Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3413

Marina laughed. "Don't worry about it. She was yelling at me in my own defense, after all."

It was a convoluted statement, but Carson understood perfectly. He raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. "As long as you're not mad. Feeling better?"

Marina nodded. "I'm fine."

After finishing breakfast, Carson changed, and they headed out to the Foster family estate together.

They had left late, and with the heavy traffic, it was nearly noon by the time they arrived.

The Foster estate was nearly a century old, yet it didn't show the slightest hint of decay. A cluster of magnificent villas, blending classical Western architecture with exquisite landscaping, sat nestled amid sprawling gardens. Each structure boasted its own unique design, creating a breathtaking and harmonious estate.

Weathering the passage of time, the historic buildings felt eternally renewed, radiating an aura of profound, old-money elegance.

Naturally, keeping a century-old property in such pristine condition was a testament to the Foster family's immense wealth, costing millions of dollars in upkeep every year.

They stepped into the main house, finding that most of the extended family had already gathered.

The moment Carson walked in, Grandpa Foster's face lit up with energy. "Carson!"

Carson led Marina over to greet the patriarch.

In the grand living room, furnished with rich, dark mahogany, Grandpa Foster sat dead center on the main sofa, surrounded by relatives who wore expressions of utmost deference.

"Marina is here too!" Grandpa Foster greeted her warmly. "Come, sit next to me!"

Marina sat beside the old man, radiating poised, gentle elegance. "Grandpa," she said with a bright smile.

The various aunts, uncles, and cousins watched Marina and Carson closely. With the recent scandal barely behind them, the relatives were clearly fishing for any cracks in their relationship.

Grandpa Foster nodded, beaming. "Has Carson been giving you a hard time lately?"

Everyone else in the room instantly perked up, ears metaphorically twitching.

Marina cast a sickeningly sweet glance at Carson before answering softly. "Not at all. If anything, he had to put up with some unfair rumors because of a mutual friend of ours. I was away on a business trip, and he didn't even bother defending himself!"

Barton was around fifty, yet his tall, commanding posture and striking features made him look years younger. Beside him, Miranda wore a pristine white coat, her dark hair flowing like silk against her luminous skin, radiating a soft, aristocratic grace.

Marina had met Mrs. Foster twice before, and every time, she was struck by the woman's sheer beauty.

Barton Foster openly kept a mistress, had acknowledged his illegitimate son, and allowed that son to fight Carson for the family empire. Any normal woman would have raised hell, crying to anyone who would listen about her suffering and the audacity of the cheating bastard and his homewrecker.

But Miranda Foster never did. She had never uttered a single word of complaint against Barton. When she first discovered his affair and the illegitimate child, she hadn't even caused a scene.

Now, over a decade later, there wasn't an ounce of bitterness or defeat in her. Instead, she carried a transcendent peace, her eyes as calm and clear as a secluded mountain spring.

Walking in together, they looked like the perfect match—a golden couple who had gracefully grown old together in deep, unwavering love.

Yet everyone knew it was nothing but an illusion. If Barton truly loved his wife, he wouldn't maintain a separate household with another woman, barely ever setting foot in his own home.

With that dark truth hovering in the air, the picture-perfect couple seemed tainted by a sense of tragic, broken regret.