Chapter 132: I Hate You

Prudence frowned. “Love and care are never equal, my dear. Legitimate children will always be favored somewhat. Clark may be an illegitimate son, but he is still your father’s flesh and blood, and as your grandmother, I do care for him. But sometimes, hard choices must be made. One cannot always have everything.”

Martha giggled, leaning against Prudence. Her voice was sweet and coquettish. “Grandmother, I knew you’d understand.”

Prudence patted her hand affectionately. “Enough with the flattery. Now, Clark is in trouble. Tell me exactly what happened tonight. I need to know so I can make a plan. If something happens to Clark, your mother won’t forgive you.”

Martha recounted the evening’s events. “Everything was going smoothly at first. We lured him to the tavern, where he drank a drugged wine. As planned, we had him in the private room with that shameless woman, and Kameron was supposed to barge in and catch them in the act. He was supposed to make a scene and call for other guests to witness it, so Clark’s reputation would be destroyed, and he would never have a chance to rise in his career.”

Martha paused, her expression sour. “But guess what? Everything was perfectly arranged, yet it still went wrong. Clark said he needed to use the restroom, leaving me and Kameron waiting in the neighboring room. But he didn’t come back for ages, and I heard crying coming from the room. It was a perfect opportunity, so Kameron went in to open the door. There was no light in the room, and neither of them could see clearly. So, Kameron just started hitting. But guess what? The man inside was Clark! They didn’t know what was happening, so they started fighting. The noise attracted other guests, and I rushed to stop it, but… I was pulled outside by a servant from the Pearl Tower, Hattie. I didn’t even know what was going on at first. She dragged me to the carriage and threatened me on the way back to the estate.”

Martha pulled open her collar, revealing a red mark on her neck. “Grandmother, look at this. She even dared to lay her hands on me and threatened me that if I told anyone about her and the Pearl Tower, she would ruin my face.”

Prudence’s eyes narrowed as she examined the bruise. The mark was deep, with a hint of purple in the center. It was clear someone had used considerable force.

Martha, seeing the fire in Prudence’s eyes, shrank back. “I was afraid she’d really scar my face, so I didn’t tell you right away. I’m sorry.”

Prudence asked, her voice calm but firm, “Did Clark say anything?”

Martha hesitated, her voice trembling. “He… he yelled at me. He said that from now on, he would never consider us his family anymore.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t want to do this to him, but my brother said that if I didn’t help him, Clark would grow up to be like Father—useless and weak. He’d never amount to anything. That’s why I did it.”

A cold, steely glint appeared in Prudence’s eyes. “Who else knows about this? Who told the Pearl Tower about this?”

“No, I went alone,” Martha said, then suddenly added, “Oh, I did tell Nicole. But she’s family, so she wouldn’t spill anything, right?”

Prudence’s voice turned harsh. “Go and fetch Nicole.”

Martha tried to plead. “Grandmother, don’t be angry. It wasn’t Nicole’s fault. Michelle wouldn’t be so careless.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Prudence said coldly.

Reluctantly, Martha stood up and left. A triumphant gleam appeared in her eyes, her face a picture of audacity.

Nicole, having guessed what was going on, was summoned to see Prudence. Upon arriving, she immediately knelt before her.

Priscilla, entering the room, was shocked to see Nicole on the floor and demanded, “What is this? What’s going on?”

Prudence’s eyes glinted as she turned to Nicole. “Since you’ve already knelt, I take it you know you’re in the wrong. Now, tell me why you told the Pearl Tower about this?”

Priscilla’s anger flared, but Prudence silenced her with a sharp glance, motioning for her to stand by in silence as she waited for Nicole to explain.

Nicole slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. “Grandmother, haven’t our family been a laughingstock enough? I just didn’t want people to talk badly about us anymore. I didn’t want them to say things about Duke’s estate.”

Prudence raised her voice, a trace of disdain creeping into her tone. “Oh? So you’re concerned about the family name? Tell me, why do you care so much about the family’s reputation?”

Nicole bowed her head, silent.

Prudence raised her voice even higher, now clearly irritated. “Is it because you want to marry into a good family? You thought of yourself and, knowing Isolde has always gone against Vance, you still went to her for help, hoping she would take care of your brother and sister. And why did your brother do it? He’s doing it for his own benefit, but is that wrong? You’re no better than he is.”

With those final words, Prudence’s voice was like ice.

Priscilla, furious, slapped Nicole across the face. “So, it was you who betrayed your brother, who told the Pearl Tower? Do you even know how much trouble you’ve caused? Your brother is hurt and in the authorities’ hands right now! If he dies, I’ll chop you into pieces and use you to cover his grave!”

Nicole froze, her face draining of color. “What happened to him?” she whispered, stunned.

Priscilla shouted angrily, “He was beaten by Isolde’s people and framed for fighting over a woman. Now, he’s in the authorities’ hands! Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Nicole, pale as a ghost, asked, “No… that’s impossible. Isolde promised me she wouldn’t let things escalate. She said she’d only rescue Clark.”

Prudence’s disappointment was palpable as she gazed at Nicole. “You actually believed her? She has the audacity to threaten even me. Do you think she would keep her word? You practically delivered us to her on a silver platter! You’ve just made a huge mess for us all. I’m utterly disappointed in you.”

Nicole’s tears began to flow as she knelt and sobbed, “Grandmother, I just didn’t want us to tear each other apart. If Clark has a future, shouldn’t we be happy for him? I’m sorry, I’ve been selfish. I’ve been thinking about my own future. I’m an old maid now, I can’t help but worry…”

Prudence, barely holding her temper, pointed a trembling finger at her. “Enough! Get out! Leave this place.”

Nicole, seeing the heartbreak and fury on her grandmother and mother’s faces, knew she could say nothing more. She lowered her head, bowed, and exited.

As she stepped out into the courtyard, she found Martha waiting for her.

Martha glared at her, eyes blazing with anger. “I’ve never kept anything from you, but you betrayed me. You ran straight to the Pearl Tower. From now on, we’re no longer sisters. If anything happens to Clark, I’ll never forgive you.”

With that, Martha turned and stormed off.

Nicole, overwhelmed with grief, had no words left. She whispered under her breath, “Isolde, I hate you.”