A Drunken Decision ( Annabelle Ross )

Chapter 26 

Annabelle and Lucas‘ lunch with the Ross family was not a pleasant one. Even Braxton, who had always been stern, had to strike up a conversation cheerfully with Lucas. 

As for Madeline, despite her effort to maintain a happy face, her smile collapsed as soon as her gaze landed on Annabelle. 

Ashley did not eat much. Rather, she was staring at Lucas the whole time with a resentful visage as if he had crossed the line and wronged her. 

Most probably, only Nathan was his usual self. 

Annabelle could no longer withstand the tension in the air. Putting down the cutlery earlier than usual, she excused herself in front of her parents and Lucas before making her way upstairs to pack her things. 

About a few minutes later, Lucas, too, left the fork and spoon on the table. He spoke with Braxton for a bit and prepared to go upstairs to help Annabelle. 

He was then stopped in his tracks by Ashley. 

“How could you marry her?” Ashley piped up. She had longed to ask Lucas that question. Now that she finally got the chance, she naturally would spit 

those words out without deliberation. 

Lucas, in turn, knitted his brows to a knot of displeasure. He really wanted to give her the cold shoulder and walk away. 

To tell the truth, if Ashley were not Annabelle’s sister, Lucas would have reprimanded her for openly staring at him just now, much less for blurting out a mindless question like that. 

“Excuse me,” uttered Lucas, wearing his impassive countenance. 

Ashley looked like she was provoked to the core by his remark as she pressed on and said, “Do you even like her that much to marry her?” 

Never would she let Lucas go that easily, for she had painstakingly gotten that opportunity to be alone with him. If she did not get to the bottom of it, she 

would be frustrated to death. 

“Whether I like her or not is between me and Annabelle. What does that have anything to do with you?” Lucas gave a nonchalant response. 

After finishing his sentence, he pulled Ashley to the side by her sleeve and made a beeline for the stairs. 

Ashley tried to go after him. However, she was pulled back by her mother on the spot. 

Madeline embraced Ashley and patted her back, feeling sorry for the latter. 

“Oh, my precious one! Everything’s going to be fine. It’s his loss to lose you. You’re one fine young lady, so you’ll definitely find a much better man” 

To tell the truth, Madeline had already learned of Ashley’s feelings. That was why she struggled to keep up an amicable look a while ago. 

She felt that her whole life was a joke. For the past 20 years, she had given all her love to Annabelle while Ashley was suffering in the outside world. 

Now that Ashley had furally made it back, Madeline wanted to compensate her. 

“Why? Why wouldn’t the heavens grant me my puny wish? Am I wrong to make it up for my poor daughter?” Madeline wondered. 

In her opinion, Annabelle had already had her fill in life. 

Annabelle had always been given only the best in life by her parents. She even had the shares of the company the second she was born. 

For the next 23 years, Madeline and her husband pampered and doted on Annabelle. 

That was until Ashley came home. On top of that, Annabelle somehow managed to carry a baby of the Walker family in her tummy. 

Most importantly, the baby’s father was Ashley’s love interest. 

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Chapter 26 

Madeline hated all that. 

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“Why can’t the heavens give Ashley some of the blessings, too?” she secretly lamented. 

“Mom!” Ashley could not resist the urge to sob ever so pitifully in her mother’s arms. 

“I like him! I like only him!” 

Ashley had zero interest in anyone else, no matter how good the person might turn out to be. 

“Help me, Mom! Please? I can let Annabelle have everything else. I only want him!TM 

“No, she doesn’t deserve anything!” Madeline was heartbroken yet furious. 

Her heart ached for her devastated daughter, and she was angry with Annabelle. 

“The entirety of the Ross family belongs to you. No one else has the right to have it. Don’t worry. I’ll help you. I’ll definitely help you!” 

In the meantime, Annabelle was busy packing her clothes upstairs. She would not be visiting again for quite some time, so she figured she had to take 

more clothes with her. 

Still, she peeked at her tummy and realized that she could only wear some loose clothing but not those well–fitted ones. 

Of course, she reckoned that she would also not fit into those loose clothing in two months‘ time.. 

Hence, she made up her mind to spare some time to buy herself some maternity clothes. 

At that time, Lucas arrived at her bedroom door. Noticing that the door was slightly open, he reached out and knocked at the door. 

“Come in.” 

A gentle voice sounded from inside the room. Lucas then pushed the door wide open and walked in. 

The moment he set foot in there, he froze at the decorations in the room. 

There were white lace curtains by the window, a pinkish princess bed with a pink–colored lace mattress protector, and a pink–and–white blanket. 

All he could see was a room overwhelmed by pinkish objects. 

Lucas thought, “Thank goodness she doesn’t plan to make our home look the same as this.” 

The next second, he suddenly recalled himself promising to let her decorate the new house to her own liking. 

“So, will she also turn our home into this?” he pondered. 

It was rare for him to fall into a dilemma, but he genuinely did not wish to stay in a room like that at all. 

Even so, he had already given his word. “What should I do if she insists on having the same design as this place?” he questioned himself. 

“Okay, I’m done! Let’s go back!” 

Annabelle packed two pieces of baggage full of clothes and jewelry. 

As long as it was something she fancied or anything important, she just stuffed it into the baggage. 

In the past, this place had always been her territory where her heart would always find peace, no matter how far she drifted away or how long she left. It was the only place she would instinctively yearn to return to every time she was exhausted. 

Nevertheless, things were different now. She was uncomfortable just being here, and she would even unwittingly think of escaping the place as if it was no longer her haven. 

Chapter 26 

Sat, 

“All right,” replied Lucas as he went over to her to pick up the baggage. 

Seeing that, Annabelle hurriedly followed him. 

“Let me help you with one of these no, I mean, I can carry one myself.” 

Lucas totally ignored her. He lifted those two pieces of baggage effortlessly as though they were some tiny chicks. 

“You better slow down. Don’t trip yourself,” cautioned Lucas. He did not even turn to look at her. 

“Okay,” Annabelle answered obediently upon hearing his words. Just like that, she zipped her mouth there and then. 

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When she reached the ground floor, she caught sight of her mother. The latter approached her and tugged at her arm affectionately, her grim expression from earlier totally gone. 

Her mother acted as if nothing bad had happened between them. 

Annabelle could still be that spoiled princess of the Ross family, and the woman right before her would still tolerate all her willfulness and adore her 

without reservation. 

Yet, the reality was not like that. In the past, whenever she saw her mother behaving in such a way, she would feel the urge to bury herself in her mother’s embrace and indulge in her mother’s love wholeheartedly. 

Now, she could feel nothing but goosebumps erupting all over her body. 

“Mom,” greeted Annabelle carefully. 

“You’re hardly home. Maybe you… and your husband should spend a night here. You two can leave tomorrow morning,” said Madeline with a smile. 

“Besides, your brother suddenly decided to go study abroad. He’ll be leaving home a few days later, so it’d be rather difficult for you to see him again.” 

“No, no, no. It’s not difficult at all!” 

Nathan ran over and held Annabelle’s arm, saying in a carefree manner, “I’ll fly back during the holidays to visit you guys. I haven’t been to your house, Annabelle. Can I go have a look?” 

As Madeline heard Nathan’s words, her face fell in an instant. 

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