Ch. 641..645
Chapter 641
Sylvia ruffled his hair and asked, “Liam, why are you standing here?”
“No reason.” Liam looked at her and said, “Mommy, Uncle is here.”
“Alright, let's go downstairs,” she said while taking Liam's hand.
Liam peered at her face and noticed the dark, heavy circles under her eyes, sharp evidence of her lack of sleep.
He reflected that he should have never let Isabel go downstairs. It must have been her shouts that woke up their mother. He made a subtle, silent frown and restored the cool, stoic expression on his face shortly after.
They arrived in the living room.
Thomas was seated on the couch in the living room while the enamored Isabel was sitting on his lap and seemed very delighted to see him. “Uncle, drink some tea and have some snacks. Don't be shy.”
Thomas smiled faintly.
Aunt Tonya, who was busy pouring him tea, was similarly amused by Isabel playing host and chuckled heartily. Sylvia took Liam to them and greeted Thomas with a smile, “Thomas, why are you here at this hour?”
“| brought Aunt Tonya here.” He looked at her tenderly and added, “And I’ve come to see you.
Sylvia could feel her face burning with embarrassment.
Aunt Tonya snickered upon witnessing this scene, then she turned to Isabel and Liam. “Isabel, Liam, | brought you two something tasty to eat. It’s outside. Could you kids come with me to
get it?” The moment she heard that there were tasty treats, Isabel sprung to action. “Alright!” She immediately hopped out of Thomas’ arms and strutted to Aunt Tonya.
Liam remained quiet the entire time. He gaped at Thomas with his large eyes, then at Sylvia before silently strutting over to Isabel. After that, the pair went off with Aunt Tonya and exited the living room.
It was just Sylvia and Thomas left in the living room.
Thomas got up and approached her. He gently brushed the corner of her eyes, the warmth of his fingers seemed to seep through. “You have bags under your eyes. Did you get any sleep last night?”
Sylvia blinked several times and replied, “I slept well. Maybe | just dreamt too much.”
Since she had broken things off with Odell, she saw no need to mention the sapphire ring.
Thomas did not press the issue and switched the topic. “I bought your favorite breakfast while
| was on the way here. Let's eat.”
Sylvia answered pleasantly, “Okay.” Shortly after, Aunt Tonya returned with the children. They were carrying large bags of food. The containers did very little to contain the delicious aroma of the food within them.
Sylvia gulped hungrily. Then she made Thomas sit and eat breakfast with her.
While they were enjoying their merry breakfast, a phone suddenly rang and interrupted their moment.
Thomas took out his phone and glanced at it, then he turned to Sylvia. “I need to answer this. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright.” With the phone in hand, he walked to the yard outside the living room. Sylvia paid no attention to this and continued enjoying her breakfast with Aunt Tonya and the children.
Meanwhile, Thomas’ expression immediately transformed the moment he stepped past the threshold of the living room. A sharp, icy look seized his expression, giving him a completely different and even intimidating presence.
It was his assistant calling. His assistant reported dutifully, “Second Master, it’s nothing but chaos inside the Carter Corporation now. It’s the perfect storm for you to take over. Do you want to...?”
Thomas peered at Sylvia who was eating merrily in the living room and declared, “No. Follow the original plan. Destroy Carter Corporation.”
The assistant tried to persuade him. “Second Master, Carter Corporation is a big deal. If you can take over now, not only will you fulfill your mother’s wishes, but there’s a lot you can gain from it too...”
Thomas frowned sternly. “Just do as | say.”
The assistant recognized the sharpness in his voice that was not to be opposed. He took a deep breath and answered, “Alright, | understand.”
Thomas hung up the phone immediately and looked at Sylvia in the living room again.
She was occupied with the meal at the table. She would also dart the occasional glance at Isabel and Liam, and every time she looked at them, a wonderful smile would grace the corner of her lips.
Asoft, endearing look appeared in Thomas’ eyes. He smiled and went back to the living room.
If he had seized Carter Corporation right now, she would easily make out the connections between him and the recent crisis that befell Carter Corporation. It took so much for him to get to this point with her, so he could not risk letting her discover his involvement with what was happening
Chapter 642 Lush Heaven.
The atmosphere inside the VIP box was a sharp contrast to the world outside. There was hardly any light inside and the air was filled with the pungent scent of alcohol.
Atall man was slumped against the black couch with a glass of liquor in his hand which he hung suspended in the air, fixed in a trance.
Knock knock
There was a sudden knock on the door.
He opened his eyes but did not answer the knock.
Cliff was standing on the other side of the door. After not receiving an answer for some time, he very cautiously opened the door.
He walked up to Odell and frowned when he saw the state Odell was in, but took caution to maintain the respectful tone in his voice. “Master Carter, | just got back from the police
station.”
Odell pried his eyelids open and revealed a sharp look underneath them. “Go on.” “Your suspicions were correct. After the police interrogated Melanie and looked further into her relationship with Miss Tara, they found that she was not her aunt. The two of them were mother and daughter.”
Bang! Odell flung the glass of liquor into a nearby wall, shattering it into numerous pieces in an instant. Cliff was taken aback by this and promptly drew several steps backward.
Odell clenched his hands tightly. Even the veins on the back of his hand began to pop.
He should have known.
If their relationship was as simple as aunt and niece, why would Melanie go through all the effort of coming out here to help Tara? What would compel her to bear the responsibility for everything after the conclusion of the events that transpired?
This was because she was not Tara’s aunt but her mother!
On that rainy night, Odell remembered how the young Sylvia had recounted the facts of her life to him. Tara then tried to pose herself as Sylvia, and the fact that she had a mother was a glaring inconsistency amid it all.
She had played him like a fool!
To think that he thought of her as his salvation at one point. To think that he had let her persuade him into mistreating Sylvia who was still pregnant at the time, and what about the sixty slaps?! What about how he had kicked her out of the house immediately after she gave birth to the children?!
As if this was not enough, he had unfairly accused Sylvia of what happened to Grandmother
and had her legs broken. What about her fall into Cloudy Heart Lake where she nearly died...? “Master Carter, is there anything else | can do for you?” Cliff looked at Odell’s terrifying expression and asked in a low voice.
Odell shut his eyes, immediately putting away the murderous, menacing look burning in his eyes.
After he composed himself, he expressed weakly, “What else is there to do?” Something gleamed in Cliffs eyes and he suggested, “The company is in a chaotic state right now. Would you like to go back and have a look at the state of things?” The answer he got was a deep, primal roar, “Scramn! Afraid of having his head smashed by a bottle of liquor, Cliff quickly fled from the room.
OM Sylvia’s house.
Thomas left shortly after breakfast. Although the house was cleaned daily, there were still certain tasks that needed attending to after such a prolonged absence.
Sylvia and Aunt Tonya took the kids to a nearby shopping mall, then to a supermarket. They only returned home in the evening when the sky was darkening. Liam watched Isabel play in the living room. Meanwhile, Sylvia helped Aunt Tonya with dinner. Shortly after, large portions of hot, steaming food were served on the dining table.
It was around the time when Sylvia, Aunt Tonya, and the children finished eating when Sebastian appeared outside the living room. He seemed to be hovering about the threshold, anxiously pondering if he should enter. By the time Sylvia and Aunt Tonya noticed him, Liam and Isabel had seen him as well. Before Sylvia could speak, Isabel jumped out of her chair and ran to him. “Uncle Sebastian, what are you doing here? Come on in!”
Chapter 643 Sebastian answered her warmly, “I... No, it’s nothing.” That was when Sylvia and Aunt Tonya stepped forward to see him.
Sylvia gently patted Isabel's head and urged, “Isabel, go inside and play with your brother.” Isabel muted a quick “Okay” and ran back into the living room. Sylvia went up to Sebastian and addressed him, “Sebastian, are you here to say something to
me?”
Sebastian hesitated for several seconds and with an exasperated sigh, began relaying,” Missus, | just wanted to see if | can persuade you to speak to Master Carter. Jacob told me that he went to the bar today again. | know that circumstances are hard with what's happening”. with the company, but he can’t keep living like this. Sylvia frowned sternly. “I divorced him a long time ago. It’s not in my place to talk to him.”
“But there’s no one more suitable for this task than you. You just need to go to him and say a few words. I’m sure he'll return to his usual form after that.”
“No, it’s just that the person he cares about most isn’t...” Before she even implied the possibility of that person being her, she stuttered. Her thoughts went to the sapphire ring again. It all happened because she had given the sapphire ring to Tara. That was why Odell mistook Tara as his guardian angel and believed that she was the most important person in his life. If she had not given the ring to Tara at the time, he would have seen her as his guardian angel instead. Perhaps she should never have given the ring to Tara, but he was just as guilty and foolish to think that Tara was the one who saved him that night! She felt something heavy and oppressing expanding inside her. Her mind was a muddled mess “Missus, I’m begging you at this point.” Sebastian’s voice became choked up as he said this, and tears swelled in his eyes.
Sylvia gnashed her teeth. “Let me think about it. Sebastian responded eagerly, “Alright, alright. She went back to the living room. Liam and Isabel were sitting together in the living room.
Isabel was watching cartoons on the tablet while Liam sat next to her reading a book. Sylvia was feeling overwhelmed but did not want to sour their mood as well, so she sat on the other side.
Sebastian's voice rang in her ears like a spell. She could not forget how Odell had chosen Tara over her when being threatened by Spencer previously.
She knitted her brows into a tight frown,
Even before Spencer kidnapped her and Tara, Odell had broken things off with Tara for some time. She vividly remembered how Odell had told her that he had severed all relations with Tara. In that case, it did not make sense that he still ended up saving Tara because of the sapphire ring
Deep down, he must still care a great deal about Tara, enough to choose to let Tara live even when threatened at gunpoint by Spencer.
Nas
While she was zoning out, she suddenly felt a chubby hand touching her forehead. It was as if the thunderstorm inside her mind cleared instantly. She looked down and saw Isabel crawling into her arms and Liam standing in front of her. The two of them were looking at her innocently. Isabel asked with sweet concern in her voice, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Did something bad happen?” Sylvia smiled and assured her. “Mommy is fine.” “But | saw your eyebrows knitted together like a straight line.”
Sylvia had no choice but to confess, “It's just something troublesome that Mommy has to deal with. It doesn’t matter. Mommy will feel better eventually.”
Isabel leaned into her chest and rubbed her chubby cheeks against Sylvia's. “Don’t be sad, Mommy. I'll always be with you.” Liam silently sat next to her as well Sylvia immediately took both of them into her arms. She felt a warm and fuzzy feeling gushing inside her. —
That was when she found the answer she had been seeking the entire time. She should talk to Odell, at least for the children’s sake. 1 Whether he would listen or not was an entirely separate matter.
Chapter 643 Sebastian answered her warmly, “I... No, it’s nothing.” That was when Sylvia and Aunt Tonya stepped forward to see him.
Sylvia gently patted Isabel's head and urged, “Isabel, go inside and play with your brother.” Isabel muted a quick “Okay” and ran back into the living room. Sylvia went up to Sebastian and addressed him, “Sebastian, are you here to say something to
me?”
Sebastian hesitated for several seconds and with an exasperated sigh, began relaying,” Missus, | just wanted to see if | can persuade you to speak to Master Carter. Jacob told me that he went to the bar today again. | know that circumstances are hard with what's happening”. with the company, but he can’t keep living like this. Sylvia frowned sternly. “I divorced him a long time ago. It’s not in my place to talk to him.”
“But there’s no one more suitable for this task than you. You just need to go to him and say a few words. I’m sure he'll return to his usual form after that.”
“No, it’s just that the person he cares about most isn’t...” Before she even implied the possibility of that person being her, she stuttered. Her thoughts went to the sapphire ring again. It all happened because she had given the sapphire ring to Tara. That was why Odell mistook Tara as his guardian angel and believed that she was the most important person in his life. If she had not given the ring to Tara at the time, he would have seen her as his guardian angel instead. Perhaps she should never have given the ring to Tara, but he was just as guilty and foolish to think that Tara was the one who saved him that night! She felt something heavy and oppressing expanding inside her. Her mind was a muddled mess “Missus, I’m begging you at this point.” Sebastian’s voice became choked up as he said this, and tears swelled in his eyes.
Sylvia gnashed her teeth. “Let me think about it. Sebastian responded eagerly, “Alright, alright. She went back to the living room. Liam and Isabel were sitting together in the living room.
Isabel was watching cartoons on the tablet while Liam sat next to her reading a book. Sylvia was feeling overwhelmed but did not want to sour their mood as well, so she sat on the other side.
Sebastian's voice rang in her ears like a spell. She could not forget how Odell had chosen Tara over her when being threatened by Spencer previously.
She knitted her brows into a tight frown,
Even before Spencer kidnapped her and Tara, Odell had broken things off with Tara for some time. She vividly remembered how Odell had told her that he had severed all relations with Tara. In that case, it did not make sense that he still ended up saving Tara because of the sapphire ring
Deep down, he must still care a great deal about Tara, enough to choose to let Tara live even when threatened at gunpoint by Spencer.
Nas
While she was zoning out, she suddenly felt a chubby hand touching her forehead. It was as if the thunderstorm inside her mind cleared instantly. She looked down and saw Isabel crawling into her arms and Liam standing in front of her. The two of them were looking at her innocently. Isabel asked with sweet concern in her voice, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Did something bad happen?” Sylvia smiled and assured her. “Mommy is fine.” “But | saw your eyebrows knitted together like a straight line.”
Sylvia had no choice but to confess, “It's just something troublesome that Mommy has to deal with. It doesn’t matter. Mommy will feel better eventually.”
Isabel leaned into her chest and rubbed her chubby cheeks against Sylvia's. “Don’t be sad, Mommy. I'll always be with you.” Liam silently sat next to her as well Sylvia immediately took both of them into her arms. She felt a warm and fuzzy feeling gushing inside her. —
That was when she found the answer she had been seeking the entire time. She should talk to Odell, at least for the children’s sake. 1 Whether he would listen or not was an entirely separate matter.
Chapter 645 Sylvia supposed that there was not much else she could do if Odell would not listen.
She shot a glare at him, then promptly turned to leave. Just as she reached the door and raised her hand to turn the door knob, his raspy voice suddenly traveled across the room to her. “When Spencer kidnapped the two of you, | wanted to choose to spare you the entire time.” Sylvia froze for a moment and hissed sharply. “Odell, do you think I’m blind and deaf?” Even now, she could remember how he had pointed at her first, then changed his choice to Tara after a mere two-second pause. She remembered how he had reaffirmed that his final choice was Tara!
“| tried to negotiate with him and offered him a lot of terms. | even told him that I’d sacrifice myself if he’d let you two walk free. He didn’t agree to my terms and instead, required me to choose between you two. He only wanted to use your lives to exact revenge on me.”
Sylvia pursed her lips and stayed quiet.
Odell’s voice turned into a low, magnetic tremor. “When he told me to choose to let one of you live, | was convinced that he was laying a trap on me. | believed that he was deliberately allowing me to choose the one | cared about most to walk free, just so he could kill that person right in front of me. | was fully expecting him to resort to such dirty tactics.”
Sylvia frowned. He was suggesting that Spencer was aware that she was the one Odell cared about the most. He was afraid that if he had chosen her, Spencer would execute her right then and there. Was this why he ended up changing his choice to Tara instead?
She suddenly became very confused by the current situation. Something told her that this was another trick of his. How could she be so foolish as to be convinced of the logic behind this ridiculous tale?! She stopped trying to figure out the consistency of the story he spun and announced, “I don’t care about any of that anymore. You don’t have to keep explaining.” Odell smirked. “I'm already done explaining.” Sylvia felt irrationally upset. She immediately swung open the door and stormed out. Odell looked at her stomping way, the door flung back the other way and she disappeared behind it. Still, he continued to wear the same cheery smile. His expression was contorted with joy.
That was when the door opened again and Cliff entered. wad
He noticed the smile on Odell’s face that seemed impossible to wipe away and commented cheerily, “Master Carter, looks like the missus still cares a lot about you.”
With the news of the Carter Corporation’s eventual downfall going around, all of Odell’s relatives spun all kinds of excuses to avoid him. Even Tara who claimed to love him and could not survive without him only came to him to demand the rights to his property. Amid all this, it was only Sylvia who made the effort to come to see him not once, but twice. The first time was with the children to bring him comfort and the second time to speak some sense into him.
It was admirable how she never asked for a single penny from him and even offered to take care of his grandmother. Especially considering how Odell had hurt her so much in the past.
Her affection for him seemed every bit genuine. It seemed extremely unlikely that she did not care for him.
Odell merely grunted in response. There was still a faint shadow of a smile on the corners of his lips.
Cliff smiled and remarked, “Even the missus has come to see you. Do you think you could go back to the company?”
Odell made a look and asked, “What day is it today?” “It’s twenty-fourth.”
Odell suddenly smiled again. Instead of the jubilant smile from earlier, it now took on a different appearance. There was a hungry, grim undertone in his smile. Even his eyes began to glower.
“Not yet.” He lay back on the sofa and ordered, “Get me several bottles of good wine.” Cliff grimaced. “Sir, don’t you think you're getting addicted-” Before he could finish, he was seized by a murderous glare from Odell. He promptly zipped his lips and walked outside. +
After leaving Lush Heaven, Sylvia went straight back home. Sebastian was standing by the door and looking around anxiously. He hurriedly greeted Sylvia upon noticing her return and enquired nervously, “So, how’s Master Carter doing?” 1) Sylvia gave him an honest answer, “I told him everything | believe | should tell him in such circumstances, but | can’t tell you if he listened.” Sebastian sighed. “If you can’t persuade him, then no one else can.” “It’s getting late, you should go back to rest.” Sylvia suggested. After a short silence, she added, “Sebastian, if Odell is done in by this, you should bring Grandma with you and come live with me and Aunt Tonya in the future.”
Sylvia was aware that Sebastian had no financial burdens and no lack of job opportunities even if he lost his job after the Carter Corporation declared bankruptcy. Despite all that, she knew that he would have a hard time parting ways with the Carter household, especially with Madam Carter whom he had formed a familial bond after all these years.
Something shone in his glassy eyes and he said with great difficulty, trying to contain his weariness, “Alright...alright.”