Chapter 164
As soon as she disappeared from view, the smile faded from Austin’s face. He glanced at the scattered groceries on the counter, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He pulled out his phone and made a call. He said to the phone, “Andrew’s been living too easy lately. Keep him busy.” His voice was full of mockery, as if he were just sharing a private joke.
Andrew’s showing up didn’t faze Emily one bit. She’d never expected anything from the Bennett Family anyway.
But Andrew, on the other hand, was fuming. Not even his parents had ever chewed him out to his face like that when he was a kid. He was determined to make Austin’s life hell.
Andrew thought, ‘Honestly, this is all Emily’s fault anyway. She is always causing trouble and acting out, but I never thought she’d actually pull a stunt like this just to get our attention.
‘She barely knows that Austin guy with a shady background, and now she is already shacking up with him? It is humiliating. And then there is Lucas. If he knows Emily is living with Austin, why doesn’t he tell us?’
Andrew, finally having someone to take his anger out on, went straight to Lucas and really let him have it.
Lucas was stunned. The last time Andrew had given him such a serious scolding was back when he was ten, after sneaking Emily out to watch a car race and almost losing her. He never thought it’d be because of Emily again.
But the only reason Lucas kept it from the family was for Emily’s own good.
He thought, ‘Emily is already on bad terms with others, and everything she does is just to get their attention. But the way she goes about it is way over the top-it is only backfiring on her.
‘I keep it a secret to help her, but she has gone and ratted me out to Andrew.’
After getting chewed out, Lucas was bottling up his frustration. He hadn’t even figured out how to let off steam when he turned around and ran right into Emily, who had just come back from outside.
All the anger he’d managed to suppress flared up again. He demanded, “Emily, you’d better give me an explanation.” He took a big step and blocked her path, looking furious, like she’d done something unforgivable.
Emily took a few steps back, her expression wary, as if she was ready to dodge at any moment.
Lucas didn’t even notice how wary she looked. He just kept pressing her, “Why did you go running to Andrew? I covered for you about shacking up with a man because I was trying to help you.
“Not only are you ungrateful, but you even told Andrew I kept it from the family on purpose, that I don’t treat you like family, and that’s why you’re drifting apart from everyone.”
That was what really set Lucas off. He thought, ‘If I didn’t see Emily as family, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to look out for her. I wouldn’t have let that pretty boy, Austin, call me brainless to my face.
‘I have been the king of Cloudridge for years-when have I ever been humiliated like this? I swallowed my pride and put up with all of this for Emily.
‘But not only did she not appreciate it, she even pinned the blame on me in front of Andrew’
Emily frowned, taking another step back. She didn’t know what Andrew or Lucas had been saying about her, but she knew all too well-once those two made up their minds, even if she cried her heart out, it wouldn’t change a thing.
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Chapter 164
She’d just end up looking like a pitiful clown, bawling her eyes out trying to explain herself, only for Lucas to turn her misery into a drunken joke for his buddies.
So now, she honestly couldn’t care less what either of them said about her anymore.
She said calmly, “So, Lucas, are you blocking my way because you want me to admit I was wrong and apologize? Or do you want me to bow and beg for your forgiveness?”
