Bride Behind The Mask

The room was thick with tension, and Ablett and Zoe stood frozen in place, their hands still clenched around Marguerite’s as if they had forgotten to let go.

With a confident stride, Frederick approached the Abletts, towering over them, his voice cool but commanding, “Let her go.” Startled as if facing an adversary, the Abletts quickly released their grip. Miley immediately straightened Marguerite’s shoulders, inspecting her for injuries, “Are you okay, Marguerite? Are you hurt?”

During the tussle between Miley and the Abletts, Marguerite had been jostled about so much that she felt as if her bones were about to come apart.

Rubbing her sore arms, she offered a rueful smile, “I wasn’t hurt, but | feel like I’m about to fall to pieces.”

Miley tenderly massaged her arms, then cast a reproachful glance at Frederick, complaining, “Mr. Winston, where on earth have you been? We've been out here forever. If you’d been any later, Marguerite would’ve been taken by them!”

Frederick's gaze briefly tightened at the sight of the bruise on Marguerite’s wrist, but his look of concern vanished in an instant, returning to his usual icy composure, “The examination room is soundproofed. We didn’t hear you arrive.”

Marguerite, puzzled, turned to Miley, whispering suspiciously, “What's going on? Why do they dress like that? Are they really going through with a paternity test?”

Miley chuckled, “Absolutely! You just wait and see. Today’s a day for the history books! Yuna-no, the entire Lockwood family-is going down!”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Marguerite was still trying to make sense of it all when she saw Hackett storm over to Robert, arm raised as if to strike him, but ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

His anger was palpable, “Explain yourself! Why did you drag us here? What’s going on?”

Robert stood a head taller than Hackett, his face mask obscuring his expression, but his eyes were piercingly direct, “Isn’t it obvious? We're at a paternity testing center.”

Robert's response was expected, but it still left Hackett momentarily speechless, “What for? Yuna and | already took the test!”

Robert's smile didn’t reach his eyes, and Frederick stepped closer, tilting his head and shooting Yuna a glance before locking eyes with Hackett again, “Hackett, I'm afraid we'll need you to take the test once more.”

The pressure from Frederick’s presence fueled Hackett’s rage.

He had always harbored a grudge against Frederick-for his coldness in both family and business matters, never showing the slightest respect for the bond between their families.

Furthermore, Frederick's disregard for his daughter was a slap in the face! With that provocative statement, Hackett redirected his anger towards Frederick, “What business is it of yours?” Frederick's voice was lazy, almost casual, but his gaze was intense, “Hackett, it concerns who my fiancée is. How is that not my

business?”

Marguerite’s heart skipped a beat. The paternity test affected who his fiancée would be? She couldn't help but feel that she was reading too much into his words-that if the test proved she was the Fitzgerald heiress and not Yuna, he’d be willing to acknowledge her?

Startled by her own thoughts, Marguerite shook her head, refusing to harbor false hope and pushed the thought away.

But in the corner, Ablett was far from calm. From the start, he had been against Zoe’s scheme to have Yuna replace Marguerite. After all, the Fitzgeralds weren’t fools, and perpetuating the lie would only reveal more flaws.

It looked like someone must have uncovered solid evidence, prompting this new demand for a paternity test. Damn it all! He cursed Zoe’s stubbornness, and now, to save his own skin, he had to concoct more lies to cover their tracks.

But what was with Zoe? She had been so fired up before, so why was she suddenly silent on the matter of Hackett and Yuna taking the test?

Had the shock rendered her speechless?

Ablett couldn't afford to ponder any longer. He stepped forward, his voice quivering, betraying his lack of confidence, “Mr. Winston, Mr. Fitzgerald, Yuna has already taken a paternity test with Mr. Fitzgerald. Why must we do it again?”

Robert's cold laugh cut through the tension as he countered, “Why do you think we need to do it again?”