Chapter 398
The ring tone of Andre’s phone echoed. He nced at the caller ID, and then turned away from his
wife, Mia.
Mia tilted her head, curious. “Why is he avoiding me?”
After the call ended, before she could approach him for a chat, Andre found his father. They went to the
study.
Mia stood in the living room, shaking her head from side to side. “What’s going on?”
…
Jack left Finley and returned to thepany to find his father. Given the sensitive nature of their
conversation, the father and son returned home.
Coincidentally, the gambling enthusiast, Cecilia, was also home.
“Dad, the man who came to see me today, he wants to coborate with us. He didn’t disclose the
specifics of the coboration, but judging from his movements today, I think it must be something
shady.”
“Who was at the meeting today?”
Jack thought of the three people at the meeting today. “Mr. Marlow was also there.”
Aiden was shocked and stared at his son.
Jack admitted, “Kendrick’s superior.”
“Jack, there’s something fishy about this. We can’t agree. For now, we should still ally with the Byrne
family. A strong alliance is the best strategy.”
Cecilia, who had been listening on the side, also got it. She didn’t want to get involved, but upon
hearing that it involved the Byrne family, Cecilia immediately said, “Jack, we have to work with them on
this.”
Aiden and Jack looked at her.
Cecilia, considering herself clever, said, “You’ve been sucking up to the Byrne family, but they’re
indifferent to you. Yes, they are powerful. But do they have to be so arrogant? Now a higher-ranking
leader is seeking you out. You definitely can’t pass this up. Right now, you’re dealing with a secretary,
but in the future, you’ll be dealing with someone even higher up.”
Aiden looked at this stupid woman. “Nonsense, didn’t you hear what Jack just said? It’s shady. If things
go wrong, our son could end up in prison. There’s a line between politics and business. We can’t get
too involved.”
Aiden, who had been in business for decades, had always been clear-headed and never coveted what
didn’t belong to him. He wanted his son to marry into the Byrne family, but this was a normal marital
rtionship, not a coboration.
“Going to prison? Coleen’s husband is a government worker. Why hasn’t she gone to prison? Are you
interested in Coleen? Why can she do the things that my son can’t do?”
Aiden pped the table in anger, and his eyes were reddened.
“Mom, enough!” Jack was also irritated.
Given his mother’s hostility towards Coleen, even if he married the Byrne family’s daughter in the
future, the rtionship between his wife and his mother would not be good.
Cecilia pointed at Aiden, crying and cursing, “Jack, don’t listen to your father. He has an illegitimate
child outside, but I only have you. Your mother wouldn’t trick you. Your father would leave home and be
deceived by that mistress, preventing you from achieving greater sess. Don’t listen to your father.
Coborate with the man you mentioned.”
Aiden looked at his hesitant son. “Cooperating with a wolf will eventually lead to the sheep being eaten.
Jack, if you’re a sheep, eat grass. Eating too much meat will kill you!”
After saying that, he stood up and looked at his wife. It’s like a mere nce at her would make him
nauseous.
Aiden turned and left the house, no longer wanting to face her.
Jack understood his father’s meaning, but his mother’s words were still echoing in his ears. “Son, how
do you know you’re a sheep that should eat grass? Why can’t you be a wolf? Your father just doesn’t
believe in you. You are a postdoctoral fellow. You should step out of this small circle and reach for a
broader sky.”
Once again, Jack was shaken by his mother’s words.
“Jack, only when you seed will the Byrne family look up to you. You like that girl, don’t you? At that
time, do you still fear she won’t fall for you? Jack, you have to step on the Byrne family’s heads to vent
your anger.”
Jack didn’t speak. Perhaps he also wanted to agree.
…
Chad celebrated his new position with a lunch at the station. In the evening, many people wanted to
invite him for dinner to celebrate, but he declined all of them. In the end, he only epted an invitationBelonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
from a young girl.
During the meal, he kept answering phone calls. Just as the cake was served, Chad received news.
Brian, who was detained, had convulsed and been sent to the hospital, from where he had escaped.
He got up to leave without having eaten much. Molly was confused. “Chad, where are you going? The
cake is here, and you haven’t eaten it yet?”
“Molly, go home first. Take the cake with you. I have to go.”
“Chad!”
Molly’s tone was full of pleading and reluctance. Her calling out his name tugged at Chad’s
heartstrings, as if a chain had bound his soul to her. Seeing Molly, Chad felt as if he had weights tied to
his feet. He couldn’t leave her just like that.
He took a spoonful of cake. With an arm around her waist, he pulled her into his arms. With cake
smeared on his lips, he deliberately kissed her earlobe and cheek. As he swallowed, Molly could
clearly feel his movements.
“Chad, the weather is changing. Be careful.”
Chad bit his lip hard, suppressing his impulse towards Molly. “Okay.”
Leaving the restaurant, Chad got into his car and called Andre, “Andre, are you off work?”
“Not yet, what’s up?”
Chad said, “Brian, who was held in the station, feigned illness to get into the hospital, and just now he
escaped. I’m going to catch him now. I promised Molly to have dinner with her. She’s alone in the
restaurant now. Can you go pick her up? The weather outside is bad. It might start pouring soon, so it’s
hard to hail a cab from where she is.”
Andre immediately agreed and provided a lead. “Sure. Keep an eye on Finley’s movements. He might
go to the Walton family.”
“Finley?”
Andre gave an address.
The summer rain was the most unpredictable, and entirely dependent on its mood.
With months of drought had passed, the weather forecast hadn’t mentioned a drop of rain. However,
against all odds, it decided to pour today. The sky was a nket of darkness. The howling winds made
it feel more like midnight.
Girls’ skirts fluttered wildly in the wind’s relentless grasp. Hair whipped across faces, stinging enough
for the girls to rub their cheeks in difort.
Dust carried by the gusts found its way into the eyes of pedestrians who squinted to see through the
haze.
From her perch in the upstairs dining area, Molly observed the chaos outside through the restaurant
window.
Dark clouds hung overhead, shrouding the city in an early nightfall. Soon, raindrops with the size of
peas seemed to have gathered all their might, falling in a torrential downpour that washed over the city.
The rain was fierce, and the wind was even fiercer, bending the rain sideways in its might. Rain pelted
against the window, and a gust of wind made its way through the curtains, sending a chill down Molly’s
spine.
Umbres did little to protect the pedestrians below. The umbres’ frames were copsing under the
wind’s force, leaving the pedestrians to bear the full brunt of the storm.
Due to the harsh weather, Molly decided to take shelter in the restaurant. The rain showed no sign of
stopping even after half an hour. Just as Molly was fretting over how to get home, a man suddenly took
a seat across from her.