Chapter 86
Chapter 86:
The butler stepped forward, lowering his head. “Your mother summoned her early this morning p>
A muscle ticked in Brayden’s jaw. Without another word, he strode toward the kitchen.
Before he even crossed the threshold, sharp reprimands rang out.
“Keep your posture straight! Chin up! Don’t you dare bend your knees! It’s barely been three hours and you’re already collapsing? As Brayden’s wife, how can you be this frail? With so little endurance, how do you expect to become a proper, capable woman of this house p>
Each word cracked like a whip, the tone unmistakably Valeria’s.
Brayden hesitated for only a second before pushing the door open, his expression hardening. Inside, the sight that met him made his pulse spike—Gracie stood rigid and pale, held fast by several servants forcing her into position while Valeria looked on like a drill sergeant.
A chill cut through Brayden’s voice as he closed the distance in long, deliberate strides. “What the hell is going on here p>
“Brayden!” Valeria’s voice rang sharp with indignation. “I’m teaching your wife how to behave. Are you really going to stop me?” Standing at the center of the room, she met his gaze with steely defiance. “If she wants to be part of us, she has to learn to endure pain and pressure p>
The moment her words fell, one of the maids drove her knee into the back of Gracie’s knee.
The sharp pain made Gracie stagger and collapse to the floor. Rage flared in her chest. Her eyes reddened as she locked her furious gaze on Valeria.
For the first time, she truly grasped the agony Ellie had endured in her previous life. No wonder that woman’s heart had soured—who could stay sane under such cruelty? Worse yet, in that other life, Brayden had despised Ellie so deeply he’d never once defended her.
Now, as Brayden caught the anguish burning behind Gracie’s eyes, something inside him twisted painfully.
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“Mom,” he snapped, his voice tight with restrained anger. “I can handle my own wife. I don’t need a woman’s suffering to validate my worth p>
He strode forward and hauled Gracie up into his arms, shielding her from the servants’ reach.
A glacial stillness overtook Valeria’s expression. “Brayden, I raised you. I shaped your excellence. For someone of your stature, your wife must be extraordinary—only then will she deserve you p>
A deep frown creased his brow, but he refused to release Gracie.
The air between them crackled with tension, neither willing to yield.
“Then maybe I should invite Grandpa to weigh in—what do you think?” Brayden shot back without hesitation, bite in his voice.
Valeria’s lips twitched at the threat. After a beat, she gestured sharply to the servants, who stepped back at once.
Gracie’s pulse finally slowed, though her gaze stayed hard. She threw one last frosty glare at Valeria before Brayden guided her from the room.
Once they stepped into the hallway, Brayden’s gaze dropped to her bruised knees, his expression tightening.
“Does it hurt?” he asked softly, slipping an arm around her waist to steady her as she limped forward.
She offered no response. The fury in her eyes still burned, too fierce to let words escape.
When they reached the villa, Gracie kept her head lowered. “Thank you for earlier,” she murmured, her voice hoarse from holding herself together.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and started toward the stairs.
The exhaustion and humiliation of the day had drained every bit of strength she had left—work was out of the question.
A crease formed between Brayden’s brows as he reached out to stop her. “We need to talk p>
She stopped halfway up the stairs, her tone icy. “I can barely stay on my feet. Are you sure this is the best time for a conversation p>
Her words hit him like a slap, cutting through his composure and leaving him speechless.