Chapter 8
"Audrey, why are you crying?"
A middle-aged woman appeared behind Audrey. Upon seeing the latter cry, she sighed. "Audrey, I know you don't want to get married to Mr. Thompson. Honestly, I don't want you to, either. He's just a playboy and only knows how to flirt. He's a good-for-nothing.
"But right now, the only one who can save the Weiss family is the Thompson family. I know we're putting you through a lot."
Audrey looked at her mother, Courtney Chapman, and wiped away her tears before saying softly, "Mom, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I know what I need to do.
"This is my fate. Even if I don't want to marry him, there's nothing I can do. The Weiss family is counting on me to save them. No matter how unwilling I am, I won't do anything to hurt the Weiss family. So, don't worry."
It was truly tragic. The once prestigious Weiss family in Bellington had now fallen to the point where they must rely on a marriage alliance to save the family.
The saddest part was that even though they knew the other party wasn't a good match for the marriage alliance, they didn't dare to refuse it. It broke their hearts and made them feel helpless.
Audrey had resigned herself to fate, but when her grandfather, who loved her the most, lowered his pride and begged her, and everyone in the Weiss family desperately pleaded with her to save them, she knew her life was already over.
"Mom, I'm going out for a bit. If you need anything, just give me a call."
Then, Audrey left the room. She still decided to meet up with Nolan. Even though she no longer had the right to love him, she couldn't move on from him or forget him, especially now.
He had just gotten out of prison but was faced with a divorce. He must have been devastated and heartbroken. Even then, she wanted to see him, even if it was just to offer him a little comfort. To her, that alone would be worth it.
…
Meanwhile, Megan, who had just ended the call with Audrey, was filled with anger as if she were a volcano that was about to erupt.
"Back then, Audrey flirted with Nolan, and now, even after all these years, she's still so shameless. It's so infuriating."
Looking at the angry Megan next to her, Jeanne sighed. She felt that Megan shouldn't be behaving in this manner.
After all, Megan and Nolan had already gotten a divorce. If someone else took him away, it would actually save a lot of trouble. But based on the way Megan was acting now, she seemed more like a jealous woman.
"Megan, you shouldn't be angry at a time like this. You should be happy. You wanted a clean break with Nolan and feared his entanglement. It won't be a bad thing if he really ends up with Audrey."
Upon hearing what Jeanne said, Megan exploded in anger. "My divorce with Nolan is our business. Even if I wanted a clean break, Audrey shouldn't have called me heartless, especially when she acts all high and mighty as if she cares a lot about relationships. She disgusts me.
"Nolan used to be my husband. Even if we have gotten a divorce, he's still my ex-husband. Who does Audrey think she is? What right does she have to act holier-than-thou with me and preach to me?
Especially when she's the shameless one, liking a married man and still thinking about him.
"She's so pathetic."
Jeanne smiled bitterly. She didn't know what to say at the moment. But she had a feeling that deep down, Megan hadn't truly forgotten Nolan. No matter how determined she seemed, she still had feelings for him. It was just that Megan herself hadn't realized it yet.
At that thought, a cold glint appeared in Jeanne's eyes. She couldn't allow Megan to have any chance to regret her decision. If Megan ended up getting back together with Nolan, all her efforts would be in vain.
The promise from the eldest son of the Xanderson family, Liam Xanderson, from Eastern State, was something many people would dream of. It was her best and, perhaps, only chance to soar to the top. She couldn't miss this opportunity.
Thus, Megan had to make a clean break with Nolan. It would be best if they became enemies.
"You're right. Audrey is shameless. She always acts all high and mighty. Megan, remember when we hung out together back then? She would often do small favors for us because her family was rich. Did you think she was being kind?
"No. She did it to satisfy her vanity and boost her ego. She treated us like charity cases. She's the worst."
Jeanne continued to fuel Megan's anger against Audrey, forgetting that the hypocrisy she mentioned referred to the many times Audrey had helped them, without expecting thanks.
In fact, Audrey often helped them cautiously, worried about hurting their pride. But now, her kindness was twisted into arrogance and charity.
Upon hearing that, Megan lowered her head and clenched her fists, unable to shake her anger.
Then, Jeanne added fuel to the fire, saying, "Megan, don't be angry. What we should do now is let Audrey meet Nolan. Whether or not anything happens between them, we get to control the narrative, don't we?
"Besides, knowing Mr. Thompson's temper and personality, do you think he'll let Audrey and Nolan off the hook? By then, Mr. Thompson will definitely deal with Audrey. If you don't want Nolan to get hurt, you can step in as the savior. You can advance or retreat as needed. It's the best choice."
Upon hearing that, Megan gazed deeply at Jeanne and said, "You seem to hate Nolan and Audrey more than me."
When Jeanne heard that, her heart skipped a beat. Then, she smiled and shook her head. "I'm just thinking from your perspective. I want to stand up for you.
"Megan, I've seen how hard you've worked to get where you are today. Don't let Nolan ruin your future again. Otherwise, you'll regret it when it's too late.
"Besides, don't forget that Mr. Xanderson is coming to Bellington in a few days. If we don't deal with Nolan now and something happens when Mr. Xanderson is here, Nolan might not survive if Mr. Xanderson takes action.
"So, we need to control Nolan. And if possible, send him back to jail for a while. It's the best way to protect him. Don't you think so?"
Upon hearing that, Megan fell silent before saying, "I'll think about it. If there's no other choice, I'll have to do it. I'm doing it to save Nolan's life. He can only blame himself for being too ordinary. I've done everything I can for him. Sadly, he just doesn't understand my good intentions.
"He took my good intentions for granted. He's probably cursing me behind my back, but who cares? Anyway, we are no longer related. I don't expect him to thank me. I just hope he doesn't bother me anymore."
Then, Megan sighed as if she had done something noble and suffered a great grievance. However, what she was about to do was nothing short of harming others.