Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Chapter 89 Will Never Know
When Yuliana arrived at the Solace residence, she could not help but remember a few rumors surrounding the Solace family.
It was said that the Solace family had a history that dated back to a few hundred years ago. In fact, the mansion was built at the beginning of the last century. A formidable building that incorporated a fusion of architectural styles, it had witnessed the change of time over centuries and remained standing to this day.
The mansion was much like its owners. The Solace family was true to their essence regardless of how the world around them had changed.
There were also rumors that the Solace family maintained a couple of old family traditions. For example, the first-born son must become the head of the family while the other descendants could either manage the family’s businesses or choose to be employed elsewhere. These other descendants could also decide to live freely for the rest of their lives.
While these were only rumors, they were not entirely unfounded. At the very least, Christopher’s father, Zachary, was the first-born son, therefore, he became the head of Solace Corporation. When it came to Christopher’s generation, Kendrick was the eldest son and was now managing Solace Corporation, too It was an unfair tradition, but upon careful thought, one could not say it was completely wrong in principle. After all, such a tradition had ensured the Solace family’s prosperity for hundreds of years. The eldest son had to carry the weight of the entire family on his shoulders from the moment he was born, and more often than not, the pressure was unbearable. The other descendants, however, would be well provided for by the family.
Presently, Yuliana hesitated for a moment before getting down from the car.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.
The Solace family’s maid walked up to Yuliana and subtly appraised her, then said with a smile, “Ms. Livingstone, this way, please.”
Yuliana nodded at her and headed in the shown direction.
The maid led Yuliana to a traditional reception room.
The reception room was very tastefully decorated, with elegant furniture and expensive-looking ornaments. There was nothing gaudy about the space, and it belied the Solace family’s understated sense of style.
The Solace family might be a prominent household in Juxshire and in the country, but they were an elusive entity.
Having served Yuliana some coffee, the maid lowered her head slightly and said, “Ms. Livingstone, please wait a moment while I inform Mrs. Solace and Ms. Solace of your arrival.”
Yuliana nodded again and watched as the maid left the room.
In the room’s silence, she could not help thinking about what the maid had said earlier. “Mrs. Solace?” she wondered to herself.
As far as Yuliana knew, Christopher’s grandparents were no longer around. The maid had probably been referring to Christopher’s mother.
“Looks like Christopher’s sister, Layla, isn’t the only one who wants to see me,” Yuliana thought grimly. Yuliana did not touch the cup of coffee the maid had brought and merely sat there gracefully while waiting. It was not long before she heard sounds coming from the door. Looking over, she saw a woman in her thirties. escorting an old lady, whose hair had mostly turned gray, into the room. Behind them was the maid just now. The woman in her thirties had to be Layla, which meant the old lady must
be Winnie, Christopher’s mother. Winnie was wearing simple clothes that did not look different from any other old person’s wardrobe, but her features were delicate, and her gestures were graceful despite her age. It was not hard to imagine how attractive she must have been during her younger days.
Now that Yuliana had taken a closer look, she thought Christopher bore a relatively strong resemblance to
Winnie.
On the other hand, Layla did not resemble Christopher’s sister, Winnie, that much, save for her grace and figure. She had much stronger features that she probably inherited from her father, Zachary
Once Layla and Winnie were in the room, Yuliana politely stood up and greeted, “Mrs. Solace, Ms. Solace.”
Winnie simply stared at Yuliana without saying anything. Then, she sat down on the armchair.
After helping Winnie to her seat, Layla smiled at Yuliana and said, “Don’t be nervous, Ms. Livingstone. Please have a seat.”
Yuliana nodded and sat down again.
Layla also sat down and said, “Ms. Livingstone, first of all, I’d like to apologize. I was going to meet you alone, but
my mother insisted on meeting you as well. She has been in poor health for the last few days, so going out isn’t really an option right now, which is why we’re meeting here instead.”
Yuliana’s face remained unchanged when she heard this. She merely replied softly, “It doesn’t matter where we meet. Mrs. Solace and Ms. Solace, if there’s something you’d like to tell me, please go ahead.”
Never one to beat around the bush, Layla said bluntly, “Ms. Livingstone, I’m sure you know why we wanted to see you today.”
Yuliana looked at them placidly and made no response.
After a pause, Layla asked, “Christopher said you were pregnant with his child. Is that true?”
“I’m pregnant, and it’s my child,” Yuliana answered without hesitation.
“Your child?” Winnie looked at Yuliana indifferently and asked, “Are you saying you have no ulterior motive in carrying this child? That you don’t plan on marrying into the Solace family because of your pregnancy?”
“No,” Yuliana answered, her voice quiet but firm.
Winnie met Yuliana’s gaze, and while she was admittedly stumped, she quickly became aggrieved when she remembered that yesterday’s scandal had only happened because of the woman before her.
Granted, Christopher also played a part in this, so Winnie could not say he was not at fault.
However, she was Christopher’s mother, and she would naturally take his side.
Sensing the tension, Layla patted the old lady’s hand and gave her a look, indicating that she would take over from here.
Winnie sighed softly and raised her cup to take a sip of coffee.
Satisfied, Layla turned to look at Yuliana again. “So, Ms. Livingstone, what are your plans for this child?”
“If all goes well, I will give birth to the child.” Yuliana already knew what the Solace family was worried about. She paused and added for good measure, “If your concern is that I might use this child as leverage, I can sign an agreement right now promising to cut off all ties between this child and the Solace family.”
Layla laughed. “Ms. Livingstone, that wasn’t what we meant. What my mother said just now was a little inappropriate, so please don’t take it to heart. We merely meant that your child is half of Christopher’s responsibility, too, and you shouldn’t have to carry the burden alone. We asked to see you today to understand your stance on this matter.”
After hearing Layla’s explanation, Yuliana realized she might have overreacted. Even her body was tense as if she was ready for battle.
Yuliana pondered for a while and finally said, “What happened between Christopher and me was an accident, and so is this pregnancy. As you said, Ms. Solace, Christopher played a part in how things turned out, but so did I. Getting rid of the child might be best for both of us, but I intend to keep this baby, and that’s my choice to make. It has nothing to do with Christopher, and I don’t plan on letting him take responsibility for it. That’s my stance.”
After listening to Yuliana’s words, Layla was quiet for a long time. At last, she took a sip of her coffee and said, “Ms. Livingstone, I know you mean well, but our family has rules to follow. If you insist on bringing that child into the world, then the Solace family will naturally provide for the child as well.”
Yuliana’s expression shifted slightly. She pursed her lips and then argued, “I will do the same as well.” Layla flashed another smile, but when her eyes fell on Yuliana once more, there was a clear challenge in them. “You might have a fighting chance against the Solace family if your father were still in his heyday, Ms. Livingstone, but you’re just an elementary school teacher now. Will you really be able to provide for the child as well as we can?”
Clenching her fists, Yuliana squeezed out a faint smile and retorted, “I’ll never know if I don’t try.”
Layla and Yuliana exchanged a long, hard look. The former looked away first and took another sip of coffee.
“Mr. Solace, you can’t go in!”
Just then, the maid’s urgent shout came from the door.