Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle' novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Suspicion

Ryan’s face flushed red and pale alternately. As the eldest son of the Carter Family, he had always been accustomed to being respected, and now someone was brazenly mocking him!

"Mr. Gray, I urge you to watch your words!"

Natalia felt an overwhelming wave of resentment as her eyes reddened. "Mr. Gray, it’s not what you think. My sister didn’t have an invitation..."

"Miss Selina, there you are!"

The Carter Family’s butler hurriedly ran down the stairs, visibly out of breath. "Please, come in quickly. Old Mr. Carter has been waiting for you for quite some time!"

Natalia’s words caught in her throat as her face turned ashen, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

Selina curved her lips into a faint smile. "Apologies for keeping Grandpa Carter waiting. But it wasn’t my choice to stand outside; Ryan and my dear sister insisted I not come in."

The butler frowned, casting a sharp glare at Natalia before addressing Ryan with polite formality, "Young Master, did Miss Selina do something to upset you? If so, please set aside personal grievances for now and allow Miss Selina upstairs to discuss the cooperation matter."

Natalia’s mind seemed to short-circuit, her expression visibly panicking.

"Discuss cooperation..."

She was already here, so why would Selina be involved in discussing cooperation?

Ryan quickly interjected, "Natalia can handle the cooperation just fine. Selina doesn’t know anything—"

"Ryan, your statement is quite baffling," Justin interrupted nonchalantly.

"Old Mr. Carter specifically requested Selina’s participation. Moreover, my side has also designated Clark Family’s eldest daughter as the official liaison. This has nothing to do with Natalia from start to finish."

"I get that you’re protective of your fiancée, but isn’t it a bit much to steal credit from the Clark Family’s rightful heir? Isn’t Natalia supposed to care deeply for her sister? Yet she impersonates the lead negotiator and pushes Clark Family’s legitimate heiress aside. Is that what you call care?"

Natalia’s face contorted in shock and fear.

Impersonating the lead negotiator? She hadn’t done that! This cooperation was supposed to be hers!

"If Clark Family’s eldest daughter isn’t clear on this, allow me to clarify further," Justin said with chilling precision, cutting off her thoughts.

"The original agreement was outlined twenty years ago by Victoria Adams. As such, when we reopen this partnership two decades later, naturally, Victoria’s daughter should take charge. The daughter of a mistress need not interfere—our standards are far higher than to accept just anyone."

The moment he finished, the room descended into a deafening silence.

Selina arched an eyebrow, stepping onto the staircase. "Sister, Ryan, I told you not to be so confident."

With that, she walked past them, joining Justin in Old Mr. Carter’s study upstairs.

Once Selina was out of earshot, murmurs broke out among the remaining guests.

"...So the lead on this project is Clark Family’s eldest daughter?"

"If that’s the case, then what’s Natalia doing here? Victoria brokered the deal—surely it doesn’t involve Natalia, a child born out of wedlock."

"Looks like years of being indulged by the Clark Family have gone to her head. She needs to remember her place."

Natalia’s face alternated between pale and flushed as she stood frozen in humiliation.

Ryan, equally mortified, inwardly blamed Natalia for coming to the Carter Family unprepared and dragging him into this mess.

"Ryan, it’s all my fault. I embarrassed you..."

Natalia bit her lip, her voice trembling with sobs. "I’m sorry. I’ll leave right away."

Ryan’s fleeting frustration dissolved instantly. "Natalia, don’t say such nonsense. This is the Carter Family. You’re the future Mrs. Carter. Of course, you’re welcome here."

"I’ll take you to the tea room to rest. Later, you can stay for dinner with Mr. Gray. He might have misunderstood you, and I’ll help explain."

Natalia’s eyes gleamed coldly.

Selina blinked in surprise. "You suspect Grandpa Carter?"

"I suspect every member of the Carter Family," Justin said casually. "Under what circumstances did your mother sign that will? If Old Mr. Carter truly saw her as a daughter, why didn’t he step in when that mistress angered her to the point of illness?"

"These inconsistencies are too strange. I have to probe further. You can’t let a few kind gestures from Old Mr. Carter over the years cloud your judgment."

Besides... Justin chuckled lightly.

Selina grew up with little affection. A few kind words from Old Mr. Carter, and she clung to them. But the facts remained:

If Old Mr. Carter truly cared for her, he wouldn’t have allowed her to be cast out of the family or bullied by the mistress and her daughter.

Still, Justin planned to investigate further—just in case his assumptions were wrong.

"Enough of that for now. If the old man invited you to stay for dinner, stay," Justin said.

Selina nodded, though something nagged at her. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Justin, is everyone from the Carter Family here today?"

Justin nodded. "The cooperation deal is a big deal. Naturally, anyone with influence—or even those hoping to mooch off it—has shown up."

Selina hesitated.

But... why hadn’t she seen Logan yet?

Her eyes darted with curiosity as she thought of something. "Justin, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it—"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Her phone suddenly rang. A familiar voice filtered through the speaker and into her ears.

"Mrs. Reid, are you at the Carter Family estate?"