. He found his brother's behavior odd.

Yasir understood. He sighed. "Maybe he doesn't like her anymore? Or maybe he never did—who knows what he's thinking? It's over now, so let's not dwell on it."

"He's my brother! I have to know what happened. He hated Yvonne, but now he's hand-in-hand with her! I'm shocked!" Nevin turned to Yasir, confused. "Why is he suddenly so nice to Yvonne?"

Yasir frowned. "Why can't he be? They're married. It's how things should be. What's your problem? You hate Yvonne…"

"I… I don't hate her," Nevin said, a hint of guilt in his voice. "I just don't like her pestering my brother."

Yasir jutted his chin out. "Kid, have you ever been in a relationship?"

Nevin asked, "What?" He was caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.

Yasir, seeing the answer in Nevin's face, said, "I think you should focus on yourself. Start dating instead of constantly monitoring your brother and sister-in-law. Give them some space, okay?"

"What do you mean? He's my brother!" Nevin insisted, sounding slightly aggrieved.

Yasir, unfazed, laughed and walked away, leaving Nevin alone, stomping his feet in frustration. He thought, Damn! Yvonne stole my brother away again!

After the others left the room, Joanna continued crying. Sophia initially tried to comfort her, but failing, exploded with rage. "Why are you still crying? What were you doing before this happened? What's done is done. Face reality!"

Joanna, stunned, forgot her tears. "Mom, I honestly have no idea why things turned out like this. Why Zachary? I did as you said. I came here with Hayden. I gave him the drinks. Who knows why he was fine, but I ended up drugged?"

Sophia snapped, "That's because you're an idiot! You were fooled!" She was selfish, only regretting the failure of her perfect plan.

Joanna cried again, "I'm a victim!"

The mother and daughter argued, unaware that Yosef was present. He initially felt sympathy for his stepdaughter, recognizing her humiliation. However, overhearing their conversation, he noticed something strange.

Yosef softly asked, "Did you… already know? Was this your plan?"

Sophia and Joanna were startled. Sophia, remembering his presence, quickly fabricated an excuse. "Honey, I… I was just worried about our daughter! Hayden was playing with Joanna. He didn't want to marry her, so I had no choice."

Joanna remained silent, gradually ceasing her sobs.

Yosef wasn't stupid. He soon understood the truth. "No wonder you arrived with the reporters. You knew everything! Sophia, she's your daughter! How could you let everyone…" He couldn't finish, choked by emotion.

Sophia became anxious. "I was just trying to help her! Do you want to watch her waste her youth on a man who isn't worth it?" Yosef, rarely angry, shouted, "Hayden is already married! He's Yvonne's husband!" It was the first time he'd ever shouted at her. Yvonne was his daughter, and family loyalty burned strong within him. He already felt guilty about marrying Sophia.

Sophia, momentarily taken aback, quickly recovered. "Now you care about your daughter. I knew you never truly cared about me and my daughter! Are you going to stop caring about the child I'm carrying too?!"

Yosef, attempting to regain control, quickly tried to soothe her. "Oh, come on, when did I ever say that? Don't get upset, not for the baby!"

Sophia cried, "Why would I care about the child! I might as well kill myself! I should have married you! Why is my life so miserable?" She continued crying and yelling, leaving Yosef at a loss.

The house was so noisy that Nevin couldn't bear it. Even his brother seemed unconcerned. He felt no desire to engage. Downstairs, people continued dancing, oblivious to the chaos upstairs.

Nevin grabbed a bottle of red wine, took a large gulp, and then grabbed a waiter's arm. "Where's my brother!"

The waiter said, "Mr. Parker just left with Mrs. Parker."

Nevin's already foul mood darkened further. He muttered, "What's going on with you?" He found another bottle of wine. Wine seemed the only way to cope.

As we left the party, Hayden drove me straight to his car. Before I could refuse, he sped onto the highway.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Hayden didn't answer, focusing on driving. In another situation, I might have ignored him, but being trapped in his car was different. After Joanna's ordeal, it felt unfair for him to vent his anger on me. I couldn't ignore him while he was driving; he could endanger us both.

After some thought, I decided to try calming him. "Actually, there's no need to be sad. The child is yours, right?"

Hayden frowned. "What?"

Sensing my approach wasn't working, I changed tactics, remembering Lucy's advice: "The world is big. There are plenty of nice girls out there. Just get over…"

Before I finished, Hayden interrupted sharply, "Yvonne!"

I blinked innocently and whispered, "Why are you yelling at me? I didn't betray you."