Chapter 165: That’s a Whole Lie
After saying her piece, Taylor asked Yunice, “You took the swapped medicine back last time—did you ever figure out what it would’ve done if I’d taken it?”
Yunice, wearing a baseball cap and a mask covering most of her face, replied, “It would’ve caused insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability… and eventually, make you ugly.”
“Ugly?” Taylor sneered. “The medicine wasn’t meant to make me sick; it was meant to make me ugly?” Now she was even more intrigued by whoever was behind it. Her trusted aide was still trying to break the delivery guy’s silence. It would probably take some time before they got him to name names.
Yunice was taking Taylor’s pulse as they spoke. “How have you been feeling lately?”
At that, Taylor actually lit up a little. “Pretty good, actually. I’ve been sleeping well at night.”
She’d been anxious and tightly wound since childhood. Every doctor she saw told her the same thing—she thought too much, worried too much, needed to relax. She understood all that in theory, but she couldn’t help herself. Yet, after just one week on Rylie’s medicine, she felt like her mood had genuinely improved.
Even yesterday, after the humiliating scene at the Powell family gathering, her father had hovered nervously, afraid she’d have a meltdown. He practically shadowed her every step. But to everyone’s surprise, she ate and slept just fine. She was convinced the medicine Rylie had given her worked wonders.
Speak of the devil. A maid arrived and announced, “Ms. Taylor, Mr. Paul brought a lot of gifts. He’s here to apologize.”
Paul? Taylor’s expression shifted slightly; her voice turned cold. “Bring him to me.”
She’d lost face at the Powell mansion yesterday—she planned to get it all back from Paul. So he came after all?
Yunice started to make herself scarce, but Taylor stopped her. “I heard real doctors are good at reading people’s faces. Can you?”
Yunice replied, “I know a little.”
“That’s enough.” Taylor motioned for her to stand behind her, then said, “Help me get a good read on Paul.”
Paul hadn’t come willingly—Jackson and Jensen had forced him to visit the Kendall residence to apologize. That being the case, his face was naturally sour.
If he wasn’t going to be polite, then she definitely wouldn’t be. This was a marriage between two powerful families; if it worked, great. If not, the Kendall family wasn’t about to grovel to the Powell family. Why should she care about his mood?
Paul came in and saw Taylor hadn’t even stood to greet him. That made him like her even less. He preferred women like Elsie—sweet, accommodating, and gentle. Taylor’s proud, aloof attitude wasn’t his type at all.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from her, getting straight to the point. “Yesterday was my mistake. I’m here to apologize.”
Even while apologizing, he kept his chin raised, wearing a cocky expression. Taylor had to resist the urge to slap him.
At first, she’d wanted to go along with her parents’ wishes and try to get along with Paul—after all, his family background was impressive. But after a few interactions, she realized Paul was a terrible person. She didn’t bother saving his pride. She sneered, “And I’d really love to know what exactly made you so busy you forgot about me.”
Whatever it was, it had to be important enough for him to completely ignore her at the family banquet.
Paul said, “I slipped up, that’s all. Does it even matter why anymore?”
“So that’s your apology?” Taylor raised a brow. “You can’t even be bothered to make up a decent excuse? Looks like we’re a bad match. Why don’t you call off the engagement right now?”
Paul froze, frowning at her. Taylor stared back calmly, showing no sign of panic. The Kendall family did want this alliance—but not at any cost. It had never been about Paul specifically. He thought she was clinging to him, when in fact, it had been Jackson who reached out to the Kendalls in the first place. They wanted a mutually beneficial partnership, not to serve the Powell family like slaves.
After the humiliation Taylor suffered at the banquet, her parents immediately called Jackson and made it clear the Kendall family had no intention of “marrying up.” That explained why Paul was here today—to smooth things over. Too bad he still didn’t understand what was really going on.
Before he could finish, Taylor cut in. “This personal matter—was it your friend’s sister?”
Paul didn’t follow.
Taylor looked up. “You had a fiancée once. We ran into her at Virtue Hall. Back then, you told me she was just your friend’s sister.”
Paul’s face stiffened. “That’s all in the past.”
Taylor let out a cold laugh. “Then what’s that on your neck?”
Paul blinked, confused. Just then, Yunice, standing behind Taylor, stepped forward and held a mirror for him to see.