Married At First Sight Chapter 3631
Chapter 3631
In the next room, Serenity waited until Sonny left before saying some kind words to Zachary.
Zachary said, “Honey, you and Sonny stay at Johnson’s house, have fun, and don’t worry about anything. When I’m done, I’ll come pick you both up and take you home.”
Serenity replied, “You look tired. You should get some good rest and delegate tasks to others. Don’t try to do everything yourself—it’s exhausting. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can keep staying up late. It will age you prematurely and harm your health, increasing the risk of something serious happening.”
She added, “Zachary, remember, you’re not just a man anymore. You’re going to be a father. The baby and I are waiting for you to come back home.”
Zachary smiled gently, “I know, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful and take care of myself. I didn’t say it before, but now, I’ll definitely think about you and the baby. Just relax and wait for me to pick you and Sonny up to celebrate the New Year.”
Serenity looked at him for a moment and then said, “You should go to bed early. From now on, don’t call me after 10:30 p.m. It’s not that it disrupts my sleep, but it’s affecting your rest. You’re tired, staying up late, and waking up early. You’re not getting enough sleep. I’ve noticed you don’t seem as energetic as before. Sometimes you don’t even shave, and you look older.”
Zachary instinctively touched his chin, feeling the stubble. He hadn’t shaved recently.
He then touched his face again and asked his beloved wife over the video call, “Honey, do I really look old? I’m only in my early thirties—am I aging? I’ve always taken care of myself and used men’s skincare products regularly. Do I have gray hair? Am I aging prematurely? You’ll have to take good care of me when I get back.”
Serenity smiled, “I’m just teasing. You’re still so handsome, you could charm a truckload of girls. You’re the kind of handsome guy everyone loves. No gray hair. I’ll take care of you when you come back. Mom made some nourishing soup for me; you can share it with me. But it seems like you’ve lost a little weight since your business trip. You gained two pounds from all that soup, but now you’ve lost it again.”
Zachary touched his waist and belly, still satisfied with his fit, model-like physique.
“Don’t get too fat, just stay as you are. If you get too fat, you’ll lose your looks, and I might not like that. Being fat can ruin everything. My body will change after giving birth, and I might gain some weight. I just hope you won’t dislike me then. But how could I dislike you unless you become a 300-pound man? Then I might have second thoughts.”
Zachary smiled, “To me, you’ll always be the most beautiful. In the eyes of a lover, every woman is a beauty. You’re not just my wife—you’re my lover. You’re my one and only, so to me, you’ll always be beautiful. I’ll also take care of myself, stay handsome, and keep my gentlemanly demeanor, so no one will dare to covet you or try to take you from me.”
Serenity smiled, “Who would try to take me from you? It seems like you don’t have any rivals. In Wiltspoon, everyone knows I’m your wife, and they know you, Zachary, are not someone to mess with. Only a man with nothing better to do and a desire for bankruptcy would dare look at me twice.”
“Who would dare covet my wife?” Zachary immediately said, full of confidence.
Married At First Sight Chapter 3632
Chapter 3632
Serenity responded, “No one dares to covet your wife, but plenty of people are interested in my husband.”
Zachary did have some admirers, but no one dared show it anymore, knowing the couple had a strong relationship, and they couldn’t replace Serenity.
Still, some people weren’t willing to give up, hoping Serenity would fall out of favor and be kicked out of the York family by Zachary.
The more vicious ones even wished for a difficult childbirth for Serenity, hoping both she and the baby would die.
Serenity knew some women admired her husband and hoped she wouldn’t live a good life.
If they didn’t say it outright, she would pretend not to know. After all, the better and happier she lived, the more jealous they would be.
“…Honey, it’s late. You should go to bed. If you don’t, our baby will be the one who suffers.”
Zachary, who was feeling a bit down, quickly changed the subject and urged Serenity to sleep. But he didn’t really want to end the video call.
Eventually, Serenity hung up.
After putting down her phone, Serenity touched her belly and spoke to the baby, “Your dad is still hiding something from me. Even if it’s well-intentioned, he’s still lying.”
After a moment of silence, she added, “Baby, we can’t blame your dad. He’s doing it for our sake. Right now, for you, I shouldn’t take any risks. Everyone who loves you doesn’t want me to take any risks. Do you think Dad and the others will come back safely?”
The baby moved as she touched her belly, as if responding to her.
After feeling the baby’s kick, Serenity stopped touching her belly, not wanting to get the baby too excited, which could disturb their sleep.
Instead of resting right away, she went to the next room to check on the two children. When she opened the door, she found Jane there too.
They smiled at each other. Jane said, “I came to see if the little ones kicked off their blankets. Sonny is sleeping soundly, but Titus is still copying the medical book.”
Serenity looked at Sonny in bed, seeing that he was asleep and covered with a blanket. She then walked over to Jane.
“Titus is copying the medical book?”
Serenity looked closer. Titus’s handwriting was rough—typical for a young child just learning to write.
At first, the writing was neat, but as he went on, he seemed to get tired or impatient. After all, he was only three or four years old, so his patience was limited.
As a result, his handwriting became crooked, and some words were even unrecognizable.
Jane asked, “Did the senior genius doctor ask him to copy it, or was it Dr. Carden?”
“My master asked me to copy it. She told me to do one or two pages every day, and I still have a lot left to finish.” Titus’s hands were tired, and he was yawning frequently, looking sleepy.
He gave Jane a pleading look.
Serenity looked at the content he was supposed to copy. It wasn’t much for an adult, but for a three or four-year-old, it was a lot.
However, since Titus was Lilian’s apprentice and Jane’s adopted son, whether he could rest or not was up to Jane and Lilian, so Serenity didn’t interfere.
“Go wash your hands and use the bathroom, then go to bed and rest. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Dr. Carden’s master and ask if you can copy just half a page. You don’t need to do so much. When you’re older, you can copy more.”
Jane felt that the children, who had been in school for several months, should be able to enjoy their winter break. At three or four years old, they should be allowed to have fun.
Married At First Sight Chapter 3633
Chapter 3633
Dr. Carden wanted Titus to copy some books, but she shouldn’t make him do too much so it doesn’t interfere with his rest and playtime.
Children should be happy during the holidays. As they grow older, their carefree time gets shorter, their schoolwork becomes heavier, and they have less time to play.
Titus asked worriedly, “Mom, will the master listen to you? My master isn’t home, and the senior master usually follows what she says.”
Jane reassured him, “Dr. Carden’s master will listen. After all, you’re still my son. No matter how strict Dr. Carden’s master is, he still has to consider the parents’ opinions. Now, go to bed. Tomorrow, after breakfast, copy the book for an hour, then you can play with Sonny. In the afternoon, after your lunch break, copy for another hour, and you’ll have the rest of the day to play. Copy for one more hour in the evening. That way, you’ll copy for three hours a day but spread out the time. Don’t play all day and then try to copy at night; otherwise, you’ll be up past midnight.”
Titus said, “Master only asked me to copy today. Maybe she doesn’t want me playing too much with my friends since the other masters have gone home and she has no one to spend time with.”
Jane laughed and said, “Your master asked you to copy the book to keep you focused, not just to stop you from playing. She wants you to balance work and rest. After the New Year, when you’re back in school, you’ll be able to concentrate better.”
“Don’t think badly of your master’s father. They’re like parents to you. If they weren’t there to protect you, neither Mommy Jane nor your Uncle Ben could protect you either.”
Titus quickly admitted, “Mom, I was wrong. I won’t think badly of my master’s father again.”
Jane gently touched his head, “Go to sleep.”
Titus went to the bathroom, then came out and said to Jane and Serenity, “Good night, Mommy. Good night, Aunt Seren.”
“Good night,” they both replied.
Titus was really tired. He’d had fun playing with Sonny all day, and copying the book made him even more exhausted. He got into bed and fell asleep in less than two minutes.
Jane walked over, tucked him in, and turned off the bedroom light, leaving only the bathroom light on. The dim light helped create a soothing atmosphere, making the room just bright enough so the children wouldn’t be scared if they woke up during the night.
Jane and Serenity quietly left the children’s room together.
Jane asked with concern, “Are you having trouble adjusting to staying at my house? You’ve been staying up late since you got here and waking up early.”
Serenity softly replied, “No, it’s just that I don’t do much during the day. I take long naps, so I’m not that sleepy at night. Sonny wanted to wait for my sister’s video call, so I stayed up with him, and it got late.
My sister is busy during the day and doesn’t have time until late at night. I didn’t reach her tonight, so I just talked to my husband.
I wake up early because the baby in my belly is so active. It kicks me at dawn. I think when he’s born, he’ll be an early riser.”
Jane smiled, “When the baby is too young, it’s better to let a nanny help. If you do it all yourself, it will really wear you out and affect your sleep. My husband and I often take care of our kids ourselves, and it’s exhausting. Especially when Ben has to work during the day, sometimes we just let the nanny take over for a few nights.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 3634
Chapter 3634
“But Ben wasn’t too happy about that. As soon as he got home from work, if he didn’t see the kids, he felt empty inside. Even if the nanny was taking care of them, he couldn’t sleep. When he heard the kids crying, he’d get up and check on them.
He was worried the nanny wouldn’t take good care of the kids. After less than two nights, he brought the kids back to our room, and they’ve stayed with us ever since. But it’s better now. The kids are a little older; they still sleep during the day, but not as much, and they don’t mix up day and night anymore.”
Serenity said, “I’m only having one baby. I think my husband and I can handle it ourselves. I also plan to take care of the baby myself. When the child can walk and run, I’ll let the nanny help.”
Before the baby turns one, Serenity wanted to take care of it herself. Even though the nanny at home was careful and kind, she still felt more comfortable doing it on her own.
Serenity added, “When Zachary has free time, he reads parenting books to prepare himself for being a father.”
Jane smiled, “Just like Ben used to do.”
No wonder Ben and Zachary, despite not interacting much, trusted each other deeply, and the business between their groups kept growing.
They were similar in many ways.
The two young women exchanged smiles, each appreciating the happiness in the other’s life.
Whether it was Zachary or Ben, they were both exceptional men, leading their families with care and dedication.
Despite their busy lives, they didn’t neglect their families. They tried their best to be responsible fathers and husbands.
As their wives, Jane and Serenity felt incredibly fortunate. It was no surprise that so many women envied their lives.
“Get some sleep. Good night.”
“Good night.”
After wishing each other good night, Jane and Serenity went back to their rooms to rest.
Meanwhile, Kathryn, far away in Jensburg, was still awake in the middle of the night.
Kathryn had turned off the room’s main lights, leaving only the bedside lamp on.
She took her phone and started messaging Pedro, lowering the notification volume as if afraid someone might hear.
It was late at night, and any small sound could be easily noticed by Clarissa.
Clarissa had returned, and Holden was allowed to stay for a while.
As Clarissa said, “It’s almost the New Year, and the family should be together.”
But she hadn’t let her two daughters-in-law bring the children back; they were still in Holden’s hometown.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Erika, who hadn’t divorced yet, was at her mother’s house, and Marco’s children were living with their mother at their grandparents’ house.
Clarissa didn’t send anyone to bring her in-laws back, nor did she go to Erika to apologize for her son.
It seemed she didn’t care whether her son and daughter-in-law divorced. If Erika wanted to divorce, she could go ahead.
Clarissa felt overwhelmed with her own problems and didn’t have the energy or focus to deal with Marco’s issues.
Strictly speaking, she felt guilty towards Erika. She had chosen all three daughters-in-law for her sons but allowed them to develop their own relationships. They only married when they were ready.
Who would have thought all three sons would cheat after getting married?
As the saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Even Holden, despite his age, had cheated.
Kathryn asked Pedro, “Can we find out where Mr. Dunn hides his gun? I don’t know where my mother’s gun is hidden. I’ve searched the whole mansion and couldn’t find it.”
If they could find the hidden gun and have the police seize it, Clarissa and Mr. Dunn might go to jail, but at least they wouldn’t die.
Kathryn wasn’t at the company when the police took Clarissa and Mr. Dunn away for questioning, but she was the first to find out. She had then asked Pedro to investigate.
Married At First Sight Chapter 3635
Chapter 3635
Pedro responded to Kathryn, “If we start investigating now, we probably won’t find much because there’s just not enough time.”
“Madam Farrell has asked the butler to visit the Queen family to invite Mrs. Stone and others for dinner tomorrow night. She’s also invited some skilled members of the clan. If she’s planning anything, it’ll likely happen during that dinner.”
This family dinner hosted by Clarissa was different from the first one.
The first time, Liberty was invited, and Kevin and Hayden showed up. Although Clarissa had plans to get rid of Liberty during the event, she failed.
Since then, even though Clarissa and Liberty had crossed paths multiple times, she never invited Liberty back to the Farrell mansion.
This time, a lot of influential figures from Wiltspoon came, many from major wealthy families. They were there to support Liberty.
Liberty’s company had been backed by these powerful families from the start. They invested heavily, ensuring Liberty could compete with the Farrell Group.
Was it Liberty’s skills alone that allowed her new company to take business from Farrell Group? No—it was the strength of the families behind her.
Seeing her strong backers, others felt confident in partnering with Liberty’s company, knowing it wouldn’t go under. This led them to abandon the Farrell Group in favor of Liberty.
Without this support, Liberty’s business would’ve likely been crushed by the Farrell Group before it even had a chance to grow.
Now, these powerful people were here not only to support Liberty but also to seek justice for the death of the previous matriarch. The group that gathered was full of important players.
By inviting them to this dinner, Clarissa might be planning to eliminate them all at once. The skilled members of the Farrell Group were also invited, perhaps so Clarissa could use the opportunity to get rid of them, too.
If her plan worked, Liberty would no longer be a competitor for Kathryn, and there would be no one left in the clan capable of opposing her. Kathryn could then take over as matriarch from her mother without resistance.
Pedro continued, “Miss, we shouldn’t get involved in this. Even if we try, we won’t find anything, and it could provoke Madam Farrell, which wouldn’t be good for you. You need to be cautious—Madam Farrell might target you before the dinner even begins.”
Kathryn replied, “I understand. I’m prepared.”
Kathryn knew exactly what kind of person her mother was.
Though her mother didn’t want her involved too deeply, Kathryn was still her daughter. If her mother had committed crimes like killing her two aunts and hiding illegal weapons, Kathryn couldn’t completely distance herself.
Even if she didn’t end up in jail, her reputation and future would be tarnished.
Her mother had already arranged an escape route for her, with Pedro set to take her out of Jensburg.
But Kathryn wasn’t willing to leave like that. She wanted to wait until everything was settled and leave openly, not in secret.
She was ready to face whatever consequences were coming and wouldn’t run away.
“Did you find out what was in the drug?”
Pedro answered, “Most of it is made of sleeping pills and cartilage powder. These are the main ingredients. They were probably tested at the hospital, but the doctor never revealed the results. When asked, he just said they weren’t ready yet.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 3636
Chapter 3636
Kathryn knew right away that Clarissa must have threatened the doctor.
With Clarissa’s way of handling things, it was exactly what she would do.
“Mr. Fraser, what do you think my mother will do to me tomorrow? Drug me again? Knock me out?”
Pedro stayed silent. He could imagine many possibilities, but he didn’t know exactly what Clarissa would choose.
Kathryn didn’t press him further. Clarissa was unpredictable, and Pedro wasn’t her assistant, so he couldn’t know her plans ahead of time.
“It’s late. You should get some rest. I’ll try to sleep too.”
Kathryn sent a message to Pedro, telling him to rest.
She placed her phone on the bedside table and turned off the lamp. But her mind was racing, and no matter how much she tossed and turned, she couldn’t fall asleep.
She didn’t know how long she’d been awake, but eventually, she sat up.
She turned the lamp back on, checked the time—it was past four in the morning.
Since sleep wasn’t coming, she decided to get up. She grabbed her coat, slipped on her shoes, and quietly left the room.
The house was silent.
Everyone was still asleep, even the servants, who didn’t start work until around six.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, Kathryn moved carefully, walking lightly as she headed to the stairs and went downstairs.
She didn’t turn on the lights, using her phone as a flashlight instead. Turning on the lights would’ve been too bright and might have woken up her family.
When she reached the first floor, she relaxed a bit, figuring the sound of her footsteps wouldn’t travel upstairs.
She walked across the hall, heading for the door. But just as she reached it, before she could open it, she heard her mother’s voice behind her.
“Kathryn, where are you going in the middle of the night?”
Startled, Kathryn turned around and saw Clarissa sitting on the sofa.
She hadn’t noticed her mother there earlier—how had she missed her?
“Mom, I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d go for a walk.”
“It’s not the middle of the night, it’s after four in the morning. In two hours, it’ll be daylight.” Clarissa stood up. “You’re young and already losing sleep? Must be something on your mind. I’m the same when I can’t stop thinking about things.”
Clarissa walked over.
Kathryn watched as her mother approached.
Clarissa unlocked the front door with her key and said, “Since neither of us can sleep, I’ll join you for some fresh air.”
Kathryn asked, “Mom, why can’t you sleep? Do you need to see a doctor? I’ll be fine; I’ll catch up on sleep during the day.”
Clarissa had kept Kathryn from going back to work, leaving her with little to do. Sleeping in was just what Clarissa wanted.
“It’s normal for older people to sleep less. No need for a doctor.” Clarissa paused, then added with a sarcastic smile, “I didn’t expect you to still care about me. I thought you didn’t see me as your mother anymore, that you didn’t care about me at all.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 3637
Chapter 3637
Kathryn was mocked by Clarissa, but her expression remained unchanged. She said, “You’re my mother, of course I care about you. No matter how you treat me, I will always care.”
Clarissa responded, “How have I treated you badly? Haven’t I been good to you? If you weren’t my biological daughter, based on what you’ve done, you wouldn’t deserve to live, even if you had nine lives like a cat.”
Kathryn replied, “Yes, Mom, I should thank you for not killing me.”
Clarissa couldn’t help but slap Kathryn on the arm.
“Ouch.” Kathryn deliberately screamed in pain, then covered the spot where Clarissa slapped her and squatted down.
Her reaction startled Clarissa.
Staring at Kathryn, Clarissa said, “I just slapped you, could I have broken your arm? You’re screaming so loudly, like a pig being slaughtered.”
“It hurts! It hurts so much!” Kathryn exclaimed.
She didn’t respond further, just kept holding the spot and crying out in pain.
Clarissa paused for a moment, then squatted down to check. “Even if I hit you a little harder, I couldn’t break your arm with one slap, and I haven’t practiced martial arts.”
Kathryn said, “You may not think your slap was that strong, but it really hurt me.”
“How can it hurt when you’re wearing such a thick coat?” Clarissa was skeptical, but still took off Kathryn’s coat and pushed up her sleeves to check.
The spot where Clarissa had slapped Kathryn was slightly red.
Despite this small mark, Kathryn screamed loudly, clearly doing it on purpose.
Clarissa twisted Kathryn’s arm again, this time with real force, making Kathryn scream like a pig once more.
“I told you not to lie to me,” Clarissa scolded. “If I don’t twist it redder, it wouldn’t match those pig-like screams of yours.”
Standing up, she tossed Kathryn’s coat back to her. “Put it on, don’t catch a cold.”
Kathryn stood up, put on her coat, and said, “Mom, you’re so cruel, twisting my arm that hard—it hurts so much.”
Clarissa snorted twice, left her, and walked out.
After putting on her coat, Kathryn quickly followed. Once the mother and daughter left the house, a few people upstairs peeked down the stairs.
It was Holden and his three sons.
Kathryn’s loud, pig-like screams had woken them from their sleep.
Thinking something had happened, the four of them rushed out to see what was going on. Once they realized it was just the mother and daughter, they silently agreed not to go downstairs, instead hiding and watching from afar.
They didn’t dare to peek until the two had gone outside.
“It’s not even dawn yet, why did Mom take Kathryn outside? Did she… tormented her?” Sage muttered.
As soon as he finished, the others stared at him.
Sage rubbed his sleepy eyes. “Why are you all looking at me?”
“You’re an idiot,” Marco said to Sage. “Mom has tormented all of us, but she wouldn’t lay a finger on Kathryn. Didn’t you see what happened? If any of us tried to fool Mom like that, she’d kick us into the corner.”
“Would she even bother checking if we were actually hurt?”
“Didn’t Kathryn get twisted pretty hard? She used a lot of force.”
Marco replied, “That’s nothing. Mom’s a martial artist. Even though she’s older, her strength is still greater than most people’s. If she kicked us, we’d be in pain for ten days to half a month. Kathryn got twisted once, and the pain probably lasted less than two minutes.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 3638
Chapter 3638Clarissa always showed favoritism, preferring girls over boys. What could her three sons do about it? After all, they were born into the Farrell family.
Even their daughters didn’t hold much importance to Clarissa. The only child she really cared about was the daughter Kathryn would have in the future, who she believed would be her true successor.
If Marco didn’t rely on the Farrell family and the Farrell Group for his living, he would have wished for chaos within the family. Maybe then, they could change those frustrating family rules.
In most families, men were in charge. But in the Farrell family, it was the opposite—the women ruled.
“Dad, what do you think Mom and Kathryn are doing up so early? If they’re just going for a walk, it’s too early. It’s freezing outside. Aren’t they cold?”
The yard didn’t have heating like the house did.
Although it wasn’t snowing, the temperature was still low.
The people from Wiltspoon rarely went outside unless they had to for business, because they couldn’t handle the cold.
Holden replied, “Are you sure your mother and sister got up early? Maybe they didn’t sleep at all.”
“Your mother didn’t go to bed until very late last night. She eventually turned off the lights in the hall, but she didn’t go upstairs. I listened for any sounds from her room.”
Clarissa had allowed Holden to stay at the Farrell mansion for a while, saying it was important for the family to be together for the New Year. But Holden no longer shared a room with Clarissa; he stayed in a guest room next to hers.
He felt like a guest in his own home. He didn’t even want to come back to live there. He was comfortable living at his son’s house, where no one knew about his shame, and everyone treated him with respect.
At his son’s house, he still felt like a person.
But being back at the Farrell mansion brought back memories of his humiliating later years. Holden feared Clarissa had called him back to die with her.
He knew Clarissa couldn’t win against Audrey and the others. Based on his knowledge of her, Clarissa wouldn’t let Audrey and her group live in peace, even if she couldn’t defeat them. She would go to any extreme, even if it meant dragging everyone down with her. If she couldn’t have it, no one could.
That’s how she was—willing to do anything to achieve her goals, even if it meant killing her own sister who had raised her.
Now that she was older and only had one daughter, she tolerated Kathryn. If she were thirty years younger, she wouldn’t have. She would have killed Kathryn and had another child.
When she gave birth to Kathryn, she was already in her early forties. If she were younger, around forty, she could still have more children.
Now, at seventy, she could no longer have kids, so she tolerated Kathryn repeatedly.
Marco’s two younger brothers exchanged looks but didn’t say anything.
Their mother and sister had stayed up all night. What had they been talking about?
Now they were out again. What were they up to?
Both women were hiding something from the brothers, and it frustrated them.
Holden looked at his three sons seriously. “When morning comes, don’t worry about anything else—just follow Kathryn. Wherever she goes, you go.”
If Clarissa decided to do something extreme, she wouldn’t harm Kathryn. She would make sure Kathryn survived.
Clarissa might not care about her three sons, but Holden did.
His three sons were the Janzen family bloodline. Even though they had gone back to the Janzen family’s old home for New Year’s, Clarissa didn’t call them back. But Holden still did everything he could to protect his sons’ lives.
The three brothers looked at Holden in confusion.
Married At First Sight Chapter 3639-3640
Chapter 3639
“Dad, why?” Marco asked.
Holden lowered his voice. “Your mother wants to invite people from Wiltspoon to dinner. Do you think that’s a good idea? Even if she’s trying to do something good, they won’t accept it. They’re set on getting revenge for the previous matriarch.”
Noel added, “They can only suspect that Mom was involved in the previous matriarch’s death, but they have no proof.”
“They’re people of status,” Holden replied. “They wouldn’t do anything without evidence. If they did, they’d risk jail. They have more to lose.”
Sage nodded in agreement.
Marco said thoughtfully, “I heard the previous matriarch’s assistant has returned. He’s almost a hundred years old and still alive. He’s back in Jensburg and knows a lot about what happened. This isn’t simple. Plus, someone reported that Mr. Dunn had a private gun. Mom can’t escape this. He’s her assistant, loyal only to her. No one else can command him. Dad, do you really not know if Mom has a gun?”
Holden sighed. “I really don’t know. Your mother never discusses things with me. The only thing she talked to me about was the marriages of our three sons. She doesn’t trust me enough to tell me anything else.”
Holden’s expression darkened. Despite his past mistakes, he genuinely wanted to build a good life with Clarissa when they were young. But Clarissa was always so strict with him, always suspicious. No matter how much he did for her, she never trusted him, even though they had been married for decades and had four children together.
To Clarissa, Holden was just a means to have children. If medical technology back then had allowed women to have babies through IVF without marriage, Clarissa probably wouldn’t have even needed Holden.
Eventually, Holden grew tired but didn’t have the courage to act on it. He sought emotional support elsewhere, though he never thought of divorcing Clarissa. He had invested too much in the marriage to walk away. He planned to stay until Kathryn became the matriarch, hoping his patience would pay off.
But when Kathryn was replaced, his feelings shifted. He loved Shiloh as much as he loved Clarissa. He wanted to build a deep father-daughter bond with Shiloh, believing that when she became the matriarch, his standing in the Farrell family would improve. But fate wasn’t on his side.
The daughter he had loved for over 20 years, Shiloh, wasn’t his biological child. Kathryn, his real daughter, had grown up in the countryside and was already in her twenties when she returned. It was too late to form a close bond. Holden had given all his fatherly love to Shiloh and couldn’t easily accept Kathryn. He couldn’t even pretend to.
Kathryn, in turn, remained distant from Holden, despite being her biological father.
Holden felt as if fate had struck him hard, forcing him to face reality. He realized he couldn’t rely on Kathryn in his old age. Thankfully, he still had his three sons. As long as they were doing well, he could still enjoy a good life, with food, drink, and the joy of grandchildren.
But that cruel woman, knowing the danger, still called him and his three sons back. Did she want them all to die with her?
How vicious can she be?
Chapter 3640
Holden silently cursed Clarissa, but he knew he had to come back.
As long as Clarissa was alive and still the matriarch, if she told him to go east, he would go east; if she told him to go west, he wouldn’t dare go north. Even if tonight’s banquet was filled with danger, he had to face it with her.
Holden said, “Tonight’s dinner is definitely filled with danger. You three should stay close to Kathryn. I can ensure your safety. Your mother won’t let anything happen to her only daughter, so she’ll make sure Kathryn is protected. Stick with Kathryn, and I guarantee you’ll be safe.”
Marco frowned, “Dad, that’s just your guess. We’re all your sons. If there’s real danger, why would Mom call us all back? Don’t overthink it.”
Holden glared at Marco, “You never listen to me. If you had, and gone back to our Janzen family, I wouldn’t have to worry tonight. Now, you still won’t listen.
Your mother despises me. She usually doesn’t even want to see me, and suddenly she asks me to move back. Do you really think it’s just for the family to be together for the New Year? Why hasn’t she called all your siblings back?”
“Even if your mother plans to take me with her when she dies, I’ll come back. I’m over seventy; I’ve lived long enough. I want to see what Mr. Jimenez, who has occupied your mother’s heart all these years, looks like.”
Mr. Jimenez had always been better than Holden, holding a place in Clarissa’s heart for decades.
Now, everyone was old, but Mr. Jimenez still had a special place in Clarissa’s heart.
If the people from Wiltspoon have evidence, tonight’s dinner will be explosive. Holden wanted to see how Clarissa would feel when Mr. Jimenez, along with others, accused her of killing her sisters to gain power.
Being accused and despised by the man she loved most would hurt more than death.
How could Holden miss such a spectacle?
“Anyway, listen to me. If you don’t, don’t regret it if something happens,” Holden said before leaving his three sons and returning to his guest room.
He turned on the light, walked to the bed, and sat down. Glancing at the bedside table, he saw the family photo he kept there.
He picked up the photo frame and took out a hidden picture behind the family portrait.
It was their wedding photo, taken when he and Clarissa got married. Most photos from that time were black and white, and he had kept this one in perfect condition.
But Clarissa had never kept their wedding photos.
After they married, Holden wanted to hang their wedding photo in their room, but Clarissa wouldn’t allow it.
There wasn’t a single wedding photo in the entire house.
Holden knew she didn’t care for it. So, he kept the wedding photos himself, holding onto them for decades.
But what did it matter?
Someone who didn’t love him never would.
Now, Mr. Jimenez was back. He came back to kill Holden and destroy all his cherished memories.
Holden opened a drawer, took out a lighter, and lit the wedding photo of him and Clarissa.
Their relationship had ended when Clarissa caught him cheating and gave him an ultimatum. Their marriage was over, but they stayed together for the sake of interests, children, and grandchildren.
Or maybe, there was never really a relationship at all—just his own wishful thinking.
He burned the photo. Even though he had treasured it for a lifetime, he was never the one in Clarissa’s heart.