Chapter 318
She looked up at Norman, her tear-stained face actually looking pitiable for once.
“I told you to pay them a visit the day we arrived, but you completely blew them off,” Norman said bluntly. “Now that your life is up in flames, you suddenly expect them to roll out the red carpet? Of course they’re furious with you p>
“Just wait until we get back to the hotel. Try calling them again then p>
“But… aren’t they my family?” Mara sniffled, genuinely confused.
Norman nearly rolled his eyes out of his head. “Did you seriously think the rest of the world was going to blindly coddle your every whim the way your mother does p>
Meanwhile, in the lush, manicured courtyard of the Quinn family estate, an elegant, silver-haired Eleanor Quinn was methodically watering her prized orchids.
Standing nearby, her granddaughter, Seraphina Quinn, tilted her head. “Grandma, whose call was that p>
“Just an irrelevant nuisance,” Eleanor replied coolly, adjusting her grip on the watering can.
Less than a minute later, the phone resting on the patio table began to buzz again.
Eleanor merely shot it a disdainful glance before returning her attention to the delicate petals.
Seraphina stepped closer, checking the screen. “Grandma, it’s a number from Melvion City. Could this be related to Aunt Lacey p>
“Ignore it,” Eleanor commanded sharply.
They stood in silence, letting the phone ring itself out.
“If you really don’t want to talk to her, why not just decline the call?” Seraphina asked softly.
“Then you decline it for me,” Eleanor instructed without looking back.
Seraphina reached out and tapped the red button. “Grandma, are Mira and Mara both Aunt Lacey’s daughters? I heard they were twins p>
“Twins?” Eleanor let out a bitter, mocking scoff. “That woman is utterly blind and foolish p>
“Wait… aren’t they?” Seraphina asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Don’t waste a second of your time worrying about those girls. They’re ungrateful wretches, exactly like their mother p>
The monstrous scandal surrounding Mira and Mara had been dominating the headlines for days. As one of the four elite pillars of Aethelgard, the Quinn family was acutely aware that the two girls were currently in the city.
From the vicious, public crossfire of leaked videos and exposing statements, it was incredibly easy to deduce the fractured, toxic state of the Mercer family dynamic.
Yet, despite being in the city, Mira had made absolutely no attempt to visit the Quinn estate.
As for Mara, Lacey had called
Eleanor days ago, tearfully pleading for the family to take care of her. But the relationship between Eleanor and her daughter had been profoundly strained for decades.
Eleanor was already deeply resentful of Lacey’s years of estrangement. The sudden, desperate demand to harbor Mara had been met with cold silence. Eleanor had given no promises.
To make matters worse, Mara hadn’t bothered to reach out the moment she landed. She had only remembered her “family” now that her reputation was a smoldering crater.
Realizing she wasn’t going to get through to the Quinns, Mara frantically dialed Lacey.
“Oh, you ungrateful little girl! You finally remember your mother?” Lacey’s voice chimed through the receiver. “How is Aethelgard? Are you all prepped for the big concert p>
Unlike the modern era of
instantaneous, global social media algorithms, news during this period still relied heavily on specialized forums and regional networks Unless you were actively monitoring Aethelgard’s elite entertainment circles, it was easy to miss the chaos.
Because of this, Lacey was entirely oblivious to the apocalyptic PR disaster that had just consumed her daughter.
Ethan and the others, who meticulously tracked corporate intelligence, were well aware of the fallout. They simply had zero desire to inform Lacey.
“Mom, I keep calling the Quinns, but they won’t answer my calls!” Mara sobbed.
“She won’t answer? How is that possible?” Lacey gasped. “Don’t cry, sweetie. Give me a second, I’ll call your grandmother myself and see what’s going on p>
A minute later, Eleanor’s phone buzzed again. Seeing her daughter’s name on the screen, she finally accepted the call.
“Mom, Mara just tried calling you. Why on earth did you ignore her p>
“Am I obligated to answer every time she rings?” Eleanor shot back icily.
“Mom, I know you resent me, and I can accept your coldness, but why are you punishing a child?” Lacey pleaded.
“A child? Let me ask you this, Lacey. What is the name of my actual granddaughter p>
“Her name is Mara! I’ve told you this a million times p>
“Oh? Because a few years ago, you explicitly told me my granddaughter’s name was Mira. How magically convenient that it has suddenly changed to Mara p>
“Mom, it’s it’s incredibly
complicated. It’s a long story,” Lacey
stammered, flustered. “I promise I’II
explam everything to you when t
have time. But please, just answer
her call, okay p>
“If she is calling as Mara, then tell her to stop wasting her breath. The Quinn family
will never allow a bastard to cross our threshold p>