Ch. 1566..1570

Chapter 1567

Chapter 1567 Sherry stared blankly at John. It was only after she was set on the bed that she realized that they had returned to John’s bedroom instead of her bedroom.

She tried to roll out of the bed in one erratic movement. She ended up landing in an awkward manner and plopped down to the floor on her buttocks.

John lowered himself to look at her and smiled. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” Sherry blushed and said, “I’m going to find Caprice.” “She’s asleep. Wanda is keeping an eye on her,” He said.

With that, he took off his coat and sweater. Underneath his sweater, he wore a light- colored shirt. It did not take much effort for Sherry to notice the outline of his toned body.

Her eyes glowed. John noticed the expression in her eyes, so he grinned and proceeded to take off the shirt. Sherry pulled herself up.

John walked up to her and cupped her reddened cheeks in his palms. He spoke in a deep growl, “Let’s not worry about Caprice tonight and spend the night together, alright?”

His voice rumbled in Sherry’s ears. Nothing was more enchanting than the way he gazed into her. The alcohol was still running in her system and clouded her mind, thus she answered without thinking, “Alright.” John smiled, then he pressed himself on her and kissed her.

Meanwhile, inside an adjacent courtyard, Mia hurried into the courtyard on tiptoe. She stepped into the living room, but Julie was nowhere to be seen. She hurried inside the house.

Julie was not inside her bedroom either.

She was growing agitated. She quickly stepped into the dressing room where there was a partitioned section separated by a curtain. She approached and called out,” Ma’am?”

The curtain was pulled aside and out came Julie. She noticed how jumpy Mia was and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mia quickly informed, “The young master and Ms. Sherry came home. | noticed him carrying Ms. Sherry back to their courtyard. It seems like Ms. Sherry is quite drunk. The two of them are acting more intimate than usual.”

Julie was alarmed by this.

Sherry was drunk? Intimate?

With John carrying her?

What were they going to do?

She quickly grabbed a large coat from her closet and threw it on while striding out. She needed to see what was going on!

Mia hurried after her when she saw how urgent the situation had become.

Before long, they had stepped out of their courtyard and were headed down the path leading to Sherry and John’s courtyard.

Madam Stockton happened to be out taking a walk with the old maid. They were walking along the path on the other side of the courtyard.

“Ma'am, do you think Julie will already be asleep at this hour?” the old maid asked. Madam Stockton declared, “We'll see. All | know is that | can’t sleep easy if | don’t at least try to see her tonight.”

Ever since her last conversation with Julie whereby she found out that Julie was intentionally trying to use her against Sherry, their relationship seemed to have taken a nosedive. She very seldom saw Julie after that, and they hardly dined together anymore.

She had tried to reach out to Julie twice, but both times Julie had told her that she was still processing her thoughts and needed some space.

Two days had passed since, and she had not even glimpsed Julie's face even once.

She felt like at the end of the day, what happened between them was not a grave issue. She was more worried about Julie’s mental state than anything else.

Shortly after, they stepped into Julie’s section of the courtyard.

The lights in the courtyard and the living room were burning bright, but there was not a soul to be seen. She stepped into the living room and called out Julie’s name several times, but there was no response.

She noticed the bedroom door was open, and light was spilling out from inside. She turned to the old maid and instructed, “Wait for me here. I’m going in to find her.” “Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter 1568

Madam Stockton stepped into Julie’s bedroom but still could not see her anywhere.

“Julie?” she called out.

There was no response.

She noticed the lights coming from inside the dressing room and carefully made her approach.

When she stepped inside, she saw that the curtain was pried open, but there was nobody behind it. Concealed behind the curtain was a closed door. She was rather puzzled by the sight of the door.

“Why is there a door here?” she muttered to herself. Then, she slowly approached the door and pressed her palms against its surface.

The night was cold. Julie and Mia hurried to the edge of the courtyard.

There was a gap along this section of the wall which was meant to be an intentional architectural installation. The gap was wide enough to allow a child or a skinny adult to fit through.

Just as Julie was about to squeeze through the gap, she suddenly recalled that she might have forgotten to close the curtains in her dressing room in her hurry to come here.

She quickly told Mia, “I think | forgot to close the curtains in the dressing room.”

“I'll head back and there and close it for you,” Mia volunteered and assured her,” Don’t worry. Nobody is going to waltz into your room, especially not at this hour.”

Julie eased a little. “That's true. Anyway, please head back there and close it for me.” “Got it.” Mia turned around and left. Julie looked around cautiously, then she began to creep into the gap.

Meanwhile, inside a large bedroom on the northern edge of the courtyard, the doors and windows were shut tightly while the curtains were drawn shut as well,

Despite that, one could see slivers of light that spilled from inside the room. Furthermore, the concrete and windows were not enough to muffle the voices that could be heard from inside.

Julie heard those voices as she drew closer. She frowned, her face taut with resentment.

She could hear Sherry’s whimper along with the gentle voice of the man who muttered sweet nothings in her ears. She clenched her hands into balls and was immediately filled with hate and jealousy.

After a while, she turned around and exited the courtyard. She hurried down the same path she came from.

The sweet, sultry voices she heard just now kept ringing in her ears. The sheer thought of what she overheard made her feel dizzy. She could not stomach it even a moment longer.

When she returned to her courtyard, she saw that the door leading into the house was closed. Amidst her rage, she threw it open as hard as she could.

The door opened with a mighty crash.

She was immediately greeted by the sight of Emerence, a trusted maid who was always by Madam Stockton’s side standing in the living room.

She was appalled to see Emerence inside her living room of all places.

If Emerence was shocked by Julie’s sudden return, she certainly did a good job of hiding her surprise. She barely budged from her spot and only greeted Julie with a faint smile.

Julie smiled stiffly, then she walked up to her and asked, “Aunt Emerence, why are you here?”

Emerence answered, “Madam Stockton is worried about you, so | came over with her.”

Julie was startled by this revelation, “She’s here too?”

Emerence informed, “Yes, Madam Stockton is inside your room right now.”

Inside her room?

Julie was practically sprinting by this point.

She cut through the living room, and when she reached her bedroom, she spotted Mia who wore an anxious look on her face.

Mia turned to Julie, her face wrought with fright. She stammered as she spoke, “M- ma’am, when | came back, Madam Stockton was already here. | couldn’t-”

Julie turned pale and quickly stepped into her bedroom.

Chapter 1569

Madam Stockton was seated on a chair inside the dressing room, and there was a grave look on her face.

Julie felt tension the moment she saw her. She whispered, "Mom..."

Madam Stockton glared at her. "Don't call me 'Mom'. You are no longer my daughter-in- law!"

She had a secret room built into her dressing room which was an altar filled with pictures of John! There was even a sculpture sculpted in the likeness of John!

Even an idiot could tell at one glance that Julie was obsessed with him.

Madam Stockton felt insulted to think that she had once expressed her concern for Julie and that she felt she had been too hard on Julie the last time.

This entire time, Julie was not merely trying to drive away Sherry to secure her position in the family. She was out for John! She wanted John for himself! She was going to claim the brother of her deceased husband for herself!

They had lived together for so many years, and it was only now that she found out this terrible dark secret that Julie had been hiding the entire time!

She could not believe that this was the true nature of her daughter-in-law of whom she had once been so proud. She was furious and exasperated! She felt like she was going to lose her mind!

She was about to storm out of the room when she heard something drop on the floor. It sent tremors across the floor.

Julie knelt in front of her.

Madam Stockton was stunned by this display, at a loss for what to say.

Julie cried and spilled her heart out, "I'm so sorry. It's just that I couldn't resist. He's the best man I have ever known and I could not repress my desire for him." She bawled her eyes out and was filled with remorse for what she had done.

Madam Stockton did not know what to make of this. She glared at Mia who was standing by the door, and shooed her away. "You, leave us."

Mia quickly scuttled away.

Madam Stockton turned her attention back to Julie. It made her uncomfortable to see Julie kneeling in front of her.

She had a point. There was not a single man in the entirety of Glanchester who could match with the likes of John Stockton. Not only was he the richest man in Glanchester, but there was also no one more attractive than he was.

Since the incident with Shannon, there had been countless people approaching her and proposing to have their daughters wed John.

Julie's husband passed shortly after she married into the family, and ever since then the only man she was in close contact with was John, she was one of the few faces she knew in Glanchester. Provided these circumstances, it was only natural that she would catch feelings.

However, the thought of the creepy room full of pictures of John and the wax figure... It made her feel sick.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, "Julie, since you've been with our family for so many years, I will forget about what I've seen inside this room today. However, you will have to get rid of all of it, and I mean all of it within two days. Destroy it all."

Julie choked up. "I know, I understand."

"Also, John is a married man. Get rid of whatever gross thoughts you have about him. I promise you that I will scour Glanchester for a man worthy to take your hand in marriage."

She had considered finding a new partner for Julie for some time, but it was Julie who had objected to the idea. With things the way they were now, she decided that the matter was of the utmost urgency.

Julie's eyes were puffed up from all that crying. "Just promise me that you won't kick me out of the house, will you? I will never harbor these ideas about John in the future. I swear I

genuinely want to be by your side and be your support."

Madam Stockton took a deep breath. "Julie, you're still young and have a whole life ahead of you. There's no need for you to feel obliged to stick by my side. Don't worry, no matter who you choose to marry later on, you will always be an honorary Stockton and if you encounter any trouble, you know who to call."

"But I don't want to remarry. I want to be with the family!"

Madam Stockton rose and looked at Julie with iron in her eyes. "I've already made up my mind. I'll talk to your parents one of these days and we'll find a suitable match for you."

Julie was alarmed by this. "You're going to talk to my parents?"

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I saw tonight."

"No, that's not what I meant, I-"

Before she could finish, Madam Stockton walked past her and walked out of her bedroom.

Julie went limp completely and slumped to the ground. Her expression turned rigid, and gone were the tears in her eyes. She let the spite inside her fester and soon, she was scowling insidiously and filled with hatred.

She had been a widow at the Stockton household for almost a decade!

She had been playing the long game of being a diligent daughter-in-law for so many years,

hoping to dig her claws into John one day.

Madam Stockton was going to drive her out now? Don't even think about it!

Chapter 1570

The glow of the morning sun wiped away the last traces of the night.

It was bright and warm outside.

The doors and windows were still shut tightly, preventing the light from seeping into the room. It was quiet and peaceful. Sherry was sleeping soundly on the bed, and the bedsheets were ruffled.

In the middle of her sleep, she felt something on top of her. It seemed to radiate heat, and the sensation pulled her out of her deep slumber.

She drowsily put her hand out and tried to slap it away but ended up smacking her palms on its surface which produced a bright smack. She had slapped somebody’s

muscular chest. She finally woke up.

John had already woken up and was lying on his side with his chin propped against his palm as he stared silently at Sherry’s sleeping figure. He wore a very contented expression. It seemed like he was very pleased with last night's experience.

Sherry felt her cheeks reddening. She suddenly came to and yelled out loud, “How did | end up here? You bastard, did you take advantage of me after | had too much to drink last night?!”

She wrapped herself snugly in the blanket and seemed astounded to find herself here.

John chuckled at her reaction. He could not tell if she was only saying this to save herself from the embarrassment of admitting to what she had done last night. “I did everything that there is to do with you, but let me correct you-it was you who threw yourself on me. | tried to shove you away three times and you wouldn't let up, so | had no choice but to satisfy you.”

Sherry was speechless. Did this man truly believe that she would not remember?

It was he who had laid a string of elaborate traps last night to lead her here. Also, he never even attempted to push her off himself!

As soon as she got dizzy and tried to lean against him to balance herself, he pounced on her like a hungry wolf. Men were such bastards!

Sherry cursed violently, but there was no chance of turning the situation around now that she admitted to having forgotten what happened last night.

Still, she retorted stubbornly, “Who are you trying to fool? Even if | were drunk, | know that I’d still be rational enough to not throw myself at you.”

John only chuckled at this remark. “Well, | suppose | can’t help it if you won't believe me.”

Sherry shot a glare at him.

They exchanged a silent look with one another. He wore a cunning, satisfied smile on his lips.

Sherry gave up and admitted defeat. She turned around so she would not have to face him, then she shouted, “Get out!” “Sherry, this is my room,” John informed.

While Sherry was filled with embarrassment, she sheepishly tried to crawl out of bed.

That was when she felt John’s arm tugging her from behind, pulling her back into the bed with the blanket wrapped around her and into his arms.

Her first instinct was to fight him off. “I’m leaving, let me go!”

John put his arms around her and whispered into her ears, “Sherry, we had a great time last night. Don’t you remember anything?”

Sherry’s ears grew red. She shivered all over and insisted, “I don’t remember a thing!”

“Heh... let me help you jog your memory.” He effortlessly swung Sherry around to face him.

Before Sherry could realize what was happening, John had already planted a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. He was extraordinarily gentle.

She wanted to shove him off, but it seemed like the effects of the alcohol from last

night had not dissipated entirely. She surrendered herself to her passion and kissed him, even wrapping her arms around his neck.

She continued sinking deeper into this unnamable drunken stupor. She was going to pry the blankets off so they could get more intimate, and that was when John suddenly stopped.

She was not expecting that, and her confusion was visible on her face.

John smiled coyly.

Sherry was immediately brought back to her senses. She tried to jump off the bed. Alas, it was too late as he immediately grabbed her.

She turned to him, her face the shade of a ripe tomato by now. “Let go!”

He laughed. “Sherry, when are you going to stop trying to deceive yourself?”

Both of them knew that she wanted to continue their passionate moment. Sherry was very flustered by this point. “I wasn’t trying to-”