Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 588

But right now, Henry Fairchild looked cold and distant, completely ignoring her desperate, pleading eyes. It was a terrifyingly unfamiliar sight.

Liana's tears began falling in thick drops. She sobbed brokenly, her voice trembling. "Grandmother... I really know I was wrong... I just wasn't thinking straight..."

"Wasn't thinking straight?"

Matriarch Fairchild let out a frigid laugh, the amusement completely devoid from her eyes. "You took someone else's work, entered it into a competition, won countless awards, and basked in the glory for three years. If you felt even an ounce of guilt, you would have stopped ages ago. Instead, you escalated your lies until you ended up right where you are today. And you have the nerve to tell me you 'weren't thinking straight'?"

Liana cried even harder. She shuffled forward on her knees, reaching out to grasp the Matriarch's hand. "Grandmother... please, just spare me this once. I swear I'll never do it again."

The Matriarch looked down at her, her gaze swirling with complex, unreadable emotions.

She had practically raised this girl herself.

When Henry first brought her into the family, she had been so tiny.

She had raised Liana as if she were her own biological granddaughter, teaching her etiquette, molding her character, and providing her with the finest resources and the best education money could buy.

But it seemed she had failed entirely.

"Get up."

Thinking she had dodged a bullet, a glimmer of hope flashed in Liana's eyes. "Grandmother... have you forgiven me?"

"I am having you sent abroad."

Liana's smile shattered. "Grandmother..."

"You will stay there permanently. Do not ever come back."

Absolute panic seized Liana, and her voice cracked into a shrill wail. "Grandmother! I don't want to go! I'm not going anywhere! I'm your favorite granddaughter, how could you send me away?"

"This is no longer up for discussion."

The Matriarch's tone was measured and absolute. "If you throw another tantrum, it won't just be a flight out of the country you'll have to worry about."

Those words instantly strangled the sobs in Liana's throat.

She collapsed onto the floor, every trace of color draining from her face. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, but she couldn't formulate a single word.

Without sparing her another glance, Matriarch Fairchild turned to Finnian.

"Finnian, take her to the airport. Ensure she boards that plane."

Finnian offered a curt nod. "Yes, Grandmother."

Liana was crying so hard she looked ready to pass out, but the Matriarch stood up and walked out of the study without looking back.

The Fairchilds were the undisputed kings of Northampton.

Today's scandal had effectively nailed the family's name to a pillar of shame.

The only reason she hadn't completely struck Liana from the family registry was out of respect for the years they had spent raising her.

"Finnian, please, beg Grandmother for me! I don't want to leave..."

Henry let out a booming laugh, completely won over. "You always know exactly what to say. Let's go to the airport."

"Okay."

...

By the time they arrived back in San Francisco, the sky had already turned dark.

The moment Hudson, Nora, and the rest stepped off the plane, a man rushed over to greet them respectfully.

"Boss, the Matriarch requested that you and Madam head to the main estate..."

"Clement?"

Hudson raised an eyebrow. Clement Burke was his Grandmother's most trusted confidant. Typically, summoning someone wouldn't require his personal attention, yet here he was, waiting right by the tarmac.

"Did something happen?"

"Arthur Lancaster has returned..."

"Uncle Arthur?"

Hudson's frown deepened. He had just received a call from Arthur a little while ago. His uncle had boasted about his booming business overseas. Hudson had asked when he planned to visit, mentioning that the Matriarch missed him, but Arthur had sworn he would never return in this lifetime...

Why the sudden change?

"Let's go. We're heading to the estate."