By Zephyria “Why the hell is that bastard coming back? What does he want!”
At those words, Jason, who was drinking in one corner, chuckled.
“He probably wants a lot. Now that the old man’s gone, he’s probably trying to get a big share, isn’t he?”
“Old man? Watch your mouth, Jason.”
Mrs. Campbell coldly rebuked her son and continued in a calm voice.
“Only McCoy & Associates knows the contents of Harold’s will. It was McCoy who contacted ‘him’.”
Mrs. Campbell emphasized the word ‘him’ and then fell silent. She seemed to be making a desperate effort not to say Yu-jin’s name. As if even saying his name would degrade her dignity and risk soiling herself with filth. However, it seemed that only Georgina noticed her intention.
“There’s no need to treat someone like that as a person, Mother! Where did that McCoy guy go? We need to come up with a plan if things are this bad!”
At Gordon’s shout, Lady Catherine fanned herself with her handkerchief instead of a fan and said.
“He probably went to pick him up. He clearly doesn’t intend to show up here until the will is announced.”
Lady Catherine didn’t even try to treat him as a person. Still, Georgina thought that the expression ‘it’ was a bit much, but Gordon was already agitated again.
“Is that bastard taking his side? How dare he? How?”
“McCoy & Associates is the executor of the will, Gordon.”
Mrs. Campbell explained calmly again. But that only fueled Gordon’s anger further.
“Is McCoy really bringing that bastard here? Really?”
“The will has his name on it, doesn’t it?”
Lady Catherine pointed out. Gordon shouted again at her, her face contorted with a chillingly hateful expression.
“That’s exactly what doesn’t make sense!”
His shouts echoed through the living room one after another. Unable to contain his anger, Gordon paced around the living room, spitting out harsh words.
“Do you believe that bastard is our relative? Don’t be ridiculous, everyone knows that’s a load of crap my father made up, right? That guy has nothing to do with our Campbell family, he has no rights at all!”Everyone agreed with the impassioned cry, but reality was different. Mrs. Campbell opened her mouth.
“Regardless of what we think, if ‘it’s’ name is in Harold’s will, we have to abide by it.”
“Shit!”
“Gordon, how can you use such vulgar language?”
Gordon immediately cursed at the cold rebuke. Lady Catherine widened her eyes in horror, but her brother didn’t even pretend to hear. He frantically grabbed and ruffled his hair, then violently yanked down his tightly knotted tie.
“We have to come up with a plan! Are you all just going to let that bastard set foot in this house?”
“Calm down, Gordon. You need to be more rational.”
“Then why don’t you say something, Mother?”
Gordon asked sarcastically at Mrs. Campbell’s remark.
“You’re the one who’ll be in the most trouble if that bastard comes back to the mansion, aren’t you? What if Winston finds out?”
Suddenly, the atmosphere froze. Georgina felt a chill run down her spine as she watched Mrs. Campbell’s face turn as expressionless as a mask. Lady Catherine, who had been glancing back and forth between Mrs. Campbell and Gordon, sensing the heavy tension, interjected.
“There’s no way Winston will find out about that. Anyway, let’s get rid of it as soon as possible. Now that Father’s gone, it has no excuse to freeload here. We just need to confirm the will and send it away quickly. Everyone, watch your mouths.”
“Jason, you’re the biggest problem.”
Gordon turned his attention.
“Be careful, don’t make a mistake while you’re high.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Jason chuckled and put the entire bottle to his mouth, gulping it down. Gordon, watching him with a look of disgust, said in a voice full of anger.
“Why don’t we just throw that bastard in a hospital? Just for the time Yu-jin’s here.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Mrs. Campbell spat out sharply.
“It’s only been a month since Jason was discharged. Do you want to put your brother back in the hospital again?”
Gordon thought it was the best way for everyone, but he didn’t want to argue with his mother. Even though Jason was a drug-addicted good-for-nothing, he was still a precious son to Mrs. Campbell. Just a useless brother to him, though.
Georgina watched her uncle silently with interest. The adults were definitely hiding something. Georgina was the only one in the house who had no idea what it was. Now that she was just 15 years old, she couldn’t resist her curiosity and joined in the adults’ conversation.
“What’s ‘that thing’?”
“Oh my!”
Lady Catherine screamed exaggeratedly at the sudden voice, startled. Mrs. Campbell also turned her head in surprise, which was rare, and even Gordon and Jason, who was heavily drunk, widened their eyes in embarrassment. All eyes were focused on one place at once.
“Georgina, how long have you been there?”
George asked, at a loss, his face showing his dismay. Georgina watched her father’s reaction with interest and replied.
“Since an hour ago. More importantly, what is it? What’s the thing that Winston can’t find out about?”
“There’s no such thing.”
Mrs. Campbell said in a colder and more frosty voice than usual, and stood up from her seat. The tall woman deliberately straightened her back and looked down at Georgina, who was still sitting, in an overbearing manner, and continued.
“It’s vulgar to hide and eavesdrop on conversations without making a sound. It’s even more vulgar to spread the things you accidentally overhear elsewhere. Do you understand?”
Georgina realized that she was trying to silence her. A rebellious spirit immediately rose in her head, but she didn’t want to cause trouble by spreading it around. Above all, she didn’t have the courage to deal with the aftermath.
Since she didn’t really know anything anyway.
Instead of meaningless resistance, Georgina smiled brightly, got up from her seat, took one foot back, bent her knees slightly, and curtsied.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
She said it as sarcastically as possible, as a form of resistance, and Mrs. Campbell, who noticed the meaning, raised her eyebrows but soon turned her head away.
Judging that it was no longer possible to eavesdrop, Georgina left the drawing room as it was. As expected, the adults who had gathered didn’t say a word until she went outside and closed the door.
Georgina went out into the hallway and headed for the annex where Lady Catherine and George lived together. She regretted not just sitting quietly and listening to the conversation more, but there was no doubt that Yu-jin would bring new vitality to this boring mansion. For better or worse. The adults in this house are too rigid and need some fresh air. Georgina thought so and hummed a light tune.
Meanwhile, Lady Catherine, who had been looking at the closed door for a while, finally opened her mouth after enough time had passed to feel safe.
“She’s still a child. She probably doesn’t even know what she heard, does she?”
“Fifteen isn’t that young. Some people were married at that age, weren’t they? Although they divorced just two years later.”
At Gordon’s words, Lady Catherine unusually raised her eyes and made a fierce expression. George hurriedly intervened between the two, saying, “Now, now.”
“Anyway, we’ll keep a close eye on Georgina, so don’t worry, and let’s focus on what’s happening right in front of us. Isn’t the conversation we should be having now about Yu-jin, not Georgina?”
That was also the reason why they had gathered. Mrs. Campbell turned her head and spoke calmly as usual.
“Is there anything special to talk about? He’s probably just after money anyway, so if we give him a few coins at the right time, he’ll leave on his own. In the meantime, watch your mouths.”
She looked around once and added.
“As you all know, Winston must never find out about ‘that thing’.”
Silence fell instantly. Everyone was silent, and Gordon cautiously interjected.
“If Winston’s in his right mind, he couldn’t have forgotten that he almost died because of that bastard. Even if he has any feelings left, they definitely won’t be good ones.”
He continued, speaking with more confidence and a louder voice than usual.
“Don’t worry, Mother. Wasn’t the reason he broke off his engagement with Evelyn in the first place because of the aftereffects of that accident? Now that Winston’s healthy again, it wouldn’t be bad to talk to him again, would it? Evelyn’s still single, and Winston wouldn’t refuse Evelyn.”