Chapter 683: 683: Black Face

But now that Cindy had already entered, it was clear that the issue at the door had been resolved.

Even if he had rushed over, he would have been too late.

At the time when Cindy needed him most, he couldn’t make it in time. And this was just at the threshold of his own home, yet he couldn’t get there in time.

Just thinking about this, Adrian felt extremely frustrated.

He felt particularly useless, unable to handle even such a trivial matter, unable to protect Cindy.

Adrian’s face darkened, not angry about anything else, just angry with himself.

Angry that at the critical moment when he should have been by Cindy’s side protecting her, he just wasn’t there.

Really too useless.

“I’m fine,” Cindy quickly said.

When she entered just now, she tidied up her hair as she walked.

As Adrian looked at her like this, he couldn’t tell that she had been so disheveled by Christy earlier.

Seeing Adrian’s unhappy face, Cindy shook his hand and asked, “What’s the matter? Why the long face?”

She wasn’t at all worried about Adrian getting angry.

He would only get angry at others, never at her. Cindy was always very confident about this and had nothing to fear.

By this point, Cindy had somewhat guessed why Adrian was unhappy, so she wanted him to talk about it.

So this man wouldn’t bottle up his feelings and hurt himself.

Adrian held her hand and led her towards the main hall of the family mansion.

Only then could he say, “I’m just mad at myself for not insisting on coming with you, thus causing you to suffer at the hands of Christy.”

Although Cindy had tidied herself up, there was no way the bodyguard wouldn’t say anything when reporting to Adrian.

As soon as the bodyguard realized Cindy had been hit by Christy, he stepped in to protect her. Meanwhile, the security room inside the family mansion’s gates also saw the situation outside and immediately reported it to Adrian, describing the incident in great detail, without any concealment.

As Adrian spoke, he reached out to gently rub the back of Cindy’s head, “Does it hurt?”

Truthfully, it still hurt a bit.

After all, unlike her body, which was covered in thick clothing, there was nothing on her head. She was still in pain from Christy’s slaps and hair-pulling.

And even with the thick clothes, Cindy still felt some pain in her body.

But to Adrian, Cindy shook her head, “I’m fine, it really doesn’t hurt. I didn’t really lose much, and she barely touched me.”

Cindy could only say this, lest Adrian find out the truth.

He was already feeling so guilty, and at that moment, wouldn’t it make him feel even guiltier?

But upon hearing Cindy’s words, Adrian’s lips almost twisted into a thin line.

Cindy: “…”

Adrian asked in a deep voice, “Won’t you even tell me the truth? It’s obvious that it hurts a lot. Just now, when I touched the back of your head, you stiffened.”

It was precisely because it hurt that Cindy stiffened and held back.

Seeing that there was no way to hide it, Cindy finally admitted, “She did hit me a few times, and it hurts a bit, but I’m not injured. It will heal quickly.”

Adrian frowned and stopped walking.

Raising his hand, this time his palm landed even more gently on the back of her head, asking tentatively, “Does it hurt here?”

So that Adrian wouldn’t have to test it one spot at a time, Cindy directly pointed out the area that hurt, “It hurts a little right here.”

Adrian touched it, and he didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt as if this area seemed to be swelling.

Adrian then asked, “Is it swollen?”

Cindy felt it herself and said, “No, I don’t feel anything.”

Adrian frowned, “Why did Christy hit so hard?”

Cindy laughed and replied, “Mainly because I hit Wendy first, and Wendy had no resistance against me. Thinking about how Wendy suffered a lot in my hands, even if I was hit a few times, it’s not a big deal.”

She recalled that back in her family home, Christy would always hit her, and she couldn’t fight back.

Back then, with Christy around, she never had a chance to fight with Wendy. Like today, when Wendy was at her mercy and in such a sorry state for the first time.

However, Cindy didn’t tell Adrian about this, otherwise, he would feel even more upset after hearing it.

Adrian always felt bad about the grievances she had suffered in the past.

But to Cindy, what’s in the past is in the past, and the grievances she has suffered can’t be made up for.

She only looks at the present and the future.

As long as she won’t suffer anymore in the present and the future, she’s content.

Moreover, when comparing her past 19 years with the decades to come, the days ahead are more important.

The two of them walked back to the Main Hall like this, and at this time, Morgan had also returned to the Main Hall.

Old Madam saw Cindy return and hurriedly asked with concern, “How are you? I heard you were bullied outside the door.”

Old Madam had wanted to go with her initially, but her legs were slow, and she couldn’t keep up with the pace of Adrian’s tall strides. Going with him would have slowed him down, so she didn’t go with them.

But Old Madam was furious. It was outrageous that Cindy was bullied outside their own home!

The thought of Christy bullying their daughter-in-law outside their house made Old Madam’s heart burn with anger.

It was as if Cindy was being bullied right under her nose.

But after all, that person was Cindy’s mother, so even if it was uncomfortable, she couldn’t say anything bad in front of Cindy.

She’d have to show her fierce side in secret if she wanted to.

“I’m fine,” Cindy quickly said, “Grandmother, don’t be deceived by my appearance, I’m quite strong. I’ve been using pots and pans a lot. I may look thin, but I’m actually quite sturdy. Even my mother and Wendy together are no match for me. And the bodyguard arrived in time, so I wasn’t injured,”

“Grandmother, don’t worry about me. With my strength, I won’t be easily taken advantage of.”

Old Madam really didn’t know what to say, so she could only hold Cindy’s hand with a pitying look.

On the contrary, Cindy felt a little embarrassed and said, “Today, it was my family who came to cause trouble.”

Even if Cindy no longer considered them family in her heart, the blood relationship couldn’t be changed.

No matter what, they could still claim to be Cindy’s family, and on their first visit, they showed their greedy intentions about money.

Even Joshua acted like this, making Cindy’s face burn with shame.

“Don’t blame yourself for this, silly girl. Don’t shoulder the responsibility of their actions,” Old Madam said, “Their mouths are theirs, their characters are their own. Can you control what they say and do?”

“We know the situation in your family. We look at you separately from your family members. You can’t change the blood connection with your family, but in my eyes, you are you, and your family is your family. No matter what they do, it has nothing to do with you.”