Chapter 17
Gary scolded, “Just take a look at yourself! Dahlia has done so much for you, and how did you repay her?”
He pointed at Lucille. Gary’s eyes were burning with anger as he stared at her indifferent, unapologetic expression.
Lucille lazily lifted her eyes. She glanced at Gary and smirked. “I’ve let Dahlia and her daughter live off me for decades without asking for anything in return. Dad, how could you even think of asking me to repay them?”
Her face still bore that infuriating smile as she turned to Dahlia and Oriel.
Lucille said, “Look at the state Oriel’s in now. If you want me to repay Dahlia, aren’t you afraid it might shorten her life?”
“Lucille Stuart!”
Gary’s face darkened with fury, especially when Lucielle harshly cursed against Oriel. He raised his hand, ready to slap Lucille across the face.
“What’s going on here?”
At that moment, a deep, commanding voice echoed from the doorway.
The tone was calm, but it was enough to pause his action.
Everyone turned to the door. Flint wore a smoke–gray suit as he was led into the house by a maid.
His casual demeanor carried an invisible pressure.
Even though Gary was now the head of Stuart Group and Flint’s father–in–law, he couldn’t maintain his usual authority in front of Flint.
Forcing down his anger, Gary plastered on a smile and welcomed him. “Flint, what brings you here?”
Flint didn’t answer the question. Instead, he leisurely walked into the room. His gaze fell subtly on Lucille’s lazy expression, and his brow was slightly furrowing.
It had only been two days since he’d last seen her, but this woman seemed almost unrecognizable to him now.
He had clearly heard the harsh words she’d just spoken.
Flint wasn’t fully acquainted with the Cobbs situation. All he knew was that Gary’s current wife was Lucille’s stepmother, who had brought a stepsister into the marriage and later had a son with Gary.
He had thought Lucille and her stepmother got along well, but the current situation didn’t quite match what he knew.
“I heard Lucy come back to her parents‘ house, so I decided to come over,” Flint said casually.
He didn’t dwell on the family dynamics. His gaze settled on Lucille’s face as he walked over to her.
Lucille was surprised that Flint would show up here. If she remembered correctly, Flint had only set foot in the Cobb Mansion once after they got married. Flint only visited the Cobb Mansion when Jacob compelled him to do so.
They were getting a divorce now, but this man suddenly decided to grace the mansion with his presence.
Lucille smirked sarcastically.
Flint pretended not to notice the ridicule in Lucille’s eyes. He glanced at her, then turned to Gary. Flint asked nonchalantly, “I saw you raising your hand to hit Lucy just now. What unforgivable thing could she have done to make you so angry?”
Gary’s anger flared up again as Flint’s question reminded him of Lucille’s sharp words earlier.
Dahlia rolled her eyes and quickly stepped forward to intercept Gary before he could explain the situation to Flint. She tried to smooth things over and said, “Let it go, Gary. It’s nothing, really. Don’t mention it. Lucy and Flint rarely visit. Let’s not ruin the family’s harmony over such a small matter.”
The more Dahlia was understanding, the more Gary’s heart ached for her, and the harder it was for him to suppress his anger.
Similarly, the more she tried to brush things off, the more it fueled Flint’s curiosity about what had actually happened.
