Jayson patiently waited as the door creaked open, revealing a young man who stared at him with curiosity before asking, "Can I help you?"Perplexed, Jayson couldn't place the young man. After a moment's pause, he replied amiably, "Good day. I apologize for the intrusion. I'm here to see Mr. Jayson Wade, the former owner of this house."The young man regarded Jayson with suspicion before inquiring, "And who might you be to him?""We were friends at the orphanage before he was adopted by the Wade family of Jade City," Jayson answered naturally, without a hint of deceit."Please, come in," the young man said, extending an invitation.As Jayson entered, he noticed family photos adorning the walls. The young man returned with a glass of water and placed it on the table in front of Jayson."I must apologize for not asking earlier, but what is your name?" the young man asked, smiling."Johnstone Winchester," Jayson replied with a broad smile.The young man took Jayson at his word and shared,
"Absolutely not. That woman believes she can bully and swindle the Wade family? She's delusional. Hmph! Marrying that useless man, Gabby Willow, doesn't give her power over us," Old Wade scoffed before striding towards the company's exit.As they reached the company parking lot, they encountered Gabriel, who had just parked his car. He cheerfully greeted them, "Father-in-law, brother-in-law."Gilbert regarded Gabriel with contempt, his animosity towards the Wilson family intensifying even further. "You deceitful Wilsons think you can outsmart us, but we see right through your schemes. Don't even dream of taking the company for yourselves," Old Wade shouted with red-rimmed eyes.Gabriel was taken aback by the fierce expression on Old Wade's face. He hadn't anticipated such vigour from the elderly man."Dad, please, don't engage with him. He's just a worthless member of the Wilson family, living without purpose," Gilbert intervened, restraining his father from confronting Gabriel. He kn
Elena, on the verge of heading up the staircase to her room, sank onto the sofa with a heavy sigh. She met Mrs. Wilson's gaze and confessed, "Mom, I regret cheating on Jayson with that fool."Mrs. Wilson tightened her lips, caught off guard by the sudden transformation of Jayson, who had been nothing but trouble for the past three years. The business he had left behind had elevated the Wilson family's standing. Elena, now the CEO, had amassed such wealth that she ranked among the country's top ten."Elena, why don't you freshen up in your room before joining us for dinner," Mrs. Wilson suggested.Elena nodded, grabbed her handbag, and made her way up the stairs. As soon as she disappeared from the living room, the door swung open, revealing Lucy and her fiancé entering together.Mrs. Wilson snorted in frustration; she had never been fond of Lucy's fiancé.Lucy was the first to break the tension. "Mom, Caleb and I have something important to share with you," she began. The Wilson famil
After accompanying Mrs. Wilson and Elena to the hospital and confirming that they were merely in a state of shock, Gabriel decided to head back home, have dinner, get some rest, and then prepare to head to the office early the next day.Upon his return, he was met by Lucy, who had hurried back upon learning about her mother and sister's hospitalization. She had been trying to reach Gabriel but received no response."Gabriel, where did you take Mom and Elena? I've been trying to call you for ages, but you never answered," Lucy exclaimed as soon as Gabriel walked into the house.After removing his coat, Gabriel reassured Lucy, "I left my phone at home when I took Elena and Mom to the hospital. There's no need to worry; they're both fine, just a bit shaken up. Nothing serious happened to them."Despite their frequent arguments about her choice of partner, Lucy still harboured a deep love for her mother. She insisted, "Gabriel, I won't be at ease until I see Mom and Elena for myself. Plea
Gabriel nodded in agreement and added, "Mom is right, Elena. I shouldn't lead the Wilson family; you are more capable."What Gabriel truly feared was losing the freedom to indulge in clubbing, gambling at casinos, bullying others, and flaunting the Wilson family's power. If he were to assume leadership, he would be constrained, forced to clean up others' messes, subjected to intense public scrutiny and criticism, and obligated to attend tedious social events where fake smiles masked underlying conflicts.To Gabriel, this prospect was intolerable and nightmarish, utterly unacceptable."Let's head to the office," Mrs. Wilson finally said after maintaining silence for ten minutes. The more he looked at Gabriel, the more he wished he was never her son.If they continued to linger in the ward, she wouldn't be able to keep her restless hands still.As they prepared to depart the ward, Gabby Willow arrived with a ingratiating smile. He approached the family of three and said, "Good morning,
Elena and Mrs. Wilson were taken aback by Old Wade's public statement, especially in front of a group of journalists."That's nonsense, Old Wade! Everyone in Jade City knows that my former son-in-law is missing. How can you claim he's dead? Do you have information about his whereabouts? Have you contacted the Jade City police to confirm anything about my former son-in-law?" Mrs. Wilson's eyes widened as she fought back tears, using a white handkerchief to wipe them away. "Jayson was a wonderful son-in-law; he deserves justice. If you have any knowledge about his death, please inform the police so they can conduct a thorough investigation and determine the cause of his death."Old Wade's face reddened as a vein bulged. He hadn't expected Mrs. Wilson to respond so boldly, twisting his accusation.Elena, having secretly bribed some journalists, subtly directed their attention toward Old Wade just as he was about to speak. As he began, seven journalists descended on him with fervour, bomb
Old Wade and Gilbert were taken aback by the unexpected visitor. Waving his hand, Old Wade instructed the butler, "Let the visitor in."The butler retreated and returned with a court bailiff, who introduced himself and presented a court summons. Old Wade and Gilbert's expressions turned to ones of fear.Distraught, Old Wade lamented, "It should never have come to this. It was just a family dispute; it should have been settled amicably, not in court."The court bailiff, unaware of the details, simply responded, "Sir, I am only doing my job," before leaving the room.Left alone, Gilbert appeared flustered, while Old Wade seethed with anger at the unfortunate turn of events.Old Wade complained indignantly, "We're only making a slight accusation, that old woman is incredibly stingy. She's taking us to court; isn't that going too far?"Gilbert sighed and suggested, "Father, we need to act quickly and hire a top-notch attorney in the city; we have the means to do so."Old Wade felt irritat
Gilbert attempted to reach each of the gatekeepers in succession, but none of them answered his calls. Even if they had, they wouldn't have been able to leave their posts to open the gate.Filled with anxiety, Gilbert reached out to the pest control agent and exclaimed, "Take down the gate, take down the gate!"Old Wade's eyes widened as he swiftly grabbed the phone, but the call had already ended. He glared at Gilbert, shocked that his own son would issue such a preposterous command.Through gritted teeth, Old Wade repeated, "Take down the gate?" He pointed accusingly at Gilbert and scolded, "Gilbert, have you lost your mind? Do you realize how much that gate cost? Are you going to pay to fix it with your own money? They could have climbed over the fence; you're being incredibly foolish!"Gilbert swallowed hard as his father reprimanded him, but one of Wade's sons spoke up: "Dad, Gilbert is worried about our safety if we get bitten by those snakes. We could end up dead who will spend