Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3036

Elliott agreed immediately. "I understand. I'll pretend I don't know."

He didn't even plan on attending her engagement or wedding.

As her brother, he had been weak and useless. He hadn't fulfilled his duties to her, so what right did he have to show his face at the most important events of her life?

The door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and walked in, only to freeze in his tracks, as did Shawn.

Gina was sitting on the sofa. Seeing them come in, she immediately stood up and greeted them with a smile she hadn't worn in ages. "Shawn, how have you been?"

Shawn looked shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Gina stammered, unable to find an excuse.

She had overheard Elliott's phone call the day before and worried he would actually give the money to Emily. So when she saw him leave the house today, she hailed a cab and secretly followed him.

Who would have thought he'd come here? As she followed him inside, her jaw had dropped lower with every step.

She had assumed Shawn and Emily were living in misery, struggling to pay off his debts. She never imagined he would be living in such a high-end nursing home.

Elliott frowned. "Mom, did you follow me?"

She offered an awkward explanation. "I just wanted to come with you to see your father!"

She paused, testing the waters. "So, about the engagement... how much bride price did they agree on?"

"Mom—" Elliott blurted out.

She immediately cut him off. "Keep quiet! I'm doing this for Emily's own good. The gap in status between us and the James family is massive. If they lowball her on the bride price, it means they're looking down on her. I have to stand up for her. I won't let her be treated like a second-class citizen before she's even married."

"Emily can make her own decisions!" Shawn snapped. "She doesn't need you meddling!"

A sneer crossed Gina's face. "Oh, right, Emily's always had her own ideas. I saw that Charlie liked her ages ago and told her to treat him well. She gave me this whole speech about how their backgrounds were too different and how they weren't like that. She sounded so righteous, I actually believed her. And then what happened? She ended up with him anyway! She was just guarding against me the whole time!"

"And what happened at the hospital before... I bet she planned that, too. Having us sign that support agreement was just her way of cutting ties with this family so she could be with Charlie without his family looking down on her!"