Out of Control: Into Your Everything-Chapter 123: That Woman

Aaron Carson could more or less sense Scarlett Shaw’s mood at that moment, but he still went on, "Anna Ford and her husband have a pretty solid standing in the Bryland social circles—they’re doing well. You must’ve guessed as much, or else she wouldn’t have had the standing to get invited to Zoe Sutton’s wedding."

As for whether Anna Ford was actually Serena Ford, Aaron Carson, being an outsider, couldn’t say for sure.

He always stuck to facts and evidence.

After all, aside from the similar face, all the information he’d gathered about Anna Ford led nowhere near the conclusion that Anna Ford and Serena Ford were one and the same.

"That woman."

Scarlett Shaw moved her lips, but her voice caught in her throat.

It was tightly controlled grievance, mixed with an irrepressible hatred.

She refused to call her "Mom" again.

"Before she went to Bryland, where was she?"

Aaron Carson named a city—a small one in the south of the country.

Scarlett Shaw lowered her gaze slightly and answered softly, "I see."

Aaron Carson had collected some more details, and after they hung up, he sent the files to Scarlett electronically.

Scarlett leaned against the backseat, scrolling down the screen with her fingers, reading intently. The eyes that were usually so bright and full of life grew dim, little by little.

There was nothing earth-shattering in the files.

But they drew an outline of Anna Ford’s happy family life, her successful career—a mocking contrast to all Scarlett’s years of blind hope and trust.

Whether or not there was direct evidence, Scarlett was convinced—Anna Ford was Serena Ford.

Especially so, given the timing of Anna Ford arriving in Bryland.

It had been exactly ten years since Benjamin Shaw went bankrupt, Serena Ford disappeared.

But most importantly—

She was her daughter.

How could she possibly mistake her own mother?

And the word "mother" was supposed to be the warmest, most noble word there was.

But now, when Scarlett thought of it, it felt like a knife, stabbing deep in her chest. She couldn’t pull it out, didn’t dare to—afraid the scar would heal and she’d forget the pain, but even more afraid of bleeding out, in agony and helplessness.

Once she’d finished reading, Scarlett stared silently out the car window.

When the driver was about to head onto the ramp toward Benjamin Shaw’s grave, Scarlett changed the route and went to the Grant Family home first.

Since she started working, Scarlett’s visits to the Grant home were few and far between.

The last time, she’d left on bad terms too.

Scarlett had always known Penelope Shaw resented her. Mostly, it was anger and hatred for Serena Ford, redirected onto her instead.

Penelope and Benjamin Shaw were siblings, and they were close.

But Benjamin was even better to Serena Ford.

The sister-in-law relationship—just like the one between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—was one of those eternal thorny problems.

Even before everything fell apart, Penelope Shaw and Serena Ford had never gotten along. Once Benjamin went bankrupt and died, and Serena vanished, Penelope, who’d always disliked Serena, naturally vented all her anger on Scarlett.

But in the end, Scarlett was still her brother’s daughter.

Out of love for her brother, Penelope took Scarlett in.

Just as Scarlett hadn’t completely cut ties with Penelope—because Penelope was her father’s only sister.

On her way to the Grant house, Scarlett bought gifts for propriety’s sake, and slipped a red envelope to Penelope as a New Year’s greeting.

Penelope had just come back from burning paper at her brother’s grave. Seeing Scarlett, for once she didn’t act imperious, and even told Claire Grant to slice some fruit.

Claire responded briskly and got moving right away.

Chloe Grant looked on coldly, and sneered, "Sycophant."

Claire: "..."

"I heard Ryan Ford brought a bunch of gifts and went to your grandma’s place to spend New Year’s Eve with you?" Penelope asked suddenly.

Without any change in expression, Scarlett glanced at her uncle Chester Grant and said, "He just came for dinner."

"Was that just an ordinary dinner? That was New Year’s Eve dinner," Penelope pressed. "Is Ryan trying to get back together with you? Don’t keep him hanging if it’s a good match—accept him. I haven’t been able to reopen my KTV. You’d better do your aunt a favor and help me pull some strings."

Scarlett kept silent, pretending not to hear.

"Mom, Scarlett already has a new boyfriend,"

Chloe cut in, her words laced with a twisted smile.

"It’s our firm’s special assistant to the president, Aaron Carson. He’s close to President Ford. If you want her to ask for favors, better have her go through Aaron. Following President Ford’s people probably gets better results than with Ryan Ford."

Penelope perked up, grabbed Scarlett’s hand and said, "I think Chloe’s right—you help your aunt out and have your boyfriend ask President Ford for some connections, won’t you?"

"Aunt Penelope, Chloe works in the accounting department and deals with President Ford too. Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to ask him directly?"

Scarlett pulled her hand back, her face calm, her eyes crinkled in a polite, distant smile.

She lifted her eyes slightly, glancing at Chloe.

Before Penelope could say anything, Scarlett spoke first: "Aunt Penelope, I still need to visit Dad. I’ll leave you all then—goodbye."

Penelope frowned, clearly displeased.

This kid was getting more clever by the day.

Just like Serena Ford.

But, you don’t strike when the other side is being polite. Scarlett’s words were smooth enough that, even if Penelope felt uncomfortable, she couldn’t vent it here.

The moment Scarlett closed the door and left, Chloe picked up her phone from the tea table and opened WhatsApp, sending Ryan Ford a message: Scarlett is about to go to my uncle’s grave. You know where that is. If you want to see her, you can go now.

...

Daylight was short.

In the past, Scarlett and Penelope always visited Benjamin Shaw together by day during the New Year. But today Scarlett had been delayed at the airport, then stopped by the Grant home—by the time she reached the cemetery, night had already swept over the city.

It was a bit of a walk from where the taxi dropped Scarlett off to where Benjamin Shaw was buried. The outskirts were silent and lonely. Scarlett climbed a few steps and, by force of habit, looked toward Benjamin’s headstone.

The night was dark and the wind sharp, with only the occasional pool of light from the street lamps.

In that dim glow, the woman standing before the grave was perfectly outlined in Scarlett’s sight.

Her steps froze, right then and there.

Early spring winds still held a biting hint of winter. Scarlett felt cold.

Cold to the bone.

The woman stood tall at Benjamin’s grave, wrapped in a black coat of obvious quality, her high heels keeping her poised and dignified, elegant and composed.

It was Serena Ford.

No—now she should be called Anna Ford.

Serena Ford was her mother’s name, but in this moment, Scarlett would rather believe Serena Ford had died ten years ago.

The distance was too far; Scarlett couldn’t make out Anna’s expression.

And in the surrounding silence, she couldn’t hear Anna’s voice either.

But Scarlett believed, with all her heart, that Anna had not come to mourn Benjamin Shaw, or out of guilt—she was just here to show off how right she’d been to leave and disappear all those years ago.

Scarlett didn’t go up to Anna, didn’t confront her face to face.

The person who abandoned her was now back, living a life a hundred times better than hers. And Scarlett knew all too well, if she went over now, she’d fall apart—hysterical, unable to hold herself together.

To lose composure in front of someone who doesn’t care about you at all is the greatest humiliation.

Scarlett didn’t want to see herself like that.