Chapter Twenty
670 Words
Maxwell Stone finished speaking and immediately scooped up Scarlett Brooks in his arms. “Zachary, let’s go!” he commanded. Without a word, he strode out, Scarlett held tightly against him.
At the Brooks villa, William Brooks’ face turned deathly pale; he could barely stand as he muttered, “Did I just mishear? What... what did he say?”
Lucy Brooks’s expression was equally grim as she spoke, her voice strained and bitter, “He said… Scarlett is his wife. But… when did this happen? Why haven’t we heard a thing?”
William’s eyes widened in regret as he closed them tightly, “No wonder!”
No wonder Sterling Jewels is backing Scarlett so aggressively—this means William has truly kicked himself, completely offending Maxwell Stone!
Lucy Brooks seethed, “That girl Scarlett is getting wilder by the minute. To arrange a marriage of this magnitude without notifying us—does she even care about you as her father?”
William, fuming, slapped her harshly, “Stop it already—it’s all your lousy idea!”
Lucy trembled with anger, “How can you blame me alone?
Back then, after Scarlett’s mother divorced William, her residency remained with her mother; even after her mother passed and Scarlett returned to live with the Brooks, her registration stayed on the old record.
William, seething with both anger and regret, shouted, “What good is all this talk? Hurry up and get Travis Carter to the hospital!”
He could never have imagined that Scarlett would secretly marry someone else!
Watching his parents bicker, Tiffany Brooks’s lips trembled as she clenched her fists. Why—why does that lowlife Scarlett, who’s had such a fortunate life, actually marry Maxwell Stone?
No wonder she managed to turn the tables and trample over him; she wasn’t about to let him off the hook!
At Northwood Villa, Maxwell Stone and the family doctor emerged from a room. Maxwell asked coldly, “How is she?”
The doctor replied matter-of-factly, “Nothing major—she’ll wake up soon.”
Maxwell exhaled deeply in relief. After seeing the doctor off, he returned to the room and sat by the bedside.
He looked at Scarlett, lying there as quietly as a child, and couldn’t resist pinching her delicate face. “I told you you were foolish—didn’t I say so?” he murmured.
But Scarlett, still unconscious, gave no response.
Maxwell stared at her face for a few long seconds, then shook his head in irritation and carried her to the bathroom.
He had intended to bathe her with care, but once he began undressing her, he realized he’d overestimated his own restraint.
Unable to maintain his composure, he turned away and splashed water carelessly over her.
In a rough, hurried manner, he gave her a bath, then wrapped her in a large towel and carried her back to bed.
After finishing these tasks, Maxwell quickly showered himself.
When he emerged from his bathroom, he hesitated for two seconds before turning and heading into the adjacent room.
He lay there for over two hours, tossing and turning without sleep; his frustration mounting as he rubbed his hair in agitation. Finally, after much indecision, he got up and returned to Scarlett’s room.
As soon as he neared the bed, he caught a faint hint of her subtle perfume. Climbing into the bed, he wrapped his arms around her, and soon he was asleep.
The next morning, Scarlett slowly opened her drowsy eyes to find herself staring at the firm chest of a man. As her memory returned, she vividly recalled all that had happened the previous night—Travis Carter’s lecherous face flashed before her eyes.
She couldn’t even muster the courage to look up at the man holding her; tears of anger glistened in her eyes as, with all her strength, she kicked the unsuspecting man out of bed.
Maxwell, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly felt a sharp pain that sent him flying off the bed.
- Writer
