The atmosphere in the Anderson mansion's private sitting room was heavy with unspoken anger and distress.
A storm was brewing.
A palpable sense of hostility lood on the faces of the individuals seated and staring at the huge television screen.
No one was saying anything except for the live-streaming video of the ongoing chaotic event at the Shawls' mansion.
The heavy silence thickened as an abominable revelation was finally made known.
"My goodness!" Henry's jaw dropped.
"Ah!" Maria's shoulder slumped, her eyes widening in horror. She slowly tilted her head to look at Alia's, whose face had turned white as if she had seen a ghost.
Even though Maria was not directly related to this ssed-up Shawls family, she felt every ounce of pain and every decibel of choking desolation that her daughter-in-law was experiencing at the mont.
"He raped my mother..." Alia echoed in her rapidly pounding heart, hot tears of indignation rolling down her flushed cheeks like a stormy sea.
"Alia..." Maria signalled Henry to turn off the television as she shifted closer to Alia, taking the latter's trembling and cold hands into hers. "....breath."
"He raped my mother." Alia's lips quivered, hot tears blinding her vision as she turned to look at Maria, her face turning red as if she was about to experience a cerebral aneurysm.
"He won't go unpunished, this I promised you. But for now, you need to breathe."
Alia could see Maria's lips moving, but she couldn't hear a single word coming out of her mouth as she demanded in a completely shattered voice.
"Why? How could he do such a sick thing to my mother?"
Rage flowed through Alia's veins like molten lava, leaving her completely breathless. Her entire face was flustered with uncontrollable fury, and her whole body was trembling vigorously as if she were about to experience a seizure.
"Alia, calm down." Maria pleaded in a panicked voice as Alia abruptly stood up, clasping her head, which felt as though it was about to implode.
"Amy..." Henry took hurried steps to his friend's wife, while Maria, already standing, tried to wrap her arms around her and restrain her from doing anything dangerous to herself and her baby.
"Amy, please, don't do anything irrational. Think about your baby. Think about what the doctor said. You have ." Maria begged desperately, wishing she could take all of Alia's pain away.
Suddenly, Alia's voice cracked, a raw, terrifying shriek tearing through the air. Her high-pitched scream ripped through the room, sending eerie chills down Maria and Henry's spines. Her knees buckled under her weight, and she almost fell on the ground if it hadn't been for Maria, who held onto her and Henry, who assisted.
"No..." Alia wept bitterly, holding tightly to Maria, her heart shattered into a million pieces. "She didn't deserve this. How could he..." She choked on her words, her chest tightening with unbearable pain.
Maria lowered herself to the floor, still holding Alia's head to her chest, with Henry's help. She did her best to soothe Alia, but the latter was beyond consolation at the mont. She beca worried that Alia might fall into depression at this rate of brokenness, leading to more serious dical challenges if sothing drastic wasn't done.
"Mom, what should I do?"
Henry felt helpless watching Alia suffer in this manner. He was tempted to go into Blaze's study and retrieve one of the latter's licensed pistols, with which he would use to send Matt straight to hell.
"Get doctor Vanessa."
"Okay," Henry was already dashing out of the room to carry out Maria's instructions when Maria added.
Also, contact Judith. Tell how to co imdiately."
"Yes, mum."
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Nana's noble intention of reuniting the Shawls family ended with Matt's abominable confession.
The intended party ca to a premature end even before it started.
Confusion, animosity and bitterness lingered in the air as Matt was driven out of the mansion premises.
The senator and other mbers of the family tried to revive Nana Shawl while they waited breathlessly for the ambulance to arrive.
Lilian quickly left with her children in her mini family van, terrified that the Shawls family might turn on her because of the sins of her husband.
Heartbroken by Matt's actions and her husband's slap, Regina marched into the mansion, closely followed by her sister. Neither of them cared about the old matriarch's appalling state. If it were up to them, they would rather watch her die than lend a helping hand.
Within a space of ten to twelve minutes, the ambulance finally arrived, its blaring, high-pitched siren announcing its presence.
The uniform paradics jumped out of the back of the van imdiately the ambulance ca to a halt, close to where so of the Shawls family were gathered around the lifeless old woman.
Nana Shawls was carefully transferred to a stretcher and carried into the ambulance, where ergency CPR was carried out on her.
So family mbers opted to follow behind the departing ambulance, while others decided to return to their various houses.
Although Harriet thought that Desmond should follow her ho, seeing that he wasn't in good shape himself, he insisted on following others to the hospital.
As Senator Gregory got into his car while dishing out stringent instructions to his head of security, he was surprised and at the sa ti irked to see Desmond following behind him.
"What do you want?" Senator Gregory barked, unable to control his temper.
Desmond flinched at the hostility in his elder brother's eyes and the chilliness of his voice.
"I was hoping to ride with you to the hospital to check on Mom."
"There's no need for that." Senator Gregory replied drily, putting his right hand forward. His eyes were void of emotion, and his muscles taut with rage.
"But she is my mother too?" Desmond stood dejectedly beside the senator's Bentley as the latter got into the car.
"I'm not disputing that. Go ho with your wife and take care of yourself first. If there is any update, I'll let you know."
"But..."
The senator didn't wait for Desmond to complete his statent as he slamd the rear door of his car in his brother's face, while barking to his chauffeur.
"Move this car."
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Gwen didn't bother returning any of the missed calls on her phone before she got into the chopper. She knew she was already late to the party and decided it was best to show up when the celebration was at its climax.
At least, she won't get to sit down and listen to all of Nana's boring sermon about family and unity.
In Gwen's opinion, peace and unity were simply a fairytale wish. The rift in the family was simply too wide for any worthless reunion to nd.
Upon her arrival at the mansion, Gwen was expecting to see fleets of cars belonging to extended relatives and her father lined up by the driveway. She was expecting to hear the sound of music and rrint igniting the air, just like other family reunions. She was expecting to see her little distant cousins running around the open field, chasing one another in their foolish, childish gas.
Sadly, she didn't see any of that except for ard security n patrolling the premises as if it were a military camp.
"What the hell is happening here? Is the party already over? Or did dad fail to pick up mom and the others?"
Gwen thought loudly, her heart slamming widely against her rib cage. She waited breathlessly as the helicopter touchdown on the designated landing area within the mansion, while expecting her nosy relatives to co out of the mansion.
Sadly, apart from four ard security n, who were already waiting for her, by the designated landing area, no one ca out to witness her change of level.
Gwen grudgingly stepped out of the helicopter, lowering her head and moving away from the spinning rotor blades.
The helicopter pilot, who had earlier obtained landing permission from the mansion security, wasted no ti in taking off when Gwen was within safe distance.
"I reckon you boys didn't co down here just to welco . Isn't that right?" A flash of anger crossed Gwen's face as she addressed the lead security officer rudely.
"Welco back, Miss Gwen. Please, I would like you to follow to the security house for the normal check as authorised by your father." The lead security man said politely.
Gwen inhaled sharply, suppressing the rage bubbling inside of her. She was already used to this routine search and wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone at the mont. She quietly followed behind them.
"By the way, where is everyone?" Gwen asked, hoping to get information from the security officer.
"How do you an, ma'am?"
Gwen's forehead furrowed in disgust. She could tell the security guard was trying to get on her nerves by pretending not to know what was happening within the mansion. But she ignored him and rephrased her question.
"Didn't my uncle and mother show up today?"
Just then, Gwen heard soone's high-pitched voice that sounded exactly like her mother, forcing her to turn backwards.
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