CHAPTER 133: CHAPTER 133 IF HE MARRIED JULIA (2)_1

Marcel Horne stood in the same spot, pursing his lips in silence, without looking at her.

It was not until after she descended the stairs that Emma Wright’s face fell. The close childhood bond between Marcel Horne and Ruby Bluen had dealt a heavy blow to her. Just now, she had merely put on a brave face, unwilling to show her sadness in front of Marcel.

Looking up toward the top floor, then at Ruby Bluen’s room, Emma Wright bit her lower lip. A resolute look sparkled in her eyes. I won’t admit defeat until the very end, she told herself.

Next to Golden Kirin Garden was an apartment complex called Coastal District, filled with high-class apartments. The environment throughout the district was relatively serene. Each building was fronted by a small communal garden, and an artificial river meandered past the gardens, running through the entire area. Many people strolled along the river for leisure.

As it was an apartment area, it lacked the extreme wealth and prestige found in Golden Kirin Garden, where any villa owner was an elite of the shopping mall scene. Residents of Coastal District were mostly white-collar workers and independent business owners. Of course, there were also some residents who were neither; these were mistresses supported by certain tycoons, colloquially known as "second wives."

The vehicles entering and exiting here were mostly valued from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand yuan; those costing over a million were very rare.

The residence of James Horne’s mother, Pheobe Rogers, was on the first floor of A Building.

Gian Horne was quite generous. Being wealthy, he didn’t simply keep a mistress in an apartment; he had bought an entire floor for her.

In Coastal District, Pheobe Rogers lived in one of the most spacious residences. Though she drove a Crown, which couldn’t compare to the luxury cars of the Horne family’s elite, it far surpassed the vehicles of most other residents in the area.

Even though she was a mistress, a fact well known to everyone, she didn’t feel there was anything improper about it. She still drove her car ostentatiously around Coastal District. Aside from being Gian Horne’s mistress, she was also the mother of the General Manager of James Kitchenware Company. She believed she had every right to be flamboyant.

The exterior of her floor might not have looked remarkable, appearing no different from the surrounding buildings, but the interior decoration was exceedingly luxurious. It boasted a main hall, side hall, small dining room, kitchen, study room, bedroom, balcony, bar, and a lavish bathroom, among other amenities, all of which showcased just how spacious her dwelling was.

At that moment, in the evening, she was bustling around the kitchen with an apron on, preparing delicious meals.

In the small dining room, Gian Horne sat at a marble dining table that seated only six, reading a newspaper while waiting for Pheobe Rogers to bring out the dishes.

He no longer involved himself in the affairs of Valence Group and idled his days away. He frequently dropped by Pheobe’s place to sit for a while, and sometimes he stayed there for meals.

After all, Coastal District was close to Golden Kirin, a fact he had considered when purchasing the apartment for Pheobe.

As he flipped through the newspaper, he occasionally glanced at Pheobe Rogers, who was busy preparing his meal in the kitchen. The small dining room was connected to the kitchen, so he could see her figure from there.

Watching Pheobe happily and contentedly preparing dinner for him, he experienced a mix of emotions.

He loved both Mila Anderson and Pheobe Rogers, which was why he wouldn’t divorce Mila to marry Pheobe. Even if he loved Pheobe just a little more, Mila had borne him a son and a daughter. Their son was the Horne Family’s eldest legitimate male heir, beloved not only by him but also by the entire Horne family. Moreover, Glades was competent, effortlessly upholding Valence Group’s legacy and commanding respect in the business world, possessing more charisma than Gian himself had in his youth. Proud of such a son, he could hold his head high amongst his peers. For his son and his only daughter, he would never divorce Mila.

Thus, he deeply wounded Pheobe Rogers. For all these years, she had followed him and borne him James, yet she had never held an official status. Everyone knew Pheobe was his mistress and treated her politely on the surface, merely out of respect for the Horne family’s wealth and influence. Behind closed doors, however, the ladies of high society often disdained Pheobe. Keeping a mistress was common among the wealthy; it was just a matter of whether it was public or private. Therefore, these ladies harbored extreme animosity toward Pheobe, the mistress.

He knew Pheobe had been wronged, but he was helpless.

The blame could only fall on him.

He wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

Now, as he was getting older, he suddenly regretted it all, but it was too late for remorse.

In the Horne family Mansion, he made an effort to mend his relationship with Mila, especially now that they had graduated to being grandparents. They couldn’t continue squabbling as they had in the past, could they?

While accompanying Mila, he would feel pity for Pheobe, which was why he made time to visit her and occasionally stayed overnight.

Perhaps too much time had passed, or maybe Mila no longer had the energy to be upset about his occasional overnight stays at Pheobe’s. Whenever she was free, she indulged in playing cards, venting her frustration by cursing those who were mistresses—a sort of emotional outlet for her.

"Gian, call our son," Pheobe Rogers suddenly called out from the kitchen to Gian Horne. "I’ve made plenty of food. Let him come home to eat. Let’s have a family dinner, just the three of us."

Usually, James would eat at the Horne Mansion and only return to Pheobe’s afterward, though most often he went to his own small villa purchased elsewhere.

Mentioning their son reminded Pheobe of how she felt she had wronged him. I wasn’t assertive enough to claim the title of Mrs. Horne, causing my son to bear the stigma of an illegitimate child for twenty-eight years. Even as the Fourth Young Master of the Horne Family, he isn’t as respected as the other young masters. People said that everyone but the Fourth Young Master needed to curry favor with the others. It’s because the Fourth Young Master has no stake in the Horne family’s ancestral business; he’s of no use to those people.

Whenever she heard this, Pheobe would get especially angry. How could they talk like that? My son is a man of significant stature in the business world, a self-made man worth hundreds of millions, and much more capable than the other young masters! A mother always loves her own children the most, and because of James’s reputation outside, Pheobe especially detested Mila Anderson and Glades Horne.

Some people always overlook their own faults, fixating instead on resentment towards others. They feel that their happiness has been stolen by someone else, forgetting that it is they who have broken up another’s family, robbing them of their happiness. Pheobe Rogers was such a person.