Bryce was about to tell the truth when he stopped himself. "It's Abelin Gabelman, Zorro Gabelman's son."That sounded like someone unimportant. Arthur closed his eyes and said nothing more.He was sent to the emergency care unit to have his wounds treated.He was stabbed thrice in the abdomen. They were about two to three inches deep. It was clear that Merope really hated Arthur.It was fortunate that she hadn't punctured any vital organs and that the wounds weren't that thick. He could be stitched back together.After the surgery was done, Arthur was wheeled into the hospital ward.They put him on an IV drip.The anesthetic was slowly wearing off. It began to hurt uncontrollably.Arthur lay in bed, his face contorted in pain.Bryce stood next to him, his phone in his hands. "Do you want to file a police report?"Arthur shook his head slightly. "Forget it."Bryce raised his eyes mockingly. "And what could be the reason for your generosity?"Arthur said through gritted tee
They kept at it for most of the night before finally going to sleep.The next morning, Bryce was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.This was his personal number. Only his closest family members knew it.Not wanting to wake Holly up, he put it on mute and wore his robe. Then, he went out of the bedroom.He went to another room and picked up the call.Sherry's voice sounded over the phone, "I heard that your dad got stabbed at a seafood restaurant."Bryce was facing out the window. His gaze dimmed. "How did you know?""Don't underestimate the amount of friends that I have. My friend's the manager of that restaurant. How dare you keep this a secret from me?"Bryce smirked slightly. "I just didn't want to burden you. It's not like you care about him.""I don't, but I do care about his side chick. I won't stand this humiliation. Who is she?"Bryce said honestly, "Abelin's mom."Sherry sucked in a deep breath. "Keep her there. I'm heading over this instant!"She hung up
Abelin wouldn't be happy marrying anyone else except Holly.He would regret marrying.With Zorro around, Holly didn't have to worry so much about sending the wrong message. So, she stayed for longer.When she was about to leave, Zorro said, "Let me send you off."That was really just an excuse for him to ask about Arthur.It was no small matter what had happened.An assault was enough to get one into jail.Zorro asked, "How's Arthur?"Holly said, "He's out of critical condition. No vital organs were harmed."Zorro sighed. "What are they saying? I'll make it up to them, no matter what they ask as compensation.""I haven't heard anything from Bryce. Maybe they don't want to make a fuss."Zorro took a check out of his wallet. "This is our compensation to you. Please give it to them."Holly glanced at it. There were eight digits on it. It was 50 million dollars.It was a large sum.People couldn't even pay more than a hundred thousand dollars if someone died.However, she ha
Merope chuckled. "I used to be afraid of you 13 years ago, but I'm not afraid anymore. We each married a Gabelman. My husband's wealth and power are comparable to that of yours!"Sherry looked at her watch. "I'm giving you ten minutes to get your ass down here. Or else, I'm calling the cops on you."Ten minutes later, Merope appeared in front of Sherry with two bodyguards next to her.Sherry had two bodyguards by her side, too.Sherry smirked. "Let's go to the beach. This isn't a good place to talk."Merope looked panicked. "No."There was a flash of scorn on Sherry's face. "What, so you dare to stab Arthur, but you're somehow afraid of me? We both have bodyguards. What are you so afraid of?"Merope sized Sherry up. She had no choice. "Let's go. I'm not afraid of you."They went into their cars, arriving at a run-down pier.It was dark out. The waves lapped the shore in great strides. The wind was strong, as if wanting to tear something apart.After they got down, Sherry put
Merope smiled scornfully. She said slowly, "A thief would never admit to stealing. Bad people don't come with warning labels."Sherry laughed.The wind gently tugged at her beige coat, revealing her skirt and slender legs.She raised her delicate chin and said haughtily, "You ruined my family and avoided me for 20 years. Who's the bad guy here? "If I were the one behind the fire, I would have admitted it. But since it wasn't my doing, you can forget about trying to use me as a scapegoat."Merope brushed back her hair.The strands of gray hair that appeared these past few days stood out against her mop of hair.She said hoarsely, "Before the fire happened, you went to that village to spy on Abel. Not long after, Abel got caught in that fire. "You're an evil woman, Sherry. You aren't even willing to let go of a kid. He was only 12 years old at that time."How could a 12-year-old be a threat to you in any way? Since Arthur didn't want him, I kept him at my mother's house. Yet,
Meanwhile, Arthur was feeling the opposite.He said nothing, feeling a heavy weight on his chest.That explained why Abelin glared daggers at him when they met in the hospital.He didn't understand why Abelin was so angry at that time.Now, he understood that there was a lot of emotion behind that glare.However, he didn't intend to acknowledge Abelin.He was an accident. It was only going to make his family even more complex.Sherry was the proud type. She would never tolerate eye sores like this.Arthur smiled grimly. "Good. At least you met someone who treats you well. You and Abelin can live happily in the future."His insincere words infuriated Merope.She was a high school dropout. She was an employee at a five-star hotel and was in charge of housekeeping for the guest rooms.That night, Arthur had gotten drunk. He vomited all over the floor.Merope went in to clean up, but he mistook her for someone else and pushed her down on the bed.She had only been 18 years old
Raising his eyebrows, Bryce questioned coldly, "Why are you taking Holly with you?"Merope replied with a sneer, "Holly owes Abelin her life. Why should you get to keep her? If you disagree, I'll expose what Arthur did to me back then, along with that fire incident. I'll ruin Gabelman Group and your entire family!"Bryce found her unreasonable. He couldn't understand how Abelin, who seemed like a decent person, ended up with such a mother.He turned to Arthur and said, "You'd better deal with your own mess and keep Holly out of it."With that, he left without hesitation. If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to keep his hands off Merope.Sherry retorted at Merope, "Go ahead and try. If you can't produce any evidence to back your words, I'll sue you for defamation and invasion of privacy until your whole family goes bankrupt!"Arthur quickly signaled Sherry to stop, but she turned her head away and ignored him entirely."I say," Arthur interjected in a more conciliatory t
Apparently, Merope was the one who had nothing to lose. There was no telling what she would do if she went rogue.After a brief silence, Sherry declared, "Let me get this straight. I had nothing to do with that fire incident!"Arthur responded with a sly smile, "Yeah, yeah, nothing to do with you. Got it. You're completely innocent."Sherry found his sarcastic tone infuriating. She pinched his arm hard before getting out of the car, unable to stay with him any longer.She blamed her young and naive self for choosing a man like Arthur as her husband. She met Arthur while still in college. Her parents had approved of him, finding him smart, talented, ambitious, and dashing—a man worthy of trust. Yet, it turned out to be the worst decision of Sherry's life.Wrapping herself tight in her coat, Sherry walked elegantly in her high heels as she called Bryce. "Keep a close eye on Holly. Your despicable father plans to sacrifice her to protect his reputation and company.Merope Larson ma