Chapter 11
Gigi was the youngest in the family, and she had grown up with an indulgent mother as well as a brother who spoiled her.
With Evelyn and Brad giving in to her whims all the time, Gigi was used to getting her way.
Anyone or anything that had crossed her had to be removed immediately, and she would make a huge
fuss if she were irked.
In extreme cases, she would have tantrums that could result in things being broken or thrown across the
room.
The ornaments and fixtures in Gigi’s room were often the first victims of her tantrums; they had to be
replaced every fortnight
When Gigi heard that Jean was visiting, she spent the entire day trying to get on Jean’s good side by bad- mouthing Nadine.
Since Nadine’s return, she had humiliated Gigi once by admonishing her in front of Jean,
In a desperate attempt to salvage Jean’s impression of her and get back at Nadine, Gigi invited Jean to stay for dinner so that she could set Nadine up for humiliation
However, much to Gigi’s bafflement and dismay, Adam and Daniel had sided with Nadine. They
ordered Gigi to take a time–out.
y even
Upset by this, Gigi had hated Nadine ever since. She couldn’t believe that Adam and Daniel had chosen to punish her and side with an outsider.
Adam had only just calmed down from his outburst when his breath quickened alarmingly. He pointed of Gigi while rubbing his chest, and for a long moment, he couldn’t utter a word.
Worried that the outburst had affected Adam, Nadine hurried over to him and began massaging his pressure points to ease his discomfort.
Fussing over him, she said, “It’s important to keep up good spirits, Grandpa. Outbursts will only wear you down. Could you calm down for Sean’s sake?”
Adam was the only person in the Hamilton family who truly cared about Nadine. He was also incredibly protective of her.
As much as Nadine disliked Gigi, she would rather not pick a fight with the latter than see Adam get upset.
When Gigi would not stop aggravating Adam, Nadine cast an icy look at the former and hissed, “Enough! Stop aggravating Grandpa. If anything were to happen to him, you’d best belleve I’ll come after you!”
Nadine was normally a quiet figure in the Hamilton household. She never spoke too loudly, and she spent most of her days in silence like a wraith.
This was the first time she had looked so vicious, her gaze so sharp she looked like an apex predator
locking down on its prey.
Gigi felt her heart leap to her throat.
She had never seen Nadine display such savagery, and the pointed look Nadine had given her sent chills down her spine.
Nadine’s gaze was so terrifying that Gigi froze and dared not utter a sound.
Thankfully, Adam had recovered from the effects of his outburst and was no longer short of breath.
He clutched Nadine’s hand and said emphatically, “You’re as reliable as ever during crucial times, Nadine. I ought to thank you for what you did just now.
“If it weren’t for you, that brat would have given me a heart attack”
Now that Adam was feeling better, he shot a dark look at Daniel and snapped, “What do you think will become of our family if we allow our children to behave as Gigi did?”
Daniel saw the disappointment in Adam’s eyes and immediately walked over to Gigi. He took her by the arm and began dragging her away, snapping. “Time–out for you, young lady!”
Gigi turned to Evelyn helplessly and cried, “Mom, help me!”
Evelyn was about to plead Gigi’s case when Jean suddenly fell to her knees before Adam. “Mr. Hamilton Senior, this is my fault. Gigi was only standing up for me.
“I was the cause of all this; Gigi had nothing to do with it, so punish me if you must.
“Gigi is too young to understand the consequences of her brashness and spoke out of turn. I hope you can forgive her. If you need to punish someone, let it be me.” NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.
Sympathy flashed across Brad’s face as he watched Jean kneel before Adam in apology.
At once, he rushed to her side and hauled her upright. Pulling her into his arms, he demanded, “Jeanie, what are you doing? You’re not the one who should be punished for any of this!*
He didn’t care that his well–pressed shirt creased with his actions or that his necktie was askew as he surveyed Jean’s face.
Jean still insisted on getting on her knees even as Brad held her upright. “Brad, I can’t let Gigi take the
blame when I’m the cause of all this.”
Fortunately for Jean, Brad was strong enough to keep her standing. She didn’t put up much of a fight, not that she could with her delicate frame. “That’s enough, Jeanie. You’re sick as it is.”
Panic seized Gigi when she saw Jean get down on her knees to apologize to Adam. She cried anxiously,” Grandpa, don’t listen to Jeanie! She had nothing to do with this.
“I promise I won’t say those horrible things anymore. Please don’t punish her.
“Dad, let go of me! I promise I’ll behave as long as you don’t blame Jeanie for any of this.”
At the sight of this, Evelyn quickly pulled Gigi away from Daniel and shielded her. She gave Nadine a
hateful look as she said, “Are you happy now, Nadine? Did you get what you wanted?”
Chappr
Brad’s icy gaze slid to Nadine. His eyes carried the promise of death by a thousand cuts as he stared at
her.
He had as good as cut her heart out with that look.
However, Nadine did not shrink from his gaze. She took a deep breath and mustered the courage to stare.
right back at him, her gaze even and clear.
“You’re quite the comedian, Mrs. Hamilton. Why would I be happy when nothing has been decided?” she
drawled.
All this while, Nadine had put up with the snide remarks and condescending looks the Hamilton family. gave her in hopes of keeping her marriage with Brad.
She never once fought back against them.
But she had stopped loving Brad from the moment she signed her name on those divorce papers.
In other words, there was no need for her to put up with any mistreatment from his family anymore.
Nadine’s smile did not reach her eyes as she glanced at Brad and Jean with contempt. “Ms. Sawyer, I wasn’t aware that an outsider like you had any right to intervene in the Hamilton family’s affairs.
“Gigi isn’t the brightest tool in the shed, which makes her a brilliant puppet. Did she perhaps pick up those scathing remarks from you?”
Nadine spoke clearly, enunciating her words so that everyone in the room could hear. There was a deathly silence in the room as everyone gaped at her in surprise.
Jean, in particular, looked horrified. To have her plans exposed by Nadine in front of the entire Hamilton family was like a slap in the face.
Terrified that Brad might think differently of her, Jean quickly explained, ‘Brad, don’t listen to Nadien!
She’s lying.
“I never wanted to interfere in your family matters. Gigi and I are like sisters. I would never teach her to say such horrible things!”
Brad squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “I believe you.”
Three simple words were all it took to quell Jean’s fears. She coughed a few times and burrowed into
Brad’s embrace.
Nadine watched this scene bitterly, her heart shattering beyond repair. This was all she needed to know she had made the right choice in divorcing Brad.
Gigi shrieked, “Stop your yapping, you bitch! How dare you accuse Jeanie like that, Nadine? She will never do something like that!”
She looked like she was about to lunge forward and slap Nadine. If Evelyn hadn’t been holding her, she might have just done so.
Nadine eyed Gigi meaningfully and smirked. “I got a little carried away, but could you blame me? It’s not
Chapter 11.
every day I get to see such a giant log.”