Chapter 10

With Laurelle's departure, the atmosphere in the Fletcher residence became tense. She was the one who'd made a fuss about getting engaged to Maverick, but now she'd suddenly declared she didn't want to marry him. The Fletchers looked at one another. None of them had expected the easygoing Laurelle to leave without even taking a single glance at Maverick. Bianca broke the silence. "Mom, Dad, let's calm down. Laurelle is still young and immature. She just hasn't come around after all the suffering she had to go through in prison. That's why she talked back to you—" "She's already 24. She's not young." William slammed the table in anger. "She's a grown woman. How could she speak without considering the consequences of her words? "Who says that she can call the engagement off just like that? If she were to actually call it off, wouldn't she just be confirming that you and Maverick are guilty? She's not considerate toward others at all!" Bianca hung her head low as her eyes filled with tears. "As long as Laurie is happy, I don't mind bearing the brunt… Won't people just call me names? At most, I'll just bear with it." Leona's heart ached for Bianca when she saw her like that. She rubbed Bianca's shoulders and said, "A woman's reputation is important. How would you face others if rumors started spreading about you stealing your younger sister's fiancé?" Bianca pursed her lips and clasped her hands in front of her. She looked askance at Maverick, who was sitting on the couch without saying a word. He held onto a cigarette between his well-defined fingers. His brows were furrowed together slightly. His face looked hazy behind the clouds of smoke. His response was too unusual. A nagging feeling of uneasiness gnawed at Bianca. She was about to go up to him and cajole him coquettishly when she saw him put his cigarette out. He then rose to his feet. "I'm leaving." William and Leona looked briefly at one another. Right after that, they shot Bianca a look. Bianca nodded. She followed behind Maverick and said, "It's raining. Let me walk you out." The moment Bianca and Maverick left the room, William asked in a concerned voice, "You don't think Maverick is angry to the point that he'd call off the engagement with our family, do you? The expression on his face was so dark when he left." The Grays were one of the wealthiest families around. Many would stretch their hands out as much as they could in order to become acquainted with them. Moreover, Maverick was a scion of the Gray family… Wasn't it a slap in his face for a woman to call off her engagement to him in public? Leona sighed. "Laurelle was being too headstrong. That said, hasn't she always been headstrong all these years? Don't worry, it's normal for young people to bicker. Once she clears her head in a couple of days, she will go to Maverick on her own to apologize." William pondered over what Leona said and felt that she made sense. She was right. They could see how much emotion Laurelle invested in Maverick throughout these years. Even when she'd been in prison, she'd sent letters to Maverick every week without fail. They were childhood friends who had dated for seven years. How could they break up just like that? There was no way Laurelle truly wanted to call off the engagement. She must have just said it in a moment of anger. That had to be it. … After Bianca walked Maverick out the door, she tidied his tie for him. Halfway through, something seemed to occur to her, and tears started streaming down her face, making her look miserable. "It was my fault. I made Laurelle misunderstand again." Bianca lowered her head and covered her face with one hand. As her tears continued falling, she added, "I've told her that I won't fight with her over you, but why did she still have to throw a tantrum in front of you? "She might have really been too pampered. She's too rebellious. She embarrassed you in front of everyone else. It was all my fault, Maverick." Seeing how Bianca kept crying, Maverick pulled out a tissue and wiped her tears for her. "Don't cry because of her. She's not worth it." Bianca pressed her lips together, as if she were trying hard to suppress her emotions. "Don't do that… We're right at the door of the Fletcher residence. What if other people were to see us? "Mave, like I've said before, I'll be fine as long as I can look at you from afar… Someone like me doesn't deserve to be with you." Instinctively, Maverick took a cigarette out again. The more he thought of how prickly Laurelle had been earlier, the more he felt that Bianca was gentler and more sensible. That being said, the Grays were one of the richest uppe-class families. They would never allow a woman with an unknown background to marry into their family. Of all things, Bianca didn't know who her biological parents were. Maverick felt his heart soften. He gave Bianca a peck on her head. "Bianca, I won't let you go through these miseries for nothing. Trust me." Right after he said that, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a black car parked a short distance away. His heart sank. Out of reflex, he loosened his grasp around Bianca and took two steps forward. Was that his younger uncle, Zachariah?