Suddenly There Are Three (Bailey and Artemis)

Chapter 45

He stopped in his track and looked down at the little girl whose height barely reached his waist level.

“What's your mommy's name?” he asked, frowning slightly

Susan gave him a cheeky smile and replied, “My mommy's name is Bailey, while my godmother's

name is Victoria. Which one are you referring to?”

Those words left Artemis dumbfounded. He trembled involuntarily, then asked hesitantly, “Zayron and

you are...”

“We're twins. He's older than me by a mere twenty minutes,” the little girl shared.

I see! This world is full of surprises! What has that lucky idiot Simon done to deserve a set of twins?

He calmed himself down and brought Susan to Felicity and his family.

“Who's this girl, Artemis?”

Artemis kept quiet, and merely looked at Susan.

A big smile appeared on Susan's face as she declared, “I'm Mr. Luther's partner!”

That left everyone speechless.

From a corner of the venue, Bailey heard that child-like reply. She instantly stopped in her track and

turned toward the direction where Susan's voice came from.

Her face fell when she saw the pair.

When did this little troublemaker come back? Why wasn't I informed? And why is she with Artemis?

“Oh, isn't that the abandoned elder daughter of the Jefferson family? Why is she here?”

Suddenly, someone exclaimed loudly and created an uproar.

“Oh, indeed! That's really Ms. Bailey! Fancy her having the cheek to come back!”

“That's true. She was involved in such a big scandal back in those days. No decent woman would sell

her body for money as she did!”

“Not only that! She even got pregnant! Thank goodness life is fair, and she suffered her retribution and

lost the child.”

Tears welled up in Susan's eyes when she heard those nasty comments. Her heart ached for Bailey,

knowing her mom had never gotten over her brother's death.

She could imagine the pain Bailey experienced when those people picked on that emotional scar of

hers.

When Bailey saw Susan trying to come toward her, her expression darkened.

She did not want her kids to get involved in that matter as she wanted to protect them from all the

harsh judgments. She would rather bear with the ridicule and accusations herself.

In her heels, she elegantly strolled toward the crowd with a half-smile on her face.

Gwendolyn wanted to step in to defend Bailey, but Yoel held her back.

She glared at her husband and hissed under her breath, “What's the matter with you? Bay had already

bore our family a son, so she's part of the Chivers family. How can we just stand by and watch as she's

being bullied? If she blames us for that and refuses to marry Edmund, I'll make you pay for it!”

Yoel signed and softly replied, “It's not that I'm not siding with our daughter-in-law. However, it's really

not appropriate for us to intervene now. Clarence is the one who should speak up for her and clear the

air. If we were to step in now, those gossipers would think she has buttered up to us and is making use Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

of us to salvage her reputation.”

Gwendolyn could not argue against her husband's logical analysis, so she could only hold her peace.

Bailey walked toward Beatrice, looked her straight in the face, and asked, “Can you spare a few

minutes, Mrs. Jefferson? I would like to have a word with you in private.”

Beatrice was worried Clarence would try to clear Bailey's name in public and ruin her plans.

If the public got the impression that Bailey had slept with Edmund seven years ago and bore him a son,

then it would ruin her plans to totally destroy Bailey.

She had to act fast and go for the final kill while Bailey still had a bad reputation. She needed to do

something to totally ruin Bailey's name so she had no chance to salvage it anymore.

She was glad Bailey asked to talk to her in private, so she played along with it.

“Oh, sure! You haven't been home for so many years, and I have so much to catch up with you! Earlier

this afternoon, your father was just telling me he misses you. How can a father stay angry with his

daughter? Although he was furious and harsh to you back then, after he calmed down, he thought of

you often. After all, blood will always be thicker than water.” Beatrice went up to Bailey and

affectionately held on to her arm as she spoke, acting like a loving mother.

Bailey knew what Beatrice was up to and had to suppress her urge to roll her eyes out loud.

It was an unnecessary worry on Beatrice's part, as Bailey had never planned on getting Clarence to

clear her name in the first place.

It was true that she sold herself for half a million, slept with a stranger, and got impregnated. She didn't

want Clarence to get Edmund involved in that matter, as that would be unfair to Edmund.

As she was going away with Beatrice, Bailey threw Susan a warning glance, hoping she would get the

hint and stay away from Artemis.

After Bailey and Beatrice left, all the attention fell on Artemis and Susan again.

“Ar-Artemis, don't tell me this girl is Simon's—” Felicity asked trembly.

Artemis interjected and announced, “Luther Group's Tempest Entertainment is grooming her as our

latest child star. She's not related to the Luther family.”

There was a hint of disappointment in Felicity's eyes.

She already had grandsons, so she was yearning for a granddaughter.

Susan was a pretty and adorable little girl, and Felicity would be delighted if Artemis had confirmed her

suspicion that the little girl was Simon's daughter.

Artemis saw through his mother. She was a very demanding old woman and had high expectations.

The fact that she liked Susan proved just how likable the girl was.

D*mn it! Such a cutie pie turns out to be that jerk's girl. He really has it all!

He couldn't help but be a little envious of Simon's luck for being blessed with such an adorable

daughter.

Beatrice led Bailey through the walkway and as soon as they reached a deserted part of the

compound, she flung off Bailey's arm, and her demeanor changed drastically.

“You want to know the truth about your mother's death, don't you?” she sneered.

Instead of replying to her question, Bailey mockingly asked, “What do you think? Other than my mother,

what else do you think can make me put up such a disgusting act with you earlier?”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and threw Beatrice a menacing stare.

“I never knew you have such a sharp tongue. Do you want to find out about your mother's death? Sure.

Come with me,” Beatrice said, as she turned and headed to the southwestern corner of the compound.

Bailey frowned slightly and wondered what Beatrice was up to as she was walking toward the house

where Bailey and her mother used to stay.

She hesitated for a moment before going after Beatrice.

As Bailey was passing through a quiet pebbled path, she was greeted by a sweet scent, a scent that

was very familiar to her. Those were the precious plants she nurtured when she was living there. It was

a pleasant surprise for Bailey to see that they were still thriving and blooming seven years after she left.

When they reached the compound of that house, Bailey stopped and said, “Let's talk here. I don't want

you to enter my mother's house and tarnish the place.”

Beatrice stopped too, and she slowly turned around and gave Bailey a disdainful smile. “Don't think too

highly of your mother. If she had not done anything terrible, she wouldn't have suffered such

retribution!” There was an evil look on her pretty face when she said that.