Chapter 68 Hard Pill to Swallow
Crystal’s question caused a loud ringing in Michael’s ears. He had been worried about his wife’s health and Angie’s future. All along, he had wished to conceal the truth about Angie’s birth so that others wouldn’t know that Angie was Cameron’s daughter. However, he forgot about how smart his wife was. She was an intelligent and sharp woman—the one question she asked had struck the bull’s eye immediately.
Yeah. That’s true. If Angie isn’t our daughter, why would she look so much like Crystal? Could I say that it’s just a coincidence? Hiding the truth and telling an outright lie are two different things. If Crystal didn’t ask about it, I would just be hiding the truth. But since she asked about it, I’d be lying if I answered her. She might not get too mad if I choose to hide something this huge from her, but if I told an outright lie, I’m sure she’ll be furious! Michael’s face turned pale as a layer of sweat formed on his forehead.
As he stared at his wife, his mind was spinning at the speed of light in search of a way to resolve this issue. But Crystal wasn’t being patient. “Answer me, Michael. Tell me—if Angie isn’t our daughter, then why does she look so much like me?”
“Yeah, Dad. Mom’s right!” Angie leaped over and clung to Michael’s arm. “You must be lying, Dad! I must be your daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn’t look so similar to Mom! Why are you lying, Dad? I’m your daughter. Why would you say that Madeline’s your daughter? What’s wrong with you, Dad?” Angie was certain that she was their biological daughter. She had to be! She looked just like Crystal, so she had to be blood-related to her. Madeline must have found a way to fool my dad!
“It’s Madeline! She must have lied to you!” Angie pointed at Madeline while she used her other tug on Michael’s arm. “She must have lied to you, Dad. How could a cheap, dirty woman like her be you and Mom’s daughter? She—”
“Shut up!” Michael barked angrily. “Stop scolding Madeline. She’s our biological daughter and the young lady of the Wendel Family. I will not forgive you if I hear you talking bad about her again!”
“Dad, did you just… shout at me…?” Angie widened her teary eyes as she shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve never shouted at me, Dad. Now… You’re shouting…” Tears trickled down Angie’s face as she felt her body turning cold. She shuddered as her limbs tingled from the icy feeling she felt under her skin. She was truly dejected—her father had just shouted at her because of Madeline. If Madeline’s really my mom and dad’s daughter, then will I still have a spot in this family?
When Sebastian saw how shocked Angie seemed after being shouted at by Michael, he curled his lips into a smile. Why does she look like her whole world is collapsing just after her father shouted at her? What a spoiled brat! Sebastian turned to give Quinton a look, and Quinton immediately understood.
Moments later, Quinton stepped toward Angie before giving her two slaps on her face. Everyone was stunned for a moment, but Cedric was the first to return to his senses. He ran over to Angie and wrapped his arms around her to protect her. “What are you doing?” he shouted at Quinton.
Quinton smiled. “We’re only being nice since Mr. and Mrs. Wendel are here. Otherwise, we would have given her more than two slaps! She talked bad about Mrs. Hart in front of the Hart Family—this is merely a tiny lesson we’re teaching her!”
“You—” Cedric was just about to hit Quinton when Jonathan walked over to stop him. Cedric glared at Jonathan angrily. “Why did you stop me, Jonathan? This is the Wendel House. They’re bullying our sister on our turf! Others would laugh at us if they heard about this!”
“Shut up!” Jonathan glared at him. “Angie was the one who made a mistake with her words. Why didn’t you get mad when she was the one scolding others? Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Angie was simply a little more straightforward. She only made a nasty comment about Madeline, but they’re the ones who got physical!” Cedric protested.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cedric. We prefer not to attack others verbally, as that ruins our reputation.” Quinton claimed to be sorry, but he didn’t seem apologetic at all. This only made Cedric angrier. “You’re a man who just hit a woman. Are you proud of yourself?” Cedric hissed.
Quinton smirked. “I don’t care about one’s gender and age. To me, people are only segregated into two groups—friend and foe.” At that moment, there were stars in Joel’s eyes as he stared at Quinton. The young boy pulled his hand away from Sebastian’s to jump around while clapping his hands. “You’re so cool, Mr. Quinton! You’re so handsome!”
Cedric shot Joel a fierce glare. Swoosh! The young boy immediately disappeared behind Sebastian. Meanwhile, Quincy stepped forward and stood beside Sebastian to protect Joel. “Do you want to pick a fight?” Quincy gave Cedric a provocative glare.
Madeline quickly walked over to Quincy before holding the young boy’s hand. “Why are you scaring the kids?” she asked Cedric calmly. “I’ll fight you, Mr. Cedric.”
“Please, don’t.” Quinton chuckled. “You’re going to put me out of my job, Mrs. Hart.”
“You’re the one who’s doing our job now, Quinton.” Right then, Emory and Leonard stepped forward and stopped in front of Madeline. “It’s our job to take care of Mrs. Hart.”
Cedric was fuming at this point. They clearly aren’t showing the Wendels any respect since they came all the way here to cause trouble with us. Sure, the Hart Family might occupy a really exclusive spot in the business world, but that doesn’t give them the right to bully us like that, right? Us Wendels aren’t going to give in so easily! “Are you guys all dead?” Cedric turned around and shouted at his bodyguards.
The few of his bodyguards had been stunned before that, but they hurried over upon hearing him shout. Do they think that I, the fourth son of the Wendel Family, am going to fight the Hart Family’s bodyguards? I wouldn’t lower my standards like that!
“Return to your positions!” The bodyguards had just made their way over when Michael’s shout made their footsteps halt. “Dad—” Cedric gazed at his father resentfully.
“Shut up!” Michael barked at Cedric. Michael had always been a gentle, warm, and loving man, and Cedric had never seen his father acting in such an emotionally unstable manner.
Although Cedric was the wild one in the family, he was still a filial son who would obey his father, even if he didn’t want to. In the end, Cedric shut his mouth and gritted his teeth as he glared at Madeline and her people. Madeline looked extremely calm. I’d be lucky to gain anything, and I’d be fine even if I don’t gain anything from this, she told herself. After all, she was no longer at the age where she needed her parents.
Even though she longed to feel her parents’ love, Madeline knew that some things simply couldn’t be forced. If Michael and Crystal were willing to take her as their daughter, she’d be glad to spend time with them and respect them. However, if they felt like it was hard for them to do such a thing, she would understand as well. She would accept their decision without feeling any pain or regret.
Although Madeline was still young, she had been through a lot. Therefore, her worldviews were much more mature than others. The best thing that came out of her experiences was probably her ability to face her troubles with a neutral attitude.
While the few of them were fighting, Crystal had been trying her best to contain her emotions. She knew her body the best, and she didn’t want to collapse before she found out about the truth!
