Ch. 626..630
Chapter 626 Two days later. On this particular morning, Sylvia was spending time in the manor with the children.
Liam had become rather obsessed with reading recently. Additionally, he had been making a point of sticking close to Isabel ever since she had fallen into the water.
The little girl had so far been very obedient and no matter how excited she became while she was playing, she still made sure that she stayed near her brother. At the moment, the two siblings were sitting together. Liam was reading silently while Isabel was watching a cartoon on a tablet. Sylvia sat nearby as she carved away at a piece of wood in her hands. She planned on carving a piano figurine for Thomas. Over the past few days, he had bought all sorts of gifts for the children as well as Aunt Tonya. Even though she had agreed to allow Thomas to pursue her, she could not justify accepting all these gifts without giving anything in return. Suddenly, Isabel turned off the tablet and crawled over to her mother’s side. Laying her little chubby face against Sylvia’s arm, she muttered, “Mom, how long are we going to stay here?” This is the first time she had asked such a question since they moved here. Sylvia hesitated for a few seconds before forming an answer, “We might have to stay here for a while.” Isabel muttered, “Oh.”
Seeing the look of boredom on her little chubby face, she suggested, “Hey, do you want to go outside to play?” Isabel pursed his lips and stated, “No, | was just wondering how the baddie is doing.”
It was obvious that she missed Odell.
Sylvia frowned.
Liam who had been occupied with his book all this while suddenly looked up and gazed at Sylvia with his big and quiet eyes.
Sylvia fell silent for a while before saying, “He should be fine.”
He was the leader of the Carter Corporation and his influence enveloped the entirety of Westchester. There was no chance that he would not be doing fine.
Chances were that he was still very upset that she had taken the children away and was not able to see them. Still, she doubted that this would affect his life in any significant way. Besides, he still had Tara who was always at his beck and call.
“Oh, okay,” Isabel responded, although she still looked despondent. Sylvia gently caressed her hair and said softly, “Mommy will contact him later and ask how he’s doing, okay?” Isabel's eyes lit up, “Okay.”
Truth be told, there was no way she could contact Odell.
While the children were taking a nap, she took her phone out.
This was not her phone, but one that Thomas had lent her. Even the SIM card had been registered under someone else’s information as well.
Sylvia very rarely used this phone to make calls, search the Internet, or do anything along those lines.
Odell was easily the most famous person in Westchester, so news about him would be extremely easy to find on the Internet. She figured that she would be able to find some recent news concerning him.
She clicked into the browser and entered two keywords into the search bar: Odell Carter.
The page loaded and provided the search results. The first headline read: “Carter Corporation’s bad streak of poor investment continues. With the corporation facing its greatest crisis yet, will the young leader be able to steer the ship out of trouble?” 1 The article was very recent and was dated just yesterday.
Chapter 627 In other words, the crisis was still very much ongoing. Sylvia frowned and continued to scroll down.
Although she was not well versed with the intricacies of such situations, it was not hard to tell judging by these headlines that the Carter Corporation was facing a great crisis.
If not handled properly, it may very well be that the financial giant would face bankruptcy and collapse entirely.
While she was still intently reading the articles, another new post popped up on her screen.
She read the headline written in bold: Master Carter’s Drunken Fit at the Bar, is Carter Corporation Doomed to Collapse? Sylvia clicked on the link and saw that there was a picture right below the headline of the article.
It was a long-distance shot that looked like it had been stealthily taken. Upon zooming in, it could be seen that the picture was of a very low resolution. However, she instantly recognized the man in the picture as none other than Odell. He was sprawled out on the sofa with a bottle of liquor in his hand.
Sylvia was taken aback by what she saw.
Even though she could not see the expression on his face due to the blurriness of the picture, it was not difficult to recognize the disheveled state he was in.
She immediately recalled the time when Odell had been forced to deal with his stepmother and how he had been played by the vicious woman every step of the way. Even then, he had not faltered and used alcohol to cope with the situation.
To be precise, she had never seen him like this before.
He was someone who could handle anything, even if the sky were to crash mightily onto the earth. Why was he resorting to alcohol now?
Feeling a certain tightness in her chest, she glanced at Isabel and Liam who were both sleeping on the bed. They would be crushed to see their father in this state. After thinking about it, she went to the balcony and called Sherry.
It looked like the picture had been taken at Lush Heaven, which meant that Odell must have been drinking there last night. She knew that Sherry was always very well-informed and figured she would be the best person that she would be able to acquire information from. Perhaps the news outlet had merely exaggerated the news about the downfall of the Carter Corporation?
The call was answered within the first few rings. Sylvia greeted in a light whisper, “Sherry, it's me.” Sherry cried out enthusiastically the moment she heard Sylvia’s familiar voice, “Sylvia! Where
have you been? | couldn’t find you at all and your number was unavailable. Did something happen?”
Sylvia hurriedly reassured her, “I’m fine. I’m in a very safe place with my children. Everything is fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” “Then why weren’t my calls getting to you?”
“| wanted to cut off contact with Odell, that’s why...” Sylvia did not really want to talk about this. Instead, she quickly changed the topic and said, “Hey, | saw the news about Carter Corporation. Is it all true?”
Sherry sighed and expressed, “It’s all true. | heard that many problems came up in their major projects and their funding has essentially been cut off entirely. | don’t think there’s any way for Odell to recover from this. He might have to declare bankruptcy at any moment now.”
Sylvia felt as if a heavy weight was pressing on her. She took a moment to digest this information and asked again, “Is the news about him getting drunk last night true as well?”
“It's all true, he pretty much lives here now.” Sherry suddenly complained upon hearing mention of this, “Even with things as bad
as they are, he still insists on reserving the VIP room and spends pretty much all day and night here. Every day, | see him kicking his assistants out of the room in a fit of anger. If not for his bodyguards standing guard outside the room, | would have kicked him out a long time ago.
Sylvia pursed her lips, feeling at a loss for words.
After a while, Sherry probed, “Sylvia, why are you hiding your children from him? | thought you two got a peaceful divorce? Did something happen again?”
Sherry was her best friend, so Sylvia saw no reason to hide the truth from her. She told her everything, from the time that Odell had moved in as her neighbor, to the episode where Tara and her had gotten kidnapped, and finally to how Odell had chosen to save Tara while being held at gunpoint. Sherry cried out furiously upon hearing the events that had transpired, “What the hell! I'll kick his ass out of here right now!” Sylvia knew that Sherry was fully capable of doing precisely that and quickly tried to talk her out of it, “Sherry, calm down! I’m fine now, everything is alright.” Sherry was still seething with anger, “He, of all people, should know what kind of person Tara is. How could he have chosen her under such circumstances? Unbelievable!”
Sylvia was just as perplexed by the man’s line of reasoning. He was well aware of all the terrible things Tara had done and yet, he would not hold her accountable. This only showed what Tara meant to him. She was his muse, after all. 1
Despite his claims that he would cut off relations with Tara, it was clear that she still had a claim to his heart.
Chapter 628 After the call, Sylvia went back to bed and tried to nap with the children.
For some reason, she did not feel even the slightest hint of sleepiness. The only thing that continued to turn over in her mind was the picture she had seen on the Internet of Odell getting drunk
This was completely contradictory to everything that she knew of him so far. For someone as composed as him to resort to alcohol, the Carter Corporation must truly be facing an unprecedented crisis, the likes of which he could not navigate his way out of.
Sylvia rolled over with an irritated frown.
They were already divorced. Even if she were to put aside everything that happened between them in the past, the single episode where he had chosen to save Tara while being held at gunpoint himself should be enough to fortify Sylvia’s opinion that she had nothing to do with him anymore! She could not care less even if he died!
Despite that, she found herself in a turbulent, irritated state. Even after Liam and Isabel had both woken up, her mind was still in the same haphazard state.
When the children woke up, they were still drowsy from sleep. Isabel groggily burrowed herself into Sylvia’s arms while Liam pressed himself against her as well.
Sylvia sat up and took them both in her arms. She took a deep breath and inhaled their warm, soft scent, and found it to be very therapeutic. When it all came down to it, that man was their biological father. He had been a dutiful father to them and nobody could tell her otherwise. If not, Isabel who had once disdained him would not be talking about how much she missed him now.
Alarge part of her concern for him had to be because of her two little ones. When she thought about it this way, she felt a sense of relief. However, even by the time night time rolled around, she still could not fall asleep. She tossed and turned in her bed but she still did not feel tired. Putting on a robe, she went to the living room to make herself some soothing tea to help her sleep, when she bumped into Thomas who had just returned.
He was good-looking as ever and was wearing a black tuxedo that gave him a dignified air. His expression suddenly softened upon seeing Sylvia, “Why haven’t you gone to bed when it’s this late?”
“Can't sleep,” Sylvia answered and then returned with a question of her own, “Why are you coming back this late at night?”
“| was held up by something.” He drew closer to her as he said this and touched her head,” Let's have some supper together.” Sylvia was quite accustomed to his touch by now and answered with familiarity, “Alright.”
She was not going to sleep anytime soon anyway.
Thomas must have given advanced notice to the kitchen staff.
Shortly after they sat down, the chef presented them with their supper.
Sylvia ate with him.
After a while, a thought suddenly occurred to her and she remarked, “Thomas, I'd like to take Isabel and Liam out tomorrow.” Thomas paused and asked, “Where are you taking them?”
Sylvia answered him truthfully, “I want to take them to meet Odell.” Thomas looked at her, with the same unchanging expression in his eyes. Sylvia met his gaze and explained, “I saw the news today about the Carter Corporation’s troubles and | saw that he’s been drinking.”
“Are you worried about him?” He asked.
Sylvia promptly replied, “There’s no longer anything going on between us, but | can’t deny that he is the father of my children. | don’t want to see him wasting away like this. Maybe if he gets to see Isabel and Liam tomorrow, he might feel better and find the strength to pick himself back up.” “What about you?” “What about me?”
His brown eyes seemed to bore into her, “Do you want to meet him?”
Sylvia answered briskly, “No, there is no need for us to meet.”
She was not his true love. She was only taking the children to meet him because he was their father.
Thomas pursed his lips, “Okay, I'll take you there since I’m free tomorrow anyway.”
“You should rest at home. I'll just take a taxi.” Sylvia did not want to cause him any unnecessary inconvenience. Thomas frowned and his voice suddenly dropped by several pitches, “Do you still see me as an outsider?”
Sylvia quickly clarified, “No.”
Chapter 629
Thomas smiled as he insisted, “Then let me drive you there.” He had made the offer in such a tender, understanding way that Sylvia found that she could not refuse him.
In the end, she said, “Okay.”
The next morning when Sylvia told the kids that she was going to take them to see their father, Isabel jumped out of the bed and ran to brush her teeth and wash her face without any urging from Sylvia.
After breakfast, Sylvia took them to Thomas’ car. The car drove out of the district and headed towards the city.
News of Carter Corporation's recent troubles had been spreading like wildfire across Westchester. At this point, almost everyone had already known about it.
Meanwhile, at Lush Heaven.
Tara was holding a stack of documents as she frantically paced around the entrance. She had never imagined that something like this would happen to Carter Corporation. Neither had she ever expected that Odell would choose to wallow in his grief and wash it down with alcohol, while completely neglecting his responsibilities.
It was clear that he could not come up with any solution to address the crisis at hand.
It was only a matter of time until Carter Corporation toppled over and bankruptcy seemed to be looming on the horizon. When that happened, Odell would have to liquidate all the assets under his name to repay the debt.
She knew that the property in Lake Victoria Villa that he had given to her was still technically registered under his name. She had to get him to transfer the full ownership of the property to her before the Carters officially went down under. If not, the property would be liquidated in the process and she would be left with nothing.
Although she was genuinely fond of Odell, she did not see herself sticking it out with him through to the end with all that was happening. Carter Corporation was about to collapse and very soon, he would be left with nothing. Besides, he had been neglecting her recently anyway.
She made up her mind and went inside.
Shortly after, she found her way to the largest private room on the top floor.
There were two large and muscular men standing guard outside the door, who she quickly recognized as Odell’s bodyguards. She greeted them with a polite smile, “I want to see Odell, is he in there?”
Ben peered at her and answered stoically, “Master Carter is not receiving any visitors.” Tara silently cursed. This lapdog still dared to give her such an attitude when his owner was in such a state.
However, she kept the smile on her face and informed him, “I’m Tara Avery, Odell’s ex girlfriend. I’m sure you know who | am. I just need to have a few words with him, then I'll be gone before you know it. | won’t disturb him.”
She continued to clench the stack of documents in her hand as she said this.
Ben noticed the documents and assumed that it had to do with some important and official business. He exchanged a look with Jacob, who promptly pushed the door open and entered to speak with Odell. Soon, he emerged and informed Tara, “Miss, the young master says that you may enter.” Tara immediately pushed the door and stepped inside. The moment she stepped in, she felt the suffocating atmosphere in the room that was filled with the smell of alcohol.
She recognized Odell’s tall figure sprawled out on the sofa. He was unkempt and hardly reminiscent of his usual fastidiousness when it came to his looks. His collar was unbuttoned and even though the elegance of his posture remained, it was clear that he was not in a good state.
Upon noticing Tara enter, he lifted his eyelids and regarded her with his obsidian eyes. Tara called his name softly, “Odell.” “What did you come to see me about?” he asked. His voice was dull and heavy. Even in his haggard, rock-bottom state, Tara still felt an inexplicable sense of pressure when confronting him.
She clenched the documents in her hand and was suddenly filled with panic. She did not know how to broach the topic. Odell glanced at the documents in her hand. His sharp eyes instantly recognized the text on the front cover that read: Deed of Assignment. Was she here to offer some help in these troubling times by giving her property to him so he could weather the storm that was to come? Something gleamed in his eyes. He cleared his throat and stated, “I’m doing fine, don’t worry about me. Just go back if you have nothing else to tell me.” He had not stooped so low as to need to take her property from her.
Chapter 630 Odell’s voice was obviously much gentler compared to when Tara had just entered, so her nervousness immediately eased.
She thought about what had happened previously when she and Sylvia had been kidnapped and how he had chosen her between the two of them. It was a clear indicator that she still held an important place in his heart. Besides, it did not seem like he was going to punish her for what she had done to him in the past. Thus, she figured that he would probably not squabble over the rights to Lake Victoria Villa.
She took a deep breath and walked up to him, presenting the documents to him with bold hands.
Odell took them and briskly flipped through them. Most of the people who had come to visit him recently had all wanted something from him. Not a single person had come to express concern or to offer any help. He wondered what property Tara wanted to yield to him to help him out. That was when he flipped to the first page and the glaring words “Lake Victoria Villa” jumped out at him. His thick brows instantly furrowed into a frown, and the warmth in his eyes quickly evaporated. He remembered giving the property to her at one point. It was only that he had not sorted out the legal procedures of transferring it to her yet.
He read the following lines and immediately understood what this was about. 11
She was not here to offer him help by way of the Deed of Assignment. Just like every other person who had approached him in the past few days, she was here to seize the chance to claim Lake Victoria Villa for herself before he declared bankruptcy. She wanted him to give her the property and name her as the legal owner. His hand stiffened and he turned up to look at her. She crossed her arms in front of her body as if to protect herself from something. There was a sort of meek and tender look on her face. It was the same look as she had in the past whenever she promised Odell that she would stick by his side through thick and thin for the rest of her life.
However, now that he was about to go bankrupt, she had come to him not to offer him comfort or help, but to demand the rights to his property.
Odell suddenly remembered that rainy night from more than a decade ago.
He remembered the way she had disregarded her safety and helped him shake off the brutes who had been after his life. He also remembered how she had saved him and stayed the whole night with him.
Back to the present, it was as if this was a completely different person from ten years ago. He could no longer recognize her.
Tara spoke softly, “Odell, I’m sorry, | didn’t want to do this either. I’ve just been worrying that they will take this property away when something happens to you. If you sign this now and transfer the house to my name, it will at the very least keep their hands off the place so that when you need a place to stay, you can come to me. | promise you that | will take you in without any questions.”
If it had been at any other time, Odell would have believed her. However, everyone who had come to him lately had pretty much said something along those lines as well.
Forget it. After all, he had promised the property to her a long time ago anyway. He understood that she was no longer the same person who had saved him on that fateful day during his youth.
He motioned, “Give me the pen.”
Tara’s eyes lit up and she immediately handed him a pen.
A
Odell swiftly signed his name on the paper. After ensuring that he had given his signature, she immediately stuffed the documents back into her bag. He lay back on the sofa without looking at her again. She gazed at him. Even in this disheveled
state, he was still very handsome. She suddenly offered, “Odell, since this ring belonged to your mother, | think | should give it back to you.”
She had gotten someone to appraise this ring and found that it was only an ordinary sapphire. Its value was not even remotely close to a diamond. She deemed that there was no use in her keeping it so she might as well give it back to him as a gesture of goodwill. Who knows? Maybe he would turn the situation around later on, then she would still be in his good grace and could come back to him.
She took the sapphire ring out of her pocket. “Put it on the table.” Odell said with indifference Tara set the ring on the table, then she walked out with the purse containing the signed documents. 1
Meanwhile, a white car made a turn at the junction and swerved into the parking lot of Lush Heaven.
It had been a long drive here and Isabel had fallen asleep halfway through the journey. Sylvia gently tapped her arm to wake her up, “We're here, Isabel, wake up.” 2 She had only been taking a brief nap so she woke up relatively quickly.
She rubbed her eyes and looked outside while mumbling drowsily, “Mommy, isn’t this Aunty Sherry’s place? Is Baddie here?” 1
“Yeah, he’s here, let’s go.” “Uh-huh,”