On the kitchen counter lay so unpicked broad beans, Sienna Thornton rolled up her sleeves, and voluntarily helped to pick them.
"I already know what the Grant Family did to my mom back then," she spoke gently, even though the content wasn’t light, sohow easing the pressure on the listener, "I’m determined to seek justice from the Grant Family this ti, and I’ll certainly include the grievances you and Aunt will have suffered."
Her second aunt felt relieved, realizing she wasn’t here to settle scores but to enlist her help in seeking justice against the Grant Family.
But then, she beca worried again and said, "The Grant Family is not soone to offend, better leave it alone."
Sienna continued picking the beans, smiling, "When my dad reclaid us, he was rather ostentatious; the Grant Family had a big issue with it but couldn’t do anything about it. I can’t say whether the Grant Family can be offended now, but I know my dad is soone they can’t afford to offend."
Her second aunt had heard from her son that Quentin Thorne now holds a high position, but the extent of Quentin Thorne’s power, and whether the Grant Family could still control him, was beyond her understanding. Therefore, when Sienna ntioned Quentin Thorne had high-profile reunions with her and her mother back then, and the Grant Family was powerless, she felt perhaps the Grant Family indeed couldn’t manage Quentin Thorne anymore.
Seeing her hesitation, Sienna added, "We are all victims; back then, if it weren’t for the Grant Family, my parents wouldn’t have separated, and you wouldn’t have had to leave your hotown with your child and suffer outside."
Sienna perceived the experiences her two aunts had while taking their children away from their hotown, speculating about their thoughts.
Back then they collectively forced out a pregnant linda Linton, they must have felt remorseful, perhaps even believed superstitiously that their actions invited retribution. Then with their husband’s accident, and no n at ho, they worried the Grant Family might co looking for linda Linton’s whereabouts, with no one to protect them, so they took their young son away from the old ho.
They went to the city, doing the dirtiest, hardest work, only to find that after paying rent and eating, there was no money left for their son’s education. They could only, upon others’ introduction, remarry to a sickly old man, rely for the sake of having a place to stay.
Toiling hard outside during the day, returning at night only to serve the old man, they lived under others’ roofs, with poor food and sleep, each day anxiety-ridden. Finally, their son grew up educated, yet fearing he’d be recognized by the Grant Family in Brimfield and suffer, they had to let their son, though a prestigious university graduate, return to work in the hotown, missing a potentially better future.
If it hadn’t been for the Grant Family repeatedly coming to threaten them, even after their husband died, they wouldn’t have left the hotown. At least in their hotown, they had a rightful place, at least they had a shelter; as long as they worked diligently, raising the child well wasn’t a problem.
So, deep down, they harbored fear and resentnt towards the Grant Family. Yet, under powerful oppression, those resentnts were buried deep, unseen.
Predictably, hearing these words, her second aunt covered her mouth, tears streaming down.
Sienna took tissues from her coat pocket and handed one to her, then went over to shut the kitchen sliding door.
Her second aunt wiped her tears, slightly easing her emotions, speaking lowly, "At the outset, we didn’t intend this, during those tis, everyone knew once a woman was driven out, they had no way to live. We all cared about linda, but..."
While her aunt wiped tears, Sienna took out her phone to record: "Do you mind recording this?"
Her aunt listened, vigilantly asking: "Will it affect my son’s job?"
Sienna shook her head, "Don’t worry, with my dad around, he won’t let such a thing happen."
Her aunt let down her guard, continuing, "But the Grant Family repeatedly sent people to have talks with us, eventually outright frightening us, saying if we didn’t drive linda out or hand her over, they’d ensure the whole Linton Family was wiped out... They ca in groups, those n were burly, driving green cars, with electric batons at their waist, threatening to use them on your uncle..."
The suppressed fearful sobs echoed in the small kitchen.
Sienna suppressed her anger, guiding her to continue.
"We were too scared then, precisely when linda’s belly showed; we knew if those people knew she was pregnant, she’d surely die, so rather than that, we might as well drive her away, perhaps there’d be a slim chance, which is better than the whole family suffering..."
It sounded like it was out of goodwill at the ti, Sienna didn’t intend to dwell on it, instead asked the more critical question: "How did you know those threatening people were from the Grant Family? Did they identify themselves back then?"
"The first ti they ca, they said linda’s boyfriend in the city already had a fiancée; later they slipped up once, saying linda’s boyfriend was about to marry the eldest Miss Grant, then we knew that family in the city was surnad ’Grant’..."
"What else did those people say?"
"They also had us observe whether linda’s nstrual cycle was normal, if she was vomiting, couldn’t eat... We knew they were trying to find out whether linda was pregnant with that man’s child. Initially, we lied, said linda’s cycle was normal; your aunt even brought her sanitary cloth to show them, and they scolded us terribly, almost beat her."
Hearing this, Sienna’s expression darkened.
The Grant Family indeed intended harm on her back then. She didn’t dare imagine what torture pregnant linda Linton would have faced if the Grant Family had captured her.
She needed stronger testimony, even if it seed she was leading witnesses. But this wasn’t for court evidence; this was to awaken Quentin Thorne!
She asked her aunt: "According to you, if the Grant Family knew my mom was pregnant, how would they have treated her then?"
Her aunt, head lowered, glanced at her, quickly tearing up again.
Sienna handed her a tissue: "It’s okay, take your ti."
"The Grant Family certainly didn’t want linda to give birth, which is why they asked these questions. If linda had been captured back then, she would have been forced into an abortion, the child definitely couldn’t have survived."
Sienna clenched her molars, asking, "How were abortion procedures back then?"
"If it’s at a proper hospital, there’s no issue; if it’s at an illegal clinic or with a village midwife, whether the adult survives is uncertain..."
Sienna’s eyes reddened, her hand holding the phone continually shaking, her tone altered: "Or perhaps, during the process of capturing my mom for an abortion, the Grant Family might kill the fetus and conveniently the adult too?"
Her aunt, shocked, glanced up quickly at her, shaking her head, fell silent.
Sienna put away her phone, pressed her lips together, tried desperately to hold back the moisture in her eyes, yet tears silently stread down.
Through just monts of inquiry, she felt as if transported by a ti machine, witnessing the potential murder of a pregnant woman in that impoverished, backward village.
Her heart surged with grief and anger, abandoning courtesy, she wiped her tears, and left the kitchen.
As she stepped out, Simon Forrester sitting in the living room imdiately approached, wrapping his arms over her shoulders, bent down to closely scrutinize her expression. Seeing her reddened eyes, he turned to his lawyer cousin and said, "It’s getting late, we need to return to Brimfield, let’s head out."
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