“She’s still here? In the living room?”
Maya nodded vigorously. “Grandpa asked her to leave, but she wouldn’t listen. She even wanted to move in to the estate!”
She’s really trying to stir up trouble in the estate, isn’t she?
Nicole rushed to the living room, and before she even reached there, she could see Avril beside her father, muttering something to him.
When she listened closely, she was taken aback by Avril’s bold suggestion. She could not believe how straightforward and audacious Avril was when the woman suggested that Stephen divorce Portia. Avril even mentioned how Wicked Palace and the estate would be a family once Stephen marries her and how that would benefit everyone.
Seeing how Avril kept trying to sell her father on the naive idea dignifiedly, Nicole thought the woman seemed like a character that would only appear in a play. She had never seen someone show their ambition so unabashedly as Avril did.
Evan did mention that Avril might have an ulterior motive. Does wanting to be the duchess count?
“I have a point here, don’t I? I mean, you don’t even like your wife, so why not get a divorce?”
The duke turned to glance at Avril sharply. “That’s it! Stop yapping and go home. Don’t ever come back here again!”
The woman froze for a second before sitting down on the couch aggrievedly.
“I’m not leaving! I risked my safety to keep you company when you were in Wicked Palace, and now that you’re out, you want to throw me out like I’m trash? I won’t have that!”
Stephen sighed irritatedly. “What do you want then?”
“I love you, and I want to be with you!”
“Avril, you have a great future ahead of you. There’s no need to waste your time on me. Just tell me exactly what you want from me or what you need me to do, and I’ll get it done.”
The woman gazed at him with her marble eyes and thought carefully before asking, “Do you mean it? Anything at all?”
“Yes!”
The estate will never be at peace if Avril kept coming over, so he wanted nothing more than to meet the woman’s demand and send her on her way.
Avril then stood up and started circling him. “There’s only one thing that I want, and that’s… you! So you’ll give me what I want, right?”
“This is nonsense!” Stephen roared.
“You promised to give me anything I want! Are you breaking your promise? You’re a man, and men shouldn’t go around breaking their promises!”
Speechless, the duke turned and walked out of the living room, only to bump into his daughter.
“Do you need a hand, Dad?”
After some thought, Stephen nodded seriously. “Yes, and make it quick!” He then turned to shoot Avril an annoyed look before hurrying away.
The woman smiled when she saw Nicole walking into the living room.
“I thought Lady Musgrave was your mother and worried that you would be against me for trying to steal your mother’s man. Good thing that wasn’t the case. Since that woman’s not your mother, you should side with me, and we’ll get rid of her together. She wasn’t good to you anyway, but I’ll be when I become your stepmother.”
Nicole hated hearing the word “stepmother.”
Avril’s only a few years older than me, yet she thinks she has what it takes to be my stepmother?
Nicole took a deep breath before inquiring unceremoniously, “Is everyone at Wicked Palace as shameless as you are? You’ll do anything to get what you want, won’t you?”
Avril froze at first but then nodded vigorously. “Yes. That’s how we do things at Wicked Palace. We’ll stop at nothing to get what we want. I thought you would’ve figured that already after witnessing what Levant’s done to get you.”
