Chapter 371 She's gone mad!
Paige frowned, "The sponsor canceled the deal? Could it be that we startled the snake? Did we really startle the snake? So, does that mean the sponsor actually showed up at the party?"
Pearl nodded, "Yes, the deal is off. Lily is very anxious; she's afraid she won't get next week's antidote because she didn't handle things well."
Paige took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger. They had come so far and couldn't give up halfway.
If they gave up now, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
"Cancel the deal, cancel the deal, cancel the deal." Paige muttered to herself three times before accepting that the lead had temporarily gone cold.
The more cautious the other party was, the more Paige felt that they had other secret funds.
No matter who held it, Paige won't easily let it go.
After Paige finished muttering to herself, she suddenly looked at Pearl. "Don't act rashly. Tell Lily that since the other party canceled the deal, she should book a vacation and go out to play."
Pearl was stunned. "Ms. Ellison, you want Lily to go out and play? Aren't we continuing the investigation?"
Paige shook her head, "The other party has obviously sensed danger and retreated. Since they've already taken a step back, if Lily makes any more moves, this game will be a dead end."
Pearl understood. "I get it. Letting Lily go out to play is to make the other party lower their guard, right?"
Paige nodded, "Only if they lower their guard can we possibly turn this game around."
Just as Paige finished speaking, someone knocked on the door.
Pearl went to open it, and the maid stood at the door, saying, "Mrs. Carnegie is back. She heard Ms. Ellison is home and asked if she could speak with her alone."
Paige was momentarily stunned before realizing the connection.
Paige's displeasure was evident. She had thought Francesca, having her own place, wouldn't come back easily.
Maybe she heard something and knew Paige was back, so she came back on purpose.
Paige said with a stern face. "Please tell her I have nothing to say to her."
The maid looked troubled; such words were hard to convey. "Ms. Ellison, this..."
Paige didn't want to see Francesca. She couldn't chat with her alone.
Nor could she accept the fact that she was the child Francesca abandoned.
Seeing Paige's bad mood, Pearl immediately stepped in. "How can you be so dense? Just tell Francesca that Ms. Ellison is busy."
The maid nodded and left.
Paige said, "Why did she come back? It seems living at the Carnegie Estate is inconvenient."
Pearl replied, "We have several houses here. Ms. Ellison, you can live wherever you want. I think Mr. Carnegie also has plenty of houses to choose from."
Paige took a deep breath, trying not to think about Francesca's return.
But soon, there was another knock on the door.
This time, Paige went herself, opened the door, and impatiently said, "Didn't I say I have nothing to say to her?"
As Paige finished speaking, she saw who was standing at the door. It was Francesca!
Francesca was momentarily at a loss. The maid had said Paige was busy. She came herself because she knew Paige probably didn't want to see her.
Unexpectedly, Paige's first words hit her tender spot.
Francesca immediately lowered her head, unable to face Paige's broken expression. "Paige, I want to talk to you. It's inconvenient to talk outside, so when I heard you were back, I rushed back to see you."
Paige stood by the door, one hand still on it, ready to slam it shut at any moment.
She looked at Francesca, clearly not in a mood to be nice.
"Rushed back to see me?" Paige said sarcastically.
Francesca knew what Paige was thinking. "Paige, I had no choice. I really rushed back to see you. I want to talk to you. I had no choice. I've thought about it for a long time and still want to tell you why I sent you away, why I didn't acknowledge you as my daughter immediately after knowing. Even at the party last night, I didn't dare acknowledge you because I had no choice, you know? I thought I could bear your hatred, but I can't. I want to tell you the truth. I want to explain why. Can you give me a chance to tell you?"
Francesca stood at the door, afraid Paige would shut her out. She held the door to say a few more words to Paige.
But Paige seemed uninterested.
She coldly smiled, "Francesca, if you hadn't married into a wealthy family, would you have become an actress? Your acting is great, a Best Actress performance I've seen over and over again. But unfortunately, I get tired of things quickly. Your acting means nothing to me now. I don't need your story, nor do I want to hear your excuses. Now, please don't disturb me."
Paige showed no sign of treating Francesca as her mother.
She spoke to Francesca without any courtesy.
Francesca knew Paige might reject her, but she didn't expect Paige to be so ruthless.
She stood there for over ten seconds, tears in her eyes, looking at Paige.
She struggled to say Paige's name. "Paige, don't you want to know why I gave my newborn daughter to someone else to raise? Now, you're going to be a mother. Do you know how painful it is to let go? Why did I endure that pain to give you away?"
Francesca didn't dare say this in front of anyone else.
Pearl stood behind Paige.
Though she knew Pearl was loyal to Paige, she also knew that in this world, there was no such thing as loyalty, only whether the price of betrayal was high enough!
If the price was high enough, anyone could betray, no matter how close the subordinate!
So, Francesca said all this just to get a chance to talk to Paige alone and explain everything.
Paige remained unmoved, even showing impatience. "I'm not interested."
Paige threw out these words, seeing Francesca had no intention of leaving, she turned to Pearl. "Pearl, pack up. We're moving out."
She had thought Francesca would avoid her, but hearing she was back, Francesca followed.
Therefore, Carnegie Estate was no place for Paige to stay.
She couldn't coexist peacefully with Francesca, nor could she bear the thought that Francesca had abandoned her as a newborn.
She couldn't even associate Francesca with the identity of a mother.
Between Paige and Francesca, Pearl naturally didn't know how to mediate.
When Paige asked her to pack, Pearl had no choice but to comply. "Yes."
With that, Pearl went to prepare.
Thinking about it, the things she had brought over in the morning were probably just arranged by the maids, and now they had to be packed up again.
If she had known, she would have come later.
Before Pearl could leave the study, Francesca let go of the door.
She said dejectedly, "No need, I'll leave. You're pregnant now and need proper care. The maids here have experience taking care of pregnant women; they'll treat you well. Since you don't want to see me, I won't appear before you again until you give birth. I..."
Francesca choked up and then she adjusted herself before continuing, "Forget it, ultimately, it's my fault. You have every right to hate me."
With that, Francesca turned and walked away, looking desolate.
Paige stood there watching for a while before saying, "I don't hate you. We have no emotional connection, no relationship, so where would the hatred come from? I have my mother, who gave me all her love. Even though we were often apart, we were truly mother and daughter."
After saying that, a tear slid down Paige's cheek.
She tried hard to control her emotions, not to let herself feel even more sorrow.
Closing the door, Paige turned around, her expression somewhat restored.
Pearl, however, was concerned, "Ms. Ellison, are you alright?"
Paige looked up. "I'm fine."
Pearl said, "So, are we still moving? Actually, I think the Carnegie Estate is quite nice. If you don't like it, we could have Mr. Carnegie move to our place; that's also a good option."
When Paige came to Arcadia, she chose one which she liked from many houses.
And the Carnegie Estate was quite similar in style, with a very large yard.
And as Francesca said, there were many more maids here, all very experienced and brought over from Northwind with the Carnegie family.
Paige felt exhausted.
She said she didn't hate Francesca because they had no relationship, but it took all her strength to say it.
Sitting down on the sofa, Paige finally said, "No need, she probably won't come back."
Pearl nodded, "Alright."
Paige said, "Pearl, go arrange things for Lily. Let me be alone for a while."
Pearl knew Paige needed some space, so she nodded and left the room.
As Pearl walked out, she saw Francesca getting into a car. Once the door closed, the car quickly drove away.
Bradley came out, watching the departing car and sighing.
Pearl looked at Bradley and said. "Mr. Carnegie."
Bradley sighed again, "I wonder when they'll resolve their issues. Francesca really likes this house; she even had her wedding here. She just told me she won't be coming back for a while and asked me to take care of myself."
Pearl felt that Bradley still sided with Francesca.
After all, Francesca had lived with the Carnegie family for many years and had done a lot for them in Gregory's place.
Although the swap of Paige and Louis was incomprehensible, people needed to look forward, especially someone as old as Bradley.
At his age, what was there to hold onto?
He was just hoping for a happy and fulfilling life.
Pearl couldn't say anything, nor could she judge.
After all, this was the Carnegie family's private matter.
Pearl said, "Mr. Carnegie, I have some things to attend to, so I won't disturb you."
Bradley nodded, letting Pearl go.
Shortly after Francesca left, Raymond went to the kitchen, brought a bowl of soup, and knocked on the study door.
Raymond knew Paige would be upset after seeing Francesca.
No matter how strong one's heart was, it was hard to bear seeing the mother who abandoned you at birth.
When Raymond entered the room, he didn't mention Francesca, just handed over the soup.
Seeing Paige in low spirits, he gently fed her.
Meanwhile, in the car, Francesca pulled down the partition and silently wept in the back seat.
Once home, Francesca quickly went upstairs, and soon the sound of things being smashed came from above.
When the maids went upstairs, they saw the mess.
Francesca didn't care about the value of the things she smashed; she just smashed everything in sight.
She looked like she had gone mad.
The usual gentle and elegant demeanor was gone. She cried, laughed, and smashed everything in the room.
The maids outside didn't dare to intervene or speak.
Seeing them, Francesca shouted, "Get out, all of you, get out!"
The maids didn't know what had happened but were scared and left.
Francesca, with disheveled hair, squatted on the floor. "Why does fate treat me this way? Paige is my only child. I just wanted her to live. Isn't living more important than anything? But why am I the one who's wrong in the end?"
Francesca vented her emotions wildly. At the Carnegie Estate, she almost lost control, but now she finally broke down.
As Francesca cried and screamed, heavy footsteps came from the stairs.
As the footsteps got closer, Francesca's crying didn't stop.
A tall, ordinary-looking man stood at the door, surveying the mess. Finally, he walked in, wearing meticulously crafted shoes.
The shoes crunched on the debris, but the man didn't look down, heading straight for Francesca.
He reached out, carefully grabbing Francesca's arm covered by her sleeve, and pulled her up.
He spoke in a deep, magnetic voice. "Mrs. Carnegie, there are still maids from the Carnegie Estate here. I'll take you to your room and then arrange for someone to clean up."
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