Chapter 256: Mad Mother

Managing a household as massive as the Millicent's is a tough work.

That's because it's not just about handling accounting records, overseeing the house workers and watching over the children. Many people are depending on the one who deals with household affairs. It's almost similar to how one maintains a business, considering that it involves leading and working with others -

Which wasn't Olivia's forte.

"Now, I understand why Mother would sometimes crumble under all the stress and pressure..." she sighed as she made her way to her nephews' bedroom to check on them - like what she does every single night since moving back to their family's main house. 

"Still, I don't want to be like Mother. She may have had it tough, but that's no excuse for her to turn out the way she did."

From that moment on up until Olivia reached her destination, her head is filled with thoughts of Gertrude. Because everyone had been too focused on Grisham and Dylan, the search for her didn't see the same outcome - to this day, she's yet to be found. 

"For her to be able to hide this long. How strange..." Olivia muttered to no one in particular, turning to the window at the side and looking up at the night sky. 

"Just where in the world are you, Mother?"

"Aunt Olivia..." she suddenly heard someone call, making her turn back around in surprise - only to find Hugo and Joshua standing before her.

"We've got something to tell you."

"Oh, I'm actually on my way to your bedroom now. What is it?"

"Say, are we allowed to talk to Grandmother?"

She stilled then, confounded. Her breath hitches for a second, her eyes wide open. Then, she furrows her brows and looks down at her nephews, dead serious.

"How did your grandmother talk with you?" Oliva demanded, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding.

---

Ever so stealthily, the figure slides in. 

There's not much time before the security notices. This should be done in a hurry.

So, Gertrude quickly stepped inside and headed towards the hospital bed - to where the unconscious patient is. With a wide, wicked smile on her face, she approaches Cassidy in silent footing. 

"Oh, how pitiful~ Just look at you lying there like the corpse that you should've always been..." she snickered down at her daughter-in-law, grinning crookedly. 

"Don't worry. I'll make it as painless as possible. Father may have failed, but I won't. I'll definitely kill you and avenge him. Mother can hate me for all I'm worth. Not that she ever cared about me, anyway, and it's all thanks to you!"

Bursting in a fit of cackles, Gertrude towers over Cassidy.

Though working hand in hand with Sophie's family had put her in quite a disadvantage, she knew that they could still make their way out. With wealth and power, nothing is impossible. That's why she decided to make a move before it's too late -

If Cassidy is no longer around by the time Sophie wakes up from her comatose, the spot for Adrian's spouse is all for her to take. 

He is yet to have an heir. So, he's still obliged to marry again - or so the thoughts of a mad mother go. 

"Useless piece of shit. Should've finished you off long before while I still have a chance."

Gertrude would make sure that Cassidy would never get to see the lights of the day again. Adrian will also get back together with Sophie - like how she has always wanted it to be. 

"Farewell, Cassidy. Say hi to Mother for me."

With that, Gertrude reached out her hands. She went for the tubes that were attached to Cassidy - aiming to remove her temporary life support.

"Huh? What the?!"

Yet before she could grab a hold on it, Cassidy opened her eyes all of the sudden and beat her to it.

It almost seemed like she sensed danger at that very moment, prompting her to wake up after days of staying unconscious. Now, she is glaring daggers at her while her hand tried its hardest to restrain her from doing whatever she was about to do.

"You damn wench!" Gertrude cursed out loud, pulling her hand away.

Since Cassidy is still too weak to defend herself, she reached out again to finish all this at once. This time, Gertrude wrapped her hands around her neck before starting to strangle her to death.

"Die, die, die die!!!"

With a furious, crazed look on her face, she tightens her grip around her more and more, causing her to choke and slowly lose air.

Gertrude glowers down at her, expression dark and malevolent. Cassidy can feel her body getting weaker and weaker - right after waking up, she instantly found herself at the verge of dying for real.

"Stop!!!"

Then came a certain someone's scream.

At that unceremonious entrance, Gertrude hastily pulled her arms back and stepped away from the bed, aghast shock rewriting her once cynical expression. For the next seconds to come, she just stood there in thunderstruck silence, her eyes bulging wide open. She would've dared to continue if it's someone else, but it turned out to be Adrian -

Her son whom she learned to fear just as she feared her father. 

"You scum! Just what did you try to do?!"

Adrian is beyond livid. 

Murderuous. Dangerous.

His vision seemed to turn into bloody red. He can feel his everything scorching with intense repugnance - with animosity.

With a deep scowl and a deadly glare, Adrian appears like a beast even more than the real monster around there. He couldn't help but keep playing the scene over and over in his head, slowly starting to get taken over by an insane drive to shed blood right then.

"T-This is not what i-it l-looks like! L-Let me e-explain-"

But before Gertrude can do so, the guards and doctors have already rushed in to seize her, catching her off guard. Helplessly restrained and getting dragged away, she turned to shouting at Adrian but to no avail.

"You ungrateful child! I'm the one who gave birth to you! Have you no shame?! How dare you do this to your own mother?!"

Gertrude's words only fell in deaf ears. He simply spared her one last look before she was forced to leave the hospital room - and though it was the last, Adrian made sure that it would keep her awake for the next nights to come. 

"Go and drop dead, you monster."