Chapter 173 Do Not Be Provoked
Upon waking up the next morning, Madelyn suddenly decided to join Lydia in preparing breakfast.
As soon as Sebastian descended the stairs, he was met with a table laden with an array of nutritious and hearty food such as milk, sandwiches, fried eggs, hot dogs, bacon, and so on. He was slightly taken aback. “You prepared all this?”
“Mhm hmm. What do you think? Not too shabby, right?” Madelyn said, smiling as she untied her apron. Sebastian grinned.
Then, the two of them quietly sat down to have breakfast. Just as he took a sip of milk, Lydia suddenly rushed in. “Mr. Lockhart, Madam is here!”
Upon hearing those words, Sebastian immediately furrowed his brows. Madelyn was somewhat taken aback. After all, since their engagement, she had never seen Sebastian’s parents appear there. Just as she was deep in thought, Marsha stormed through the door with an imposing presence. Her expression appeared fierce and serious, as if someone had stolen millions from her.
“Mom, why are you here?” Sebastian asked, puzzled. “Ask Madelyn!” Marsha was enraged. “She knows exactly why I came here today.”
“Me?” Upon hearing those words, Madelyn glanced at Sebastian with confusion, feeling uneasy. Still, she politely asked, “Mom, what did I do?” “To think you have the audacity to ask! You’ve completely disgraced the Lockhart family!” Marsha slammed a sealed envelope onto the table, roaring. “Take a good look for yourself. See what’s inside!”
Madelyn and Sebastian were both somewhat bewildered. Then, Sebastian unsealed the envelope and took out the contents inside. It was a stack of photographs.
In the first photo, Madelyn was standing close to Maxton. Due to the angle of the shot, they appeared to be leaning on each other. Sebastian instantly furrowed his brows. When he glanced at another photo, he saw Madelyn and Josiah alone, sharing a conversation. Due to the angle of the shot, they appeared incredibly close, even exuding a hint of ambiguity. Madelyn was shocked. Where did these photos come from?
Sebastian frowned, casting a meaningful glance at Madelyn. “What will you say now that you’ve seen these?” With her arms crossed over her chest, Marsha spoke with a mix of anger and disdain. “Madelyn, you’re supposed to be the daughter of a prestigious family. How can you have no sense of decency!”
“L…,” Madelyn was completely taken aback. For a moment, she didn’t know how to explain. While she was with Maxton and Josiah, they were merely platonic friends. Someone intentionally took these photos, but who? Marsha was exasperated as she insulted, “A while ago, I had finally started seeing you in a new light. However, it’s only been a few days, and you’re already revealing your true colors! To think you were messing around outside! There’s no woman out there like you! Not only that, you’re a married woman. When will you change this promiscuous personality of yours? Do you intend to stop only after you’ve completely disgraced the Lockhart family?”
Madelyn was racked with a headache. Oh god, I’m being falsely accused! However, she had no choice but to soothe Marsha’s emotions first. “Mom, can you please calm down and listen to what I have to say?” “The evidence is all here. What else do you have to say?” Marsha scoffed with disdain. Madelyn steadied her breath, reminding herself to remain composed. At times like this, arguing will only make things worse.
“Mom, how did you come by those photos?” Madelyn asked once she had regained her composure. “Early this morning, someone delivered these photos to the mansion. By now, I’m afraid everyone knows!” The more Marsha spoke, the more upset she became, feeling as if her heart was about to shatter. She simply couldn’t bring herself to like her daughter–in–law.
Hearing that, Madelyn cursed in her mind. Fck! There’s only one person capable of being such a tattletale, Janessa! She usually texted Sebastian in the past, but I guess she knew it was ineffective now, so she approached his mother instead! Seems like this btch’s getting smarter. I’m still upset, but at least I know what’s going on. She immediately clarified sincerely. “Mom, you’ve misunderstood. Of the two men in these photos, one is my martial arts coach from the combat training center. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Sebastian. He knows, too. As for the other one, his name is Josiah, the son of the Blume family, and we are just friends.”
“The Blume family?” Marsha suddenly paused. “Which Blume family are you referring to?” Madelyn replied rather indifferently. “In this city, there’s only one Blume family.” “Are you referring to the one who holds significant military power in the nation?” Marsha asked, puzzled. Madelyn nodded. “Indeed.”
Upon hearing those words, Marsha calmed down. Although the Blume family had never been involved in business and hardly interacted with the Lockhart family, almost no one in the city dared to offend them. As Marsha thought about it, her anger subsided. Despite that, she still lectured, “Even though they’re not bad people, you’re a married woman, Madelyn. It would be best if you limit your interactions with other men in the future. It would save you from unnecessary gossip.” Upon hearing those words, Madelyn smiled gently and said, “Mom, you can rest easy. I’m just friends with them, and Sebastian even met them before. These photos were clearly taken from certain angles on purpose. I suspect someone with ill intentions is trying to mislead you with these out–of–context images. Mom, you mustn’t fall for their scheme to sow discord.” Upon hearing those words, Marsha was speechless and somewhat irritated. Initially, she visited to confront and question her daughter–in–law, giving the latter a piece of her mind. To her surprise, Madelyn refuted everything perfectly. Hence, all Marsha could do was sigh silently. Just at that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang. “I’m coming.” Lydia swiftly went to answer the door. When she opened the door, everyone saw Harriet.