Chapter 34
David’s face turned sullen, and his fingers tapped
rhythmically on the table, making a dull thud.
Everyone had witnessed how devoted Talia had been to Kendrick over the years.
Given the effort she’d put into securing this marriage, was it truly possible that Talia was willing to call it off?
“Are you jealous of Valerie? But they’ve merely had more frequent interactions because of work. Is that truly something worth being jealous over?” David asked.
Maeve chimed in, “Don’t you know what Valerie is like? Since she was a kid, she’s always given the better things to you. Do you really think she’d steal Kendrick from you?”
Talia’s eyes flitted from her parents to Valerie.
How absurd. Even without Valerie saying a single word, her very own parents were already siding with Valerie.
Talia pursed her lower lip, a faint sneer curling the corner of her lips.
“This isn’t a joke, and it’s not about jealousy. From this moment on, Kendrick and I are through, and the engagement is off.”
Kendrick yanked at his tie irritably and said in a low, gruff voice, “Talia, what all the fuss is about?”
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At that, Talia erupted into laughter.
“The fuss?
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“Kendrick, just because I’m in love with you, does that make me inferior to you? Am I guilty? Can’t you see how sad I am, or do you really think I’m just making a fuss?
“I’ve long wanted to ask you! Abandoning your fiancee to protect another woman, did you ever consider how I’d feel? And! How could you casually give me away to someone else? You really disgust me!”
Kendrick was taken aback, but then he was suddenly enlightened.
Talia was acting out because she’d heard those words and was mad at him.
“It was just a joke among friends. Why are you so petty?” he sneered.
Valerie spoke up slowly, “Tally, why are you doing this? Being self–willed, you’re only making things hard for our parents. If you suddenly call off the engagement, won’t people laugh at us?”
“This family has always been a joke. I’ve never seen an
adopted daughter boss around the biological daughter like this. In that case, are you really not concerned about what others outside will think?”
David was seething with rage and slapped Talia across the face.
His chest heaved violently as he glared at her with bloodshot
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eyes. “How dare you!”
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The slap jerked Talia’s face sideways. Her head, already dizzy from the stair–fall, now swam with stars.
Her cheeks burned, and she fought back the tears welling in her eyes.
David gritted his teeth and said, “Do you think someone will marry you after you call off the engagement? Who would dare to risk offending the Deven family to marry you?
“Besides, you were in prison. That’s shameful enough. And by tomorrow, everyone in our social circle will know about it!
“You’ve disgraced the Taylor family!”
“Yes, I was in prison, but I was framed. And just because it was Valerie who framed me, you all turned a blind eye!”
Talia was deeply disappointed in her family and had nothing more to say to them.
She had long seen through her so–called r family and lover.
She turned and walked out.
But outside, it was pouring rain.
The porter felt sorry for her and quietly offered Talia an umbrella.
She didn’t take it. Instead, she turned and stepped into the
rain.
Letting the rain soak her through, she felt more at ease than she had in a very long time.
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Leaving them behind, she felt as if she had broken free from a cocoon like a butterfly and reclaimed her life.
Maybe the night was too dark for Talia to notice a pitch–black car parked not far away by the roadside.
The man in the car was dressed in a white shirt, with a
cigarette between his lips. A tiny spot of scarlet light kindled a wisp of smoke.
Once the cigarette burned down to its end, he exhaled a puff of smoke.
After a moment, a man who seemed to be an assistant approached from outside.
There was a brief silence in this confined space.
Kayson’s assistant, Gavin Rogers, whispered to Kayson. Instantly, Kayson, sitting in the back row, menacingly narrowed his lazy eyes.
“That’s the whole story,” Gavin said.
Gavin found it rather incredible. What had happened in the Taylor family that night was extremely dramatic.
The biological daughter was bullied terribly by the adopted one, but no one in the Taylor family stood up for her.
He thought, “What’s wrong with the Taylor family? Are they out of their minds?”
Gavin glanced at Kayson’s expression and then at Talia’s figure, which was fading into the distance. “Should we follow?” he inquired.
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Kayson’s eyes were fixed on the black–screened phone.
As the screen lit up, his strikingly angular features emerged from the darkness.
Kayson’s jaw tightened a bit. The light on his brow bone kept. shifting. Suddenly, his phone rang. A faint smile played on Kayson’s lips.
This time, he didn’t let her call go unanswered.
His finger swiftly swiped the answer button on the screen.
Talia’s hesitant voice immediately came through, “258, is it you?”
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