Chapter 289

Joanna was older than Marvin, and she’d seen far more of life than he ever had. She wasn’t about to give Marvin a chance to question her. Besides, Monroe had already written Marvin off anyway.

“Mr. Montgomery wants you to cure Gloria. We’re heading back to Norava now,” Joanna said.

“What?” Marvin froze in shock.

The creation of charm poison was some real dark magic. To undo it meant sacrificing his own life.

Marvin had big ambition in life, and he wasn’t ready to die yet.

“Let’s go!” Joanna grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

Marvin stood there, something flickering in his gloomy eyes, but he didn’t move.

“What are you waiting for?” Joanna snapped, turning back impatiently.

That was when she saw Marvin charging at her with a chair raised high. She barely had time to dodge.

The chair slammed into the wall, leaving deep and shallow dents.

Joanna shuddered to imagine how many bones she would’ve broken if that had hit her directly.

Her anger flared as she pulled out a gun. “Marvin, are you trying to rebel?”

Marvin was intimidated by the gun and stopped moving.

He stared at Joanna’s hand, mentally calculating her shooting accuracy.

“Wanna try me?” Joanna said, raising her hand and firing. The bullet whizzed past Marvin’s left ear and slammed into the wall.

Her aim was dead on.

Marvin’s hope of escape was dashed. He had no choice but to follow Joanna into the car.

Since they didn’t have a driver, Joanna had to take the wheel herself. To make sure Marvin didn’t try anything stupid, she hogtied him like a criminal.

Marvin was tied up like a mummy and tossed into the back seat, with two seat belts strapping him down flat on his back.

‘This is so damn frustrating!’ Marvin thought.

Even if he had never enjoyed Landon’s kind of spotlight, he had never suffered a humiliation like this.

He racked his brain, trying to come up with a way out during the whole journey.

He also kept shooting venomous glares at Joanna from the backseat as if he wanted to kill her with his stares.

“Marvin, just give up the fight. At least your mom and your sister will stay alive,” Joanna said.

Marvin shot back, “If it were you, could you just give up like that?”

“Of course not,” Joanna replied, then burst out laughing.

She could totally understand how frustrated Marvin felt. But if she wanted to live, she had to follow Monroe’s orders.

There was nothing more precious than her own life.

Marvin had brought this on himself. The moment he decided to poison Gloria, his fate was sealed.

Joanna thought, ‘Does he really think Landon would spare him? How naive. Arrogant!’

“Joanna, come on, help me out. I’ll do anything,” Marvin begged.

Joanna just let out a cold snort. “I can’t. It’s Mr. Montgomery’s order.”

“You’re smart, there’s gotta be something you can do, right?” Marvin pleaded.

“Nope,” Joanna replied flatly.

“You can do whatever you want to me! Even have my body if you want…” Marvin blurted out, desperation thick in his voice.

Joanna nearly choked.

She was honestly speechless, wondering if Marvin was really trying to seduce her.

“I’m young, full of energy… You’ve been a widow for years, right? Bet it’s been a long time since you had that kind of fun,” Marvin said, trying to sound tempting.

“I know all kinds of moves, I can even get on my knees for you. You want it? It’ll feel amazing! We could just run away together and spend the rest of our lives as a couple…” He was getting more and more shameless with every word.

Even Joanna, who thought she’d seen everything, felt her cheeks heat up. “Young people these days are really something.”

“There’s a lot out there you haven’t even tried yet!” Marvin’s eyes sparkled, thinking he’d finally convinced Joanna.

He pondered, ‘A mature woman like her, widowed and still with that charm, must be starving for some action by now. If she just gives me a shot, I can definitely win her over! Sure, she’s a bit older, but if it means staying alive, I guess I can suck it up and deal with it.’

“Marvin, tell me, did your mom used to throw herself at Landon’s dad back in the day?” Joanna sneered.

Marvin was struck dumb.

“Otherwise, how else would she have ended up giving birth to Jeffery? Honestly, Isaac never seemed like the type who liked women who were too slutty. He must’ve been forced into it,” Joanna mocked.

Marvin was furious and embarrassed.

“You act so sleazy–guess you got it from your mom, huh? Please, with my status and power, men are basically useless to me. Why would I risk everything just to let you go?” Joanna scoffed.

The light in Marvin’s eyes went out.

His pathetic attempt at seduction crashed.

“And for the record, I’m all about my career. Pretty boys like you? Not interested,” Joanna added with a smirk.

Joanna knew the Gellar family was all about lust and no real substance. They would never be able to go up against someone like Landon.

Marvin went quiet, shutting his eyes in misery. ‘Is this really how I die?’ he thought, despair washing over him.

Before long, the car crossed into Norava’s territory.

Amelia was already waiting for them at the highway exit, surrounded by her people.

Maisie was there too.

When she saw Joanna, she said, “Mom, it’s been a while.”

“Mais?” Joanna’s emotions surged. “Why are you here?”

“I missed you, so I came to see you,” Maisie replied. She wore a silk camisole and wide–leg trousers, radiating confidence and competence.

The arrogance she once had was gone. She was a truly tough woman now.

Joanna was filled with mixed emotions.

Her beloved daughter had finally become a queen herself. But now, the queen resented her mother.

“Marvin’s in there, right?” Maisie glanced into the car. “He doesn’t seem too eager to help out Gloria.”

“It’s alright. I have a way,” Joanna replied, though her words sounded a bit strained.

“Okay, let’s get moving!” Maisie said as she climbed into the front passenger seat.

Daniel and Amelia shared a car, leading the way to the hospital.

Joanna had spent the whole ride cracking up at Marvin’s ridiculous antics. She was actually in a pretty good mood.

But now, sitting next to her own daughter, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her face felt so stiff, she couldn’t even pull off a normal expression.

Joanna had pictured a million ways their reunion could go–screaming, crying, hugs, accusations, maybe even a little love mixed with hate…

But this? She never saw this coming.

Maisie was just way too calm.

In fact, it made Joanna feel seriously unsettled.

“How have you been these days?” Maisie finally broke the silence.

“I’m alright,” Joanna replied, her voice dry.

“When are you coming home?” Maisie asked again.

Joanna fell silent, and her hands started to tremble uncontrollably on the steering wheel.

‘Home? Do I even have a home to go back to anymore?’ she thought helplessly.

“You’re my mom. I’ll do my best to keep you safe. That villa is still your home,” Maisie said.

Joanna couldn’t help but glance sideways at her daughter.

Maisie’s face was as calm as her voice, giving nothing away.

Inside, Joanna felt as if a heavy stone had crashed into her heart, sending ripples everywhere.

After a long pause, she finally said. “You know I can’t go back.”

“Marvin’s lateness says it all. The Mystic Sect just isn’t meant to last,” Maisie said.

Joanna replied, “I know. That’s why failure isn’t an option.”

“Why make life so hard for yourself?” Maisie sneered. “Wouldn’t it be better to live like me in Lunova, with wealth and power?”

“You don’t understand, I hate…” Joanna said, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Hate Catherine? Hate my father? Mom, get real. It’s them who have every reason to hate you, not the other way around,” Maisie cut in coldly.

Joanna was silent.

Since she finally saw her daughter, she didn’t want to argue.

“I’ll make Marvin cure Gloria, and then… I’m leaving. We don’t ever have to see each other again,” Joanna said, forcing herself to sound heartless.

Now it was Maisie’s turn to go quiet.

After a moment, she just said, “Alright.”

That was the end of it. They were both too stubborn–no amount of talking would change a thing.

They could only let the pain stay buried deep, where no one could see.

When they arrived at the hospital, Wesley and Morgan were already there.

Marvin was hauled into the ward like a sack of potatoes, feeling so hopeless he could’ve burst into tears.

‘Someone, please, help me!’ he thought desperately.