chapter 31

 Priscilla's POV 

My throat pulsed as defeat washed over me. I'd never felt as defeated as I did at that moment. Anger quivered through my body. Max was turning into a jerk, I couldn't believe it. Was he this way, or was he pretending to be nice only because I was carrying his baby? Now he's blackmailing me and I'm at a loss for what to do. 

"Are you finished yelling?" Max broke my thoughts. "I'm only doing this for your sake. You're so stubborn I have no choice but to blackmail you." 

I looked up at him and glared. There was blood at the corner of his mouth. It was then that I remembered that I had punched him. As much as I didn't want to admit it, seeing him hurt made my heart ache. 

"You're hurt," I said in a monotonous tone. "Stay here, I'll go get something." I walked over to the closet, opened the drawer, and grabbed the first aid kit. I set it on the dresser and opened it, taking out a cotton ball and hydrogen peroxide. 

"Priscilla, I'm fine. You don't have to do all this," Max protested. I shot him a disapproving look. 

"I didn't ask for your opinion," I retorted. I walked over to him, focusing on his wound as he watched me. I cleaned off the blood with the cotton ball and applied antibiotic ointment. Once I finished, I put the first aid kit back in the drawer. 

"You can leave now," I said indifferently. 

"It's lunchtime. You should eat," Max calmly said. I looked at him. 

"I'm not hungry," I said before sitting on the bed and resting my head against the headboard. 

"Why are you so stubborn?" Max asked, struggling to control his anger. "Can't you just listen to me for once in your life and stop arguing?" 

"I don't listen to anyone but myself," I said, playing with my fingers. I wanted to punish him for blackmailing me. 

"Unfortunately, you'll have to listen to me or I'll carry you to the dining room," Max threatened. I said nothing and ignored him completely. 

"Priscilla, I'm talking to you!" Max shouted. My nape and arm hair stood on end and my heart raced as images of my father yelling at my mother flooded my mind. I couldn't hear anything Max was saying. I covered my ears and heard the sound of breaking glasses, shouting, yelling, slapping, and every other sound blended like music. Sweat dripped from my forehead and tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't stand this side of Max.

 Max's POV 

I froze when I saw Priscilla covering her ears with her hand. Her face was drenched in sweat and tears streamed down her cheeks. Without hesitation, I rushed over to her. 

"Priscilla, I'm sorry," I said, wrapping my arms around her. She immediately hugged me back, and I felt a pang in my heart seeing her cry like this. I couldn't control myself lately, especially when it came to Nelly. I was taking my anger out on the wrong person.

"Please stop crying. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm going through a rough time, and my emotions are all over the place. I'm sorry, please forgive me," I whispered while stroking her hair. 

Priscilla's sobs slowly died down, and I released her from my embrace. I wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. 

"I'm fine," Priscilla muttered as she wiped away her tears and stood up from the bed.

"Let's go eat," she declared, but I quickly stopped her from leaving the room.

"Tell me the truth. Why were you crying?" I needed to know everything about her and make sure I didn't hurt her anymore.

"It's nothing, I'm okay," Priscilla responded. But I could see she was hiding something. 

"Please, if there's anything wrong, tell me. I might act like a jerk sometimes, but I'm here for you. I'll listen and support you however I can," I said sincerely. Priscilla said nothing and ran out of the room.

I sighed, knowing I needed to control myself and my temper. Nelly was making things harder for me. I followed Priscilla and saw she was still upset. I decided to take her out to cheer her up after lunch.

While walking down the stairs, I was surprised to see the guards and Marie carrying a suitcase upstairs. 

"What's going on?" I asked Marie.

"Mrs. Suzie just arrived," she replied. My heart sank. Auntie Suzie was another headache I didn't need.

"Should I be worried?" Priscilla asked, concerned by the look on my face.

"No, don't worry. I'm here," I assured her with a smile.

We walked to the dining area together, and I made a mental note to take Priscilla out later to make sure she was okay.

 Priscilla's POV 

As Max and I entered the sitting room, a sharp brown-eyed lady caught my attention. She appeared to be in her late 60s, dressed in a long white dress, matching heels, and jewelry. Her brown hair was styled into a bun, and she wore glasses which only added to her imposing presence. I assumed she was here to teach me a lesson, and my eyes rolled.

"Hello, Auntie. It's been a while," Max said as he settled onto the sofa. I followed suit, sitting beside him.

The lady lifted her head, her brown eyes sharp as they fixed on me. She exuded dislike behind her glasses, but I couldn't care less.

"Who is she?" she asked, her tone brimming with authority.

"My girlfriend," Max replied.

"Your girlfriend? What about Nelly? Isn't she your wife? How dare you bring a whore into our family and decide to divorce your wife? Is this what you call a girlfriend? Look at how she dresses and sits. Nelly has told me everything, and I will not allow you to divorce her because of this homewrecker. I know women like her. All they want is money, and nothing else." The lady's voice dripped with anger, and I let out an unimpressed scoff. All eyes fixed on me.

"Excuse me, miss whoever you are, but you don't know me, and I don't know you. Why do you think you can just judge me like that and expect me to keep quiet?" I demanded, glaring hard at her. I would not let anyone insult me like that.

"Because I know women like you! All you want is money. You don't care if you're wrecking someone's home or not. I'm not going to let you ruin my children's lives. Pack your bags and leave now." The woman's voice was steely, and I just rolled my eyes.

"It seems like you've already made up your mind about me. You've already got an image of me in your head, and frankly, I don't give a shit. But let me tell you this. If you think you know women like me, you're wrong. I'm better because I'm not married. I'm better because I'm dating a married man. I didn't sleep with my husband's uncle like your so-called Nelly did." My voice was rising, and I could feel my jaw and neck tightening.

"What?!" the woman exclaimed, her face pale.

"She's right, Granny. Nelly isn't what you think she is. Priscilla is much better than her, and I'll be divorcing her in three months," Max said coldly.

"What are they talking about, Nelly?" the woman asked, looking at Nelly, who was trembling.

"I can explain," Nelly started, sweat visible on her forehead.

"Don't worry, my dear. I know she's making all this up so she can break your marriage," the woman said, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, she'd say that.

"You're the typical rich woman who thinks she knows everything. I'm sorry to shatter your dreams, but I'm not leaving this house. I'm the new future daughter-in-law of the Manh family. Get used to it and move on. If you don't like the way I sit or dress up, it's your problem, not mine. Please don't try to make your problem mine. Okay, excuse me. My baby and I are hungry, so we're going to eat," I said, smirking as I rose from the couch.

With that, I made my way to the dining room, chuckling to myself.

 Author's POV 

Auntie Suzie clenched her hand into a fist as she watched Priscilla walk away. No one had ever dared to talk to her like this. Everyone respected her in society because she was a respectable woman. How dare this tiny little thing disrespect her like that.

"Max, where did you get this disrespectful girl?" Auntie Suzie asked, glaring at her elder sister's child.

Max's muscles twitched beneath his skin. Since the passing of his parents, his Auntie had only visited him a handful of times. She didn't seem to care about him or Liz. It was frustrating for him that she dared to come into his home and defend Nelly, who was clearly in the wrong. Max was certain that Nelly had only told his Auntie half the truth and neglected to mention that she had cheated on him with her brother. Now his auntie would say whatever she pleased.

"Auntie, please leave Priscilla alone. She is my girlfriend, and soon she will be the mother of my child. Nelly and I are getting divorced. It's all her fault that all this is happening," Max said, with no emotions in his tone.

"Max, divorces are not allowed in our family. And Nelly and you are not getting a divorce. She is your wife. Every marriage has its ups and downs, but that doesn't mean that you will have to part ways without trying to fix your problems. Talk things through," Auntie Suzie said. Nelly smiled in satisfaction.

Max rose from the couch, took a glass of water, and threw it on the floor, shattering it into pieces.

"Auntie, you know everything, right? Can you put these broken pieces of glass back together?" Max asked.

Auntie Suzie's mouth fell open, and a heavy feeling settled in her stomach. She could not believe that Max had done this in front of her. She had always thought of him as a respectful boy, not this guy in front of her.

"Max, how can I fix broken glass?" Auntie Suzie asked.

"Similarly, I'm not interested in wasting my time fixing broken marriages and forcing bonds," Max said indifferently. "You came here because Nelly had fed you lies. You only care about family traditions. Where were you all these years? Your mother died recently, but you didn't even attend the funeral. You only care about yourself and your reputation. It's over between Nelly and me. She cheated on me with your brother and treated me like a fool. Now that Uncle Dave has dumped her, she came back to me because she has nowhere to go and no money. That's why she called you here. She is nothing but a shameless and desperate gold digger and whore. If you love her so much, then marry her and leave me alone," Max said, his body trembling with anger. He walked out of the dining room.

Nelly broke into fake sobs. "Auntie, I made a mistake. I came back to rectify my mistakes. Please help me save my marriage," Nelly sobbed.

"It's okay, my dear. Max is yours. I will chase that uncivilized girl out of this house and help you fix your marriage. You shouldn't cry," Auntie Suzie said. Although she knew that Nelly had cheated on Max, she could not allow them to divorce. She loved Nelly like her own daughter, and she wasn't going to let anyone take away her husband just like that.

"Thank you, Auntie. I appreciate your help and support," Nelly said, wiping away her fake tears. She knew that her plan was going to work perfectly, though she was a little scared. She had never seen anyone like Priscilla. Priscilla didn't care about anyone, nor was she scared. She hoped that it wouldn't be hard to remove her from Max's life.