The Heiress's Comeback

Chapter 160: [Volume 1] - 160- Shocking truth.

One of Esme’s hands moved down to Ray’s nipples, squeezing them tightly. A jolt of pain mixed with unexpected pleasure coursed through him, causing him to gasp and moan, the sound slipping from his lips before he could stifle it.

Heat rushed to his face, painting his cheeks a vivid crimson as confusion and arousal collided within him like a storm. His other hand trailed lower, moving hesitantly down his body, sliding beneath the waistband of his pants.

With a swift, deliberate motion, she unfastened them, letting the fabric drop to the floor in a heap, leaving Ray feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Ray’s mind raced, overwhelmed by a whirlwind of sensations and emotions. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of trepidation and desire flooding his senses, as he grappled with the intensity of the moment.

Was this really happening? The tension in the air felt electric, charged with unspoken desires, and he could hardly think straight.

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A few hours earlier, at the dining table...

The atmosphere around the table was thick with an unshakeable tension as Esme, Ray, Kai, and Ryan sat together, the remnants of breakfast scattered before them.

Each bite was taken with an air of unease, the clinking of cutlery breaking the heavy silence. Esme, poised and composed, cut her omelet with a precise motion, her expression one of calm authority.

The last few days had felt like a whirlwind, and the burden of the recent hospital visit hung heavily over them.

"I’ve been thinking..." Kai began, his voice hesitant, glancing around the table as if to gauge their reactions. His eyes flickered with uncertainty, betraying the weight of the conversation he was about to initiate.

Esme raised her hand slightly, her demeanor unyielding.

"If you want to say something, just say it," she urged, her tone serious and commanding. It had been a while since anyone had seen her genuinely laugh; the incident at the hospital still cast a shadow over their interactions, the laughter a distant memory, obscured by worry and anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, Kai gathered his thoughts, the silence pressing against him.

"The public opinion about us is not good right now. We’ve been sick and in the hospital, and then there’s the second-aunt incident. It’s causing a lot of issues. If this continues, we might run into trouble. We need to do something about this."

Esme continued eating, seemingly unfazed by Kai’s concerns. "Calm down," she replied, her voice steady, almost dismissive. "We’ll give the media another story to chew on."

The others exchanged puzzled glances, intrigued yet wary of her nonchalance. "What news?" Ryan asked, leaning forward, curiosity piqued.

Esme paused, her fork hovering above her plate as she weighed her words carefully. "Contact the media and announce that a mother married her daughter’s lover."

The reaction was immediate—surprise washed over the table like a tidal wave as they processed her audacious suggestion.

"What? Why would we care about someone else’s affair?" Ryan protested, frowning, frustration clear on his face. "We need to help ourselves!"

Esme turned to him, her gaze sharp and piercing, silencing his protests with a look that held authority and confidence.

"SHe made this headline after all," she countered, her tone unyielding. "Your second aunt gifted us something, and now it’s time to return the favor."

Kai’s eyes widened in realization, a sudden spark igniting in his expression as the pieces began to fall into place.

"You mean... you’re talking about the second aunt?" he asked, slowly grasping the full extent of her plan, the gears of strategy turning in his mind.

"Exactly," Esme replied, a smirk curling at the corners of her lips, her confidence radiating through the room.

"Your second aunt has proven quite useful. Let’s turn this around to our advantage. With the right spin, we can make them forget about us and focus on someone else’s scandal. It’s time to play the game."

Ray, Kai, and Ryan sat frozen, their expressions a mixture of surprise and disbelief. It wasn’t that they were strangers to scandal—after all, their second aunt had already been married four times.

The fact that her current husband was significantly younger didn’t raise too many eyebrows. It was her fifth marriage, and, in their world, it wasn’t uncommon for women to marry younger men. However, the revelation that she had married her daughter’s lover? That left them speechless.

They turned to Esme with wide eyes, silently asking if what they had heard was true. Esme, ever composed, simply nodded.

Even Esme herself had been caught off guard when she first learned the truth. The chain of events that had led to this discovery was almost accidental.

It all started innocently enough when Esme, feigning compassion or to say mockery, sent Helga to deliver a bouquet of flowers to her second aunt. Her daughter had recently been released from prison, and this gesture seemed fitting—at least on the surface.

Helga, with her keen powers of observation, was the first to notice something peculiar. Upon arriving, she saw a young mer standing awkwardly a few feet behind Ray’s second aunt.

He was dressed unusually for the season—thick, collared clothing, with sleeves that extended past his wrists, and his neck tightly covered, though his face remained visible. It was the middle of summer, yet he was almost completely bundled up.

Helga’s sharp instincts told her something wasn’t right. She had seen many things others couldn’t detect, thanks to her abilities, but this? It set off alarms in her mind.

As she chatted with the second aunt, her attention was drawn to something even more unusual—a whip hanging on the wall, worn and used, its handle bearing the marks of many strikes.

In any other home, she might have assumed it was for animals, but this household had no horses, no livestock, nothing that would require a whip.

Helga glanced at the servants in the house, their clothing also covering much of their skin. Yet unlike the young man, their necks were bare, and they moved with ease, showing no signs of pain or discomfort.