A Drunken Decision ( Annabelle Ross )

Chapter 12 

“No reliable man will want a woman like her!” Madeline sneered when she heard her daughter’s words. In her opinion, not even a scoundrel would be willing to raise another man’s child, let alone men of great prestige. 

“If Anna insists on keeping the baby, then she can only settle for a man who’s not that well–off. But then again, with our family’s standing, we don’t need the man to be capable. He merely needs to be down–to–earth and kind! That way, Anna won’t be bullied by him!” Ashley reasoned. 

Madeline did not agree to her suggestion immediately. They were a prominent family, so it was not difficult to find someone like that. However, if word got out that the Ross family’s eldest daughter would marry a useless man, the Rosses would surely become the hot topic of gossip in the city. 

Noticing her hesitation, Ashley instantly held Madeline’s hands. “Mom, I know what you’re worried about. But in my opinion, it’s better for Anna to marry an average man than to have a child out of wedlock. Not only that, but the damage it does to our family’s reputation is also much smaller.” 

Whenever there was a comparison, one could easily weigh the pros and cons and choose the lesser of two evils. Hence, even though Madeline initially did not want to agree, she was tempted by Ashley’s suggestion. 

“All right. Leave this to me!” she said. “I’ll ask my friends if there’s a man like that. You keep an eye out in the company too. See if there’s any potential candidate!” 

“I will!” Ashley nodded in agreement. 

Braxton, who sat beside them, did not say anything throughout their entire conversation. Evidently, he agreed with that plan too. 

Annabella had done something so scandalous. They were already doing her a favor by planning everything out for her. 

Ashley studied her parents‘ expressions before lowering her head and hiding her sharp gaze. “Annabelle, since you insist on doing things the hard way, don’t blame me for sending you to hell! There is only room for one daughter in this family, and that will be me!” she thought maliciously. 

As for Annabelle’s groom, she already had a perfect candidate in mind, which was a handyman in their company. Although he looked decent, he was not capable at all and loved to drink and smoke. In addition, she had heard that though he had at good temper, he would make a scene whenever he got drunk. 

However, she did not intend to let her family know about that man now. It was not the time yet as she had to let her mother try and ask around. When Madeline could not find any proper candidate, that was when she would recommend the handyman to her. 

However, all their planning was for naught. The next day, someone came to their house bearing gifts in hopes of asking for Annabella’s hand in marriage. 

At that moment, Ashley had already left for work. Hence, she missed out on that scene. Not knowing that her plan had failed. miserably, she smiled at that handyman when she saw him in the office. 

“That’s my future brother–in–law, after all. I have to be polite to him,” she thought gloatingly. 

When she got off work, she was a little surprised to see that Annabelle was brought back home. However, she soon understood the reason for that. 

The latter would be getting married soon, so it was only natural for her to move out of the Ross manor. 

“Anna, you’re finally home!” Ashley exclaimed as she put down her bag. Looking at Annabelle, who was sitting on the couch, she smiled and said joyfully, “I was afraid that you would have a tough time staying at the Ross manor by yourself. I feel so relieved now that you’re back. I think you have even put on a little weight! Mom, you have to give the housekeeper a raise!” 

That one remark caused Madeline’s expression to darken. She threw a glance at Annabelle’s ruddy complexion, and the anger within her heart blazed up uncontrollably. “She created such a huge mess for us, yet she looks so carefree, living her life without a care in the world,” she grumbled inwardly. 

Upon recalling the person who visited their house to make a marriage proposal that day, she suppressed her fury in the end. “Never mind. Annabelle’s lucky to be able to marry into the Walker family. We have not brought her up in vain, after all,” Madeline thought. 

Looking at Annabelle, who had not spoken a word, she uttered coldly, “Once you’re married, you have to rein in your temper and live peacefully with them. You can behave however you want at home, but once you’re in someone else’s house, nobody will indulge you!” 

Annabelle was stunned to hear her words. Following that, tears started welling up in her eyes, and she hugged Madeline tightly. 

She knew her mother cared about her. 

“I know, Mom. I will be obedient, and I won’t bring shame on our family,” she promised. 

Madeline was startled by the sudden embrace, and her body stiffened involuntarily. Suddenly, 23 years of heartwarming 

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10:50 

Chapter 12 

memories flooded her mind. 

She thought, “This is the child I’ve spent so many years raising and caring for. I’ve loved and pampered her unconditionally! 

I…” 

At once, her heart softened. Just as she wanted to reach out and pat Annabelle’s back, she noticed Ashley’s envious and longing gaze. “While I was pampering and doting on Annabelle, my Ashley was suffering someplace else,” she thought with a pang of heartache. The warmth in her eyes vanished in an instant, and she shoved Annabelle roughly away from her. 

The latter was completely caught off guard. For a moment, she was stunned, staring at Madeline in a daze. Before she could react, Madeline had gotten up, walked over to Ashley, and embraced her. 

“You don’t have to envy her or yearn for my hug. You’re my darling. You can hug me whenever you want!” Madeline comforted. Her tone was so soft, almost as though she was afraid of scaring Ashley. 

Ashley burst into tears and hugged her mother tightly. “Whenever I was suffering, I would wonder if my mom would be able to protect me if she was there.” 

Madeline was heartbroken. “It’s all my fault! I took such a long time to find my darling and have caused you to suffer so much!” 

“It’s not your fault, Mom! It’s all their fault!” 

Watching the mother–daughter duo weeping in each other’s arms, Annabelle suddenly felt that she was redundant. It was as if she was neither her mother’s child nor part of the Ross family. At that moment, she thought that she did not have any reason not to get married anymore. 

The next day, Annabelle took her identification documents and got into a car that had come to pick her up. 

Ashley, who was about to head to work, was dumbfounded to see a well–dressed Annabelle getting into a luxurious car that cost a few million dollars. “What… What is going on?” she wondered. 

Ignoring the fact that she had to go to work, she quickly returned home. When she saw Madeline was still sitting by the dining table, she asked anxiously, “Mom, Anna…” Ashley could not help but have a bad premonition. It was as if some things were getting out of her control. 

“Oh, she went to register her marriage,” replied Madeline calmly. 

“Register her marriage?!” Ashley was so stunned that she subconsciously raised her voice a notch. Realizing that she had overreacted, she hurriedly explained, “You managed to find a man so quickly? This concerns Anna’s happiness, after all. You can’t be too hasty about it!” 

“She’s already in such a state. Happiness is out of the question! She should be happy if a man even wants her!” Madeline did not want Ashley to worry about Annabelle, so she continued, “She got lucky for conceiving a descendant of the Walker family. I suppose she managed to elevate her social status with her child. But, they are only willing to let her register her marriage and have no plans to announce it to the world!” 

Of course, those words did not come from the Walker family, but Madeline understood the underlying meaning as she was not a fool. 

“They claim that it’s not convenient for her to prepare for a wedding since she’s pregnant, so the marriage ceremony will only be held in the future. It’s so obvious that they look down on such a daughter–in–law. They think that she’s a disgrace,” she thought. 

However, all that had nothing to do with her. 

In order to show their sincerity, the Walker family was willing to give the Ross family a chance to collaborate with them. That was enough to shut Madeline up. 

“The Walker family? Which one?” Ashley asked as she stared at her mother with unblinking eyes, her heart racing uncontrollably. 

She desperately wanted to know the answer but was afraid at the same time. 

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