"Shall I take you to work later?" Eric asked, considering making this a regular thing in the future.'Is this his way of saying that I'm his?' Sylvia thought. "Sure," she agreed. He had helped her a lot, so accommodating his wishes seemed reasonable.-In the afternoon, at Elly's house.Before Blake and Melinda moved in with her, Elly used to have her lunch outside instead of at home. But now, there was an abundance of food spread across the table.After Karen took a bite, she lowered her fork and asked, "Elly, can I ask you something? Do you feed my son like this every day?"Karen always brought up the same topic during meals. However, Elly paid her no attention. She didn't care whether they liked the food she prepared."Mother, I didn't marry Craig to take care of him. My cooking skills are only at this level. If you want better food, you can ask Craig to give you money to eat out," Elly replied with indifference.She had previously discussed Craig's situation with Karen an
After dinner, Elly headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes while Blake went back to his room. Later, he came into the kitchen holding a black plastic bag."Elly," he said, placing the bag in front of her. "I talked to your mom. Since you're getting a car, consider this money our way to help.""Dad!" Elly recognized what was inside and quickly said, "This is your hard-earned money. I can't take it!""Just accept it," Blake insisted. "I can earn it back once I'm better. Your mom's health isn't great, so we won't raise cows or horses anymore. Just a few pigs, chickens, and ducks for food when you visit. Besides, you can't work while taking care of your kids. Having some money will be useful."Elly got emotional. Her parents truly cared despite not being wealthy. Her dad insisted on lightening her load with the money.Worried, Blake continued. "Don't worry about your brother. He runs his own company and has our plot's compensation if needed. He'll sort things out in two years."Elly
However, Craig had no idea that his life was about to change drastically.-Eric entered Irvin's office and asked, "What's wrong, Big Bro?""I need to tell you something important," Irvin said, handing a document to Eric.Confused, Eric read the document, his brows furrowing. He looked at Irvin and questioned, "Are you certain it's him?"Irvin nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I wanted to inform you beforehand, so you can talk to your sister. He might be facing legal charges."We're not heartless. We'll arrange a meeting. If he admits and apologizes, we'll go easy on him because he's your brother-in-law. If he is found guilty, it can hurt your sister and nephews. Their chances of getting government jobs could be affected."Eric sighed.Evidently, Craig had been taking illegal kickbacks for about six months, totaling over 180,000 dollars.Accepting kickbacks meant compromising the quality of goods supplied. Irvin might have had to resort to legal action if not for Eric's sake."I'll hav
Elly and Melinda were busy tidying up the house when Elly suddenly spotted Eric. She was taken aback and blurted out, "Eric? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"Eric replied, "Elly, I just got back from Sonnex Corp. I need to talk to you about something important."Elly went to wash her hands, suspecting that the matter was related to Craig. He had been absent for days, likely spending time with Jocelyn.After washing up, she sat down and asked, "Did you catch Craig with Jocelyn again? Honestly, we should just let them be. As long as he hands over his salary, he can do as he pleases."Elly's concern was mostly about the money now. With it, she could support her children. Working herself might not yield enough money, plus it would consume time needed for her children. She had made significant compromises already."That's not what I want to talk about," Eric clarified.Elly was surprised. "Then what is it?"Eric glanced at their parents and continued. "Irvin shared
Eric picked up Sylvia in the afternoon, and they headed home. While driving, he asked, "Sylvia, what kind of job do you think a woman with children can manage while also taking care of her kids?""Simple. She can start her own business," Sylvia said. "Running a business offers more flexible time. Is your sister considering work?"Eric shook his head. "I don't know if she plans to work, but it seems she has limited options."He then told Sylvia about Craig's situation, and she became angry. "180,000 dollars? That's enough to land him in prison! Previously, someone at Williams Corp. embezzled about 100,000 dollars and got a five-year sentence!"Eric was shocked, and Sylvia continued. "Starting a business is feasible. She could learn makeup or nail art. These days, women are a bit lazy. Opening a shop like that could definitely earn money and let her care for her children. Also, there'll be high demand for makeup artists when companies have events."Eric raised his eyebrows. Sylvia's
"Craig, if you have a death wish, can you not drag the kids and me with you?" Elly said. Her anger wasn't just about Craig's kickbacks—it was that he hadn't considered their children.If he was sent to prison, their kids' future could suffer.However, Craig didn't understand Elly's concern and scoffed. "What are you even talking about? Dragging you and the kids along? I'm the one providing for you guys!""True!" Karen chimed in. "You don't bring in money. Without Craig, you'd be struggling. He's your lifeline!"Elly sighed. "You call it sponging off, but it's his duty as a husband and father. And who avoided looking after the kids? Who preferred the countryside over the city? Do you think I enjoy being a full-time homemaker? Anyway, that's not the issue here."Elly faced Craig and continued. "You call it nonsense, but you know exactly what you've done. It's $180,000! Do you realize the impact? Do you want to ruin our family?"Craig turned pale."How did you find out?" he stamm
Craig stood up and left. Elly took away the divorce papers and said, "It's fine if you don't want to sign. Let's proceed through legal procedures then."She had already given up on Craig long ago, especially considering his recent significant mistake.-At noon, Elly met Eric and Sylvia.Upon learning of her desire for a divorce, Eric and Sylvia exchanged a glance."Elly, are you certain about this?" Eric asked. "There won't be a way back."Elly nodded. "I've decided. Our life is already chaotic. Craig disregards his sons and me completely. Following his actions at Sonnex Corp., I can't allow him to keep harming my kids. Since he refuses to sign the papers, I want to go to court."Eric sighed. Since he found out that Craig had been unfaithful to Elly, he anticipated this moment. He just didn't anticipate it happening so soon. Nor did he expect Craig to audaciously accept kickbacks at Sonnex Corp.The kickback, exceeding 180,000 dollars, was likely the last straw. After a brie
Elly cried the entire night. Even though she had given up on Craig, letting go still hurt her.The Earth spun on, and the sun rose again, bringing a new day.After taking the kids to school, Elly and Craig went to the lawyer to finalize their divorce.Elly didn't know when Sonnex Corp. would act against Craig. In the divorce, she didn't ask for assets or any of Craig's future earnings. However, he had to pay her 1,000 dollars monthly alimony.This wasn't a big sum for Craig. He even paid a year in advance.Maybe this gave him some relief. Elly wasn't sure.After divorcing Craig, she needed to find a new place quickly.-Meanwhile, Eric got the land compensation and heard from his sister about her plans to find a new place. She asked him to check about the training center Sylvia had mentioned earlier. She was determined to start anew.At noon, Eric and Sylvia had lunch at Elly's place. It was the first time Eric's parents met Sylvia. They probably guessed she had lent Eric the