There was no way Elliot would swap seats. He wanted to sit next to his wife. “Try asking someone else.”Pouting, Chase looked at Sophia and said, “Let’s swap seats, Soph.”She responded lazily, “Nuh-uh. I’m too lazy to move.”Donald frowned, “That’s enough. It’s just dinner. Is this really necessary?”Chester glared at him and said, “Get out of here if you’re not going to eat!”That riled Chase up. “Excuse me. Am I talking to you?”Chester responded, “You’re bothering me.”Chase retorted, “Well, then. You should get out of here.”Chester banged the table and stood up abruptly, “Are you still itching for a beating, Chase?”Chase followed suit and banged the table as well. “Bingo! I’m still up for it if you are. How about that?”Avery, too, banged the table and barked, “For Heaven’s sake, can you two quit it and have a nice dinner?”Now, Donald was doing the same thing as well. He banged the table and roared, “That’s right. Will you two knock it off?”Chester and Chase glared
Chester looked at her and smiled.‘Is Sophia showing me how to win Phoebe back? It’d be wonderful if it were true.’“I appreciate your help, Soph.”She rubbed her eyebrows, troubled. The whole thing was so convoluted! What was she supposed to do? She was the one who messed it up. So, she had to clean up her mess.Reaching out, Elliot held her hand and smirked, “Are you doing this to clear your conscience?”Whispering, she said, “I wouldn’t have intervened if he wasn’t my brother. I still think he deserved to wallow in guilt and regret, but I feel responsible for tearing their relationship apart!”He responded, “Do you think he’s all carefree and unfeeling? I’m sure he’s swimming in a sea of regret!”She whispered, “The truth is, I think both of them still have feelings for each other. So, I’m going to give them a shove in the right direction. I can’t guarantee that they’ll find their way back to each other, though. That’s up to fate!”…The moment they arrived at Elm County, S
Sophia sat in her room for a long time, but Chester still didn’t come back into the villa. Worried, she decided to go out and check on him. Then, she saw him. Leaning against the wall, he kept his head lowered, looking miserable. It seemed as if a black hole had drained all of the light from him. He was a six-foot-tall man, but it seemed as if an invisible, crushing force was weighing down on him, making him look very vulnerable.Walk over, she asked, “What’s the matter?”Looking at her with reddened eyes, Chester said in a barely audible husky voice. “Phoebe didn’t even want to be friends with me.”Sighing, she said, “Is that all it takes to beat you down? Think about all the cruel stuff you did to her. How do you think she took it? Here are some tips. If you want to win her back, then you need to know that it’s not going to be easy.“If you can’t take the hits, then you might as well give up now. After all, given your background, you could easily find another lady.”He said
Sighing, Jeffrey continued. “It was because Keith knew hypnosis. He could hypnotize anyone, and they would submit to his every whims and fancies. In no time, the minor families sucked up to them like lap dogs.“They even paid their fellowship fee without any prompts. That was the criteria back then. If they pay up, they could be part of the McBerry family, too. “The Mcberry had such immense powers that they could decide who stays and who goes. If you’re part of the family, you’re going to be treated fairer. Naturally, everyone competed to join their fellowship.“The Mcberry was practically overlords. No other family came close to being as powerful as they were. The mere mention of the family name was enough to strike fear into the people’s hearts. No one dared cross them.“The three other prestigious families weren’t as easy to fool as the other minor families. So, they assembled the other families, whom Keith hadn’t hypnotized, to tear the Mcberry down together.“However, the Mc
Elliot comforted, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. The Patton Group has been in business for a hundred years. It won’t collapse so quickly. Although he’s the CEO, he still needs the approval of the board of directors on some projects. It shouldn’t be irreparable yet.”Jeffrey said, “He has many supporters now. No one can do anything to him without solid evidence. His position as the family head and CEO will remain his unless you can find evidence of his crime. Even I’m powerless in my position.”Elliot reassured, “I know, Grandpa. I won’t allow the family to stay the same as it was a hundred years ago. I plan to visit the company tomorrow. With enough time, I’ll find something to hold against him. You should inform Ethan.”Jeffrey nodded, saying, “All right, investigate Underworld Palace’s hypnotism techniques and see if Keith McBerry has passed them down.”“I understand, Grandpa.”…Sophia and Elliot accompanied Jeffrey for breakfast and stayed until the afternoon before leaving. Later, E
Sophia was furious, knowing the two-faced Mary had manipulated her parents again. The former was frustrated that she could not expose Mary’s true colors yet for fear of alerting the enemy.Sophia questioned, “Did Mary tell you Xena attacked her?”Lucas was distressed as he answered, “No, Mary has been hiding it, and we had to pressure her to tell us. She admitted to going to Bermill. Still, Xena caused Hamish’s injuries, which match Mary’s.”Paisley angrily added, “What are you talking about?! Mary has been taking medicine to hide her injuries. She wouldn’t hide anything if she intended to sow discord. Why would you think Xena caused Hamish’s injuries, but Mary fought a thug?“You can only deceive a three-year-old child. No two people can cause the same whip marks. Xena just couldn’t stand seeing Mary with Hamish. Xena had no right to object to Mary and Hamish’s engagement.”Xena only watched as her mother spoke harshly. Soon after, the former retorted, “If you like Mary and Hamis
Hamish said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter who you call. Harassing Xena is not acceptable, no matter who you are to her.”Lucas frowned. “You’re pretty arrogant. You can defend my daughter but don’t forget that we’re her parents. If you want to marry her, you’ll have to go through us. So, you shouldn’t speak to your future in-laws so poorly.”Xena rose from the sofa with a numb expression. She then sneered and said, “Hmph, having parents like you is worse than having no parents at all. Since you detest me so much, I’ll consider myself dead to you. I’ll repay your twenty-three years of caring for me.“Is one million enough? Here, I’ll even pay interest. Raymond, transfer two million to their account.”Raymond responded, “Right away.”Paisley was stunned. “It’s not about money! You carry our blood, which is something you can never change.”Xena said blankly, “That’s right. I’ll return your blood, too.”She then grabbed a knife from the table and motioned to slash her wrist.“A
Hamish looked at the older couple and said, “I won’t go with you or be with Mary no matter what arrangements you’ve made with my parents. I fell in love with Xena the first time I saw her.“When I told my parents that I wanted her to be my wife, they went to you to propose a marriage. I never agreed to change the arrangement and marry Mary instead. Paisley, do you remember what I said when Xena left?“I used to worry about not disrespecting my elders. I feared harming Mary, but I realized the one I wanted to help ended up suffering the most. I don’t want Xena to face any more injustice. Stop gaslighting me into feeling sorry for Mary.“Whether Mary harms herself or gets hurt is none of our concern. If you’re worried about Mary, hire more people to monitor her.”Paisley was furious. “I’ll complain to your parents about this!”Hamish nodded and scoffed. “Go ahead!”Immediately after, Paisley turned and huffed away.Meanwhile, Xena instructed her men, “Don’t even open the door for