Although they were not blood-related, Margaret had raised Ralph as her own for many years, so it was difficult for her to cut him loose.“Grandma, it’s not up to me but him. He still hasn’t thought it through and refused to return home. Let’s discuss it when he does, okay?” He added, “It’s time for me to go to the office. Have a good rest, Grandma.”Lily came in, bringing the food as he was about to leave.“Please take care of her.” He said and left.Lily did not hear what they were talking about but could have guessed it. “Grandma, you must be hungry. Have some garlic bread and mushroom cream soup, but eat slowly.”Lily sat by the bed with the tray on her lap, dipped the bread into the soup, and offered it to Margaret.Margaret wanted to take the whole plate instead. “It’s okay. You’re pregnant. You don’t have to serve me.”“Let me do it. I’m still early in my pregnancy, so don’t worry.” Lily said with a chuckle. “Stop insisting. I’ll laze around when you feel better, okay?”M
“Heather Riggs?” Margaret mentioned the name and shook her head with pursed lips. “I doubt so.”“Grandma…”“Although I sometimes make silly mistakes, I’m a good judge of character at my age. I initially chose her so Ralph could benefit from her family’s influence, and her capability could…” Thinking that she had wanted to help Ralph seize power with the Riggs’ assistance, Margaret stopped saying what was on her mind. ‘How foolish was I?! I almost ruined the Russell family. If I did, how would I face Hugo in the afterlife?’ “Their relationship is based on mutual interest. Now that Ralph has ended up like this, I only hope she won't kick him when he’s down.” Lily did not entirely agree with Margaret and wanted to tell her that a housekeeper saw “Heather” as the last person who spoke to him that day, and the woman even kissed him before she left. However, thinking that this did not concern her and that it was not her but the housekeeper who witnessed the whole thing, she decided
Lily did not know what to say. Unable to say no, she let Margaret hold her hand and put the ring on her finger. Since her fingers were slender, the older woman put it on her thumb, and it fit perfectly. Margaret laughed. “I heard some of the heads of families and royalties wore thumb rings in the old days. You’re just meant to wear it like this.”“Thank you, Grandma,” she said softly as she felt the weight of the ring. …Ralph had a deep slumber and felt more spirited when he woke up. However, the apartment was so empty that there was nothing to eat there, and he could not cook anything without utensils. All he could do was order takeout.Fortunately, he could order food and drinks online with the money Hannah had left for him. While checking the money she had transferred to him, he thought it ironic that he would survive on a woman’s money one day. Used to a life of extravagance, he could put his expenses on the tab whenever he did not have cash, and people might even pay
The villa was not too far away. With the money he had, he requested a ride online and was able to get there fast. The security guards at the housing estate recognized him and did not stop him. Reaching the villa without a hitch, he triple-checked the house number. There were many properties under his name, including condos and villas in and outside of Kingsland. He could not remember all of them, but he did remember this unit as it was only purchased two years ago. Having been involved in the real estate industry for the longest time, the influential Russell family had bought the whole piece of land, and a few of the best units were reserved for them when the project was completed. Ralph did not care much about his properties, as he had never stayed there. Thinking that he could own everything once he took over the company, he never thought these houses deserved his attention. However, things had changed. A house like this could become his shelter, and if he sold it, he could
Collecting herself, she realized the phone was indeed ringing. Taking it from the nightstand, she checked the caller and hurriedly answered, “Ralph, is it you? Where are you? Why aren’t you coming back?”Ralph was surprised. He never expected such a reaction from his mother. She sounded worried and concerned and was not as heartless and icy as the other day. “Mom…” He barely knew what else to say. He had mixed feelings toward her. She had adored him for years, but at the last minute, she betrayed him. “Ralph? Ralph?” Not getting an answer, Margaret tried to calm down and let out a sigh. “Are you… still blaming me?”“Why did you do that?” Clenching his fists, he was on the verge of tears as he sat on a nearby sofa arm. “How could you do that to me? You've ruined my life, do you realize that? How could you be… so heartless?”Margaret was unable to hold back tears as he questioned her. “I wasn’t being heartless. I simply couldn’t betray the family!” She cried and said, “You h
“That’s not possible!” Ralph did not believe he would not have succeeded.He had everything well-prepared, and his mother’s betrayal was the only miscalculation. “How would I lose if you hadn’t sided with Alex? No way! There’s no f*cking away!’“I guess you’re unaware that Alex knew about your birth long ago, even before me, but he told no one about it. If you don’t push him too far, he won’t expose you, but you…”Margaret only learned about it later, but Alexander knew about it long ago. Being the head of the family, he had sorted through the clues and discovered the truth, but he refrained from exposing it out of consideration for his grandma and because Ralph grew up in the family.Most importantly, as Hugo was the one who brought Ralph into the family and he had been keeping it a secret, Alexander would not tell anyone about it out of respect for his grandpa. However, Ralph had forced Alexander into a corner and unwittingly brought himself closer to his own downfall.“What?”
Ralph kept thrashing the place until he ran out of strength and breath. As he stared at the wreckage, all he could hear was his mother’s echoing reply that she would let Alexander decide because he was the head of the family.Ralph maniacally laughed till tears emerged from the corners of his eyes. ‘My mother, who had always doted on me, immediately did an about-face, knowing I’m not her real son.‘She used to tell me that she had planned everything for me and that I should be the head of the family, but now? She has accepted Alexander and her claims of loving me are bullsh*t! I’m nobody to them if I’m not their blood relative.‘Now they stoop to wanting to take everything back. In that case, I’ll destroy them so they can’t enjoy using them either!’He fished out a lighter from his pocket and lit the curtain. As it quickly caught fire, he tugged at the curtain and threw it onto the sofa. As they were made of highly flammable materials, the fire spread rapidly. Thick smoke filled
“Grandma, calm down. I’ll send someone to look for him right away.” Lily turned to Celine. “Please take care of grandma.”Celine looked at Lily and nodded. Lily immediately rushed downstairs, holding the phone. After informing Alexander of this incident, she sent someone to look for Ralph, particularly at properties under his name.It did not take long before they received news about what happened. The security team found the burning house at the housing estate and promptly reported it to the authorities while the fire trucks came to put out the fire. When Lily and Alexander rushed over, the fire department had nearly extinguished the fire. The once extravagant villa was now in ruins, and the security guards took inspection notes. Alexander stood quietly before the wreckage with a frown.“Ralph did this.” Lily’s tone showed she was sure. The standard procedure required checking CCTV footage, but they already knew the answer. The house never had any problems prior. Every time