Chapter 4
She turned around and saw Patricia standing at the kitchen door in cleaning gloves, her casual elegance making her no different from the hostess.
Though Paulette was deeply upset, she maintained expressionless and responded, “Yeah?”
“Nothing important, really. I just want a quick word with you.”
The smile on Patricia’s face was gentle, though her eyes were devoid of any emotion. “Nelson told me you’ve been a straight–A student all these years, and you even skipped grades a few times. You’re about to graduate, right? Have you figured out where to intern?”
She pretended to care, but Paulette knew she was probing.
Paulette smiled, “I don’t think it’s got anything to do with you, Patricia.”
Nelson had said she could intern at the Chapman Group, which made her thrilled, thinking she could finally stand by his side and thrive together.
But not anymore.
She no longer wanted that.
Patricia’s expression froze for a second before she forced a smile. “I’m just trying to express my concern. After all, Nelson is a man. There’s stuff that can be hard for fathers to talk about with their daughters.”
Paulette wanted to say that was so not true. She had always shared everything with Nelson over the years.
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Chapter 4
But she was looking at his first love, his beloved.
So, she didn’t retort..
She just said, “I see.”
Her reaction surprised Patricia, whose eyes flickered. After a few seconds, Patricia said tentatively, “You’re twenty years old, right? I presume things are getting awkward living together with Nelson. Hey, why don’t you move in with me? I’ll be so happy to have company.”
Paulette had seen enough tangled affections in dramas.
She had always thought those plots were exaggerated. Yet now, she realized reality was just as dramatic.
Patricia just wanted her to stay away from Nelson.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the irritation that was really getting to her.
But in the end, she chose not to hold back anymore. She stepped forward, looked Patricia in the eye, and said, “Shall I thank you for caring about. me so much?”
At this precise moment, Patricia almost mistook Paulette for Nelson–their presence was equally intimidating. She instinctively stepped back a few times and stuttered, “N–No.”
Suddenly, her gaze shifted to a certain point behind Paulette as she said. gently, “Paula, you never have to worry about me taking Nelson away from you. You’ll always be the one he cares about. I…”
Before she could finish, she tripped over the sliding door track and fell backward hard.
Paulette wanted to help her, only to be yanked by her with great force and
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shoved against the table.
Nelson looked at her with nothing but disappointment and coldness in his eyes. “Paulette, you let me down. The older you get, the viler you
become.”
Nelson’s gaze was chilling to the bone, and Paulette couldn’t utter a word.
Her side slammed into the dining table, and the sharp pain was killing her. Yet, all Nelson did was pick up Patricia carefully and then stride out with her in his arms.
J
Tears streamed down Paulette’s face uncontrollably. She sniffed, not being able to move at all.
A few minutes later, someone opened the door.
It was Nancy.
Humming, she walked briskly to the dining room. Upon seeing Paulette, she exclaimed and said with astonishment and distress, “Ms. Davenport? What happened? Why are you crying so hard?”
Paulette couldn’t hold back any longer. She said, her voice trembling, “Help me, Nancy… Please… It hurts so much”
Nancy called the property management for a car and took Paulette to the nearest hospital.
The doctor gave her a check–up. Luckily, there was no serious damage.
“Be careful these days. Avoid any pressure on your waist and remember to apply the spray regularly,” the doctor reminded her after filling out the prescription. Then she comforted Paulette while looking at Paulette’s pretty face, “The bruises may seem a bit terrifying, but they’ll go away. Don’t worry.”
