Hilary’s worries unsettled her to the extent she could hardly do anything in the morning. In other words, she was overwhelmed by fear.
Therefore, unable to suppress her anxiety, she left home in less than an hour to see Shermaine.
This was despite the fact that she didn’t know which prison her daughter was in.
Ever since Shermaine was sentenced to jail, Hilary never kept in touch with her. From Hilary’s perspective, she had no use for someone in prison, especially one that was reviled by the public. Given that Shermaine’s future was bleak, Hilary didn’t intend to acknowledge her as her daughter anymore.
However, at this point in time, she felt the urge to see Shermaine.
She figured she could still use her contacts to find out where Shermaine was being held.
Unfortunately, Judy wanted to see Hilary the moment she left home.
Having arrived at the agreed venue, Hilary met Judy and her husband. Both of them were clad in designer clothing and looked more flamboyant than the rappers on television.
With her eyes flashing with contempt, she hated the sight of them. She sat opposite with her body facing away and arms folded, clearly expressing her disdain just for being present.
“What do you want? I already paid you this month, so why do you still want to see me?”
Fidgeting the gold ring in her hand, Judy remarked with a smile. “Hilary, the holiday season is upon us. Given that we don’t have any family in D City, it would likely be a quiet affair.”
Hilary snapped, “In that case, you should leave D City.”
“Haha… that’s impossible I’m afraid. We still prefer D City given how vibrant it is. Moreover, our old home is just too dilapidated now. Anyway, we have made up our minds to spend the holidays in a hotel and enjoy a scrumptious meal there. Only then, would there be a festive feeling to it.”
“Go ahead and do it then. What has it got anything to do with me?”
“We intend to, but it costs a lot more due to the holidays. Besides, we’re a little tight…”
“B*llshit!”
Hilary sprang to her feet in fury as she dropped all civility.
Despite being a respected lady of a prominent family, the feisty shrew in her would never change.
“You b*tch… I…”
The way she cursed and swore even put Judy to shame. It was now obvious that Hilary was just faking her dignified demeanor.
Given how snarky Hilary could be, both Judy and her husband watched in shock. They were dumbfounded by Hilary’s tirade. Nevertheless, Judy’s husband was the first to recover his senses.
He retorted, “Hilary, why do you have to be so rude? All we are trying to do is discuss this civilly with you. Are you trying to force our hand with that attitude of yours?”
Hilary was infuriated. “What are you going to do? You were already going to go ahead with it regardless of whether I forced you or not. Both of you are just greedy b*stards…”
“Shut up!”
Judy joined in the fray, unable to tolerate being berated by Hilary. She was so outraged that she couldn’t resist swearing and raising her hand…
“F*ck you. You’re the despicable one here to have seduced other men and abandoned your own daughter. No one is more shameless than you…”
Both women got into a full-blown altercation as they yelled and shoved each other.
With her husband’s help, Judy managed to overpower Hilary and pin her against the wall. When Hilary attempted to scratch Judy’s face in defense, Judy pre-empted her with a forceful slap. As they continued to struggle against each other, the room was thrown into chaos.
However, no one came to check. The room either had good soundproofing, or the staff just didn’t want to get involved.
In the end, Hilary’s face was swollen while her hair was in a mess. Panting vigorously, she lay on the floor. Meanwhile, Judy and her husband returned to their seats. They sipped on their coffee and they stared at how miserable Hilary looked.
Judy sneered, “Hilary, don’t take us for granted. Are you trying to deny the debt you owe us? Let me remind you, you have to pay us whatever we want and should count yourself lucky that we have not exposed you. After being friends for so many years, I’m sure you don’t want to destroy the relationship we have, right?”
Hilary wanted to laugh. But the moment she moved her lips, pain reverberated throughout her body.
Hissing in pain, she picked herself up but couldn’t avoid aggravating her wounds. Judy’s husband didn’t show any mercy when he rained his fists down upon Hilary. Feeling the excruciating pain, she wondered if any of her vital organs were hurt.
Stroking the wounds on her face, Hilary remained silent. However, she had seared the humiliation she felt into her mind and vowed to seek revenge one day.
Dragging herself forward, she took a card out from her bag.
“There’s a hundred thousand here.”
Judy and her husband’s faces lit up as they quickly snatched the card away.
“The password is six zeroes. I presume that’s enough?”
Judy let out a greedy grin. “More than enough, hehe… Hilary, we really appreciate this. Since you’re now hurt, you should get some rest. Don’t worry, we won’t see you until the holiday season is over.”
Hilary didn’t respond. Just when she was about to leave, Judy suddenly remarked, “By the way Hilary, our main reason for inviting you out wasn’t to ask you for money. We heard about what happened to your daughter and wanted to console you. However, since she has broken ties with you, it probably has nothing to do with you anymore. Nevertheless, we still wanted to show our concern. Tsk-tsk, it’s such a shame. Despite having married into a wealthy family, she has fallen so far as to mire herself in such dire circumstances.”
“That’s right. If I knew that I was actually born into a wealthy family, I wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable situation. In fact, I might even have a chance to redeem myself.”
Both Judy and her husband made those comments on purpose. However, after pausing briefly, Hilary stormed off without saying a word.
Baffled, Judy and her husband exchanged glances.
“Hubby, why didn’t Hilary respond? Is she worried that we expose her?”
“I don’t think so. Did we beat her brains out then?”
“Probably not. Why doesn’t it affect her?”
Feeling disappointed, both of them exchanged glances. Sipping their coffee, they struggled to plan their next move.
After leaving the meeting, Hilary went to see the doctor for a check-up. The doctor told her that she was fine. Nevertheless, the wounds on her face and bruises on her body made it look more serious than it actually was.
During the check-up, the doctor was concerned that she was a victim of domestic violence and even wanted to make a police report on her behalf.
However, Hilary declined his offer and quickly left the hospital. After getting into the car, she knew that she couldn’t go home because she was unable to explain her wounds to Zach.
At the same time, her friend had found out where Shermaine was being held. She was in a prison in the outskirts of D City.
Without a moment’s delay, she hailed a cab and headed over.
After going through the security checks, Hilary finally got to see Shermaine.
She looked pale and had lost weight. When Hilary saw her last three years ago, she was still a famous actress despite having her reputation destroyed.
But now, given how haggard she looked, she resembled Hilary more.
When Hilary noticed the resemblance, her eyes suddenly burned.
She commented in a choking voice. “My dear Shermaine, you… you have had it tough.”
However, Shermaine’s expression was indifferent. The icy look she gave Hilary was also filled with hatred.
Feeling heartbroken, Hilary burst into tears. She sobbed silently as if her tears could convey her remorse.
However, Shermaine didn’t even allow her the space to cry.
“Are you here just to cry in front of me? If there’s nothing else, you should leave.”
“No, no…”
Hilary wiped away her tears. “No, Shermaine. I’m here to see you.”
“Now you have.”
“I… I have let you down for not coming to see you after so many years. I’m really sorry. However, I didn’t have a choice…”
“Mmm-hmm. What else?”
Hilary hesitated before she spoke.
Shermaine squinted her eyes as if she could read Hilary’s mind. Before Hilary said a word, she pre-empted, “We are not related in any way. Hence, it doesn’t matter whether you come and see me or not.”
“No, No, I really…”
“What happened to your face? Who hit you?”
When Shermaine changed the topic, Hilary touched her cheeks and smiled wryly. “A despicable couple. Those b*stards…”
Couple?
It dawned upon Shermaine who the couple was.
Her mind flashed with animosity. Not because she felt indignant on Hilary’s behalf, but because they had been pressuring her.
Shermaine had never been threatened to this extent before. Now that she was in prison, she had no choice but to submit to their every demand.
She was also cognizant that Hilary was the source of it all.
When Shermaine saw Hilary’s wounds, she smirked suddenly. However, she quickly regained her composure as an idea struck her.
Right before Hilary spoke, she suddenly asked, “Is Judy one of them?”
Hilary’s face instantly turned pale as she was overwhelmed by guilt.
Shermaine added with a smile, “They came to see me before. Ms. Hilary, do you know what they told me?”
“No… it can’t be. They took my money and are supposed to keep their mouths shut. Shermaine, both of them are untrustworthy. You can’t believe whatever they say.”
Shermaine smiled as she watched Hilary defend herself.
