Chapter 51 Marcus Arrives
Daphne paused. She subconsciously looked towards the source of the voice and saw Marcus. Putting down her chopsticks, she stood up, "Marcus? Why are you here?"
"You're only eating this for lunch?" Marcus looked concerned.
"I'm not very hungry, just finding something to eat," Daphne explained politely, and then asked, "Have you eaten? If not, I can have someone prepare something for you now."
Marcus's gaze became complicated as he focused on her. He asked a practical question, "Will they listen to you?"
Daphne bit her lip, unsure how to respond to Marcus. He was clearly angry with Charles for keeping her confined here, not allowing her to go out.
To protect Marcus from worry, Daphne lied, "No, he hasn't." She didn't want Marcus to be overly concerned. Besides, even if she truly wanted to leave, these people wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her. She willingly stayed here, she just didn't want to deal with those matters anymore, or be associated with Charles because of Kayla.
"Why couldn't I reach you on your phone?" Marcus questioned again.
"Somebody called me earlier, but I found it bothersome, so I turned it off," Daphne replied, being careful with her words.
Worry lines appeared on Marcus's wrinkled face. He didn't want to interfere too much in the affairs of young people, and if Daphne wouldn't admit it, there was nothing he could do. Just then, Charles returned. Seeing Daphne and Marcus conversing in the living room, his attractive brow furrowed slightly, and he walked over with his usual indifferent attitude, saying, "Grandfather."
Marcus didn't give him a friendly look. "I want to take Daphne back to the old mansion for a few days." Daphne was confused,
Charles blurted out, "No."
"Even before Daphne said anything, why are you refusing?" Marcus didn't want Daphne to suffer. Even if she divorces Charles soon, he still hoped she would be happy.
"I have something to discuss with Daphne," Charles lied skillfully, "Until she receives the divorce certificate, she doesn't have time."
Marcus asked Daphne directly, "Is that true, Daphne?"
"Hmm," Daphne responded softly. On this matter, their goals were aligned; solve their own issues without bothering their elders.
Marcus also knew that the two of them had their own ideas. His only purpose for coming here was twofold; If Daphne admitted to being confined, he would take her away and give her freedom; if she didn't admit it, he wanted to give his grandson a warning, to let him know that Daphne had his support. Finally, expressing his dissatisfaction with Charles, he said, "Come with me, I have something to tell you."
Charles obediently followed him. They talked for about ten minutes. "I've said what needed to be said," Marcus concluded, not forgetting to summarize, "If you dare to restrict Daphne's freedom or bully her, be prepared for the consequences."
"Understood," Charles's gaze became slightly deeper.
Marcus didn't stay for long and left, but before he departed, he arranged for food and drinks to be brought for Daphne, and also had a lengthy conversation with her. After seeing Marcus off, the whole villa was left with only Daphne, Charles, still in his western attire, and the bodyguard who blended into the background.
"Look at you pretending to be pitiful," he mocked as he glanced at the bowl of noodles on the table, still half full.
Daphne couldn't be bothered to respond. She had planned to finish the noodles but found them to be too sticky after stirring them a couple of times, so she decided against eating them.
Unable to bear being ignored, especially when they were the only two in the living room, Charles said, "I'm talking to you."
"I heard you," Daphne replied flatly.
"You heard me but won't answer?"
"Just because a dog barks at me, doesn't mean I have to bark back," Daphne said. "If you want to say something, it's your business. If I don't want to answer, it's my choice."
Charles gritted his teeth. How dare she call him a dog! "You can leave," he said, fearing that keeping her there any longer would drive him crazy. "If you cause any more trouble before the divorce, I won't show mercy anymore."
"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself?" Daphne felt the need to correct his self-implied assumptions. "I'm the one being wrongly accused, and you're the one causing problems. Are you sure you're showing mercy and not being ruthless?"
Charles's expression turned cold. "If you didn't do those things, I wouldn't have accused you." Daphne took out the only one-hundred-dollar bill she had on her and threw it at him.
"Go see a psychiatrist at the hospital," Daphne said, feeling that any additional words would be wasted on him. "I'm paying for it."
After saying that, she went upstairs to grab her phone and briskly walked out of the villa, leaving Charles standing there with a dark complexion. Once outside the villa area, Daphne hailed a taxi and headed back home.
Before, when she was investigating the true mastermind behind Kayla's accident, she didn't look at the information directly but instead packaged and loaded the data. When she returned, she would have to take a closer look at what kind of person would go to such lengths to involve her.
While thinking about this, Evan's call came in. As soon as the call connected, Evan's pleasant voice came through the phone, "You're really back?"
"Not exactly," Daphne knew what he was referring to. "There's just a tricky matter that needs to be dealt with, so I went up to investigate."
"Because of Charles."
"Yes."
"Do you have plans tonight?"
"I don’t."
"Let's meet and talk about something."
"Alright." Their conversation had always been simple and direct, hardly any wasted words.
After ending the call, Daphne received the time and location Evan sent her and replied with a simple "okay" before dimming her phone screen.
That evening, Daphne donned a black and white ensemble as she entered the private room where Evan awaited her at the bar. Evan, seated alone, maintained his characteristic smile, and the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose lent him an air of refinement. When he spotted Daphne, he greeted her, "You've arrived."
"Yes."
"I want to show you something." Evan took out a stack of photos from the inner pocket of his coat.
Daphne raised her eyebrows. She was somewhat surprised to find that Evan carried photos with him. He placed them in front of her, exuding an elegant and refined demeanor. "These photos are all real. Take a look," he said.
Daphne picked up the stack of photos and looked through them one by one. They were all candid shots of Kayla with a man. Some were intimate pictures of them kissing, some showed them engaging in covert actions during dinner parties, and others were glimpses into their daily lives.
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