A Night of Desire

Chapter 237 - 234: Keeping the Secret

Back at the Grant residence, Yara Jarvis was in the living room watching TV. When she heard a servant announce their arrival, she immediately stood up to greet Cedric Grant. "Cedric, Chloe, you’re back. How did things go? Did Seth Quinn agree to—"

Before she could finish her question, she saw that half of her daughter’s face was red and swollen. She let out a sharp cry, rushed to Chloe Grant’s side, and examined the injury while asking anxiously, "Chloe, what happened to your face? Who hit you?"

Chloe Grant knew she couldn’t tell the truth in front of her father, so she quickly told her mother, "Mom, you’re mistaken. It’s not a slap mark. I just accidentally ran into a door."

Cedric Grant remained silent, merely glancing at Chloe Grant. His eyes held a flicker of satisfaction with his daughter, mixed with a hint of apology.

It wasn’t that he was afraid to admit he had hit his daughter; he just dreaded that if Yara Jarvis found out, she would pester him and make a scene, forcing him to go through the trouble of explaining everything.

His daughter’s words saved him a great deal of hassle.

’This daughter of mine, Chloe, is still quite thoughtful and sensible.’

Of course, Yara Jarvis didn’t believe her. ’How could running into a door cause a mark like that? Someone obviously hit her.’

She was about to press the matter, but then she saw her daughter giving her a meaningful look. Realizing the situation was more complicated than it seemed, she went along with Chloe’s story. "You silly girl, always so clumsy. You can’t even walk straight without running into a door."

Though her words were scolding, her eyes were filled with nothing but heartache.

"Alright, have a servant bring an ice pack for our daughter. It’ll bring down the swelling quickly. Don’t worry too much," Cedric Grant said, patting Yara Jarvis’s shoulder to comfort her.

Yara Jarvis forced a smile and quickly called for a servant to bring an ice pack, which she took herself. She then said to Cedric Grant, "I’ll go help our daughter put this on. I wouldn’t feel right letting a servant do it."

Cedric Grant nodded, and Yara Jarvis followed Chloe Grant to her room. Before closing the door, she peeked out into the hall, only shutting it once she was sure they were alone.

The moment the door was shut, she turned and inspected Chloe Grant’s face again. Seeing how her daughter’s once fair and delicate cheek was now red and swollen, she quickly pressed the ice pack to it.

Pained and anxious, she asked, "Sweetheart, what on earth happened? Who really hit you?"

The initial touch of the cold pack stung, and Chloe Grant grimaced in pain. Once the sharp sensation subsided and the cold started to feel soothing, she told her mother everything.

Finally, she grabbed her mother’s hand and asked desperately, "Mom, what do we do now? Dad is set on relying on Clara Grant. What if he discovers she’s more useful to him and starts favoring her and her mother again? What will happen to us?"

Yara Jarvis’s face twisted with rage and resentment. ’Clara Grant... How dare she hit my daughter! She’s this arrogant before she’s even wormed her way back into the family. If she and her mother actually win Cedric’s favor, it’ll be a complete disaster.’

’But even if she’s Seth Quinn’s woman now, she can’t possibly have what it takes to hold a man like that, can she? As long as she doesn’t forge some crucial bond with him, we don’t have to fear her and Skylar Hayes making a comeback.’

She then comforted her daughter, saying, "Don’t panic. As long as Clara Grant doesn’t marry Seth Quinn, she won’t be able to stir up much trouble. We just have to guard our secret, and your father will never truly accept her and her mother."

Chloe Grant nodded at her mother’s words. But when she recalled Clara Grant’s confident, commanding presence in Seth Quinn’s house, a sense of unease began to creep into her heart.