Kiss the Scumbag

“Why the hell is that bastard coming back? What does he expect to gain?!”

At those words, Jason, who had been drinking in a corner, chuckled.

“He probably expects plenty. Now that the old man is gone, he must be looking to take a fat cut for himself.”

“Watch your words, Jason. Don’t call him ‘the old man.'”

Lady Campbell rebuked her son coldly before continuing in a composed tone.

“The only one who knows the contents of Harold’s will is McCoy, the lawyer. And it was McCoy who contacted him.”

She deliberately put emphasis on the word him before clamping her mouth shut. It was clear she was struggling to avoid even uttering Yu-jin’s name, as if merely speaking it would taint her dignity—like filth that might somehow stain her. Yet, the only one who seemed to notice her intentions was Georgina.

“There’s no need to treat someone like that as a person, Mother! Where the hell is that bastard McCoy? With things in this state, we need to come up with a plan!”

Gordon shouted furiously, his voice echoing through the room. Lady Catherine flapped her handkerchief instead of her fan and replied,

“He must have gone to fetch it. It’s obvious he won’t even show his face here until the day of the will announcement.”

She refused to acknowledge him as a person. Even Georgina, who found the term it excessive, said nothing as Gordon flared up again.

“That bastard is actually taking that son of a bitch’s side? How dare he? How the fuck—”

“McCoy is the executor of the will, Gordon.”

Lady Campbell explained again in her calm, measured voice. But her composure only made Gordon’s rage burn hotter.

“So McCoy is actually bringing that bastard here? Is that what you’re telling me?!”

“The will includes its name.”

Lady Catherine pointed out, her face twisting in utter disgust. Gordon bellowed again.

“That’s exactly what makes no damn sense!”

His furious shouts continued to shake the parlor. Unable to contain himself, Gordon paced the room, spitting his words out through gritted teeth.

“Are we seriously supposed to believe that bastard is our blood relative? Don’t make me laugh. We all know this is just some bullshit story my father cooked up! That fucker has no ties to the Campbell family—he has no rights, no claim to anything!”

Though everyone shared his sentiments, reality said otherwise. Lady Campbell spoke firmly.

“No matter what we think, if its name is in Harold’s will, we have to abide by it.”

“Fucking hell!”

“Gordon! Watch your language.”

Her cold reprimand barely left her lips before Gordon cursed again. Lady Catherine gasped, eyes widening in shock, but her brother paid her no mind. He clawed at his hair, ruffling it into a disheveled mess, then yanked at his tie as if it were suffocating him.

“What the hell are we supposed to do? Are we seriously going to let that bastard step foot in this house? All of you?”

“Calm down, Gordon. You need to keep a level head.”

“Oh? Then why don’t you tell us what to do, Mother?”

Gordon sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“If that bastard returns to the estate, the one who’ll be most troubled is you, Mother. What will you do if Winston finds out about it?”

The air in the room turned ice-cold. Georgina shivered as she watched Lady Campbell’s face go completely blank, like a mask devoid of any emotion. A heavy tension settled over them, and as Lady Catherine glanced between Gordon and Lady Campbell, gauging the situation, she quickly interjected.

“Winston finding out? That’s impossible. In any case, let’s get rid of it as soon as possible. Now that Father’s gone, it has no excuse to cling to this place. We’ll check the will’s contents and kick it out immediately. Everyone, watch what you say.”

“Jason, you’re the biggest problem here.”

Gordon suddenly turned his attention to his brother.

“Be careful. Don’t fuck up because you’re strung out on drugs again.”

Before he even finished speaking, Jason let out a giggle and tilted his bottle back, chugging the liquor straight from it. Gordon, watching in disgust, spoke through gritted teeth, his voice thick with irritation.

“Why don’t we just lock him up in the hospital? At least while Yu-jin is here.”

“Absolutely not.”

Lady Campbell cut in sharply.

“Jason was discharged only a month ago. And you want to throw your brother back in a hospital already?”

Gordon thought it was the best solution for everyone, but he had no interest in arguing with his mother. As much as Jason was a useless, drug-addled mess, he was still her precious son. To Gordon, he was nothing but a worthless younger brother.

Georgina observed her uncle in silence, finding his reaction intriguing. The adults were clearly hiding something. She was certain of it. And the only one completely in the dark about what it was… was her.

Just recently turned fifteen, she couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and blurted out, “What’s that thing you’re all talking about?”

“Oh, my goodness!”

Lady Catherine shrieked in exaggerated horror. Even Lady Campbell, who rarely showed surprise, turned her head abruptly. Gordon stiffened, and even the thoroughly drunk Jason widened his eyes in shock. The entire room’s attention snapped toward her in an instant.

“Georgina, how long have you been standing there?”

Georgina’s father, George, looked utterly flustered as he asked, his face a portrait of embarrassment. She studied him curiously and answered with complete nonchalance.

“For about an hour. But more importantly, what is it? The thing Winston isn’t supposed to know about.”

“There’s no such thing.”

Lady Campbell’s voice was even colder than usual as she rose from her seat. Standing tall, she deliberately straightened her posture, looking down at the still-seated Georgina with a commanding presence.

“Eavesdropping without making your presence known is disgraceful. And spreading something you overheard by chance is even more disgraceful. Do you understand?”

Georgina immediately caught on—Lady Campbell was trying to silence her. A surge of defiance flickered in her mind, but she had no real intention of stirring up unnecessary trouble. More than anything, she wasn’t ready to deal with the consequences.

After all, she didn’t even know what it was yet.

Georgina, instead of making a pointless fuss, simply smiled sweetly, stood up, and stepped back with one foot, giving a slight curtsy.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Her voice was laced with as much sarcasm as possible—her only real way of rebelling in that moment. Lady Campbell raised an eyebrow at her mockery but quickly turned away, refusing to acknowledge it. Seeing no point in lingering any longer, Georgina left the drawing room. As expected, not a single adult spoke until she had closed the door behind her.

Once in the hallway, she made her way toward the guesthouse where Lady Catherine and her father, George, lived. A part of her regretted not staying put and listening for a little longer, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Yu-jin’s arrival would undoubtedly shake up this dull estate—whether in a good way or a bad one. These adults were all too set in their ways. They could use a little disruption.

Humming lightly to herself, Georgina walked off.

Meanwhile, back in the drawing room, Lady Catherine kept her eyes on the closed door for a long moment. Only when she was absolutely certain it was safe did she finally speak.

“She’s still just a child. She probably doesn’t even understand what she overheard.”

“Fifteen isn’t that young. Some people were already married by that age,” Gordon scoffed. “Not that it mattered much, considering they got divorced two years later.”

Lady Catherine, who rarely displayed much emotion, suddenly shot him a sharp glare, her expression darkening with anger.

“Enough,” Joseph cut in hastily, stepping between them. “We’ll handle Georgina. Let’s not waste time worrying about her when we have more pressing matters. Right now, we need to focus on Yu-jin, don’t we?”

That was the real reason they had all gathered here.

Lady Campbell, composed as ever, turned her head slightly before speaking.

“Is there really anything to discuss? He’s obviously after money. We’ll throw him a few scraps at the right moment, and he’ll leave on his own. Until then, make sure you all watch what you say.”

She swept her gaze around the room and added in an even colder tone,

“As you all know, Winston must never learn about that.”

A heavy silence fell over them. No one dared to speak, until Gordon, gauging the atmosphere, cautiously broke the stillness.

“If Winston has any sense, he won’t have forgotten that he nearly got him killed. Even if there are lingering feelings, they sure as hell won’t be good ones.”

His voice was firmer now, his confidence growing.

“Don’t worry, Mother. Winston called off his engagement to Evelyn because of that accident, remember? Now that he’s recovered, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring it up again. Evelyn’s still single, and Winston wouldn’t turn her down.”