Chapter 288
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Joyce shot a hard look at Marina, who remained perfectly calm, and gritted her teeth before saying in a low voice, “Fine, call the cops then.”
With that, she tried to grab her phone back from Howard’s hand.
Howard wasn’t about to let Joyce take her phone back. His usually gentle face turned serious as he said in a low, firm voice, “Joyce, snap out of it.”
He glanced at Marina and Daron, a hint of apology in his eyes, and said quietly, “Sorry, Daron. Joyce is a bit out of control right now.
“Accidents happen on the course, it’s nothing serious. The Milner Family will cover all the costs. Daron, why don’t you take Ms. Finley home first?”
Joyce, furious that Howard was completely taking Marina’s side, suddenly swung her hand at his face, catching him totally off guard.
“You backstabber! No wonder we’re not close. You’re not even real family! My dad’s looked after you all these is how you repay him? Treating his only daughter like this?” Joyce shouted.
Howard’s head snapped to the side from Joyce’s slap.
His eyes went cold in an instant. He grabbed Joyce by the wrist and hauled her over to the car.
years,
and this
Joyce fought him with everything she had, but as she was dragged away, she shot Marina a furious glare, her eyes burning with hatred.
“I’m not letting you get away with this, Marina!”
Marina let out a soft sigh and said, “Ms. Milner, I’ll make sure to back up all the security footage from the scene. I’ll be waiting for you to come and settle the score.”
Joyce’s expression turned fierce and wild, a flash of madness in her eyes.
Marina watched calmly as Howard dragged Joyce away. Joyce looked completely disheveled, nothing like the graceful heiress she claimed to be.
Suddenly, Marina remembered the first time she met Joyce. Back then, Joyce had seemed so bright and charismatic that Marina actually felt a little overshadowed.
But now, seeing Joyce, Marina realized it was all just a facade. She was really nothing to be afraid of
Daron’s grip on her hand tightened. Marina snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“Are we heading back?” she asked.
Daron nodded. “Yeah.”
His gaze was deep as he looked her over, making sure she wasn’t hurt. Then he said quietly, ‘Let’s go.”
Daron took Marina by the hand and led her toward the car.
Howard forced Joyce back into their car.
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Chapter 288
55 Voucher
As their car pulled away, Marina could still see Joyce thrashing inside, her figure growing smaller in the distance.
Just as Marina was feeling a bit sorry for Howard, having to deal with Joyce’s manic episode, Howard suddenly, without warning, slapped Joyce hard across the face. Joyce, who had been thrashing around just seconds ago, went completely still.
A flash of shock crossed Marina’s eyes. She never expected Howard to actually lay a hand on Joyce.
Daron saw it too, and said in a calm, almost indifferent voice, “The Milner Family’s mental state is a little unstable.”
It was not just Joyce. Howard’s got his own issues too.
‘I always thought Howard was the mellow, easygoing type, like he’d just let anything slide, Marina mused, pressing her lips together.
‘Turns out, I was way off. Honestly, I’ve never been good at figuring people out. “And here I am, messing it up again!‘
Daron squeezed her hand, his voice low and serious.
“Don’t go provoking Joyce. She’s got some serious rage issues. She didn’t even hesitate to hit Howard. What makes you think she’d hold back with you?”
Marina pressed her lips together and spoke softly, “Are you worried about me?”
Daron looked at her, his voice low and serious.
“Your grandpa must’ve told you a wise person never stands under a crumbling wall,” he said.
Marina flashed him a sly smile and said quietly, “But I’m the type who always gets even, never letting a grudge go.”
Daron arched an eyebrow, catching the sparkle in Marina’s eyes. In that instant, he realized she’d swung at Joyce on purpose
Her acting was flawless; he’d been completely fooled into thinking she’d hit Joyce by accident.
Remembering how Marina had just pinned the blame on Joyce, it made Joyce’s protests seem utterly powerless. Howard probably thought Joyce had orchestrated the whole thing, making it look like Marina’s strike was just an accident.
Daron frowned. “Don’t do anything that reckless again.”
Marina pressed her lips together and lowered her voice to a whisper.
“She won’t hit me,” she said.
Daron looked down at her. “So sure?”
Marina nodded.
“Because you’re here, she wouldn’t dare touch me. She’s dying to look like the perfect victim in front of you, so even if she’s boiling with rage inside, she’ll hold it all in just to get you to notice her,” Marina explained.
Daron looked at her. “If I’d taken her side today and blamed you, how would you have handled it?”
Marina was silent for a long moment.
She hadn’t even considered that possibility.
Maybe it was because he’d made it clear to her earlier today that deep down, she knew Daron didn’t care for Joyce, so he’d
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Chapter 288
never just believe her over Marina.
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After all, she was his wife. Even if their marriage wasn’t about love, she’d been trained since she was a kid to be with him. For now, she was the most suitable match for him. So when it came to someone like Joyce, who didn’t really matter, he’d always have Marina’s back.
Marina thought it over for a moment, then beckoned him closer.
Daron leaned in, his ear right next to her lips.
Marina whispered in his ear, “If you’d believed her and punished me, you’d be sleeping on the couch tonight.”
It was all made up anyway, so any punishment would’ve been meaningless.
Daron chuckled softly and pulled her closer, his arm slipping around her waist.
“Forgiving me so easily, huh?” he teased.
Marina smiled and nodded. “Of course, I’m basically the poster child for wifely virtue.”
Daron snorted with laughter.
“You really know how to play along,” he said.
As he spoke, he reached out and gave Marina’s cheek a playful pinch.
The golf course manager had heard about the drama between Marina and Joyce. Just as Marina and Daron were about to get in the car, he rushed over, apologizing nonstop, then pulled out a tablet and showed Daron the security footage from earlier.
The high–def footage showed Joyce with a hint of mockery and disdain on her face.
Marina, on the other hand, was calm and focused, seriously swinging her club.
While Joyce was talking, she suddenly circled behind Marina, and at that exact moment, Marina’s club accidentally struck her face. Joyce ended up on the ground, and then Daron arrived at the scene.
Daron watched Marina on the security footage, catching every little reaction on her face.
If she hadn’t told him she did it on purpose, no one would’ve suspected a thing.
She orchestrated everything flawlessly.
A smile crept onto Daron’s lips. He looked pretty satisfied with the footage.
“I’ll take this with me. Don’t forget to send a copy over to the Milner Family,” Daron instructed.
The manager nodded deferentially. Seeing Daron crack a smile, he finally let out a breath of reliet. He’d been terrified Daron might raise hell or get them in trouble.
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