Chapter 1578 Does She Even Have Any Humanity?
"Don't say that, Derek is your boyfriend now. It's his duty to take care of you and the kid," Cassie laughed and said, "I was a bit worried when you first got together with Derek, but now I'm relieved. He's so smart. Even if the Jude family finds out about you two in the future, I think he'll be able to protect you well."
"I think so too." Laura was momentarily stunned and nodded.
She hadn't really believed Derek's promises before.
When it came to their relationship, she had always thought it was just temporary.
Now, she was starting to believe.
In the future, if their relationship became public, she wouldn't be so afraid, because Derek would protect her.
For the first time, Laura felt the sensation of being protected by a man.
Whisperlyn City, Madison. After finishing his call with Laura, Derek didn't rush to Whispering Pines Manor.
Instead, he first arranged for Arabella to bring some of Maeve's daily necessities over.
Derek didn't drive to Whispering Pines Manor until after work.
When he arrived, it was almost dinner time. Caroline was playing with Maeve, and Arabella was helping out. With Arabella there, Maeve had stopped crying . In fact, Maeve's presence had brought some liveliness to the usually cold Whispering Pines Manor, even Eric had come out.
Derek smiled and greeted everyone.
Eric nodded, but Caroline and James both had stern faces, clearly unhappy, and didn't chat with Derek as warmly as they usually did.
"Alright, just speak out what you want to express," Eric spoke first. "Derek, why didn't you and Laura tell James and Caroline about her going abroad?"
"Was it Laura who asked you not to tell us?" Caroline said discontentedly, "Is she worried we'll take Maeve away? You're all helping her keep it from us. Derek, you need to understand who your real family is. Besides, James and I aren't that despicable. Since we have reached an appointment with Laura, we won't take the child away. At most, when she can't take care of Maeve, we'll bring her back to Whispering Pines Manor for a few days."
"Exactly," James nodded, "We also understand that Laura is wary of Megan, so we agreed that whenever Maeve comes to Whispering Pines Manor, Michael won't take her out alone, and we even agreed to have a nanny accompany Maeve. We've already made a lot of concessions."
"Caroline, James, calm down a bit." Derek raised his hand slightly, his handsome face always gentle, making it hard for Caroline and James to speak harshly to him.
"Laura has never been wary of you two," Derek explained softly, "Laura once told my parents that if it weren't for Megan, she wouldn't mind Michael taking Maeve to stay for a few days sometimes. She even hopes Maeve can get closer to you. You might not know this, but after Laura's divorce, the Miller family pressured her to move back to Silverwood with Maeve, but Laura refused. She considered that if she moved back to Silverwood, it would be hard for you two to see Maeve. Laura's parents were also worried about her, so they had to compromise and decided to move to Whisperlyn City this year. The house is almost renovated."
"Laura's parents plan to move to Whisperlyn City?" Caroline was surprised.
"Yes," Derek nodded, "Today, when Laura found out you had taken Maeve, she didn't rush me. Instead, she was worried you wouldn't be able to handle Maeve and quickly sent Arabella over."
Arabella, standing to the side, was surprised but then smiled quietly, admiring Derek.
Caroline and James's expressions softened considerably and were no longer as displeased as before.
"Laura should have told us earlier," Caroline said, "Since she's not here, Maeve should be left with us."
"Laura is worried that if Michael finds out, he'll use her business trips as an excuse to fight for custody," Derek sighed, "If you don't believe me, just wait. When Michael comes back, he'll definitely appeal to the court."
Caroline and James exchanged a glance.
At that moment, many thoughts flashed through their minds.
Actually, if Michael fought for custody and won, it wouldn't be so bad. Laura was too busy with work, and they could take care of the child. After all, Julia handled most of the Jude Group's affairs, and James wasn't busy anymore. Caroline also wanted to get closer to Maeve.
Derek had already seen through their thoughts and smiled quietly.
The living room was silent for a while before Eric voiced Caroline and James's thoughts. "If Laura is busy, it's better to leave Maeve at Whispering Pines Manor."
"Eric, I thought the same. But I'm worried that Michael might want to take the child to live with him," Derek sighed deeply, "Let me show you something. You'll soon understand Laura's concerns."
He opened his phone and played a video file, handing it to Eric.
Eric squinted at the video, which showed Megan with a twisted face, cutting open a cat's belly with scissors while the cat was still alive and struggling in pain.
Caroline and James glanced at the video. Caroline, being a woman, couldn't take it and screamed before turning around to find a trash can to vomit.
Eric and James, both men, couldn't stand the gruesome scene either. They quickly turned off the phone, their faces pale with disbelief.
They had recognized Megan's face immediately.
Megan had recently visited Whispering Pines Manor a few times, always appearing gentle and weak. The stark contrast made Eric furious.
"Absolutely insane," Eric smashed a cup on the spot and then pointed at James, "Megan's such a vicious woman. No, Megan isn't just vicious; she's a psychopath, a monster!"
James's face was ashen, clearly deeply shocked.
Derek smiled bitterly, "In the area where Michael lives, there have been many cases of stray cats and dogs mysteriously disappearing. This is just a small matter, but someone notified the animal association, and they sent people to investigate. That's how this was discovered. Luckily, a friend of mine secretly informed me of that, and I paid to get the video file. Otherwise, if it was known to others, it would have severely damaged the Jude family's reputation."
"You are right," Eric nodded approvingly, "It can't be leaked. Or it would affect your father and the Jude Group."
"Too horrifying," Caroline said, her face pale after vomiting. "How could Michael be so blind to marry such a scumbag? Does she even have any humanity?"
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