Peyton Joyce covered her exposed chest with the quilt, her fair, slender shoulders trembling slightly. Her gentle, harmless eyes brimmed with tears. As she looked at him, her gaze was filled with shyness, helplessness, and resignation. Yet, she could only say softly, "Simon, you drank too much yesterday. I really couldn’t push you away..."
Simon Hawthorne lowered his eyes, his gaze as sharp and cold as a hawk’s. The eerie chill radiating from him was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat. He had clearly returned to Somerset Gardens last night—
Ken Lowell was furious, her face exceedingly grim as she scolded him. "You still haven’t cleanly resolved things with Zoe Lancaster, yet you couldn’t wait to do this with Peyton! How do you expect the Hawthorne Family to explain this to the Joyce Family!?"
Although she looked down on Zoe’s background, the Hawthorne Family was still a prestigious and prominent household with countless eyes watching their every move! The two of them hadn’t even officially divorced yet! How was an incident like this any different from a full-blown scandal?!
Peyton bit her lip and shook her head, looking utterly shattered. Still, she forced herself to keep it together, trying her best to feign nonchalance. "Please don’t be angry, Aunt Ken. Simon didn’t do it on purpose. It was the alcohol... I can pretend nothing ever happened."
Ken’s anger flared even hotter. "Look at this! Peyton still has to be the one considering your feelings!"
Simon pressed his thin lips into a tight line. He had only drunk a little more than usual because of his unpleasant argument with Zoe, but he had never been this drunk before. He knew his own willpower very well; he wasn’t the type to lose control and sleep around just because of a few drinks.
"Did I really touch you?" His Adam’s apple bobbed. He asked the question calmly, yet he made no effort to rein in his cold, cutting aura. It was like an icy wind in the dead of winter, easily shattering one’s mental defenses.
Peyton bit her tongue hard, the pain draining even more color from her face. Staring at him in heartbreak, she slowly let the quilt slide down. Across her fair skin, suggestive hickeys were scattered everywhere.
"Simon... is this something I could have done to myself?" His questioning seemed to have finally plunged her into despair. Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string, a truly heartbreaking sight.
Seeing those marks, Simon’s brow twitched violently as his face instantly turned pale. He closed his eyes, his chest heaving heavily.
"Get out!" The normally calm and composed man erupted in a fit of rage.
His assistant hurriedly wrapped a thin blanket around Peyton’s naked body. Looking at him with profound sorrow, Peyton left the bedroom.
Ken’s head throbbed painfully. This was simply a family disgrace!
After getting dressed, Simon walked out with a terrifyingly cold expression. He radiated a sharp, unapproachable hostility, keeping everyone at a distance. He didn’t even spare Peyton a single glance.
Sitting on the sofa, Ken angrily demanded, "Where are you going?!"
Without a word, Simon left without looking back.
Ken was furious. "You’ve let both women down! I can’t control you anymore!"
Peyton held Ken’s hand and shook her head in self-deprecation. "Simon’s mind is a mess right now. I understand. I feel the same way. If I had been a little stronger yesterday, maybe I wouldn’t have put him in this difficult position."
Ken, however, felt truly sorry for Peyton. Although she had initially hoped for Peyton and Simon to end up together, she had never wanted a scandal like this to happen while he was still married! Now, Simon was entirely in the wrong! If this blew up into a big issue, the Hawthorne Family would have absolutely no leg to stand on!
"You’ve been wronged, Peyton," she could only say, turning to comfort her. She knew Simon’s temper. He wasn’t easily controlled, and if pushed too hard, he could turn the world upside down!
Peyton smiled bitterly. "It’s probably because Simon has been in a bad mood lately. Zoe is pregnant, yet he’s never gone back to see her. It seems they’ve had an even bigger fight, and Simon even wants to abort the child... I don’t know exactly what happened between them, but he has genuinely been in a terrible headspace. That’s why he made this mistake..."
Ken was stunned. He wanted to abort the child? Why? A while ago, the Hawthorne Family had been turned upside down, and the old patriarch was even hospitalized because Zoe went out to meet a man at night. At that time, Simon had still been protecting her. How did things devolve to this point?
Soon, a suspicion formed in her mind. Could it be...
Her face grew increasingly grim.
Peyton cast a subtle, fleeting glance at Ken, acting as though she hadn’t said a thing.
Downstairs, Linden had already parked the car. Seeing Simon approach with a dark, thunderous expression, Linden tensed up. Oh no—something was wrong!
Simon got into the car. He swallowed hard against his dry throat. His mind was blank, and his head throbbed so violently it felt like it might split open. Just moments ago, he couldn’t even be bothered to keep up appearances anymore.
"How did I get here?" he finally asked after a long pause, his voice dripping with freezing hostility. He had clearly gone to Somerset Gardens last night!
Linden gripped the steering wheel and braced himself. "Yesterday... the Madam asked you to come here."
The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the car seemed to plummet. The atmosphere became eerily oppressive and suffocatingly tense, teetering on the verge of an explosion.
Simon slowly opened his eyes, filled with both shock and fury. His heart turned instantly cold! So... she had personally pushed him into the arms of another woman! How could Zoe be so heartless? Did she really have absolutely no feelings left for him? To treat him like a commodity and toss him away to someone else without a second thought?!
"Back to Somerset Gardens!" he gritted out, his eyes bloodshot. His heart felt as though it had been crushed to pieces, and a freezing chill swept over him from head to toe!
Linden didn’t dare say another word, silently suffering in misery. Should he mention that it was because Simon had called out Miss Joyce’s name yesterday...? He caught a glimpse of the man in the rearview mirror. Simon’s terrifying aura looked murderous.
Linden clamped his jaw shut. He turned the car around and drove straight toward Somerset Gardens.
Meanwhile, Zoe was reclining in a rattan chair, basking in the sun. She had heard that getting more sunlight was good for the baby. Over the past few days, she had practically spent all her time lying here. If one looked closely, they would see that her eyes were actually unfocused. By the time she snapped out of her daze, she heard a commotion at the door.
She gently turned her head and saw Simon striding over. He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing his pronounced collarbones—exuding a raw, untamed sex appeal. However, he was radiating a murderous aura so oppressive it made one’s heart palpitate in fear. It felt as though no one would be spared from his wrath.
The servants didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, looking at Zoe in nervous anticipation.
Yet, Zoe merely fluttered her eyelashes slowly and asked, "Are you sober now?"
Seeing her so calm and breezy, as if she were completely at peace with the world, Simon felt as if his sternum had been shattered. It was as though a mouthful of blood was lodged in his throat.
"Do you have nothing to say to me?" he asked, trying his hardest to suppress his emotions, though his expression remained profoundly dark.
Zoe showed no particular reaction, seemingly oblivious to his volatile mood. Her gaze simply fell on his collar as she spoke calmly. "There’s a lipstick stain on your collar. Do you want me to wash it for you?"