“My Mike can have whatever he wants. It’s the hospital’s fault for not being able to give him some dumb supplements! How dare you speak so rudely to Mike?! I’ll kill you… Ouch!”North grabbed Patricia’s wrist as the latter tried to hit her. She twisted it viciously. “I already said not to annoy me. Beat it!”Patricia stumbled a couple of steps back before bumping into a chair and falling to the floor.North regarded the mess on the floor and clapped. She admired the view in a pleasant mood. However, she suddenly froze. Gerald had suddenly hugged her. He sounded pained as he asked, “Are you alright? Does it hurt?”North was dumbstruck.Hold on, what was Gerald doing here? When had he gotten here and how much had he seen?!Gerald glared at Patricia ominously. Suddenly, North realized that Gerald had mistaken who had gotten slapped.But that was fine. She would play along with the mistake.Still maintaining her previous expression, North said, “It hurts. Gerald, life is so hard
The place went silent after North said those words.Patricia’s face went from red to white as terror gripped her.She seemed to expend a lot of effort before she managed to regain control of her expression.“Y-You’re spouting nonsense, North! Gerald, how can you bear to watch her come between us?!”The look in Gerald’s eyes never wavered. “But I think that North’s completely right.”Patricia instinctively raised her voice to hide her guilt. “I’m only biased toward Mike because I watched him grow up! Humans are creatures of emotion. You should understand that, right, Gerald?”There was a mocking look in North’s eyes.Gerald’s gaze swept over Patricia. “Since you’re so sure I’m your biological son, what’s wrong with doing a maternity test?”North blinked. “That’s right. These days, you won’t even need a blood sample to do a test like that. You just need a strand of hair. Are you even scared of that, Ms. Patricia?”“It’s not that I’m scared!”Patricia’s face was pale as she trie
Could it be that Patricia had married someone with the last name Howard? Then Gerald and the South family…“Mrs. Howard, if you’re curious, I can explain it to you.” Gerald was not much bothered by this. “Shall we head home now?”When she saw how calm Gerald was, North’s panicked heart calmed down for some reason. She gulped and said, “Okay… L-Let’s go home.”…Half an hour later, at Royal Sights Residences, when Steward saw them arrive, he rushed up and said softly, “Sir, Mr. South’s assistant has been waiting for a long time.”North was astonished. Ronald’s assistant?A flash shot through Gerald’s eyes. “I’m going to handle a small matter. Why don’t you go upstairs first?”Coincidentally, North’s phone started ringing. She did not want to let the South family know that she had married Gerald for the time being, so she nodded. She headed upstairs to answer the call.Once North left, Gerald’s expression darkened. “Is there a problem?”The assistant said respectfully, “Mr. Gera
“Sir, Ms. Sharon is calling. She said she has two tickets to Pete Reuben’s art exhibition. She wants to gift them to you and the madam as a token of apology.”Connor did not understand how the Lane family dared to call Gerald. Alas, he was only an assistant, so he had no choice but to pass on this message.Gerald’s eyes narrowed. “Sharon Lane?”He had not heard that name ever since Giselle’s birthday banquet.Pete Reuben’s art exhibition…Gerald let out a laugh. “Reject her.”Connor knew that Gerald would answer this way. Others may not know this, but Connor knew very well that Gerald had connections with Pete. As such, he did not need Sharon’s tickets if he wanted to visit the exhibition.The smile on Sharon’s face became unnatural when she received news of the rejection. “Is that so… Alright, I understand.”After she said that, she hung up and let out a helpless sigh. Sharon’s cousin asked Sharon from next to her, “What is it, Sharon? Does North not want to go?”The two we
North had gotten a call from Nicholas just now while she had been upstairs. Nicholas said that Pete had come to Peacevale and wanted to have a meal with her.North was very excited as she waited outside the mall.Not long afterward, someone with an otherworldly presence showed up in her line of sight. He was walking over with Nicholas next to him.North excitedly jogged over. “Uncle Pete!”Pete was in his early forties. Though there were signs of age on his face, he carried himself with an easy confidence. He also had an innate pride that spoke of someone cultured. When he saw North coming, he nodded languidly. “Always so impetuous.”North was still very excited. “How come you’re in Peacevale in person?”A hint of bitterness flashed in Nicholas’s eyes.Pete sneaked a peek behind North. He smiled as he said, “I heard you got married. Where’s your husband? Why didn’t he come?”North was stunned for a moment. She had not seen Pete in ages. Why did he not ask after her? Why was he
Veronica got into a roll the more she talked. “North doesn’t even know who Pete Reuben is. Sharon, even if you’re kind, you shouldn’t make friends with someone like that! She’s just a country bumpkin. She doesn’t deserve to be your friend!”Veronica raised her voice, and many people in the vicinity looked over. These people could not help but feel shocked. How could someone not know who Pete Reuben was?! It was true that North was a country bumpkin. She could not even change her poor taste even after returning to elite society.Sharon waited for Veronica to finish bashing North before shaking her head in a show of fake niceness. “Veronica, stop saying that. If other people overhear, they might think we’re talking about North behind her back. That’s not nice…”“But I’m right! Why can’t I say it?! She’s not like you, Sharon. You’re accomplished and from a scholarly family. North can’t compare with you!”Pet’s eyebrows furrowed. Who were these two women? They seemed absolutely mean
Veronica could not control herself. She said in a strange tone, “Sharon, she earned this money by sleeping around. It would be a waste if she doesn’t get to buy the clothes.”North turned around coldly. Sharon sounded helpless as she said, “I was wrong last time. I’ve been trying to find the opportunity to make it up to you. Since you rejected the tickets to Pete Reuben’s art exhibition, how about I pay your shopping bill today? It will be a token of apology.“As for this gentleman…”Sharon bit her lip. She said significantly, “You’re a married woman, after all. You shouldn’t act too close with this man. 150,000 dollars isn’t a small amount. I’m worried that your reputation will be tarnished if this gets out.”North scoffed. Sharon was indeed a formidable opponent. She was able to twist the truth with just a few words and make it sound like a done deal that she was having an extramarital affair.Veronica told the salesperson delightedly, “Did you hear that? Put this bill on the
North blinked. She was abruptly taken aback.When had Gerald gotten here…?Had Gerald seen the way she fought back against Sharon and Veronica?Veronica looked annoyed at being interrupted. Curses started spilling out of her mouth. “Who do you think you are to tell me off for bad upbringing? Do you know who I am?!”Gerald looked up absentmindedly. His gaze was icy.Veronica was shocked by the sight. However, she knew she could not embarrass herself in front of North. She barreled on. “North, this isn’t another of the men you’ve slept with, is he? You’re simply…”“Veronica!” Sharon quickly spoke up to cut Veronica off. She clenched her teeth and put on a warm smile. “I didn’t know you were here too, Gerald.”Gerald looked very intimidating. Sharon’s face was going pale when he had not even spared her a single look.When Veronica heard the name Gerald, she finally realized who this man was. In an instant, she was terrified. “M-Mr. Gerald?!”She was done for… She had actually los
He moved his wrists and frowned.Did North sleep for the entire day? Was she disoriented?North sat by the bed with nothing to do. She watched as time passed. Strange, why wasn’t she awake yet? Was she that sleepy? Could it be that the advanced exam questions were too difficult and she did not want to wake up?North could not help but think about the questions. Hmm… they did not seem very difficult. She had thought of a solution!Indeed, people had endless potential when they were dreaming. They could even come up with answers to such difficult questions!North was afraid that she would forget and wanted to wake up quickly, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but she was still in the room.North frowned and muttered to herself, “What’s going on…?”Gerald looked at her silently.He also wanted to ask what was going on.“North, do you need my help?”North hesitated. Even though it was a dream, she was still a littl
North exclaimed in surprise.It turned out that Gerald could be sarcastic too!Gerald did not give Patricia any time to react. He was just short of chasing the entire Bracken family out.While the Bracken family was leaving, Gerald heard Mike grumble, “Mom… If you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you adjust your act earlier!”Patricia was furious. “I did all of this for you. How could you fall for Gerald’s tricks?!”“But Gerald was right. They suspect that I’m not Paige’s son because of you!”…Giselle’s smile became more and more sarcastic. When the Bracken family disappeared, he said, “Accompany me pay respects to Paige. Also, get someone to clean Glass Manor inside and out.”He wanted to get rid of the bad vibes the Bracken family had brought in.…A few days later, when they returned to Royal Sights Residences, the Bracken family actually stopped causing trouble.North was about to graduate, and she had one final exam. She saw the class group chat exchanging adva
“Why? Do you think that I’ve forgotten how Paige died?”Giselle never expected that this shameless family would have the audacity to make an issue out of Paige’s death.“You make it sound so simple. Even if Patricia dies today, you would never disregard her last wishes. Is everything you do for the good of the Bracken family?“Still, the only person the Bracken family has ever had to sacrifice was Paige!”Virgil snapped, “Nonsense! I’m Paige’s biological father, how could I…”Giselle sneered. “Stop putting on an act. You didn’t look for your daughter when she was missing. You didn’t feel sorry for your daughter when she returned. You kept asking her to tolerate the adopted daughter. When she was sick, you even stopped her treatment so that she would die and let your adopted daughter marry her husband.“Virgil, I’m sick. I’m not dead yet, and I haven’t lost my memory. If this happens again, I’ll destroy the entire Bracken family!”Giselle looked at the bodyguards she had brought
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.Virgil found it hard to breathe. “Let go! Are you crazy?!”“I’m asking you a question. Where is Paige buried? Tell me!”Virgil’s brain was deprived of oxygen. Without thinking, he roared, “How would I know? Let go, you crazy woman!”Patricia screamed, “Madam Giselle, what are you doing? Let go of him. Do you want Dad to die?”Gerald’s second uncle also shouted, “Madam Giselle, why are you doing this to us? Don’t treat your husband like this!”“You don’t know? You don’t know at all, do you?” Giselle ignored everyone. She looked unremorseful. She scoffed.“You claim to be severely depressed about your daughter’s death,” Giselle retorted. “Despite that, you actually don’t know where your daughter’s grave is!”As soon as she finished speaking, the entire place fell silent.When Virgil realized what he had just said, his face turned pale and he stopped screaming. He trembled as he spoke to Giselle hatefully. “You did this on purpose…”That wa
Mike said weakly, “North, we paid our respects to my mother before we went out today. We didn’t say anything because we were afraid that Grandpa wouldn’t be able to accept it.”As expected, Virgil clutched his chest and looked like he was about to faint.Patricia cried out, “Gerald, are you satisfied now that your grandfather is trembling in anger? We’ve kept it a secret for so many years. Despite that…”Everyone sighed. So, that was how it was.It was indeed Ms. Paige’s death anniversary today. However, the old man had fallen into a state of depression from the intense guilt. He then mistakenly thought that his daughter had passed away in May.As his family, Patricia and Mike could not bear to make the old man feel more guilty. Thus, they maintained the facade.In fact, they would pay their respects to Paige every year.This made sense. After all, Virgil was old and could not stand such harsh emotions.The people from the Bracken family jumped on this chance to scold Gerald. “
Everyone was dumbfounded. North was really bold!North blinked. “What’s wrong, Mr. Virgil? Why are you so angry? Did I say something wrong?”“What nonsense! Paige is my daughter! How could I intentionally let her die?!”North widened her eyes. “I didn’t say that you intentionally let her die! It’s just that the Bracken family didn’t like her and looked down on her. The medical staff didn’t care about her either. In the end, they didn’t even treat her and let her die.“I know. It’s not your fault. After all, you were so busy. How could you have the time to take care of a daughter you don’t love?”Virgil clutched his chest. “What nonsense…! Shut up!”“North!” Patricia screamed. “Gerald, are you just going to watch her anger your grandfather? Your grandfather’s health isn’t good…”“What did I say wrong?”North sighed. “Look at what Mr. Virgil said. Ms. Paige passed away at the end of May, so why didn’t he treat her for two whole months from the end of March to the end of May?“Th
Mike knew that he had fallen into North’s trap and was speechless!He was so anxious that his expression changed. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and huge beads of sweat dripped down. “Um… I…”“Mike!” Patricia saw that the situation was not good, so she hurriedly interrupted Mike and pulled him behind her.Then, she took a deep breath and pretended to be helpless and upset.“Gerald, what nonsense are you talking about?! We’re family. If you have anything you’re upset about, just tell me. There’s no need to cause trouble at the banquet and make an issue out of Paige’s death anniversary!“We’re all Paige’s family, and Dad is also Paige’s biological father. How can we not know when her death anniversary is?“Paige’s death anniversary is at the end of May. It’s not today at all. You… You’re too much!”Virgil looked aggrieved. He nodded and said, “That’s right. Paige’s death anniversary is in May. Gerald, I know you don’t want to give up her inheritance. Moreover, I didn’t fo
Everyone’s eyes fell on Gerald.Gerald looked up slowly and said calmly, “Ms. Patricia, why did you choose today to hold a banquet for Mike?”“It doesn’t matter what day I chose!” Patricia roared.“So, you did choose the date.”Gerald looked down at Patricia from above. His cold gaze made Patricia suddenly feel suffocated.Her “son” had a murderous look in his eyes. “Any other day would have been fine, but not today.”Patricia hated the look in Gerald’s eyes the most. Why was he so arrogant? Why was he looking down on her? Why was he like that b*tch?She screamed, “Gerald, I’m your mother! Mike is your brother! It’s fine if you don’t love me, but you keep finding fault with me. What right do you have—”“Today is the anniversary of Paige’s death.”Gerald interrupted her.Patricia’s face turned pale, and the words that she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. The scene instantly fell silent.What did Gerald say? What day was it today?Today was the anniversary of Paige’s d
Patricia felt a lump in her throat. “You…”“Connor, come out.” North interrupted her.Then, a group of people dressed in black walked out of nowhere and played mournful music. Connor walked in the middle and placed a memorial tablet on the table.Everyone looked at the memorial tablet curiously, wanting to know whose memorial tablet it was. When everyone saw the name “Paige”, they instantly fell silent.North and Gerald paid their respects. Then, they placed the bouquets beside the memorial tablet.Their actions stunned everyone.Had they come to pay respects to Paige?Patricia was trembling. She stared fixedly at Paige’s name on the memorial tablet. She clenched her fists.Paige!Gerald had paid his respects to Paige at a banquet for Mike. Was he crazy?! She was so unlucky! Paige was already dead, but she was still the center of attention at Mike’s banquet!After paying her respects, North turned around. “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to pay your respects?”