Chapter 219
When Athena returned to Natasha’s side, Natasha gave her a mischievous look and winked. “Prince Xander treats you well, doesn’t he?” she grinned. “When are you two tying the knot?”
Athena blushed slightly. Recalling her conversation with Xander, she admitted to herself, "I was being greedy.
I’m so lonely that if anyone shows me even a shred of care or concern, I just want to cling to them.
It’s like that with Natasha, and so it is with Xander.
Their kindness makes me feel truly alive and truly human.
Naturally, I want to repay their kindness.
I know it’s silly, but after having been neglected and unloved since I was young, I can’t help but treasure these rare moments of warmth."
“Let’s talk about that later,” Athena hedged. She couldn’t explain her complicated relationship with Xander to Natasha, so she could only give a vague answer.
As they were about to part ways, Natasha earnestly urged, “You simply must come visit me when you have time!”
“Alright, I promise I will.” Athena nodded in response.
Upon returning home, Athena instructed Trina to deliver two sets of century-old herbs, one to Xander and another to Natasha, as tokens of gratitude.
Willow was carried back to the Duke’s Estate in a severely injured state. The excruciating pain from her broken leg made her wail incessantly, and her agonized screams reverberated through the entire courtyard.
“Mother, it hurts… it hurts so much.” Willow sobbed hoarsely as she clutched at Eloise like a lifeline, her face streaked with tears.
Her messy hair clung to her tear-stained cheeks as she wept in utter misery.
The agony from her shattered leg was so unbearable that she wished for death. She had even passed out from the pain multiple times on the way home.
Eloise’s heart ached unbearably as she watched Willow in agony.
But she wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t bear the pain for her daughter. All she could do was hold Willow helplessly, murmuring again and again, “Willow, my poor girl, you’ve suffered so much… you’ve truly suffered…”
Inside the room, mother and daughter clung tightly to each other.
Outside, the Duke of Suffield’s face was ashen with rage as he berated Matthew, “She went to a party perfectly fine. How did she come back battered and broken? Her wedding is in just two days. What on earth are we supposed to do now?”
The marriage alliance between the Monson and Osborne families had already been fraught with changes and delays.
Now, with the wedding date fast approaching and Willow’s leg broken, how could the Duke of Suffield not be furious!
The Duke of Suffield pointed his whip at Matthew and demanded, “Speak! What exactly happened here?”
Matthew knelt on the ground, fear written all over his face. He explained, “Father, it was all Athena’s fault! That troublemaker is the one who made Willow fall and break her leg."
Even though Athena had produced evidence that Willow had set her up first, Matthew only hesitated for a moment before shifting all the blame back onto Athena.
Chapter 219
"After all, someone has to take the blame for this," he thought. "If I admit responsibility, what standing would I have left in this household? Athena has always been my scapegoat – what’s one more time?"
The Duke of Suffield’s ashen face showed a flicker of surprise. “Athena?” he exclaimed.
His expression was a complex mix of shock and fury.
Taking a deep breath, the Duke of Suffield spat out through clenched teeth, “She’s become so vicious. And, out of jealousy for Willow, she’d stoop to ruining her wedding plans.”
At this painful thought, he slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, “This is downright monstrous!”
Nicolas hurried inside to check on Willow’s injuries. He emerged with a grim expression and declared, “Father, we can’t keep indulging her like this."
He almost never lost control like this. The once refined gentleman now stood there, his face contorted with rage.
It was as if Athena were the most heinous of criminals.
Nicolas addressed the Duke of Suffield, “I thought that sending her out of the estate would make her know her place and completely mend her ways. But now she even dares to harm Willow. Who knows what unhinged atrocities she might commit next?
“Father, please grant me permission to bring Athena back to the estate to… properly discipline her.”
He spat out the last words through gritted teeth, a primal savagery emanating from his very bones, his eyes blazing with ferocious hatred, like a beast intent on tearing Athena apart and devouring her whole.
The Duke of Suffield had been wavering, unsure whether to break ties with Athena, but Nicolas’s words finally steeled his resolve.
He thought with growing dread, “If Athena dared to make a lethal attack on Willow today, anyone in this estate could be next. It might be Matthew, or Joseph. Not even Eloise or I would be spared her mercilessness."
The chilling image of Athena pressing a blade to his own throat sent cold sweat instantly drenching his back.
He looked into Nicolas’s resentful eyes and finally nodded slowly in response, “Athena has indeed gone too far. Go and bring her back, but handle this discreetly. Do not use excessive force. Remember, she now enjoys… certain powerful connections.”
Nicolas fully grasped the veiled meaning in the Duke of Suffield’s words.
With Prince Xander backing Athena, pushing too hard would be a direct slap in the face to the Xander Manor.
“But how can we 'invite' her back?” Nicolas thought as he was caught in a dilemma.
Matthew gloated inwardly as he offered his scheme, “That wretched girl cares most about Grandma. If she hears Grandma is critically ill, she’ll come running back without fail!”
“How could you even suggest such a thing about Grandma?” Nicolas feigned shock, though his voice remained eerily calm.
A calculating gleam flashed in his eyes, and he was clearly not opposed to the idea.
However, it simply couldn’t come from his mouth.
After all, as the heir to the Duke’s Estate and Margaret’s favorite, he couldn’t risk hurting her feelings.
Sensing Nicolas’s tacit approval, Matthew raised his voice, “Grandma has always favored Athena, and she gives her everything! I can’t stomach that! So what if she pretends to be ill for a few days? It’s not like it will really hurt her. Father has no reason to say no."
His words carried a double meaning – he was clearly proposing to use Margaret’s feigned illness as a ruse to lure Athena back.
That way, Athena would have no choice but to return to the estate.
2/3 Chapter 219
Once she’s back, she’ll be completely under the Monson family’s control.
If they were successful, they could even demand that she return everything Margaret had given her.
The Duke of Suffield’s brows knitted tightly in distress. "No matter what, she’s still my mother," he thought. "As her son, how could I even consider harming her? Surely, such an act would invite heaven’s wrath!"
Just as the Duke of Suffield was wrestling with his conscience, agonized screams tore through the chamber. Willow’s voice, which was raw with pain, cried, "It hurts! It hurts so much! Just let me die, Mother, Mother! Is my leg broken? Am I going to become a cripple?"
The heart-rending, ragged screams wrenched the Duke of Suffield’s heart.
The Duke of Suffield reasoned, “Right, it’s just making my mother appear ill for a few days, it’s not as if we’re taking her life. If I continue to hesitate like this, it could mean the downfall of our household."
The Duke of Suffield steeled himself, his expression hardening as he gave a slight nod. “Matthew, see to it,” he ordered coldly.
Nicolas is the heir of the Monson family, and there can’t be any blemish on his record.
On the other hand, Matthew is already a lost cause. Even if the truth comes out, they can always pin it all on him and keep Nicolas clean.
Matthew’s eyes burned with a manic intensity, electrified by this rare show of paternal trust. “Rest assured, Father,” he vowed fervently. “I will see this matter through to perfection!”
While they were conspiring to set up both Margaret and Athena, Fiona, who was standing outside, felt a chill run down her spine.
"What a den of monsters!" she thought in horror. "They are willing to even harm their own flesh and blood. Their daughter and mother aren’t safe from their schemes."
As footsteps approached, Fiona’s heart leapt in her throat before she quickly slipped away.