From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 155- Utter chaos

Moreover, from every word he spoke and every action he took, Catherine could tell that Bert was a man with an exceptionally strong sense of responsibility. He cherished and valued family above all else, and for that very reason, he deliberately kept his distance from anything that could betray or harm a family.

Because she understood the wounds in his heart, Catherine chose to believe in him—to believe that he would remain faithful to her, and faithful to their future family and marriage.

After dinner, Daniel told Bert and Catherine to leave first, saying that he wanted to sit for a while longer.

Daniel had his own driver with him, and since he insisted, Bert called the driver in to keep Daniel company before leaving with Catherine.

After they departed, Daniel remained seated and drank a few more glasses of wine. Seeing Bert finally find a place where he belonged filled Daniel with quiet happiness. Yet earlier, in front of Bert and Catherine, he had restrained his emotions. Now that they were gone, he allowed himself a few more drinks, using the alcohol as a way to release the joy he held inside.

The bond between Daniel and Bert had always been thin, and in recent years it had grown particularly strained. Even though they later reconciled and eased the tension, their relationship never became deeply intimate. Because of that, Daniel found himself unable to voice many of his more emotional thoughts to Bert. All he could do was offer his blessings silently, from the depths of his heart.

While everything on Catherine’s side was moving in a positive direction, the situation with Lucca and Gerald was descending into utter chaos.

After Gerald announced his intention to marry Lucca, his mother reacted with hysterical opposition. Lucca’s reputation was now in ruins—how could Lucy possibly agree to her son marrying Lucca? She even dragged Gerald with her straight to Lucca and Tracy’s place, determined to break off the engagement at all costs, hurling the ugliest insults she could think of at Lucca.

The very scenes that had once played out in Catherine’s life two years earlier were now being replayed, almost exactly, in Lucca’s.

Remembering how smugly she had once mocked Catherine back then, Lucca felt a rush of bitterness surge up her chest, so violent it nearly made her spit blood.

As for Gerald, while Lucy spewed abuse at Lucca, he stood off to the side in silence. Having lived through the same scene twice, he had long since gone numb.

What occupied his mind now was something else entirely: how had Catherine felt when his mother treated her that way back then? How bitter must it have been? How painful? And how deeply disappointed in him must she have been?

Two years ago, he hadn’t been able to stop it because he lacked the strength to stand against his mother. Now, he didn’t stop it because he simply didn’t want to.

And faced with Lucy’s sharp-tongued cruelty, Tracy was nothing like the rational and restrained Renata of the past. Tracy snapped back without the slightest courtesy.

"You think an engagement can just be canceled because you say so? Your son already announced the marriage publicly. This isn’t something you get to decide anymore."

Lucy’s eyes reddened with rage. Any memory of the closeness she once shared with Tracy—closer than sisters—vanished completely. She screamed hysterically,

"Marriage is a matter for parents to decide! If I don’t agree, he can’t marry her!"

"We refuse to break off the engagement. What are you going to do about it?"

Tracy planted her hands on her hips and advanced on Lucy without the slightest concern for appearances, smug and provocative.

"We’re not calling it off. Not now, not ever. Die mad about it."

Tracy had always been fiery. Lucy trembled with fury and suddenly swung her hand, slapping Tracy hard across her beautiful face.

"I’ll smash that filthy mouth of yours! You’re such a slut—your daughter can’t be any better! I’d rather die than let my son marry her!"

Struck across the face and having her deepest wounds ripped open, Tracy completely lost control. She lunged forward, grabbing Lucy by the hair, and the two of them erupted into a physical fight.

"You old hag—how dare you hit me!"

The two women ended up grappling with each other in a tangled mess. When Lucca heard Lucy hurling those insults at her, she flew into a rage as well and rushed forward to join the fight. Gerald felt as if his head were about to explode. Spotting an ashtray within reach, he grabbed it and smashed it hard against the floor. The deafening crash froze the three women mid-fight, and they all screamed and stumbled back.

Gerald’s gaze was savage and despairing as he stared at the three women before him—women who looked neither fully human nor fully monstrous. He spoke slowly, enunciating every word:

"I will marry her. The wedding will go on as scheduled. You can make as much of a scene as you like."

After saying that, Gerald turned and walked away.

There wasn’t a single one of these women he wanted to see again. Lucca filled him with an overwhelming sense of disgust.

Even his own mother now disgusted him in a way he had never felt before.

His lover didn’t act like a lover. His mother didn’t act like a mother. What kind of people were these, surrounding him?

After hearing Gerald’s words, Lucy grew so furious that her chest heaved violently. Finally, with a cry, she collapsed to the ground and fainted. Gerald then had no choice but to rush her to the hospital in a flurry of panic.

Utter chaos—there was no other word for it.

After using the excuse of needing rest to escape from Ford that day, Riley went home and slept through the entire afternoon. In the evening, Ford’s call came right on time. Riley deliberately ignored it. He called two or three times, and she didn’t answer once.

Who would want to go on a date with him at night anyway—dinner, a movie, the whole routine? Did he really think they were a couple?

But just as the saying went, the higher the wall, the higher the ladder. Before long, Riley received a message from Ford:

I’m downstairs at your place. You have ten minutes to come down. No makeup, no dressing up—there’s nothing about you I haven’t already seen. If you’re not down here when time’s up, you know the consequences.

Riley was furious. She grabbed her phone and immediately called him back.

"Ford, how can you be this despicable? Other than running to my house and threatening me through my parents, do you have any other tricks at all?"

She was truly enraged. He was always using her mother as leverage—despicable and shameless. What kind of man did that make him?

The man on the other end wasn’t the least bit intimidated by her anger. He chuckled softly and replied,

"For me, it’s not about having many tricks. As long as one works, that’s enough."

Riley was so angry she was practically speechless. How could someone be this shameless?

"You have less than ten minutes left," he reminded her helpfully.

Riley clenched her teeth and hung up. She stood up, hurriedly got herself together, and headed out.

Mrs. Du was just about to go into the kitchen to start cooking when she saw Riley storming out of her bedroom and heading straight for the door. She frowned and asked,

"Where are you going?"

"A friend asked me out for dinner," Riley replied, already stepping into the entryway as she spoke.

Mrs. Du was clearly displeased.

"You’ve barely eaten at home since you came back. You’re out running around like a madwoman all day long—do you think that’s appropriate?"

Riley was already seething from being forced by Ford, and now, hearing her mother scold her as well, she muttered back in frustration, her voice low,

"You think I want to go out to eat?"

And with that, she left.

Seriously—she would much rather stay home and behave herself. It was just that someone insisted on dragging her out.

For one thing, she didn’t have time to get dressed up. And besides, Riley was deliberately avoiding it. She went out bare-faced, dressed very casually. With the weather cold, she wrapped herself in a long down coat and a pair of slim black leather pants and headed out. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

But since she was a model, her figure alone already set her apart. No matter what she wore, it took on a different charm on her. Delicate clothes made her look effortlessly sexy; casual ones, effortlessly languid. That was the innate ability the modeling profession gave them—to command clothing and fashion itself.

Ford’s car was indeed already parked downstairs. After Riley got in, she couldn’t be bothered to greet him.

Ford didn’t say anything either. He simply drove off.

She was already here—did he really think she could keep her mouth shut forever?

Ford drove straight to the restaurant he had reserved. Riley sulked the entire way, refusing to speak first. Even when he spoke to her, she ignored him completely. A full-on cold war.

Yet Ford was entirely unaffected by her tactics. He ordered food as usual, smiled as usual, poured water for her as usual. Not a trace of anger, irritation, or frustration appeared on his face.

In the end, it was Riley who lost her patience first. She glared at Ford, who was sitting across from her, and snapped,

"Tell me—what is it about me that you even like?"

Ford narrowed his eyes at the question and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Riley didn’t hold back at all.

"Whatever it is you like about me, I’ll change it. I’ll change into something you don’t like—just so you’ll stop liking me!"

She had truly been pushed to the brink, speaking without any filter at all.