Jennie was still his father's cousin at the end of the day. His father had been close to her since they were young. Considering that it was her daughter calling, Marcus couldn't express his anger in any way no matter how irritated he felt. After a pause, he asked, "Did you and Aunt Jennie call the old residence?"The woman whom he called Lori giggled cheerfully and said, "We did, we did. Grandpa Shaw wouldn't pick it up at first, it was uncle who picked it up later on. You know, cousin Marcus, uncle really cares for my mom, right?"Marcus did not know what to say."Once uncle realized it was mom calling, he immediately invited us to your house. We will be there in about ten minutes.""Lori...you...don't..."Before he could finish his sentence, Lori had already hung up. Marcus was rendered speechless. He had wanted to stay for the entire day with his aunt, to have a meal with her and keep her company. It was what Marcus intended, also what his grandfather and father intended.His
Lori was stunned, and tears immediately started welling up her eyes."What do you mean, Marcus?? If you don't welcome me to your home, my mother, my daughter and I will leave right away!" She paused then added, "Besides, it's not like this house belongs to you alone, doesn’t it? We came here to see grandpa, my uncle and aunt-in-law, not to see you! We are simply being polite by waiting for you here!"After a moment of hesitation, he responded with a low voice. "I'm sorry, excuse my manners. I'm just not in a good mood."Tears streamed down Lori's cheeks. "My daughter keeps asking me if her uncle is handsome and whether he is more handsome than her classmate's father. She insisted on standing by the door to wait for this uncle she had seen before, and so I..."Marcus finally noticed the little girl standing by his feet. The little girl raised her chin to look at Marcus. "Uncle..."His heart instantly melted. Marcus squatted down to scoop the child up in his arms. "Can you tell Uncl
Had he not known that Lori was already around the age of twenty-five, Marcus would have thought that the woman before him was in her forties at most. She was dressed in an exquisite and elegant dress that gave her an air of extravagance with no trace of hardship in life. The only thing one would notice apart from how privileged she was, was her sense of superiority. Marcus was reminded of his Aunt Gloria.His Aunt Gloria was a kin of the Shaw Family in every sense of the way, but had been discriminated against, humiliated, and exiled to the point that she couldn't even step foot in her own home. She had been looked down upon ever since the day she was born. Despite her love for music at the age of eighteen, she had to drop out from school because her mother was terminally ill with no money to spare. Since then, she started her life wandering. Just like Jennie, Gloria had met the wrong man and ended up marrying someone she couldn't depend on, but she was far less fortunate than the wom
The smile on Jennie's face widened. "Oh my, Marcus, Auntie had too many girl-friends back then, so many that I could barely count. From primary school to university, there had always been classmates that fought to be my girl-friends. Sigh...which little girl-friend of mine are you referring to, Marcus?"Marcus smiled. "I...I was just asking out of curiosity about all the fun things that happened in your childhood!""Oh yes, yes, my entire childhood was care-free," she responded, lamenting.Marcus threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, trying as hard as he could to suppress his anger. When he opened his eyes, he saw the anxiety and desperation in his father's expression. Marcus knew what his father was trying to say. She was his father's cousin, after all, so Marcus swallowed his anger. Luckily, Jennie did not continue on, perhaps because she noticed that Marcus was irritated, or maybe the fact that she was not welcomed by this family. She soon left without even staying for
After hanging up, she continued to sob. Meanwhile, Lori, who had already gotten in the car, stared at Jennie expressionlessly. "Mom! Didn't you see how Marcus ignored us? Grandpa Shaw, too! You treat him with such respect and his attitude towards you is no way near how a father would treat his daughter!"Jennie glanced at her daughter. "You are still young, with no clue how the world works. You don't know that we can only get what we want by going at it indirectly!"Lori only sobbed."Who do you think your mother is? I'm just Madam Shaw's nephew. My family name is Gibson, not Shaw! The only person I was related to in the entire Shaw Family was my aunt, your great-aunt, but it's been years since she passed away. There is an old saying that when people lose their value, they will be left behind. That's what this is.""Then why would you still cling onto them shamelessly?" Lori questioned rudely."So I shouldn't come and watch as the three of us end up on the streets? My branded hand
Marcus chuckled with resignation. "You are too smart and sharp-witted, Sabbie.""It's okay, I can understand it. You have been relatives for so long, after all, it's only natural that she would want to come home and visit her family. Besides, it has nothing to do with my mother anyways." She paused, before pleading honestly. "Cousin Marcus, do you mind not telling my mom about this?"She bit her lips and forced a bitter smile. "Though my mom refused to acknowledge her father and brother, the injustice and humiliation she faced when she was young was still imprinted on her. She had to watch as even the girl who was merely a distant relative could share the love of her father, while she was despised...""I know..." Marcus said. "I know what Aunt Gloria had been through. In my heart, I have only one aunt, and that's your mother, not anyone else. I won't trade my bond with Aunt Gloria for anything in the world, nor will I force her into acknowledging grandpa and my father as her family.
She felt great, for Jane."Can I say that she deserves it?" Sabrina said."Of course!" Marcus chuckled. "It wasn't after this that I heard about the fact that this woman travelled around the world with Mr. Poole supporting her financially the entire time. She became extremely arrogant from the pampering she received. Why did she think that she could come back to be his wife after being gone for so many years? Did she see everyone as fools? It's time she suffers and cries for what she did."Sabrina felt consoled in ways she couldn't describe in words. She silently prayed for Jane in her heart. "Stay alive, Jane, you have to stay alive so that Alex could make it up to you for the rest of his life and treat you like a queen when you come back! Smash those people who had once harmed you, Jane!"Later that night, the thought of Jane still lingered in Sabrina's mind, even in her sleep. She mumbled, "I wonder what is happening with Jane and her pregnancy."Sebastian's heart ached at the
Sabrina was so shaken that she didn't even know what she was saying. "You...Jane...Is that you, Jane?"Meanwhile, Jane's voice remained calm and gentle as she always had been. "I just want to tell you that it might take me a year or two to pay you back the ten thousand dollars you borrowed me, Sabrina."Sabrina immediately broke down in tears. "Don't...don't say anymore, Jane."She had not shed a single tear back when she was on the run, but she simply couldn't hold it in at that very moment. The hardship of having to watch your own back somewhere foreign with an unborn child, with no one to depend on, was something only Sabrina understood. Those days had been hell."I...I am doing fine," Jane reassured Sabrina."Jane...come back. I'll take care of you..."Jane cut her off and said, "My life has really become peaceful, peaceful and ordinary..."Jane, who called Sabrina at the time, had truly settled down with a place to stay at the very least. She and Noah were in the spacious f