Chapter 566
But what about Tyler?
Thomas ran a hand down his beard, but his tone remained stern. “What do you know? He did live abroad alone when he was very young, but it was all for the sake of being a better version of himself. What’s more, having someone like him around guarantees the security and longevity of the family and its businesses.”
When she heard Thomas’ ludicrous explanation, Rachel could no longer hold her laughter back. She sneered. “Hah… Great plan you have right there. You took full advantage of everyone around you. You threw him aside when you didn’t need him, ignoring him and not showing him an ounce of care or love. The second you see him doing well, you finally remember that he’s family. But did you forget something? Tyler’s family name is Hunt, not Lewis!”
Fire burned in Thomas’ chest over Rachel’s sharp-tongued reproach. He pointed his cane at her and snapped in a shaky voice, “Who are you to judge what we do in our family? The audacity!”
Rachel instinctively shrank back to avoid his cane, so close to poking her eyes out. Thomas rounded on Rachel furiously, utterly angered. “Ms. Lloyd, you’re just the Lewises’ ex-daughter-in-law! No matter your status then and now, what right do you have to say all that to me? You’re just an illegitimate daughter of the Lloyds. Who do you think you are to comment on our family affairs? Who are you to criticize how I do things?”
Rachel naturally knew her place. Even so, she went on. “It’s true, I have no right to say anything. But as an outsider, I truly feel that Tyler has been treated very unfairly. He doesn’t even know what it feels like to be loved by his family. He had only himself to depend on over the years and never took anything from the Lewis family. Yet here you are, trying to make full use of him. Don’t you think that’s too much?”
“You…you’re a curse on our family!” Thomas’ face turned red with ire as he started getting breathless. His chest heaved as he raised his cane high.
Rachel wasn’t afraid of getting hit by Thomas. She admitted that she had gone too far and neglected to consider whether an elderly man would be able to take her frankness at his age. However, she didn’t regret whatever she said. No one else could speak up for Tyler, and given how obstinate he was, he would never say all that to Thomas. He would only swallow all the pain and injustice he had suffered over the years.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Rachel’s waist. She felt herself being dragged into a familiar embrace. She looked up in surprise and straight into Tyler’s deep, unfathomable eyes. Her jaw dropped, at a loss for words. “You…weren’t you…”
“Have my words fallen on deaf ears? What did I say just now?” Tyler’s brows were tightly knitted, a storm brewing in his eyes.
“I…” Rachel wanted to say that she wasn’t exactly getting bullied. In fact, she had done her fair share of talking back, although she could never outwit a senior in Thomas’ position.
Seeing Tyler so protective of Rachel, the fire burned brighter in Thomas’ chest. “Tyler, just look at the woman you fancy so much. She’s horribly rude! Since when was it her place to interfere in our family’s affairs?”
Tyler rubbed Rachel’s shoulders comfortingly as he glared at Thomas. “And how polite were you when you went behind my back and forced her to leave me?”