Mystery Bride's Revenge (Selina)

Viola's concern for Selina poured out in every word, but Selina just smiled gently and said. "Thank you, Viola."

Viola's lips curled as she spoke. "Don't thank me just yet. The Hudson family's got their sights on you, too. Just so you know, if they come after you and I'm caught in the crossfire, I'm staying out of it. You'll have to manage on your own. That's all the help I can offer in this situation." "Susan, you've got a tough front but soft inside. No wonder Trevon called you nice. You also get along so well with Samuel and Susie. You really do have a fantastic personality. I like you a lot, too," Selina complimented.

Although Viola hadn't been part of Trevon's upbringing, she was still his biological mother, the one who carried him for nine long months - he was her flesh and blood.

Viola still cared about Trevon's marriage, especially upon seeing his tangled relationship with Selina. Realizing Trevon's genuine love for her, Viola decided to help. If she could earn Zachary's favor, it would also benefit Selina indirectly.

"Spare me the flattery. I haven't accepted you as my daughter-in-law yet. Not that my opinion matters much, since Samuel and Susie like you. Just don't be a burden to Trevon," Viola retorted.

"You're mistaken about one thing, Viola. I understand your point, but I couldn't care less. about the Brady family. This is about Trevon and me. What do they have to do with our happiness?" Selina scoffed.

"Things aren't as simple as you think. Some issues can't be avoided, even if you want to. Marriage involves not just two people but two families. You've cut ties with the Harvey family, yet they're still coming after you, aren't they?" Viola pointed out.

Selina was at a loss for words, silently conceding, 'I have to admit, Viola has a point. The Harvey family is full of loose screws, and who's to say the Brady family isn't just as unhinged? Maybe these rich families are so comfortable that they've lost their grip on reality." Selina had severed all connections with the Harvey family, exactly as they had hoped she would, leaving her with no further involvement with them.

'Now, every single one of them clings to me like glue. They have the nerve to put on their insufferable family act and demand this and that from me. They even dared to call me an ungrateful brat! Ugh!' Selina felt a wave of nausea as she thought about it. 1631 Sat, Aug 31 B

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"If the Brady family decides to stir up trouble with me, I won't be a pushover this time. It expect them to know their place and avoid provoking me. If they don't, I swear on my name, I'll make sure their entire family regreis it, Selina vowed firmly.

"That's precisely what you should do. If my son's wife esn't even have this much self-respect, forget about Trevon's feelings, I'd lose interest myself. If the Brady family tries to push you around, give them a taste of their own medicine, and don't make me look bad," Viola concurred.

The two exchanged glances, and it was clear that Selina had begun to change Viola's opinion. Viola mused, 'Selina's quite fascinating. Trevon's taste in women might not be so bad, after all.'

'But how long will their happiness last within the constraints of the Brady family?" she thought. Her pessimism was rooted in her own experience as a former daughter-in-law in the Brady family, where she had found the family's strict rules unbearable and much preferred the comfort of solitude.

After the birthday party, Zachary asked Selina and Viola to stay behind. As Viola assisted him into a chair, he set his cane on the carpet and clasped his hands together, saying, "There's something I'd like to show you."

Zachary then clapped his hands, and immediately, a group of people entered the room, dragging a disheveled Micah and a chubby middle-aged man with a sack over his head.

Zachary directed them to kneel as soon as they were in front of him. Micah frantically exclaimed, "Uncle Zachary, I'm not involved in this. There's been some sort of mix-up!"

"A misunderstanding, you say? Why don't you have a look at the person beside you?" Zachary retorted and motioned to the bodyguard, who promptly pulled the sack off the man's head.

With the sack lifted, a battered and bruised face came into view. Micah was left aghast, his entire body shaking.

A kick sent the middle-aged man, Quentin Chapman, sprawling to the floor. He pleaded, "Uncle Zachary, I was mistaken! I swear I won't repeat this mistake. Please spare me! I'll work tirelessly for you from now on-"

"I never imagined that after years of retirement, I'd still have traitors trying to bring me down. Micah, Quentin, do you think I'm just an old man who spends his days exercising, playing chess, and sipping coffee, without a trick left in me?" Zachary sneered.

Thud! A dull noise sounded, followed by the piercing cries of pain from both men.

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Zachary's cane snapped in two while Viola and Selina looked on with cold, detached expressions, offering no words.

Ignoring the blood trickling from his head, Micah staggered upright and struck himself forcefully across the face, begging. "Uncle Zachary, I

straight, and I know I deserve this. Please spare mede a mistake! I wasn't thinking

Please...

"Uncle Zachary, if you spare me, I'll reveal everything I know, including who put me up to this! I'll even leave Clusia and never set foot here again!" Quentin vowed.

While Zachary might seem like just another elderly man, tending to flowers and watching birds, Micah knew that in his prime, Zachary's methods were so brutal they could frighten even the underworld leaders.

Having been caught red-handed with Micah, Quentin knew pleading for mercy wouldn't save him. His only hope for survival depended on trading valuable information.

"Considering how quickly I've apprehended you two, don't you think I've already figured out who's behind this? If I were to die, who stands to gain the most? It's not hard to piece together with a bit of thought. I might be old, but I'm not senile," Zachary retorted. He then commanded, "Take them away and deal with them. I never want to see them again."This is from NôvelDrama.Org.

"Yes, sir," the bodyguard replied. With that, Quentin and Micah were hauled. anguished howls echoing in the distance and lingering hauntingly.

away, their

Simultaneously, Zachary commanded respect. Despite the recent poisoning, he swiftly uncovered the culprit, the mastermind behind it, and solid evidence. His enemies, who had presumed him to be frail, ended up shooting themselves in the foot.

What Zachary would do next remained a mystery. Should someone like Zachary meet. his end, it was clear who would stand to gain the most from his death.

"Viola, you were right on the mark. You once mentioned having enough money is enough and that there's no need to chase after more. A lifetime is too long to be driven by digits alone. It's far better to use your time to find happiness. So, you divorced Samuel, married abroad, and embraced a life of freedom and joy, regardless of what others might think," he remarked.