The Lycan King's Fate Calling (Shawn Gibson and Sylvia) novel Chapter 1274

Crystal's POV:

I was so scared that I couldn't help but shout, "Rufus, get away from Beryl!"

Rufus' eyes darted from Beryl, who was in his arms, and then at me. With a serious look on his face, he asked grimly, "What's wrong?"

Then I looked at Beryl again. The devious smile from earlier was completely gone, and her childish face was full of grievance and sadness. She wrapped her arms around Rufus' neck and looked at me in fear, as if what I saw just now was just an illusion.

This was ridiculous!

I stepped back in a trance, not knowing how to explain.

Even if Rufus believed me, Laura was here and she didn't know what was going on. Naturally, in her eyes, I was being unnecessarily harsh with Beryl.

Neither Laura nor Arron noticed Beryl's abnormality, which meant that Noreen's disguise was flawless.

If I didn't notice the weird smile just now, I too would've fallen for her little act.

Noreen was so damn cunning!

Rufus seemed to sense that I was in a terrible mood, so he put Beryl down and pulled me into a warm embrace. He kissed my forehead and whispered in a voice only I could hear, "Calm down. We'll talk about this later."

I took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

Sniffling, Beryl wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked at me pitifully.

I returned her gaze and said nothing.

But my silence only served to make Beryl even sadder. Tears streamed down her chubby cheeks, and her nose turned red. She squatted down and buried her face in her hands, sobbing, "Mommy, you don't love me anymore! Why are you so mean to me? Is it because I forgot you were my mommy once? I'm sorry, Mommy! Please don't hate me!"

Her pitiful cries continued, which made everyone present feel sorry for her.

I clenched my fists and felt a sting in my eye and a lump in my throat. For a moment, I almost believed that the girl in front of me was the real Beryl.

But I knew I couldn't believe her. Noreen was a master at deceiving people. She knew how to use one's weakness against them, so I had to be extremely careful.

She was not my daughter.

"Don't cry," I said coldly, looking at her expressionlessly.

Beryl was stunned for a moment, but then she started crying even harder. "You really don't love me anymore! You used to comfort me!"

Enduring the unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach, I turned my head away.

"Baby Beryl, don't cry. I'm here for you." Laura picked up Beryl and rubbed her back comfortingly.

Wrapping myself up with the quilt, I climbed out of bed. Then I gathered the clothes on the floor and got dressed.

I could hear Arron and Beryl playing outside.

When I opened the door, the two children ran up to me. Arron smiled as usual and clung to my leg, while Beryl looked at me timidly.

I tried not to show any emotion on my face and simply scooped up Arron. Rubbing the top of Beryl's head, I said gently, "Let's have breakfast."

In the dining room, Laura was ordering the servants to serve the food while Rufus was leisurely drinking coffee on the sofa. When he heard me approach, he stood up and walked over to give me a good

morning kiss. In a voice that no one else could hear, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'm watching her."

I nodded and gently squeezed his hand.

Breakfast was ready. The servants took Arron and Beryl away to wash their hands. I wanted to follow them, but Laura stopped me.

"Let the kids go by themselves. They can't always have their mother hovering over them," Laura chastised.

I frowned and thought for a while. Then I gave her a meaningful look and said slowly, "Try not to let Beryl and Arron be alone together. After all, Beryl's been acting strange."

But to my surprise, Laura seemed to have misunderstood what I meant. She frowned at me and said, "Crystal, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying Beryl will try to hurt Arron? What's gotten into you? You've been cruel to Beryl since last night!"