Chapter 1746
A long, heavy sigh escaped him.
Feeling frustrated and hollow, Keaton rolled down the windows, letting the biting night air hit his face to clear his head.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed through the car’s Bluetooth. It was Janelle. The second he answered, she demanded,
“Where are you right now p>
“Just driving around. What’s up, Mom? Everything okay p>
“Are you busy right now?” she pressed.
“No, not really. Tell me what’s going on p>
“Then come home immediately. I need to ask you something p>
Before he could reply, she hung up. Keaton stared at the dashboard, listening to the dial tone, a knot of confusion forming in his chest.
When he walked through the doors of the Huber family mansion, he pulled one of the housekeepers aside.
“What’s wrong with my mom today? Why is she in such a foul mood p>
The housekeeper lowered her voice nervously.
“Ma’am finally felt well enough to go out today, but she came back looking absolutely furious. We’re worried Mrs. Sewell and her friends might have been making snide comments again p>
Keaton was surprised. “She actually left the house p>
The housekeeper nodded quickly. “Yes, and she was in incredibly high spirits when she left p>
Keaton frowned. p>
Ever since he had confessed the truth about his unrequited feelings for Winona, Janelle had fallen into a deep depression.
She had been moping around the estate for weeks, completely isolating herself from society.
Hearing that she had finally emerged from her self-imposed exile was genuinely shocking.
“Do you know what prompted her to go out p>
The housekeeper shook her head. “No idea, sir p>
“Where did she go?” he pressed.
“I believe she attended an afternoon tea with the other socialites p>
Keaton’s brow furrowed. If she was mingling with her usual high-society circle, running into Mrs. Sewell and that toxic clique was inevitable. They had probably targeted her over the rumors of the pregnancy to mock the Huber family.
Assuming she was just licking her wounds from their venomous gossip, he braced himself and strode into the living room.
“Hey there p>
Janelle was perched on the edge of the plush velvet sofa, her expression tight with anxiety, looking like she was carrying the weight of the world.
When Keaton suddenly materialized beside her, she jumped out of her skin.
“You absolute menace! Are you trying to give me a heart attack p>
Flashing a charming, unapologetic grin, he slung an arm around her shoulders.
“What’s got my beautiful mother so lost in thought p>
Janelle swatted his arm away, her face stone-cold serious.
“Look me in the eye and tell me the truth. Is Winona pregnant p>
Keaton froze, his smile faltering. “Who told you that p>
“I was at the country club today, and I heard it straight from Mrs. Sewell and her gossiping harpies p>
Keaton was baffled. “They usually only obsess over the core elite. Why are they suddenly taking aim at Winona p>
Janelle rubbed her temples, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Because of me! They know how much I adore Winona, and since ber mother and I have gotten so close
recently, Mrs Sewell loves digging up dirt on the guy just to humiliate ust
The world of high-society wives was a cutthroat battleground of passive-aggression.
To protect their family interests and maintain public decorum, they rarely engaged in open warfare, projecting an illusion of flawless harmony.
But behind closed doors, it was a viper’s nest of rival factions and vicious cliques.
Over the past few months, the
Newsom family’s prestige in Jindale City had skyrocketed. With her net worth soaring Mrs. Newsom had successfully infiltrated the upper echelon of the socialite hierarchy.
Given their shared connection through Winona, she naturally gravitated toward Janelle-which unfortunately painted a massive target on her back for Mrs. Sewell’s clique.
As a result, Winona was suddenly under a very hostile microscope.
Keaton’s jaw tightened.
“So how did they even find out about the pregnancy p>
Janelle leaned in closer.
“They hired private investigators to dig into the Newsom family’s business p>
“On top of that, Mrs. Newsom has been actively headhunting top-tier maternity nurses. She claimed it was for a relative, but everyone knows it’s for Winona.” “Keaton, look at me. Is it true? Is she really expecting p>
Keaton exhaled slowly. p>
He shouldn’t have been surprised. There was no such thing as a secret in their world.
No matter how careful Winona had been, concealing her baby bump under oversized clothes and laying low, the vultures had still sniffed her out.
Seeing his grim silence, the last of Janelle’s denial shattered.
“My God, she really is! Whose baby is it p>
Keaton didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes went dark. “What exactly were Mrs. Sewell and her friends saying p>
Janelle grimaced, clearly disgusted by the memory. The sheer cruelty of their words made her physically nauseous.
“Nothing but vile, baseless filth! You know exactly how poisonous those women are p>
“If one of their sons gets a girl pregnant, they call it a blessing. But the second a daughter ends up pregnant out of wedlock, they brand her a tramp p>
Keaton’s hands clenched into fists, a lethal fury simmering beneath his skin. “.. Panic laced Janelle’s voice. “Whose child is she carrying p>