Chapter 604 Not The First Time

Despite admitting that she was not a saint, Christina had no intention of resorting to such vile tactics against others.

Unfazed by Zeila’s provocation, Christina glared at her and responded with a smirk, “If your intention is to employ such extreme and despicable tactics to compel Gabrielle to reveal herself, spare your efforts. She’s not interested in being part of a love triangle, she, too, is a victim. If you feel uncomfortable, go seek out Julian and vent your frustrations to him. Zeila, don’t attempt to test my patience or Gabrielle’s. The Langford family may hold influence, but it won’t always serve as a refuge for you after the turmoil you’ve caused.”

It was Nathaniel who gave Christina the courage to confront Zeila.

As the dignified wife of the prestigious Hadley family, she carried the reputation of the entire family on her shoulders. Now that she carried the title of Mrs. Hadley, she was resolved to no longer allow herself to be pushed over by others. D Zeila glared at Christina with intense frustration, her face contorted in anger. “What are you insinuating? Are you declaring war against me?”

“If that’s how you choose to interpret it, so be it,” Christina responded calmly, her demeanor icy. “But let me remind you, the damages caused to Gabrielle’s property as a result of the vandalism orchestrated by your people will require compensation. My lawyer will be in touch.” D Zeila gritted her teeth, and her anger was evident as she observed Christina’s dismissive demeanor.

Christina’s eyes gleamed with a hint of danger, and a cunning smile played on her lips. “Ms. Langford, I’m certain you wouldn’t want all the embarrassing things you’ve done to become front-page news for the entire world to witness, would you?”

Zeila’s eyes flickered with panic, her face turning pale as she clenched her teeth and uttered, “Christina, you’re truly despicable and shameless!”

Christina responded with a cold smile, “It takes one to know one. I don’t like to waste time, so I hope to receive favorable news from you tonight, Ms. Langford.”

Just as Christina was about to leave, a silver sports car pulled up in front of her. The doors on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides swung open simultaneously, revealing Julian and Anthea standing before everyone.

“Zeila, are you all right?” Anthea hurriedly approached Zeila and whispered, “I received your distress message and came to find you right away.”

Zeila caught the probing gaze from Julian and looked away, a mix of resentment and frustration evident in her expression.

“Couldn’t you come alone? Why did you have to bring Julian along?”

Feeling aggrieved, Anthea replied, “I thought Gabrielle would be here. I just want her to see who Mr. Forrester truly cares about.”

Since Anthea disliked Christina, the former contemplated the idea of letting Zeila deal with Gabrielle to teach Christina a lesson indirectly.

Unaware of the complex history between Anthea and Christina, Zeila naively believed that Anthea had a genuine concern for her well-being. That provided her with a semblance of relief, but deep down, her heart still harbored doubts and uncertainty.

With Anthea’s support, Zeila approached Julian weakly, tears welling in her eyes. “Julian, my hand hurts”

Christina raised her brows and stopped in her tracks to watch Zeila put on an act She wanted to see how Zeila would complain about her in front of Julian Julian’s face remained cold and devoid of any emotion, treating the woman before him as if she were a mere stranger seeking help, rather than his own fiancee. “If you’re not feeling well, have Anthea accompany you to the hospital for a check-up. I have some urgent matters to attend to.”

Christina burst into haughty laughter, completely disregarding Zeila’s feelings.

That mocking laughter felt like a slap across Zeila’s face, leaving her stunned and hurt.

Anthea, who was even more hot-tempered than Zeila, glared at Christina and exclaimed, “Christina, why are you laughing?”

In an innocent voice, Christina replied, “I laughed because I found something amusing. Do I need your permission, Ms.

Campbell?” (D)

Anthea’s face flushed with anger. “You’re just as shameless as that vixen, Gabrielle!”

Julian’s expression grew grim, and he bellowed, “Anthea, enough!”

Taken aback by his sudden outburst, Anthea stumbled backward and sought refuge behind Zeila, trembling with fear.

Zeila’s face contorted with displeasure, but she restrained herself from causing a scene in public. She could not risk tarnishing the image of elegance and virtue she had carefully built in his presence.

Zeila came to Anthea’s defense, pretending to be kind. “Julian, Anthea was simply speaking her mind. She didn’t mean any harm.”

Christina could not help but admire Zeila’s ability to brazenly tell lies. These two cousins are truly cut from the same cloth.

Seizing the opportunity to cause further turmoil, Christina interjected, “Mr. Forrester, you see, this isn’t the first time your fiancée made a mistake. Now that you’re here, you should take a careful look at the trouble your fiancée has brought upon my friend.”

Julian turned his head to glance at the smoke-filled villa, his eyes filled with anger. “I apologize for my negligence in not fully resolving the issue. I’ll compensate for all the losses incurred.”

Christina scoffed, “Every crime has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. You’re not the one responsible for causing trouble, but of course, if you want to take up the rightful responsibility on behalf of Ms. Langford, that’s your prerogative.

However, whether or not you’re allowed to do so is not for me alone to decide. We’ll have to ask the owner of this villa Julian was surprisingly conciliatory and responded, “You’re right, Mrs. Hadley. I’ll listen to her.”

Anthea impulsively interjected, “Julian, Gabrielle was the one at fault in the first place. Why don’t you hear Zeila’s side of the story first?”

The way she questioned Julian sounded like she was reprimanding him. Zeila desperately wished she could silence Anthea, but unfortunately, Anthea remained oblivious, believing she was defending Zeila’s interests.

“If every mistress could be absolved of their misdeeds, how is it fair to the wife?” Anthea exclaimed. “How will this reflect on the Langford family? How will you compensate for the suffering Zeila has endured?”

Zeila shifted her gaze to Julian.

Julian’s deep voice resonated as he made a decisive statement. “I’ll arrange a meeting with the Langford family elders to call off the wedding and discuss with them the necessary compensation for the damages incurred.”

The expressions on Anthea’s and Zeila’s changed drastically.

Zeila’s emotions overcame her, and she shook her head vigorously while sobbing. “Julian, you can’t be so cruel to me. I don’t want the wedding to be called off!”

Julian remained unfazed. “This is inevitable, but I assure you, the cancellation of the wedding will not have any detrimental impact on you or the Langford family.”

Zeila stretched out her hand to grab Julian, but the latter deftly evaded her, leaving her hand suspended awkwardly in mid-air.

“I’m prepared to face the consequences of my actions. I can even apologize to Gabrielle and will not hold your past with her against you. Julian, we can’t call off the wedding.”

Anthea was acutely aware of the trouble her words had caused Zeila. She stood anxiously in place, watching Zeila plead with Julian humbly.

Meanwhile, Christina remained disinterested in their drama. Her sole focus was on resolving the problem swiftly so that she could return home and get some sleep. “Mr. Forrester, Bailey entrusted me with the task of taking care of the house. Once you have a viable solution to address this issue, please contact me immediately.”

After saying that, Christina left with her bodyguards.

Upon returning to Scenic Garden Manor, she went straight to the bedroom to sleep, not at all worried that Julian would pull a fast one on her.

If he were not utterly callous, there might be room for him to salvage his relationship with Bailey after he had succeeded in calling off his engagement with Zeila:

Besides, her observation of him revealed that he was seemingly not a womanizer. He had no feelings toward Zeila, and the only thing that could shackle him was the Forrester family.

Just when she woke up from her nap, she happened to receive a call from Julian himself.

“Mrs. Hadley, the Langford family will compensate Bailey tenfold for the loss of her property in apology.” A brief pause ensued before Julian ventured, “I can’t get in touch with Bailey. Can you please tell me where she went?”

Lying on the soft bed on her back, Christina stared at the ivory-white ceiling and chuckled. “She has gone on a vacation to clear her mind. Mr. Forrester, the best apology to her would be dealing with the troubles Zeila kicked up fairly and strictly. She’ll never see you again, so neither do you need to go and bother her anymore.”

At that, the other end of the phone plunged into an awkward silence.

Christina broke the silence, murmuring, “If there’s nothing else, Mr. Forrester, I’ll be hanging up first.. Please inform me when the renovation of the mansion is completed. I’ll go and check things over.”

Out of the blue, Julian implored, “Bailey blocked all my contacts. Can you please give me the number she’s currently using? I won’t bother her. I merely want to apologize to her personally.”

“Sorry, but I can’t get in touch with her either. You’re on your own, Mr. Forrester,” Christina enunciated.

When she hung up the phone, worry about Bailey’s present state niggled at her. She promptly tried callin the latter, but still, she could not get through to her.

At that exact moment, Nathaniel pushed open the door and stepped in. Glimpsing the fretful look on her face, he frowned.

“You’ve run into trouble?”

Tossing his suit jacket aside, he loosened his tie and plopped down on the edge of the bed in a swift motion.

Christina threw herself in his arms. She buried her nose in his neck and took a sniff. “Did you drink alcohol?”

“Yeah. There was a socializing event this afternoon. It was a cocktail party organized by Winston.” Then, Nathaniel continued, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Ever since Christina got pregnant, her sense of smell became exceedingly sensitive. Averse to the stench on him, she pulled away from him.

“It’s not anything major.” She briefly told the man about the matter that had transpired between Zeila and Julian that day before urging. “Go and shower first. You reek too strongly of cigarette smoke and alcohol Resisting his impulse to kiss her out of habit, Nathaniel stood up and headed to the bathroom.