The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1013

Rationally, she knew this was likely the best man her daughter would ever cross paths with in her lifetime.

One could even argue that her daughter was marrying entirely out of her league.

But emotionally, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was unreliable. Perhaps it was his reputation as a playboy, or simply the fact that he was so exceptional. It didn't take a genius to realize that countless women would throw themselves at him.

And how many men could truly remain indifferent when women willingly offered themselves up?

She refused to let her daughter end up with a miserable marriage like her own.

Yet right now, seeing Naylor act so polite and respectful, she remembered what Katrina had said. Naylor had been the first to contact his own parents, using his vast connections to bring in a top specialist to save her life. He had quite literally pulled her back from the brink of death. That was a monumental favor, one that made it impossible for her to scowl or cast blame.

After a long moment of deliberation, Willa looked at Naylor and replied with relative politeness. "Thanks to you and your parents the other day, I suppose your merits have canceled out your faults. Let's call it even."

Hearing those words, Naylor rejoiced internally. She was basically saying she wouldn't hold his chaotic stunt against him.

That meant he still had a chance with Katrina.

"Of course, thank you, Mrs. Lester. We'll call it even," he replied with a smile, his gaze discreetly sliding toward Katrina.

Katrina caught his smug little look and gave him a faint eye roll before looking away.

Julian had been standing frozen the entire time. Cassandra shot him several pointed glares, signaling him to step forward and apologize to the older woman. Only then did he take two slow steps toward the bed. "Mrs. Lester, are you feeling any better?"

Willa looked at him, her heart aching with profound regret.

She had genuinely adored this prospective son-in-law and had been absolutely determined to entrust her daughter's future to him.

She never could have imagined the reality would be so utterly absurd.

Staring at Julian for a few seconds, Willa asked bluntly, "Julian, are all those things about your past true?"

Julian lowered his eyes, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses with one hand, and remained silent.

That silence was an undeniable admission of guilt.

Willa's heartbreak deepened. Looking at his gentle, refined demeanor, she couldn't possibly connect him to such a messy, chaotic lifestyle.

"Cassandra?" Willa looked at her old friend, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "You... this boy, he... why didn't you step in? He was such a good kid. How did he pick up such awful habits abroad and go so completely astray?"

Over the past few days, she had cursed her son out in private more times than she could count. Her lifelong pristine reputation was in ruins, and she was so furious she almost wanted to sever ties with him entirely.

However, she had been divorced for years. Aside from her work, this son was her entire world.

So, after the anger faded, she still had to clean up his mess.

Facing Willa's questions, Cassandra knew silence wasn't going to cut it. After a brief pause, she chose to come clean. "I knew some of it... but Julian swore to me before coming back that he would turn over a new leaf. He promised that once he got married and started a family, he would live a normal life."

Naylor couldn't hold it in and let out a mocking scoff. "You're just lying to yourself. He swings a different way. How is he supposed to just 'turn over a new leaf'?"

Cassandra scrambled to defend him. "He likes girls! He likes Katrina!"

"Oh, so he plays for both teams. Including those who aren't quite men or—"

"Naylor Wilson!" Knowing exactly what he was about to say, Katrina instinctively raised her voice to stop him.

Naylor pressed his lips together and stayed quiet.

Unable to endure the humiliating, agonizing atmosphere any longer, Julian spoke up. "The wedding is canceled. As for the divorce paperwork, I can sign it whenever. There's no need to drag this out. It was wrong of me to hide the truth. If you need any form of compensation, just name your price."