“Nonsense,” Thaddeus said with a frown. Master Fontaine looked up at his grandson, who was taller than himself. The boy sounded like he was scolding him for saying something pessimistic, which amused him. He jokingly hit Thaddeus’ leg with the walking stick and said, “If you speak to me like I’m your employee, I’ll whack you.” Thaddeus put his arm around Master Fontaine’s shoulder and smiled. “If you can still whack me, I’d be happy to let you do it. Though, I would save my energy if I were you.” The grandfather and grandson’s interaction was heartwarming. A while later, a screeching noise of a car engine came from the gate, attracting everyone’s attention. The luxury sports car drifted into the porch and stopped right in the center. Everyone exchanged a tacit look as they sensed another confrontation happening. It was Victor, the eldest son of the Cornwells and Master Fontaine’s favorite grandson. Judging from his entrance, he was not here for the ancestral ceremony
The boy was loud, and he repeated his words again and again. Almost everyone present heard the boy. They all leaned forward to listen to what else the boy had to say. The boy was audacious enough to speak the thoughts in everyone’s minds. Just whose child was he? Thaddeus looked down at the boy, grabbed his jacket, and lifted him in the air. “Kid, do you know what a dupe is?” The boy swung his legs in the air and struggled. “I know. I know. You are a dupe. You don’t want the girl who likes you but the one who dislikes you. That’s why you are a dupe. You had it coming!” Thaddeus narrowed his eyes and slapped the boy on the butt. “Who taught you that?” The boy could barely walk properly, yet he was able to spew words that even adults dared not say. Someone must have instigated him to say those words in front of everyone else. He wanted to know whose child it was trying to test his patience. “Let me go! Sob… Let me go! I won’t say it anymore!” The boy, frightened by Th
In a pavilion garden away from the crowd, the boy who wet his pants was talking to a woman. The woman was none other than Jennifer. She paid the boy to call her own son a dupe in front of the guests and make him look like a clown. Since her words no longer worked, she resorted to dirty tricks to pull her son away from the woman’s charms. “How was my performance? Good, right?” the boy said as he wiped his snot away. He stretched his hand out to ask for his reward. “Where are my two hundred bucks?” Jennifer pulled out a piece of one hundred dollar bill and waved it in front of the boy. “Here.” The boy frowned. “We agreed on two hundred! Where’s the other hundred? You lied!” Jennifer clicked her tongue and patted the boy’s head. “You can’t do great things if you are this impatient. That man you made fun of is a thousand times more mature than you. What you did just now didn’t even affect him, which is why you failed your task, and I can only give you one hundred.” “No way! G
Mona’s heart sank, and her eyes started to water. Master Fontaine hid it well. He was terribly ill, yet no one knew about it. He tapped Mona’s hand and gave her a smile. “Today is an important day. All the extended families and affiliates are influential figures, and some of them are the company’s working partners. So try to behave, okay?” Master Fontaine’s smile had a deep meaning to it. His words also reminded Mona to not cause any trouble on this important occasion. Mona snorted and got up. She put her sorrow away and replaced it with a blank look. She empathized with Master Fontaine. If he did not want to say, she would help him keep a secret. Fortunately, judging from the pulse reading, it was bad. However, even though Master Fontaine dragged it out, it was not irreversible. She sighed. She turned around and saw Thaddeus talking to a handsome young man in formal attire. She sized up the man carefully, feeling a sense of familiarity. Although it was her first time seein
Thaddeus, Raymond, and Alex were known as the Worchester Trinity among the four great families. They grew up together and only parted ways when they decided to study abroad after high school. Unlike playboys from most wealthy families, the three shouldered the duty of expanding the family business. While all three of them shared the same ideals, they also viewed each other as rivals. Many years later, all three men managed to gain a certain level of success in their respective fields. They were talented men who respected each other. Thaddeus scoffed. “Raymond has been sulking since he came back from South Georgia. He must have done something bad there.” Alex raised a brow. “South Georgia? How strange. I thought he said he would never set foot there again for the rest of his life.” “You will know when you visit him at his house. Blindly guessing won’t get you answers.” Alex stroked his chin and nodded. “I suppose so. I bet it’s related to women.” While they were chatting,
Mona’s heart sank. She felt like a hand just pushed her closer to the cliff. One more step, and she would fall to her demise. A dash of nervousness appeared on her face before she suppressed her emotions and calmed herself down. She saw Thaddeus’ frosty look. It was only a moment ago that he was looking affectionately at her. Now, he was like a complete stranger to her. Thaddeus walked over to his mother and turned around to Mona. “Mother is right. According to family rules, you should kneel.” His words froze Mona’s heart completely and tossed her into the abyss. She clenched her fists and stared grudgingly at the man she barely recognized. She then curled her lips into a frosty grin and said strongly, “No!” Thaddeus was expressionless. He said, “Don’t forget your father is still in the hospital fighting for his life.” Mona’s pupils shrank in fear as she looked at Thaddeus. What happened back in the hospital, coupled with his frosty attitude, rendered her speechless.
“I’ll kneel!” Two seconds of hesitation later, she turned and knelt before the memorial tablets. For her father, she decided to compromise. However, the moment her knees touched the ground, her heart was dead. She swore never to let anyone insult or bully her ever again. After the ceremony, Mona got on her feet and stood at the side blankly. She did not look at Thaddeus or Jennifer. Chatters sounded among the guests and grew louder by the second. However, Mona only stood there like a monolith, lifeless and bleak. Thaddeus did not look normal, either. His face was expressionless as he stood beside Mona, not saying a word. His phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed. He pulled it out for a glance and saw it was the hospital. He sighed as he listened to the doctor updating him about Oliver’s condition. He then passed the phone to Mona. “It’s from the hospital.” Mona put the phone near her ear. The doctor said heavily, “I’m sorry, but the patient did not make it.” Her jaw
“Are you out of your mind?” Alex shoved Thaddeus’ shoulders. “If you are going to start a scene here, stop. Don’t interfere with her decision.” Alex was not afraid of Thaddeus’ warning. He had seen Thaddeus’ crazy side before. Aside from being mad, he sympathized with the man but could not do anything to change it, so it did not matter. He turned around and saw Mona’s pale face and somewhat felt bad for her. She resembled his sister and reminded him of her, so he had the urge to protect her. “Let’s go to the hospital.” Mona nodded gratefully at Alex before leaving with him. “Mona, stop right there!” Thaddeus’ thunderous shout echoed from behind, but Mona turned a deaf ear to him. With her father gone, other than her kids, no one could threaten her any more. “Oh no! Bobby! Help!” A servant ran over from the garden, looking anxious. “Bobby fell into the pond! Someone help him!” As soon as Mona heard the servant, her vision went dark and her head started spinning. She coll