Chapter 722 Cheap Provocation
When Azure recalled her words in detail and realized that she had struck a nerve with Timothy, she stuttered in an effort to explain. “Timothy, 1-”
Having lost his patience with her, Timothy put his foot down. “Christina is my daughter. Regardless of what she has done, you, as my mother and her elder, have never shown her any respect at all.”
At that very moment, Timothy’s hatred for Azure surged out like water that had burst its dam.
“There’s no need for you to lower yourself for Nigel’s sake. You appear to be admitting your mistake, but the reality is that this is one of your tricks. Evidently, you don’t feel as if you have done anything wrong. On the contrary, you think that those who are responsible for your current predicament are the ones who have betrayed you. Familial bonds that are insincere mean nothing to me. In fact, I don’t think Christina has done anything wrong at all. Regardless of the decisions she makes and their ensuing consequences, I will always support her unconditionally, even if it puts the future of Gibson Corporation at risk.
“There’s also one thing I must emphasize. Even though I don’t know Christina as well as Nathaniel does, I firmly believe that she’d never break the law. Also, given the Hadley family’s position, Nathaniel has no need to further crown his success with the addition of a mediocre company like Gibson Corporation. I don’t mind you feeling pessimistic about their marriage, but it’s wrong for you to sow discord between me and them. I’m no longer the same clueless cripple from fifteen years ago who is easily manipulated.”
In the end, Timothy didn’t give Azure the chance to defend herself as he coldly kicked her out of the ward.
“Going forward, there’s no need for us to see each other unless it involves a matter of life and death. That said, I will still carry out my responsibility of taking care of you in your old age as required by the law.”
The words struck Azure like lightning, causing panic to set into her.
Timothy truly wants to sever ties with me!
“Timothy, you can’t do something as heartless as this!”
As Azure’s pleas fell on deaf ears, Timothy called out to the bodyguards stationed outside, “Please escort the guest out. I want to get some rest.
Both of them were just waiting for Timothy’s cue. “Please leave, Old Mrs. Gibson.”“”
Azure realized she was powerless against the two bodyguards. There was no way she would win in a fight, regardless of whether it was physical or verbal. Now that Timothy wanted her gone, she would only end up embarra*sing herself by staying.
Nonetheless, she questioned him defiantly, “Timothy, aren’t you worried about being condemned by others? Sooner or later, you’ll live to regret your decision.”
The resolve Timothy felt was unprecedented. “I already have my answer. The biggest regret I have was to trust you unconditionally and foolishly hand over Gibson Corporation to Nigel.”
Cognizant that they had reached the point of no return. Azure stormed off without looking back.
Thereafter, Timothy instructed the bodyguards, “Don’t tell Christina about her visit. I don’t want her to worry as stress is bad for the baby.”
After a brief hesitation, the bodyguards nodded in agreement before reporting the matter to Nathaniel.
Timothy only told them not to let Christina know but didn’t say anything about not telling Nathaniel.
Even after returning to her ward for some time, Azure’s frustration continued to eat at her, causing her to pace back and forth in the room. Feeling the need to seize the initiative, she tried many ways to locate Barnaby and set off at once to see him.
Meanwhile, Christina had slept till the evening.
After waking up and having dinner, she sat on the living room couch with a tablet in hand. She chatted with Lucas and Camila on video while waiting for Nathaniel to come home.
The children were trying to cheer her up by sharing the interesting events they encountered in school.
As Nathaniel had yet to come home after a few hours, Christina coaxed the children to go to bed.
It wasn’t until she promised to visit them that they reluctantly ended the video call.
Thereafter, Christina tried to contact Nathaniel, but no one answered. Left without a choice, she called Sebastian instead.
Finally, Sebastian answered her call right before she was about to give up. The deafening music in the background was unmistakable.
“Mrs. Hadley, is there something you need?”
“Is Nathaniel with you?”
“Um, yes. He has an important event tonight. We were just about to leave as it’s almost ending. Mr. Hadley had a lot to drink and is probably drunk. Do you want me to pa*s the phone to him?”
“It’s fine. I was just worried when I couldn’t reach him. Be careful on your way back.”
“All right, Mrs. Hadley. See you later.”
Upon ending the call, Christina continued to wait for Nathaniel’s return with a cup of milk in hand.
While doing so, she gradually drifted into sleep unknowingly.
Fortunately, the house was adequately warmed by the heater, so she didn’t get a cold.
The next morning, she was awoken by the butler. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she inquired in a daze, “Did Nathaniel come home last night?”
The butler shook his head. “No, he didn’t. You can’t sleep here, Mrs. Hadley, as you’ll get a cold easily. Do you need me to give Mr. Hadley a call?”
Since it was rare for Nathaniel not to come home, Christina furrowed her brows.
“It’s fine. He’s probably busy with work, and it’s not urgent anyway. There’s no need to bother him. I’ll be going back to my room to catch up on sleep.”
The butler nodded in acknowledgment. “All right then. Mind your steps on your way up.”
Christina yawned as she returned to her room.
After a short nap, her hunger woke her up and sent her downstairs for food.
It was then that a ping on her phone heralded the receipt of a message from an unknown number
Within the message was a single high–definition photo. Even though there were no words, the image itself was self–explanatory.
There were two figures in it. One was Nathaniel, who hadn’t come home, and the other was a beautiful woman with a stunning figure. Both of them were in an intimate embrace as they walked into a hotel
Christina couldn’t help but let out a snort.
#‘hoever sent this should feel ashamed of themselves for threatening me with such a badly taken photo.
Although the sender had done so anonymously. Christina endeavored to find out who it really was
Coincidentally, the sender was the woman in the picture. Her name was Melanie Steele. She was a budding star within Hadley Entertainment’s stable who had made her name in an online drama.
Christina responded to Melanie’s provocation calmly: State your demands.
Melanie’s reply was immediate: Give me five million, or will release this scandalous photograph to the public. I’m sure a scandal involving Nathaniel cheating would be a huge shock to the world.
