Chapter 447/The King’s Jealousy & The Silent Pursuit
Chapter 446
Julie’s POV
I stepped into the living room with ragged breath, only to find Thomas kneeling before my mother in a bizarre, suspicious manner. The moment my shadow crossed his vision, he jolted up, scrambling to his feet in flustered panic as he tried to adjust the lapels of his suit to cover up his posture.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What is going on here?"
Thomas let out a forced cough, his voice shaking slightly. "It’s... my suit button just fell off."
I rolled my eyes dryly. "Oh... right."
My mother turned toward me calmly, her tone devoid of emotion. "Shall we go?"
Thomas’s voice cut in abruptly with sudden, eager persistence. "Where?"
Shocked by his completely unprovoked interference, I glared at him suspiciously. "And why are you asking?"
He straightened up, adopting an overbearing stance. "You’re staying at my house."
I blinked in sheer disbelief. "What do you mean, staying at your house?"
He paused, his suspicious gaze flicking back and forth between my mother and me. "Well... I mean you and Robert... and even your mother can stay here."
I pointed a finger back and forth between us in disgust. "Robert, my mother, and I stay at your house?!"
He nodded, putting on a show of hollow generosity. "Yes, why not?"
My mother let out a mocking smile, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Such sudden generosity, Mr. Thomas, for a woman you just met!"
He countered rigidly, "I am generous by nature."
I shook my head firmly. "I don’t think Robert will ever agree to this."
He snapped at me sharply, "And why would he refuse?"
Right at that second, Robert stormed into the room like a dark, towering tempest. His deep voice boomed with absolute finality, not even bothering to spare his father a glance.
"Julie... let’s go."
Thomas interjected stubbornly, "You are not going anywhere! You’re staying with me!"
Robert turned toward his father, his icy gaze capable of killing on sight. A bitter smile touched his lips. "Really, Father? You want me to stay with you?"
"Yes!" Thomas insisted.
Robert took a steady, threatening step closer, his low voice dripping like venom. "I know exactly who you want staying with you. So don’t try to play me."
Then he turned his head toward me, his voice flat. "Let’s go, Julie."
I pointed toward my mother. "My mother is coming with us."
Robert’s posture locked up, his features hardening in absolute shock as he whipped around to face me. "What?!"
My mother stepped in smoothly. "Sweetheart, Julie... I brought my own car."
My eyes dilated in shock I couldn’t possibly hide. Since when does my mother own a car?!
"You bought a car?!" I gasped, my breath catching in my throat.
She nodded. "Yes, and you and Steve are coming with me to our new house."
The shock multiplied, suffocating me. "Our new house?!"
Robert cut in with a voice like thunder, stepping between us, his massive frame towering over the space. "Julie stays with me!"
My mother looked up at him with cold superiority. "Can you let her speak for herself?"
Robert snapped back with lethal hostility, his eyes blazing with fury. "I’ll speak for her! Is there a problem?!"
My chest tightened from the chaos, and I shouted, my patience entirely spent, "Alright... stop it!"
I turned my whole body toward Robert, pulling up the humiliation he had handed me in the garden just moments ago. My voice broke slightly, laced with defiance.
"Since you told me to shut up when we were outside, I’m giving you space to enjoy some peace and quiet tonight!"
His brow arched in searing anger. "Really?!"
I added firmly, "I’m going with my mother tonight... and I’ll be back tomorrow."
He didn’t say a single word, but the veins in his neck bulged terrifically, betraying the sheer fury boiling inside his chest. I didn’t care about his temper. He needed to learn that his words carried weight, and I would not tolerate him screaming at me to shut my mouth.
I turned to my mother. "Come on, let’s go pick up Steve first."
I walked out alongside my mother, leaving Robert behind to burn in the shadows of the mansion. But the moment I stepped onto the driveway, I froze dead in my tracks before a sleek, elevated, unbelievably expensive black SUV.
I stared at it in utter disbelief. "What is this?!"
She offered a calm, confident smile as she unlocked the door with the key fob. "My car!"
My brows knitted together in intense confusion. "Since when do you have this kind of money?!"
She opened the driver’s door and said smoothly, "I’ll explain everything at the house."
I dug my heels in. "I want you to explain right now!"
She cut me off firmly. "At the house, Julie."
I yielded, nodding reluctantly. But before getting in, I turned my gaze back toward the gates of the estate. Robert stood there, his tall frame framed against the entrance, watching me through pitch-black, unreadable eyes. I climbed into the passenger seat beside my mother, and the car glided forward into the street as I recited Steve’s apartment address.
As we pulled up near the building, we got out and called for the guard to open the gate. I hesitated, looking back at her. "Mom... Steve is going to be completely shocked."
She surveyed the property guarded by security and asked, "What’s the deal with this place?"
I let out a heavy sigh. "It’s a long story... it’s not our house."
We walked through the gates, and I called out loudly, "Steve !"
Steve stepped out from the inner room. The moment his eyes landed on our mother, he froze in place like a stone statue.
My mother smiled, offering a sudden, unexpected warmth. "Aren’t you going to greet your mother?"
The word struggled past his trembling lips. "Mom?!"
"Yes... come here," she answered.
Steve took heavy, breathless steps toward her, wrapping his arms tightly around her in a suffocating embrace. His massive frame towered over her, making the whole scene surreal. Our mother had never hugged us once throughout our childhood, and yet here we were, forgetting all her past coldness, melting into her arms for some strange reason we couldn’t comprehend.
Steve whispered, tears burning down his cheeks, "Is it really you, Mom?!"
She stroked his back gently. "Yes."
His voice shook violently. "I missed you, Mom!"
"I missed you too," she replied with unthinkable tenderness.
I wiped a stray tear from my eye, overcome with emotion. "Oh my God... I can’t believe this is actually happening!"
Steve pulled back, looking at me. "Neither can I!"
My mother offered a radiant smile. "Believe it!" She then added, "Come on, let’s go."
Steve settled into the leather back seat of the car, running his fingers over the luxurious interior in complete disbelief. "Mom... where did you get this car?"
She let out a soft laugh. "I don’t know if I gave birth to two children who are just this curious!"
I insisted, "Well, we need to know!"
She replied calmly, "At the house, you’ll know everything."
Then her eyes flicked toward the side mirror, a sly smirk spreading across her lips as she looked at me. "Your fiancé is terrified someone might steal you."
My brows furrowed. "What?!"
She gestured toward the rear window. "He’s been following us ever since we left the estate."
I turned around to look through the back glass. Robert’s sleek black car was trailing us steadily, like a shadow maintaining a safe distance. A warm smile touched my lips, and I spoke with quiet pride.
"Because he loves me."
My mother hummed with light mockery. "Mmm... loves you!"
I affirmed confidently, "He just doesn’t know how to express his love the right way... but he loves me."
She said, "When we get to the house, we’ll talk more about this."
"Okay," I agreed.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up before a massive, automated iron gate that slid open with quiet luxury to clear our path.
I stared wide-eyed. "What is this?!"
"It’s the house," she answered calmly.
The car rolled through the driveway, coming to a stop before a sprawling villa, its classical facade glowing with terrifying, lavish grandeur. My jaw dropped in utter shock.
"What does this mean, Mom?! This isn’t our house!"
She replied with absolute composure, "Yes, it is."
Steve shouted from the back in sheer disbelief, "Is this a prank?!"
My mother confirmed firmly, "It’s our house, and I am going to explain everything."
We stepped out of the vehicle. As we walked toward the grand double doors, they glided open automatically. A line of uniformed staff stood bowed in respectful unison.
"Welcome, Madam."
Steve and I exchanged looks of complete, unadulterated shock.
My mother glided with royal grace into a vast living hall furnished with the finest decor. She settled onto a plush sofa, waving her hand casually. "Come... sit down."
I stood my ground before her, shaking my head in outright refusal. "I am not sitting down until you explain everything to us!"
She looked at our stunned faces for a long moment, leaned back against the cushions, and dropped the bomb that shattered every single truth of our lives.
"I am not Mirdreth..."
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Crystal, thank you so much, my dear, for the magical castle. It truly surprised me unexpectedly, and I always see your support, your words, and your comments. Thank you so much, I love you.