âMom, I donât want to beat around the bush. Daphne schemed against the kids so they got even with her. I know she did those things on your command, so you can stop pretending. I just want to know why youâre doing this? Why canât you accept the woman I love?â
Looking at Levant, Portia grabbed a glass beside her and smashed it on the floor.
âYouâre asking me why? Because you brought a vixen back! Not only did she make you fall head over heels for her, but she also tried to seduce your dad as well. Sheâs a greedy and materialistic gold digger, and she must be coveting my duchess title. Tell me, how can I allow such a woman to stay at the estate?â
Sheâs trying to seduce Dad and become the duchess? I donât believe a word you just said, though I wish she were a vixen. If Nicoleâs a gold digger, she wouldâve approached me herself without me even trying. If she is after the title, she wouldâve given up on everything just to be with me. Itâs too bad that she isnât that type of person. She doesnât fall for anyone easily, but if she does, sheâll love the man deeply with all her heart. Thatâs why she still canât get over Evan up until now.
Levant was still under the impression that Evan had died during the plane crashââan âaccidentâ he had skillfully orchestrated.
âSheâs not the kind of woman youâre talking about, Mom.â
âIs she not? Will you believe it only when she marries your dad?â
Her assumption sounded entirely absurd to Levant. Sheâs being senseless and unreasonable, kicking up a big fuss when thereâs nothing at all.
âDonât worry, Nicole will never marry Dad. They⦠Theyâre related. You can be on your guard against all the women in the world, but you donât need to do that with Nicole.â
With that, Levant turned around and stomped away.
Sour-faced, Portia pondered over Levantâs words.
Did he just say that theyâre related? But how so?
She just couldnât wrap her head around their relationship.
The only thing she knew was that she found Nicole distasteful the first time they met; she just didnât know why. Itâs best to get rid of a hazard like her as soon as possible.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a call from the man whom she had sent to look for Nicoleâs whereabouts. She picked it up without hesitation.
âMaâam, Nicole and her kids are at The Gwen Hotel. Do you want me to do it now?â
Recalling her husbandâs and sonâs protectiveness over Nicole, Portiaâs gaze turned deadly and menacing. Itâs all because of her that the two most important people in my life are mistreating me.
âDo it as soon as possible.â
âSure, Maâam.â The call ended.
At the same time, Nicole and Evan were checking out of the hotel with the four kids.
Nicole held hands with Maya and Nina while Evan walked beside the two boys with John trailing behind them. The four kids chattered and giggled along the way.
Maya suggested buying some local delicacies before leaving the place on the pretext of giving them to their relatives.
Nicole stroked Mayaâs head and praised her, âYouâre such a sweetie.â
âLook, Mommy! I see a lot of delicious foods there. Letâs check them out.â
âOkay!â
Kyle wanted to get a few fun toys as souvenirs while Juan was already imagining how cool it would be to show off these strange yet interesting toys in front of his classmates.
âSure. Iâll bring you to buy some toys,â replied Evan to the boys.
John volunteered to bring Nina to buy cosmetics and makeup tools. The girl nodded in agreement. Yes, that would save us a lot of time. Uncle Lindt is so thoughtful.
Hence, the family split into three groups and went their separate ways.
While Nicole and Maya strolled hand in hand along the food streets in a cheerful mood, someone was keeping an eye on their every move in the dark.