Chapter 384

Joyce clutched her belly in pain, while a satisfied smirk played on Diane’s lips. She thought to herself, "Perfect. Let her miscarry right here and now!"

“Joyce, don’t ruin my party!” Henry snapped, his voice laced with anger. He was about to signal for someone to drag her out.

Maggie, hiding in the background, was torn.

If Joyce miscarried, this ridiculous affair would finally be over.

But what if she flew into a rage out of humiliation and pressed rape charges against Tuff?

Gritting her teeth, Maggie stepped forward. “Wait!”

“Oh, so you’re here, Mom.” Kayla’s voice was icy as she shot Maggie a cold glare.

Sometimes she called her “Mom,” other times “Maggie”—it all depended on her mood.

But this time, the way Kayla said “Mom” sent a chill down Maggie’s spine. She didn’t even dare to look Kayla in the eye.

“Since it was all just a misunderstanding, I’ll take her to the hospital myself,” Maggie said hurriedly.

With everyone watching, Maggie openly took the mistress’s side—truly a public slap in Kayla’s face.

Gossip buzzed through the room, with people whispering that Kayla had clearly lost her mother-in-law’s favor.

Diane was about to explode at her clueless sister-in-law and snapped, “Maggie, you’re really not the right person to take her. Just call an ambulance!”

“I… I just want to protect Kayla’s reputation. No matter what Joyce did, the baby is innocent,” Maggie stammered, trying to justify herself.

But the more she talked, the worse it sounded.

Kayla’s tone was cool, but her words stung. “Mom wants a grandchild just as much as I want to be the real wife of this family.”

Joyce was fuming.

‘Seriously? Who still cares about official wives and side wives these days? The only thing that matters is who’s got the power to win!’ she thought.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure Ms. Lambert gets the best hospital and the best doctors. I’ll do everything I can to ensure the baby is born safely,” Kayla said, her voice calm and steady. Then, right in front of everyone, she pulled out her phone and called Landon. “Hey, Landon, I need to ask Dr. Mitchell for help—can you arrange it for me?”

Bob sucked in a sharp breath. “Mrs. Prescott, you mean Dr. Mitchell—the one from the Flying Tiger Sect?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” Kayla nodded.

“If Dr. Mitchell is on the case, then there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, my wife’s rheumatism just won’t go away. Do you think Dr. Mitchell could take a look at her too?” Bob asked awkwardly.

As soon as he said that, the sharp-eyed guests picked up on the hint and started cozying up to Kayla, chatting her up like old friends.

And while they were busy making nice, they didn’t forget to take a few digs at Joyce.

“Some people are just lowly and will never amount to anything. Don’t let it bother you, Miss Kingsley,” one guest said, trying to sound sympathetic.

“Mistresses never end well. Who knows if she’ll even make it to the delivery room?” another chimed in, her tone dripping with disdain.

“She’s just faking it. She can’t even compare to Miss Kingsley’s elegance,” a third guest added, her voice syrupy sweet.

Joyce was stunned.

Her face went even paler.

And on top of everything, Joyce was still clutching her belly, fighting off the pain.

“Get out!” Diane barked, yanking Joyce toward the door.

“Auntie, I’m your own niece!” Joyce cried, her voice shaking.

Diane sneered, “Save it. I don’t want a niece as shameless as you.”

“Maggie, are you really just going to stand there and let them bully me?” Joyce shot Maggie a sharp, accusing look.

Maggie was stuck in the middle, pleasing neither side.

If she sided with Joyce, Kayla would be furious.

But if she sided with Kayla, Joyce might just go ahead and press charges against Tuff.

She could give up on having a grandchild, but there was no way she’d let anything happen to her son.

“Diane, that’s enough. I’ll take her out myself,” Maggie said, reaching out to steady Joyce.

At last, Joyce gave in and let Maggie lead her away.

She had no place here anymore—sticking around would only make things worse.

With Maggie escorting her out, it was obvious to everyone who the Prescott family truly recognized as their daughter-in-law.

Though defeated, Joyce still retained her dignity.

‘Let Kayla be the one left embarrassed,’ Joyce thought, her heart full of spite.

“Maggie, you really are unbelievable,” Diane snapped, barely holding back her anger.

Kayla called out gently, “Diane, just let them go. I’m still waiting to take my rightful place as the lady of the house.”

Diane was stunned.

“Mrs. Prescott, you’re way too soft. If this happened in my family, we wouldn’t rest until she lost that baby,” one guest scoffed.

“The child is innocent. Besides, the Kingsley family is big enough—if the Prescott family goes under, it’s no big deal for us to take in another kid,” Kayla said calmly, her expression serious, not a hint of joking.

People couldn’t help but admire her for being so gracious and big-hearted.

After that party, Kayla made a name for herself in Lunova’s elite circles.

Some called her gracious, others praised her wit, and plenty envied her for having such a powerful family behind her.

Kayla was even crowned “Princess of Kinglsey,” while Joyce was likened to a garishly painted clown.

By the time Tuff caught wind of what had happened, it was already two days later.

“Mr. Prescott, you sure are lucky—managing both your wife and your mistress at home,” someone teased, a sly grin on their face.

“I heard the Kingsley family is the richest in Norava—their family’s standing is even higher than the Prescott’s.”

“Mr. Prescott, could you remind your wife about introducing me to Dr. Mitchell? I’m still hoping to get his help,” a third person said, their tone polite but persistent.

Tuff was stunned.

His mind went blank.

‘What just happened? Why do I feel like something bad’s about to go down?’ Tuff wondered.

When he finally got the full story, Tuff was stunned to find out that his mother and Joyce had ganged up on Kayla at the Carter family’s party.

Furious, Tuff rushed home. “Honey, why didn’t you tell me you were being bullied?”

“I’m not bothered,” Kayla replied coolly, calmly snipping at the plants.

Winter in Lunova was bitterly cold, and the north wind hadn’t let up for days—it looked like snow was on the way.

Even with the heating on, the plants were still withering from the season. No matter how much care or fertilizer she gave them, nothing could stop them from fading.

Just like some people and some situations—there were things she simply couldn’t control.

“Honey, I’m really sorry…” Tuff said, inching closer and hesitantly trying to hug her.

But Kayla’s scissors snipped twice, loud and clear, making Tuff jump back in fright.

“I’m suing Joyce. The court date is coming up soon,” Kayla said, her tone cool and collected.

Tuff nodded hard. “That’s the right thing to do! I’ll get my lawyers on it!”

“No need. The Kingsley family already sent over their top lawyers,” Kayla replied, unfazed.

“Wait, they all know already?” Tuff blurted out, his voice full of panic.

Kayla glanced back at him, twirling the pruning shears with a teasing smile. “Know what?”

“Joyce is pregnant…” Tuff mumbled, his words fading away.

“I didn’t tell them,” Kayla replied coolly.

Tuff let out a heavy sigh of relief, sweat beading on his forehead.

‘Scared the hell out of me! If Landon ever found out, he’d skin me alive,’ Tuff thought, his heart pounding.

“Honey, I’ll talk to my mom myself. I swear what happened that day will never happen again,” Tuff said carefully, trying to reassure her.

Kayla just shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Honey?” Tuff called out.

“She’s your mom, not mine,” Kayla said coolly, not even looking up.

Tuff was stunned.

Hearing Kayla say that made him really anxious.

“I understand—she cares about Joyce. And I know she’s not fond of me. You don’t have to trouble yourself over it,” Kayla said, her tone calm and unbothered.

“I… I won’t make things difficult,” Tuff mumbled.

“So what can you really do? I’ve already moved out. Are you going to go pick a fight with her or something?” Kayla said, her voice calm and indifferent.

Tuff was stunned.

“Some things just can’t be fixed—let time sort it out,” Kayla said.

She flicked her pruning shears and snipped off the last withered branch with a sharp, final cut.

“I’ve already lined up the best doctors to make sure Joyce and the baby are taken care of. Once that kid is born, your mom is really going to regret everything,” Kayla said, her tone calm but sharp.

“Uh…” Tuff mumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Honey, we don’t have to wait for the baby to be born. Turns out, with an amniocentesis, we can get a DNA test done way earlier,” Tuff said.

“No. I’m going to wait until Joyce actually has the baby,” Kayla said, her tone cool and resolute.

“Honey…” Tuff said softly.

“Let’s wait until the baby is born to see whose child it really is, and let your mother’s people in Lunova see just how shameless Joyce is for marrying you.” Kayla said, her voice icy and cutting.

This move was ruthless—the child would become a burden tied to Joyce as soon as it was born.

And when the truth about what she did got out, she wouldn’t have a chance to marry into a prestigious family in the future.

No matter where she went, Joyce would be met with scorn.

“I’m not suffering at all—I’m just setting up for something bigger,” Kayla said, as she buried the cut branches in the flowerpot for fertilizer.

Joyce was nothing more than fertilizer for a dull life.