Chapter 42
Yoreast Hills Garden was a remote luxury residence in Ocpeace City. One of the unrenovated thirty- acres villas would start at 3.5 million dollars. Theodore's mother, Madison Allen, lived there.
The lawn was neat, and the grass was trimmed evenly. The morning sun was shining brightly, and the smell of Ceylon tea permeated the air. An elegant woman was flipping through a magazine under a parasol. She wore a beige Chanel dress, and she was seemingly in her fifties. However, she took good care of her skin. Hence there were no visible wrinkles around her eyes.
"Aunt Madison," a woman's voice called.
"Josephine?" Madison raised her head to smile at her guest and urged, "Come, have a seat."
The servants immediately pulled a chair for Josephine. She just sat down when another servant served her a cup of tea.
The servants in the Godfrey family were well-trained, and they carried out their duties smoothly. Any one of them would have been better than the servants in the Bailey family.
Josephine recalled her servants' behaviors, and she felt embarrassed. Instantly, she straightened her back to make herself look tough. Yet, her tone was ingratiating when she parted her lips.
"How are you, Aunt Madison? I've been busy with the wedding so that I couldn't visit you. Theodore's always busy, but I should've dropped by more."
"Men should focus on their careers. I know my son." Madison kept a straight face, but her eyebrows made her look fierce and intimidating. "I'm doing fine, and I'm healthy. You two should just go about with you lives. There's no need to worry about me."
Madison had a strong character, and she was usually cold. Josephine knew that Madison's relationship with Theodore was just passable. Therefore, Josephine just did her part and never tried to get close to Madison.
However, Madison still had a say in certain matters when it came to Theodore.
"Theodore told me to drop by too. He's busy with work, and I can't help him. I happen to be free, so I thought I would drop by on his behalf and ease his burden."
"That's nice of you," Madison nodded and added, "Have some tea."
"Okay." Josephine lowered her head to sip her tea, but she was absent-minded.
After chatting for a while, she uttered, "Oh, I almost forgot about that."
She waved to the servant and motioned them to bring her present.
"Aunt Madison, I got this painting from an art
exhibition in West Haven last month. I heard that you like the artist, so I bought it for you."
The servant was displaying the painting. Madison glanced at it, and surprisingly, she seemed pleased. She complimented, "Not bad. You have good taste, and it's rare for me to find someone who shares similar tastes. I'm glad you're not like those people who pretend to know everything."
Josephine could read between the lines, and she knew who Madison was mocking. Josephine replied, "Art can be difficult to understand. Being able to draw doesn't make one an artist, but there are a lot of wannabes out there."
Josephine's remarks pleased Madison, and her stiff face relaxed. After chatting for a while, she began to ask about the wedding.
"How are the wedding preparations? If there's anything you need, just let me know. After all, you're the Godfrey family's daughter-in-law. I feel bad for letting you prepare everything on your own." "Everything is going smoothly. Besides, I didn't need to worry because Theodore hired a wedding planner, so I just need to make a guest list." Josephine paused and continued hesitantly, "Aunt Madison, I think I should tell you about this, so you'll be prepared for it." "What's the matter?' 'Everleigh is back."
Madison stopped drinking her tea and frowned. "Who?" "Everleigh," Josephine repeated, "Previously, I was trying on a wedding dress, but Theodore suddenly passed out, and he was sent to the hospital. We ran into Everleigh there, and I just found out that she came back."
Josephine studied Madison's tense face and added, "Well, it's normal for her to come back because her family is here. Even if the Trevino family kicked her out, she would be bound to come back. Yet, Theodore..."
"What's wrong with Theodore?"
Madison may be cold, but she was anxious at the mention of her son.
"Recently, Theodore and Everleigh have been very close. There are a lot of rumors circulating in Godfrey Group, saying..."
"What does this have to do with the company? What rumors?"
"They say that Theodore was divorced with two kids."
"Ridiculous," Madison slammed her cup on the table and scoffed, "Nonsense. When did Theodore get married or have kids?"
"Here, let me show you." Josephine tapped on her mobile phone and showed the photo to Madison.
It was a photo of a little girl in Theodore's arms. Madison's face hardened upon spotting that and frowned. "Who's that child?"
"It's Everleigh's daughter. She must have married someone abroad and got a child."
A look of disgust appeared on Madison's face. "Look at the child. She must've gotten pregnant right after leaving the country. Didn't she just break up with Theodore? She's a fox..." After noticing Madison's reaction, a trace of relief flashed across Josephine's gentle eyes.
Theodore was the eldest son in the Godfrey family. After what happened to Xavier Godfrey, Theodore's younger brother, Madison placed all her hope on Theodore. Therefore, Madison was very controlling of Theodore, especially of his love life.
Madison was rather particular in choosing a wife for Theodore. She did not care about the woman's background. After all, the Godfrey family was a top family in Ocpeace City. Thus there were not a lot of women with a similar status. She was concerned about the woman's personality and how much she was willing to sacrifice for Theodore.
The Trevino family was on par with the Bailey family. Although they were not as good as the Godfrey family, they were not bad.
However, Madison detested Everleigh. It was understandable because Everleigh firmly believed in gender equality, and she had her own dreams. She was not willing to sacrifice her dreams for anyone or be the woman behind a successful man.
Back then, Everleigh hindered Theodore from inheriting the family business. Madison put in a lot of effort to get rid of Everleigh.
Yet, no one knew about it except Josephine, not even Theodore. After all, Madison learned everything about Everleigh through her 'best friend.'
Hence, Josephine was certain that Madison hated Everleigh for being in touch with Theodore. Josephine just needed to sit back and relax because Madison would definitely make a move.
Just like how it went down seven years ago.
The atmosphere turned dark at the mention of Everleigh, and Madison was displeased.
Josephine knew that it was time to go. Hence she came up with an excuse to leave.
After she left, Madison waved to the butler and instructed, "Go and find out what Theodore has been up to lately." "Yes, Madam.'