“It was surprising news, but I don’t see why Mother is so shocked.” Georgina tilted her head before speaking.
“Wasn’t this expected when Winston got married? That was the condition of the will. If he had no intention of having children, he wouldn’t have married in the first place.”
“W-Well, that’s true, but…”
Lady Catherine, unusually, stammered. Though she had vaguely anticipated this outcome, it seemed she hadn’t truly prepared herself for it. When she had first learned of the marriage, Madam Campbell had also informed her children, emphasizing that it was an unavoidable situation. But now that it had become a reality, the shock was far greater than expected.
Mother must have received this invitation too.
Lady Catherine sank back into her chair with a thud, scanning the invitation with a grave expression. Was her reaction the same as mine, or would she maintain her usual composed demeanor? Georgina was extremely curious. Perhaps she would even be pleased that the will was finally being executed. After all, Madam Campbell had already declared that she would abandon the child. As long as she achieved her goal, she could easily overlook the minor discomfort of the process. That was the kind of woman Lady Catherine believed Madam Campbell to be.
That must be why she lived with Father all those years despite despising him so much.
Staring at the unwavering text on the invitation, Georgina sat lost in thought before finally giving in to her restlessness and rising from her seat.
“Mother, where are you going?”
Without answering Georgina’s question, Lady Catherine disappeared. Though momentarily caught off guard, Georgina wasn’t one to give up so easily. She quickly followed her mother out of the breakfast room. By the time she reached the hall, Lady Catherine had already disappeared up the stairs, leaving behind only the fading shadow of her retreating figure. Without hesitation, Georgina moved to follow.
Where Lady Catherine was headed was all too predictable. As she quietly cracked open the bedroom door, she was immediately met with the sound of her mother’s voice. Confirming her suspicion, Georgina listened intently.
Oblivious to her daughter’s presence, Lady Catherine, completely engrossed in her phone call, continued speaking in an agitated tone.
“Does this even make sense, Gordon? No matter what, how could he carry a Campbell child?”
“Calm down.”
Thankfully, Lady Catherine was on speakerphone. Perhaps she hadn’t thought it necessary to be cautious since she was alone. Thanks to that, Georgina was able to hear their conversation without missing a word.
“We already knew this was going to happen. Why are you suddenly acting like this?” Gordon continued.
Letting out a groan, Lady Catherine pressed a hand to her forehead.
“What did Mother say?” she asked weakly.
“She didn’t react much,” Gordon replied. “She just told us to focus on the inheritance.”
Lady Catherine remained silent, prompting Gordon to add, “Our goal is clear, so don’t worry too much. Nothing is going to happen.”
“You really think so?” Lady Catherine finally asked, though her voice was far from convinced.
“I want to believe that Winston won’t be swayed by that thing, but I’m not sure. You heard about the Halloween party, didn’t you? He even threw a birthday party for its daughter. If it was just because of the will, there was no need to go that far, was there?”
Her voice, which she had been trying to keep calm, gradually rose, trembling with emotion. For a moment, Georgina genuinely debated whether she should rush in if her mother fainted or simply pretend not to notice. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.
“Well, yeah. That bothers me too,” Gordon admitted in his usual slow drawl.
“But what can we do? We just have to hope for the best. Either way, he’s already pregnant, so from here on, Mother will take care of things.”
“How?” Lady Catherine asked, her voice laced with anxiety.
Gordon chuckled. “Catherine, think about it. Once trust is broken, it’s hard to restore. Winston has already lost all faith in Yu-jin. Even if he is wavering now, it’ll only take the slightest push to turn him away again. I’d bet a million dollars on it.”
“Quit gambling, Gordon.” Though Lady Catherine’s tone was disapproving, she seemed reassured. Her shoulders, which had been tensed up, finally relaxed.
Georgina, her ears still keenly tuned in, listened as her mother spoke again.
“You’re right. There’s no way Mother would just sit back and let this happen.”
“Exactly.”
Gordon’s voice was almost comforting as he continued, “We’ve already succeeded once. The first time is always the hardest—after that, it gets easier.”
“You’re right.” Lady Catherine let out a small laugh. The mere thought that Madam Campbell would intervene gave her a great sense of relief. She seemed at ease now, but there was still one lingering concern.
“What about Jason? There haven’t been any issues, have there?”
“Not yet.” Lady Catherine let out a sigh before adding in a complaining tone, “That’s a relief, but he’s my biggest worry. If he gets high and makes a mistake…”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Gordon’s reply was firm. “I’ve blocked every possible way for him to get drugs. I even told him I’d throw him into rehab if he tried anything, and he was scared shitless. Mother says she wants to use this chance to get him clean, but that’s none of my business. I just need him to stay put until everything is settled.”
“Well… yeah, I suppose.”
Lady Catherine kept her response short, but the truth was, she completely agreed with Gordon. And both Gordon and Georgina knew it.
“Good. At least he’s staying quiet.”
“Not exactly. Do you think a junkie suddenly going cold turkey would sit still? We’ve had to use a bit of physical persuasion, but hey, it’s not like we had a choice.”
Gordon snickered, his voice devoid of any real concern for their younger brother. And of course, Lady Catherine felt the same. Their only concern was whether they could secure the inheritance without any complications—that was all that mattered.
Nothing significant followed. Just as the conversation seemed to shift to trivial topics, Lady Catherine ended the call with a sigh and straightened her back.
Holding her breath, Georgina watched as her mother gracefully reclined against the couch, closing her eyes in a composed and elegant manner, just like always. Realizing there was nothing more to see, Georgina quietly stepped away from the door.
What exactly had happened?
Her heart pounded as she walked down the corridor. She had long known that there was something hidden beneath the adults’ conversations, but she had never been able to figure out what. After meeting Yu-jin, she had tried everything—asking questions, snooping through drawers—but her efforts had yielded little. Today, she had finally stumbled upon something, but it was still frustratingly vague.
One thing was certain: something monumental had taken place.
Back in her room, Georgina sat in deep thought. At this rate, she would never uncover the truth. The adults would never willingly talk.
Except for one person.
It was a method she didn’t want to resort to, but her curiosity was too overpowering to ignore. Would it really make a difference if one more person knew the truth? It wasn’t like the others would ever find out that she knew.
Besides, no one truly cared about Jason. If she could help him in the process, wouldn’t that be a good thing? He was still her uncle—still family.
With that final thought, Georgina made up her mind and picked up her phone. She scrolled past several names in her contacts before landing on the one she needed. Before making the call, she took a deep breath.
“Whew…”
Her chest rose and fell as she exhaled deeply, then pressed the call button. A few monotonous rings sounded before a familiar voice answered.
“Jini! Hiii! What a surprise—you, calling me?”
Mimicking her classmate’s signature drawn-out greeting, Georgina exchanged a quick pleasantry before getting straight to the point.
“I have a question. Remember how you mentioned that there’s someone selling drugs at school?”
She had never done anything like this before. The sheer thrill of it made her breath quicken. Struggling to keep her excitement in check, she forced herself to ask.
“Do you happen to have their contact information?”
Girl, what are you doing? You’re going to give drugs to your druggy uncle? You are not better than the rest of them. SHAME!!