Chapter 147 - 147: Mrs. Horton Is Here
Chapter 147 - 147: Mrs. Horton Is Here
Still, she followed Keira to the adjoining lounge.
Keira, dressed in a gown, had only a cellphone in her hand—her bag and Old Mrs. Horton's belongings were in the room next door.
She knew Mrs. Olsen would be there today and didn't want her to worry.
After going through so much, she knew that no matter what she said, these people wouldn't believe her, so she simply brought the marriage certificate to ease the worried Mrs. Olsen's mind.
As the two of them were about to enter the lounge, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance.
Keira and Mrs. Olsen couldn't help but turn their heads to look, and there was Lewis, dressed in a tuxedo and striding in like a top celebrity, heading straight for old Mrs. Horton.
Those around who were offering birthday wishes stepped aside, allowing Lewis to stand in front of old Mrs. Horton.
Old Mrs. Horton's face was filled with smiles as she extended her hand.
Lewis, however, didn't step forward but instead bowed deeply and said earnestly, "Grandma, I wish you a happy birthday, good health, and a long and prosperous life!"
He didn't, like others, prattle on with birthday platitudes. His tersely chosen words expressed the sincerest of blessings.
Old Mrs. Horton's eyes reddened slightly, and she immediately beckoned to him. "You brat, why so formal? For you to be happy in life and to love your wife deeply, growing old together—that's my greatest wish."
Lewis's face was tense, but Keira could see from his eyes that he was restraining his emotions. He said hoarsely, "Grandma, rest assured, I will."
"Good! Good!" Old Mrs. Horton's smile at that moment was the most sincere of the evening.
Because Lewis's wife was mentioned, someone stepped forward with a smile and asked, "From what Old Mrs. Horton and Mr. Horton are implying, will Mrs. Horton be making an appearance tonight?"
Upon hearing this, Lewis unconsciously searched the banquet hall for Keira.
But at that moment, Keira and Mrs. Olsen had turned a corner, and he couldn't find her, so he could only stop searching and nod at the one who had spoken.
People around immediately began to tease with laughter.
"Mr. Horton is finally willing to bring out the wife he has hidden for two years. We are curious to know what kind of person she is, to command such devotion..."
"From the look of old Mrs. Horton's beaming smile, she must be splendid!"
Old Mrs. Horton loved to hear these words and nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, my granddaughter-in-law is beautiful, capable, gracious, and proper. I like her very much!"
"A harmonious relationship between Mr. Horton and his wife must be your greatest hope, Mrs. Horton!"
"Isn't it? That brat always has a stern face, and I used to worry about scaring my granddaughter-in-law, but now their relationship is so good!"
Old Mrs. Horton had been perfunctorily responding to those around her, but she now took interest.
Seeing this, everyone immediately gathered around her, starting to praise her grandson and granddaughter-in-law, and old Mrs. Horton's face visibly filled with more smiles.
Lewis, seeing this, smiled a little. He wanted to see where Keira was, but his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at it and answered. Tom's voice came from the other end, "Boss, Miss Davis has arrived."
Lewis frowned. "Who told you to bring her here?"
"Boss, it's not my fault. She insisted on coming. She said she must come for old Mrs. Horton's birthday celebration. Her situation is special, and I couldn't stop her..."
As Tom spoke, his voice got quieter, evidently very guilty. "Do you really want to make your marriage to Miss Olsen public today, or should we postpone..."
Lewis immediately responded in a stern voice. "Why should we postpone?"
Tom coughed. "Isn't it because we're worried that Miss Davis can't handle this shock? Then Miss Olsen will just have to bear the brunt again, at worst getting called a homewrecker or a mistress a few more times..."
"Keep your schemes to yourself. Keira doesn't need you to speak for her."
Lewis lowered his gaze, hiding the fatigue in his eyes. He pressed his hand to his forehead, a flash of determination crossing his eyes, and spoke in a deep voice, "It's actually good timing that she has come, just in time to see that I'm indeed married, and dispel those inappropriate thoughts she might have."
Tom chuckled. "Alright then, boss!"
Lewis then asked, "Where is she?"
Tom replied, "She came in a hospital gown and has just been taken by Isla to change into a dress!"
...
After Lewis finished his birthday speech, Keira turned the corner at the end of the hallway with Mrs. Olsen and headed toward the rest area on the first floor.
Right after turning the corner, they saw Jalen.
He had a bit of a sophomore air about him and evidently preferred solitude. He immediately approached upon seeing her and said, "Dr. South, I need to talk to you for a moment."
Then, he glanced around, lowered his voice, and asked, "Tell me the truth. Is there something more between you and my cousin?"
Keira was perplexed.
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Jalen said, "Do you think the Horton family could really keep a secret? Lately, the company has been abuzz with talk that you've gotten together with my cousin! Are you really together?"
Keira twitched the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, really."
Jalen's attitude changed immediately, and he was almost sighing. "How could you do this? You... Being highly intelligent, shouldn't you marry someone equally smart? You know it's not right, so how could you…"
He wanted to reprimand Keira, but the harsher words he couldn't bring himself to say.
Keira saw his conflict and knew that he was concerned about her. She was about to tell Jalen the truth about her relationship with Lewis, but unexpectedly, Jalen lowered his voice.
"I've already found out who Mrs. Horton is!"
Keira paused, raising an eyebrow. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Madeleine Davis, and she's been abroad all these years receiving medical treatment. My cousin spent a lot of time abroad with her too. She returned to the country a while back, and her condition has reportedly stabilized, so she can make public appearances now. I just saw her being personally escorted in by Tom. I'd heard that my cousin was planning to formally introduce his wife to everyone today..."
Jalen's speech halted as he looked at Keira. "Well, although his wife has health issues, Lewis has been faithful to her for two years without divorcing, which means they do have feelings for each other. You shouldn't… My cousin may be quite handsome and many women like him, but he's not right for you… really…
"Be rational, don't do anything that will make you lose respect in everyone's eyes. Sometimes, gracefully stepping back can also be a form of generosity and magnanimity. That makes sense, doesn't it, Dr. South?"
Keira didn't know what to say.
Seeing her silence, Jalen thought his words had convinced her, so he asked, "Where are you going?" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Keira replied, "I'm planning to show Mrs. Olsen my marriage certificate."
Jalen said, "…Right, you're married too. We should each just live our lives well then. Come on, I want to see who your husband is."
"…"