Bride behind the mask novel (Marguerite)

Hackett stormed into the villa with his wife and daughter, striding ahead without a care for the chaos that surrounded them. The living room was abuzz with a flurry of servants and staff, so busy that no one noticed the Fitzgeralds' arrival.

Hackett scanned the room until his eyes landed on Marguerite, standing just behind Frederick. Without a word, he lunged forward, grabbed Marguerite's shoulders with one hand, and raised the other, poised to strike.

Frederick moved with lightning speed, seizing the old man's still-strong arm. "You think you can touch her without going through me?" he barked.

Hackett struggled to free his arm from Frederick's grip, cursing, "Going through you? Since when do I need your permission? Marguerite is your sister-in-law, for God's sake! And let's not forget, Yuna here is your fiancée!"

Penelope, shocked, quickly stepped in to pull her husband away, apologizing rapidly, "I'm so sorry, Frederick. Hackett's had a bit too much to drink. Please don't take it to heart."

Yuna, meanwhile, couldn't take her eyes off Marguerite, her gaze incredulous. Had Frederick not punished Marguerite? How could this woman not have a scratch on her? And why was he defending her? What was going on? Where was Maurice in all of this? Couldn't someone just drag this eyesore away already?

Damn it!

As Frederick shielded Marguerite once again, Hackett's anger surged. Pushing Penelope aside, he wobbled, barely standing, but still pointed a trembling finger at Frederick, his voice sharp with accusation, "Frederick! That woman has bewitched you! If Yuna hadn't told me, I would've never known this woman attacked my grandson, Manley!"

"Hackett, at your age, you should drink less and avoid making a fool of yourself," retorted Frederick, his voice cool but firm. He then instructed the servants, "Sadie, fetch Hackett a cup of honey lemon water. He needs to sober up."

"Right away, Mr. Winston," Sadie replied, ready to follow orders.

The veiled insult from Frederick left Hackett feeling humiliated, fueling his rage further, "You little brat! What are you implying? That I'm senile? I'll have you know I'm perfectly lucid! Hand over Marguerite right now. She assaulted my grandson, and I'll be damned if I don't give her the lesson she deserves!"

"That's right!" chimed in Lisette, who had been watching the drama unfold while idly sipping tea. She had never liked Marguerite and wouldn't miss this opportunity to see her taken down a notch. She added sarcastically, "Make way, Frederick. To those who know, you're a man of integrity, but to others, it looks like there's an illicit affair between you and your sister-in-law. Marguerite hurt your son, and you won't let them settle the score?"

Lisette's voice grated on everyone's ears, especially Jocelyn's, who defended, "Don't speak so harshly. Whether or not Marguerite hit Manley is still up for debate. Frederick is looking into it."

"He is?" Lisette scoffed. "So, bringing in a bunch of FDA inspectors to turn the house upside down is his idea of an investigation? Jocelyn, what's your son up to? Trying to prove Marguerite's innocence by slinging mud at us?"