SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE

CHAPTER 14

She hugged her knees in a daze as she stared at the portrait hanging on the wall. She felt embarrassed. Looking at Diana , she felt lost.

There was a soreness between her thighs as she got off the bed. She placed her hand on her stomach and her eyes teared up. Two streaks of tears fell like beads.

She shouldn’t be Julianna now. Instead, she should be called Crybaby. When did she become one, anyway?

Walking into the bathroom, it smelled of shower foam—green tea. Did he like this scent? She made a mental note to remember everything.

Then she showered. As warm water gushed into her body, she looked down and saw the bruises on her body. The process had been brutal, but she had already known it, hadn’t she?

She walked out after a change of clothing, and her pale complexion revealed how unhealthy she was. As she picked up a rag, she had not forgotten that to an outsider she was the wife of the CEO of Hanson Enterprise. To Diego, however, she was a w***e who warmed his bed at night and a maid in this villa.

She took her time to get around. There was a newspaper which made its daily appearance in the room. Every headline written was about Diego. While he may be married, no one had treated him so. He had endless scandals, and he constantly had a new female companion beside him.

She put her hand down and sighed as she opened one side of the window. The cold breeze drifted in and blew on her face but inside her heart, she was already moist.

The sound of an open door came from the doorway. The maid was watching television in her seat. She put her snack down thinking it was Diego. She then tidied her clothes and deliberately revealed a flattering smile. From the looks of it, she had not taken Diego’s warning yesterday with any seriousness.

A bully will always be a bully, and it is addictive.

When the door opened, the smile on Susa ’s face froze.

“Mr. Hanson. Mrs. Hanson...”

Her lips barely moved. She saw Mr. Hanson stared at Julianna who had half her body outside of the window. What was she doing? A daughter-in-law of their Hanson family was actually wiping the window while this maid, dressed like a p********e, stood there. If one was not aware, one would have thought that she was the mistress of the house.

Mrs Lorraine glanced at Julianna and she blinked her eyes in unbelief. What happened here? What exactly was her son up to?

While Diego, on the other hand, was already fuming.

“Mr. Hanson, I...” Susa ’s face twisted with apprehension, and she stuttered as she spoke.

Upon hearing the door opening, Julianna turned her head around. Two elderly people stood in the doorway—they were Diego’s parents. She had seen them more than once, but she wasn’t on familiar terms with them nor were they strangers to her.

She removed her gloves and set the rag down before walking towards them.

“Dad... Mom, you have come.” It sounded somewhat unnatural and strange to address them like that. It had been a long time ago since she addressed someone in that way, especially the word ‘Dad’.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she walked over to tidy up the table. Every action had seemed so natural, like there was nothing odd about it. Susa , on the other hand, stood rooted on the spot. She was clearly unsure of what she should be doing.

“Dad, Mom. Please sit down.” She stood up. Mrs Lorraine tugged at her husband ’s shirt. He was apparently still fuming as he gave Susa a hard stare. The people he hated most were the ones who acted above their status. She was just a maid. Who did she think she was? How dare she climb above her employers?

Even if she was not their preferred choice for a daughter-in-law, no one was allowed to insult her.

Julianna merely smiled, but it was not a pretty one and her face vaguely showed traces of exhaustion.

“Dad, Mom, please take a seat while I’ll fetch two cups of tea for you.” She smiled apologetically and walked into the kitchen. While Susa finally knew what her retention was today. She was so used to giving orders that she clearly had no idea what she was supposed to do or how she should act according to her status.

Mr Hanson’s expression darkened. A pair of sharp and brown eyes revealed too many stories. My son may not be simple, neither was the father.

“Who told you to behave like such? Tell me. Did our family employ you to be a maid or to rule over his house?” His sudden crispy voice caused Susa to shudder violently. She tightly gripped her blouse and her hands kept fidgeting.

“Y—yes... S—sir...” She lowered her head in fear and wondered where she stood in this family. In their eyes, she would always be just a maid.

Mrs Lorraine tugged at her husband’s shirt and shook her head. That seemed to redirect his attention to the contents on the table fronting them. He knew it! This must be the making of his idiotic son. Otherwise, she would not be bold enough to act like that.

Julianna emerged from the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. She served them the tea. “Dad, Mom, please have some tea.” She smiled a rather faint smile. There was no hint of charm or flattery in her tone, only the natural display of her good manners—respect towards the elderly. After so many years of living under Roberto’s roof, she realized one thing: if one does not like you, no matter what you do, one will still dislike you.

It will only incur more displeasure.

“Who made you do all this?” Mr Hanson’s brow lifted. Compared to Diego, it had more years and depth to it.

“I wanted to do it. It is good exercise.” She had no grievances to tell and thus no guilt to hide.

She had willingly done everything.

Her smile appeared absentminded. That smile only made one’s heart ache for her.

Mrs Lorraine lifted her cup and placed it to her lips. She took a sip and the taste surprised her. It tasted good. And this child did not seem to be what others had described. Did she really kill her own sister?

Julianna saw the look of doubt flickering in Mrs Lorraine’s eyes. She could not help but let her sadness show. Diana ’s death will follow her forever. No matter what she did, everyone was convinced that she had murdered Diana . Moreover, she had the right motives, didn’t she?

Because she loved Diego. Thus, she was willing to kill her sister for a man.

She was inhuman. She was ungrateful. She was vicious. She had heard too much.

She could not stop them from thinking about what they wanted to do. She had a clear conscience and would calmly accept the surveying look from Mrs Lorraine. As long as she did nothing wrong, she did not have to feel guilty about anything.

It stunned Mrs Lorraine for a second. She had little contact with Julianna, but Diana , she knew well. Frankly, she did not like Diana because of her high and mighty temperament. She was too fragile yet over-bearing. Mrs Lorraine had no choice because she was the one her son had chosen. On the other hand, the aura of Julianna was not so. She had a weird feeling she had missed something.

“You are a young mistress from the Roberto family. How can you do a maid’s work? Did you forget your status? We can employ as many maids as we want. You did not have to do the chores!” Diego’s face reddened. He was furious. Mrs Lorraine tugged at his shirt and gave him a deadly stare. Diego barely met her eyes. He did not have a choice. As formidable as he may look, he had a great weakness—he was afraid of his wife.

No, it was not fear. It was love.

Julianna did not reply because she knew no matter what she said, Diego would still be upset. Was there really a difference between a young mistress and a maid? Most likely, in Diego’s opinion, Julianna was not even a maid.

“Dad, Mom, have you had your meal?” She forced herself to smile and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Hanson. It was their first time in the mansion, and they are also her in-laws.

“No need to fuss. We are only here to visit the newly weds.” Diego glared, but then he was viciously pinched on his waist. He turned and looked at his wife in pain. She was violent.

“I’m sorry. Dad, Mom. He had been really busy lately. Which was why we did not have the time to go for a visit.” She had meant every word. There was no hint of flattery. As a daughter-in-law, it was not proper for the parents to make the trip.

Diego was really busy at work. He had been busy humiliating and torturing the woman who had killed his fiancé.

She tried to smile but failed miserably. Instead, looking a bit dazed and absent-minded.

“Julianna, come and sit beside me.” Mrs Lorraine could feel her eyes tearing up. This child was suffering. She knew her son better than anyone. She suspected he had an ulterior motive when he wanted to marry Roberto’s girl. And she had been spot on.

Julianna remained standing. She was vaguely unsure of what she should do. Very seldom had anyone spoken to her in such a manner. In Roberto’s household, there was only one place for her to stand.

All of a sudden, she could not handle the situation.

“How could you be so stupid? She asked you to sit. So sit.” Diego’s voice deepened.

Julianna's mouth was slightly agape. But she sat beside Mrs Lorraine . It felt awkward.

“Julianna, tell me. Has Diego been treating you well?” Mrs Lorraine abruptly held onto her hand and realized her fingertips were ice cold.

Was she in shock? Or afraid?

Julianna’s body lightly shuddered. There was warmth coming from her stomach. It came from Mrs Lorraine . A mother. Even though this was not her biological mother, she thought all mothers’ love should be the same.

She nodded her head lightly and managed to force a smile. “He treats me very well.” She purposely lowered her head, hiding reluctant tears under her long eyelashes.

“Very well indeed.” Yes, he treated her brutally well.

“That’s good.” Mrs Lorraine patted Julianna ’s hand. She was surprised that she actually liked this girl, even her smile and shyness. Everyone knew that the Roberto family had a beautiful and adorable daughter, Diana . But no one knew she had an older sister who was really a refreshingly pure and honest girl.

As soon as he saw the look of satisfaction in his wife’s eyes, Diego merely pursed his lips tight. He could not bring himself to like his daughter-in-law, who became a maid. However, when he thought of this, it became clear to him who had made it happen.

It was that rascal son of his.

The sound of the door opening came from the doorway. Diego stood in the doorway, looking very smart in his suit. Something flashed in his eyes the moment he saw his guests.

He set his briefcase down. He looked slightly exhausted as he pursed his thin lips.

“Dad, Mom, what brings you here?” He sat down, natural and relaxed. However, he looked at Julianna intentionally or otherwise.

She had become bold and knew how to complain.

“You didn’t come over for a visit, so we thought we should come over and see how you’re doing. You cast your parents aside and did not care about us. What were you thinking?” Mr Hanson looked up and looked straight into Diego’s eyes. His son had been outstanding. The company expanded under his leadership, and its total assets grew almost three times in estimation. Even enabling the company to gain a position in foreign countries. He may be outstanding, but he also has a temper to match.

And he had inherited his temper from his father.

“Mmm. I will pay more attention next time. Once the recently launched project in the company is completed, I will make more trips back home.”

He had called that place home. While he had treated this villa as a hotel, he even had a free p********e at his disposal. Julianna blinked. A look of self-mockery flashed past her eyes.

“Diego, we just missed you too much.” Mrs Lorraine couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at her son. To tell the truth, she did not miss him. She was only worried that he might have done something that he would regret in the future. She knew her son was hard-headed and could be set in his way on occasions.

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve made you worry.” He shed his mask of aloofness in front of his mother. He might not have laughed as much, but that was acceptable. His character was always like that.

“Alright. It is getting late and we should get going.” Mrs Lorraine stood up and tugged at Mr Hanson’s shirt. While he wanted to reprimand his son, he was forced to keep his mouth shut.

He stopped in his tracks when he was at the doorway. He looked at the dumbfounded maid and unhappily said, “Diego, the next time I come, I don’t want to see this woman. She does not know her status and made your woman do a maid’s chores. If word gets out, it will be such an embarrassment for us.” He gave Susa a quick and cold glance. There was an undeniable command in his voice. Both father and son were hard-handed in their own respective methods. One should not point at the other.

“I know what to do, Dad.” Diego merely stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. One might have mistaken his casual stance as idle, but that did not mask the strength coming from him.

The door closed once again. The room fell into an awkward silence. Susa wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. That woman...

“Come with me.” Diego removed his hands from his pockets and undoed the top button on his shirt collar. He dislikes being ordered, and he hates being threatened. What he hated the most was someone putting up a false pretense of being innocent to gain pity.

Julianna lowered her head and followed him. She occasionally looked up. In her long eyelashes, something dark and shadowy lurked.

The door closed again. It was the door to their bedroom.

Susa wiped the sweat off her forehead with her hand. She leaned against the wall, and her face had paled. It was her first time meeting the dynamic father and son. As if she had just been thinking of something, she hurriedly grabbed the rag that Julianna had been using and continued from where she had stopped. Actually, this was what she was supposed to do.

Once they were in the room, Diego abruptly turned around and gripped Julianna’s slender shoulders. He pinned her to the wall. The impact made her feel nauseous.

“Talk. What have you told them?” He narrowed his eyes and exerted more strength on her shoulders. If she really said something, anything, then don’t blame him for being ruthless.