Luke frowned when his mother was mentioned. “Did the lawyer say anything?” He asked.
Ever since Allison was sent to prison for stealing the antiques, Luke had always wanted to visit her, but she had always refused to meet him.
He had never gotten to meet his mother for the past three years. He stopped trying and hired a lawyer to take care of her.
Old Master Crawford wanted to say something but stopped himself. Eventually, he said, “I’m not sure how to tell you. The lawyer has arranged everything. You should go there and see what’s going on.”
“Mm, I know,” Luke said. “I’ll go tomorrow.”
When Tommy heard that, he said, “Daddy, I want to visit Grandma too.”
Luke could tell from his grandfather’s expression that the meeting with Allison tomorrow was most likely not going to end well. He said, “No, you have to go to school tomorrow.”
“But I miss Grandma. Please let me go with you, Daddy,” Tommy said coyly. Even though Bianca was his favorite person, Allison had pampered him too.
That was why Tommy liked Allison.
“No, children shouldn’t go to those places.” Luke found an excuse to refuse.
“Alright then…” Tommy said disappointedly.
When Luke saw that, he said, “You’ll be able to meet Grandma again in a few months.”
Usually, a person convicted of theft would receive a prison sentence of fewer than three years. Allison’s case involved an extraordinarily large sum of money, so she received a sentence of more than three
years with the possibility of parole.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Allison was about to be released soon. If she only wanted to meet now, Luke could tell that she was up to no good.
The lawyer had told him before that Allison’s behavior in prison was poor. That was why she was not paroled.
“Alright, alright. You don’t have to be so disappointed. You’ll get to see her soon. Go and shower, then go to bed,” Old Master Crawford said. He stood up and declared, “I’m going to bed too.”
When the butler heard that, he immediately went over to support him.
Luke sank deep in thought as he watched his grandfather leave the scene. Why would his mother suddenly want to meet him after three years?
Tommy stood up and said, “I’m going upstairs, Daddy.”
“Mm,” Luke replied but did not move. He contacted the lawyer and told him that he would go to the prison to visit Allison.
The lawyer replied, “Alright, Mr. Crawford. I’ve made all the necessary arrangements. I’ll wait for you at the prison entrance tomorrow.”
“Mm,” Luke replied. He paused for a while, then continued, “Did she say why she wants to meet me?”
The lawyer hesitated for a while before replying, “Mdm. Tanner said that she would tell you when she meets you tomorrow. I’m not too sure of the reason either.”
‘He’s not sure?’
Luke thought it was not the case. Allison must have told him not to tell Luke the reason.
Prison conditions were poor, though she had a lawyer to take care of her, so her life was still bearable.
Allison must have some other special reason to meet him.
“Mm, see you tomorrow.” Luke did not ask any more questions if the lawyer was not willing to tell him. He ended the call.
The next day, Luke asked the driver to send the children to school while he went to the prison.
The prison was on the outskirts of A City. It was the morning rush hour, so it took Luke two and a half hours to reach there.
The lawyer had been waiting for him for a long time. He seemed visibly relieved when he saw Luke’s car.
“Good morning, Mr. Crawford,” the lawyer went up to greet him.
“Good morning,” Luke said as he walked toward the gates. “Have you made all the necessary arrangements?”
“Yes, permission has been granted. We can immediately meet Mdm. Tanner once we’re inside,” the lawyer nodded and said.
Luke hastened his footsteps when he heard that.
In the prison, Allison was brought to the visiting room. Her eyes flashed with resentment when she saw Luke.
She did not want to meet Luke over the past three years because she could not make herself forgive him.
Luke was to blame for what happened to her!
If he had given her enough spending money, she would not have to steal Old Master Crawford’s antiques, and she would not have to end up being sent to prison by her own son.
Not only she had to rot in prison for three years, but she was also a shadow of her former self.
Luke was to blame, and Bianca too!
Allison hated Bianca more than she hated Luke. She would rather not meet the two of them, believing that Luke would get someone to take care of her needs while in prison.
She only told the lawyer she wanted to meet Luke because she was about to be released soon.
She knew that Luke could not give her a pampered life while in prison, but things would be different once she was free. She needed Luke to provide her with that.
That was why she wanted to meet Luke.
Luke watched the prison warden bring Allison into the room. Allison had maintained her figure before she was sent to prison, and it seemed like she had lost a lot of weight.
“Mother,” he called out.
Allison sat down opposite him. When she lifted her head, she brushed away the hair that was covering her face.
Luke was no stranger to horrific scenes, but he was stunned when he saw Allison’s face.
Her skin was no longer smooth. Instead, deep trench-like scars criss crossed her face. They were not wrinkles caused by age. Instead, it seemed as though someone had slashed her face repeatedly with a knife.
Other than that, her face was covered with minor wrinkles and cracked skin. She looked as though she was an actor in a haunted house attraction or a wicked witch in a fairy tale.
Luke could see the resentment in her eyes.
Allison was resenting him…
He composed himself and asked, “What happened?”
Allison laughed brazenly and touched her face. Over the past three years, the condition of her skin had worsened, and the wrinkles only became deeper and deeper.
At first, she could not accept what had happened to her. She dared not look into the mirror or any reflective surface.
None of the other inmates dared to talk to her because of her face. They did not want to be infected by whatever disease she had. : owner of this content.
“What happened? What do you think, my good son?” Allison did not know what had happened to her face. The prison wardens had brought her to the hospital, but the doctors could not find anything wrong.