It's Your Turn To Cry and Beg, Dear Uncle
Chapter 66: Retribution (3)

Chapter 66: Retribution (3)

In an upscale residential mansion, a girl paced anxiously back and forth in her room, biting her lip. Since yesterday, Gladys had been consumed by unease. The chilling memory of James’ menacing expression and piercing gaze haunted her relentlessly, leaving her sleepless.

The toll was evident—her once radiant appearance had faded, her skin dull, and dark circles etched beneath her eyes. She was a shadow of her usual dazzling self. To those who knew her, it would be unthinkable for Gladys to disregard her appearance. If she stepped outside now, she’d be unrecognizable.

Meanwhile, a graceful woman sat at the edge of Gladys’ bed with her legs crossed. Who else could it be but Mia Parks? Her arms were folded across her chest as her eyes followed Gladys’ restless pacing. Her brow was furrowed with visible anger.

She let out a sharp huff. Her tone was far from kind; if anything, it was dripping with sarcasm.

"What’s the point of pacing back and forth like that? Do you think it’ll solve anything? All it’s doing is making things worse. I’m getting dizzy just by watching you!"

Gladys immediately froze in place, but her expression shifted from anxious to anger. She shot a sharp glare at her cousin. Her emotions were unstable at the moment, and Mia’s unsympathetic remark only ignited her rage.

"And so what?! I’m like this because I’m anxious! I know it won’t solve anything, but what else can we do right now? You haven’t helped at all since yesterday!" Gladys snapped in frustration. She ended up yelling at Mia, even partially blaming her for not offering any assistance and instead constantly criticizing her.

"Hey! Be grateful I’m even here keeping you company! I could have stayed home and relaxed. This isn’t even my problem! Who’s at fault here, and who’s shouting now? Unbelievable!" Mia Parks shot back, refusing to back down.

She was irritated at being yelled at like that. Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to come and clean up her cousin’s mess, but she happened to be with Gladys and the others when the incident happened.

Knowing full well to what length James would go in his revenge, Mia became worried that she and her family might get caught in the crossfire. So, she decided to step in purely for her own safety.

It wasn’t out of kindness or concern for Gladys. Honestly, she couldn’t care less if James decided to deal with Gladys permanently. Her own safety came first. Besides, who else was to blame for being so reckless?

The more Mia thought about the events from yesterday, the angrier she became. She truly felt like collateral damage, caught at the wrong time and place. She had always known her cousin to be two-faced, but Gladys had always been flawless, leaving no room for criticism.

Because of that, Mia had never paid her much attention and even maintained a friendly facade in public. After all, having more allies was always better since life was unpredictable and who knows? She might need Gladys’ help.

But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Gladys could be as idiotic as those white-lotus types outside. Falling in love was one thing, playing tricks was fine too—but leaving evidence? Who commits a crime and leaves behind clues pointing straight to themselves, especially in a matter as serious as this?

"Truly foolish!" Mia Parks seethed inwardly. If she could, she would negotiate with James to spare her family in exchange for handing over Gladys. She didn’t care even though Gladys was technically her cousin.

"Should I talk to Father about this?" Gladys muttered as she continued pacing in front of Mia.

Hearing that, Mia pursed her lips. "Yes, go ahead, tell your father, your mother, your grandfather, the whole family! Use a loudspeaker if you must! Let’s see if they’ll help you or just remove you from the family registry."

Gladys bit her lower lip. "Then what else can I do? I feel like that’s the only option. That way, I can involve my family and use that to apologize to Kyra."

Mia gritted her teeth. This time, she stood up and smacked Gladys on the head. "Don’t nurture your stupidity! Are you even using your brain? Do you think this will be solved with just an apology and compensation? Get real! You urged someone to assault Kyra—this wasn’t just ordinary bullying! If you drag your family into this, you won’t just be dealing with James; you’ll be up against Creighton directly! This will escalate into a disaster!"

Gladys paled at Mia’s explanation. Her mind wasn’t functioning properly right now, so she hadn’t considered that possibility. She lowered her gaze.

"Mia is right," Gladys thought to herself.

Though she didn’t like Mia’s harsh words, her cousin was speaking the truth. If this situation involved the family, she wouldn’t stand a chance. It was almost certain she would be disowned. There was no way the family would risk challenging the Synders.

Creighton’s connections were terrifying enough on their own, not to mention James, who was rumored to have ties to the underworld. Even though there was no solid proof of this, it was still too risky.

Gladys finally sank to the floor. She could no longer hold back her tears. Her heart was restless, and every nerve in her body was tense from the overwhelming situation.

"So, what should I do?" Gladys sobbed, covering her face with her hands. The young woman was utterly devastated.

She had no idea how to get out of this mess. She had thought of every possible way, but none seemed to end well for her. For so long, her life had been perfect—everything ran smoothly, her future was bright, and she was one of the cherished grandchildren on both her mother’s and father’s sides. She had never imagined she would end up trapped in a situation like this. Her past mistakes had finally caught up to her.

As the saying goes, "No matter how skilled a squirrel is at leaping, it will fall eventually."

Just like Gladys, who had been keeping her secrets, everything eventually unraveled, and now she had to face the consequences.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Gladys crawled toward Mia, pleading with her cousin, "Please, I’m begging you! Help me, Sis! I don’t want my family to end up like the Wilsons! Don’t you see what happened to Jack?"

Mia massaged her temples. Of course, she had seen the news—if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have rushed here in such a panic. She was just as tense now. Initially, she thought there was still some time before James would act, but she hadn’t expected the man to give them no room to breathe.

"What’s the best move here?" Mia thought hard.

After five minutes of deliberating, accompanied by the sound of Gladys’ sobs, Mia finally snapped in frustration. "What if you beg Kyra?"

Gladys’ crying stopped instantly. Her eyes widened as she stared at Mia in disbelief. For a moment, her brain seemed unable to process what her cousin had just said.

"Me? Beg Kyra?"

The thought alone filled her with indignation. To Gladys, Kyra was beneath her. And now Mia was suggesting that she bow her head to that lowly woman?

Mia could easily read Gladys’ thoughts through her expression and inwardly sneered, "You’re still arrogant. At a time like this, what’s the use of being prideful?"

Crossing her arms, Mia shot a sharp glare at her cousin. She had no intention of letting her family suffer because of Gladys’ past actions. If that happened, Mia wouldn’t hesitate to sever ties with her.

"What’s wrong? Too proud? Listen, my foolish cousin, your only chance now is through Kyra. Don’t even think about softening James’ heart. Do you think I don’t know what’s running through your mind? Let me give you a piece of advice: don’t try anything reckless. Get rid of those stupid thoughts and feelings. Focus on saving yourself—unless you want to end up like Jack?"

Mia clicked her tongue in disdain at Gladys’ disheveled appearance. "Now go take a shower, clean yourself up, and then we’ll find Kyra. Didn’t you say Kyra’s timind? If that’s the case, she’ll be easier to manipulate than James!"

Hearing Mia’s words, Gladys’ mind slowly began to clear. A glimmer of light pierced through the dark fog that had enveloped her thoughts since yesterday. Suddenly, she could see a sliver of hope in this dire situation.

"That’s right," Gladys thought, a sly grin forming on her lips. "All I have to do is manipulate that foolish woman’s mind! Hasn’t she always been a coward?"

With that thought, Gladys got up from the floor and hurried to the bathroom to freshen up. In stark contrast to her earlier state, her posture now exuded confidence and determination. Watching her from behind, Mia Parks could only sneer mockingly.

***

It didn’t take long before Gladys was ready, her appearance once again transformed into her usual impeccable self. Mia immediately urged Gladys to contact Kyra.

"Hello?" Kyra, who didn’t keep Gladys’ number, answered on the third ring without suspicion.

"Hi, Kyra? This is Gladys."

Kyra’s expression immediately shifted. She wasn’t particularly surprised to hear this woman’s voice. After what happened with Jack this morning, it was no shock that Gladys would be panicking. Kyra had already guessed why she was calling.

A smirk tugged at her lips. "Oh, to what do I owe the pleasure of being contacted by the campus queen?" Kyra didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm in her tone.

Hearing this, Gladys clenched her jaw. Her anger flared, and she had to exert immense self-control to keep calm. She needed to restrain herself if she wanted to escape James’ wrath.

"I’ll get straight to the point. I want to meet with you," Gladys said, then added, "Though I don’t think I need to spell out why, do I?"

Kyra raised an eyebrow. "Oh, of course not."

Clenching her fists, Gladys said, "Please, give me a chance to explain."

Kyra sneered but was intrigued at the idea of seeing Gladys grovel at her feet. The incident with Jack had been one of Kyra’s worst memories. Fortunately, she had managed to overcome the trauma on her own; otherwise, her life might have been completely ruined.

"Alright, I’ll give you the chance."

Gladys laughed inwardly, mocking Kyra for being so easily swayed, but her triumph was short-lived as Kyra’s next words froze her in place.

"If you want to talk, come to Wisteria Mansion. I’ll be waiting."

Beside her, Mia turned pale upon hearing the address. But before Gladys could respond, Kyra had already hung up.

Now, Gladys was left with only one dreadful choice.