Ch. 1021..1030
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1024
Blade had an ordinary Westerner look. He was not easily recognizable in the West, but he was even more indiscernible to the Easterners. Still, he was rather handsome. Unfortunately, he was also dead.
Quinton felt that he had died too easily. Although the Fletchers were rather strong, he had prepared for so long to deal with the Fletcher Family, only to succeed in bombing two of them. Quinton even suspected that the man in front of him was not Blade.
How could the man, who made Katrina betray him without any hesitation, turn out to be so ordinary? Katrina was the personality he had created from scratch and instilled into Celine’s mind. She should have been completely loyal to him. Unexpectedly, Katrina had asked to quit the Phantom Wolf for Blade’s sake.
He thought Katrina’s mind had been broken; he thought she had gone silly due to love. Who, among those that were in this line of work, was not stained with blood? Quit? Was that even possible? Moreover, she wanted to quit with Blade; she wanted to live an ordinary life. That was nothing more than a fantasy!
However, she was stubborn in her intentions and even went so far as to break her finger. In the end, he made her take one last mission. He promised her that she was free to go if she completed her mission. Thus, she accepted the mission. She was hypnotized by him, allowing Celine’s original personality to temporarily take over the body. After that, he sent her back to Cethos to remain undercover next to Michael, looking for a chance to attack.
I thought Blade was some earth-shatteringly beautiful man, but… Despite having one less rival, he was not happy. Killers were not allowed to be emotional. Katrina and Blade had both broken the greatest taboo! For that reason, Katrina’s personality had been obliterated without mercy. Similarly, Blade became nothing more than a corpse lying on the ground.
All of a sudden, Quinton saw that Blade seemed to be holding something in his hand. Putting on a pair of gloves, he tried hard to loosen Blade’s tightly-clenched fist to take out the item in his hand.
Stanley said, “When he was on the verge of death, he took that out of his pocket and held it tightly.”
When Quinton saw what it was, he couldn’t help smiling bitterly. He finally understood why Katrina had betrayed him for Blade.
…
At the hospital, Sarah had awoken. However, her throat had been injured, and she temporarily couldn’t move nor speak. Alas, she was rescued.
When she saw Sophia, she wept uncontrollably, and her guilt grew stronger. Yet, she couldn’t make a sound. She shakingly lifted her hand that was not connected to the intravenous drip.
Thus, Sophia quickly grabbed her hand and said, “I don’t blame you. I really don’t.”
In response, Sarah’s mouth flattened into a line, and her tears rained down. Sophia hurriedly wiped Sarah’s tears away. She understood—after going through Sarah’s Twitter feed the other day, she understood what was going on.
When Sarah was young, her family had been very poor. Her family of four had struggled to get by every single day. She couldn’t even take art classes even though she wanted to. Back then, Peter and his first wife, Mrs. West, would push their cart through the streets every day to sell breakfast. Their earnings were slim, and their family was poor. That amusement park was located close to their home and it was the place she used to dream about the most ever since she was young. Unfortunately, they needed tickets to enter the amusement park, and using the amusement park facilities required tickets too. Since they had no money, they couldn’t go.
One day, on her birthday, Peter suddenly took out a large sum of money and brought their family of four to go and play at the amusement park for the whole day. Even if they were so poor that they couldn’t afford the food and drinks inside the amusement park, their joy on that day was genuine. That day, she played to her heart’s content. In her eyes, her father was the world’s greatest father!
After that, the whole family would visit the amusement park on her birthday every year. At the same time, their family’s financial condition got better and better by the day—to the point where they could go to the amusement park any time they wanted. However, the frequency they went became less and less.
Later, Peter and Mrs. West divorced for various reasons. Mrs. West refused custody of her children, split their finances, and remarried. Meanwhile, Peter took another wife and had another daughter. Thus, he got more and more estranged from Sarah. As Sarah’s brother grew up and went abroad to study, she was left all alone in the world. What kind of experience was it to completely break off all relations with the person she once loved with all her heart?
Although she once fought to regain what she lost, the results she obtained were not satisfactory—her father was no longer the world’s greatest father from her memories. When she learned that Harry had murdered Peter, she finally understood. The person she once loved the most had long since disappeared. She believed that her father deserved what he got. At the same time, she felt sad and bitter. All she wanted was to calm down in the place which was filled with her beautiful memories. However…
Sophia understood it all. Everything that happened was not Sarah’s fault. Hence, she stayed to talk with Sarah for a while before leaving quickly. She wanted Sarah to have a good rest to recuperate from her injuries. Although she returned with her life, her injuries needed time to heal.
When Sarah woke up again, she kept crying without stopping. Only a small part of her tears was for her father. Rather, she even felt a sense of relief when she learned that her father was dead. The greatest father in the world she had as a child was completely gone, and what was left was simply a monster who became evil after becoming rich. Without money, he was a disaster—a monster. What truly saddened her was that she nearly brought harm upon Sophia, Harry, and Sean…
Harry couldn’t help feeling uneasy as he listened to his beloved wife weeping. Holding her ice-cold hands, he said, “Please don’t cry anymore. Everything will pass with time. I’m fine, and our child is fine. I’m sure Sean will be fine too.”
Even so, she continued to cry. If anything were to happen to Sean, she would hate herself for the rest of her life.
Lightly touching her slightly pale face, he said, “I’m sorry about your father… But, I had no other choice… I will never let any harm befall you and Hope.”
She said nothing, her small hands tracing several words on his palm: ‘I don’t blame you.”
He knew. How could she blame him? Besides, he knew why she was in pain. Alas, that sort of pain was something he would never know nor experience.
His mother had been a stripper who danced at nightclubs. Her life was considered worthless, and she had poor luck. Anybody could kill her, and she survived only through the lust of men. Although she looked strong, she was extremely fragile too. In the end, his father had fallen for her. In front of everybody, she became the lucky girl who was taken away by his father and later gave birth to him.
However, his father had many wives and mistresses. Living together in the same manor was a secret power struggle every day. Thus, his mother passed away very early. She had been framed, raped by the gardener, and beaten to death without reason. After a hasty burial, she then vanished from the world without a trace. At that time, he was only three years old. He couldn’t protect his mother; he didn’t even know where she was buried.
As a result, Harry grew up alone with a cold father that he rarely met—he had never known what ‘the world’s greatest father’ Sarah mentioned was like. Competing with his half-brothers and half-sisters, he survived alone until today. Meanwhile, his father simply coldly watched his children fight against each other. He had never received any kindness from his father, so he had not hesitated to swing his blade to take his father’s head and sit on the throne as the head of the Winston Family. Having never received his father’s love before, he did not feel sorrow over his father’s death. However, Sarah was different.
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1025
Sarah used to be like Sophia—she was once the precious princess greatly cherished by her father. However, she was thrown off her tower after her family broke apart, becoming an existence no better than an orphan. As a child, she had been forced to bear that large gap in treatment!
Harry held Sarah’s hand and placed it against his cheek as he looked at her and said seriously,
In response, she tearfully nodded in agreement.
It doesn’t matter who; we cannot lose anyone in our family. We have already lost our homes and our parents. Even so, we can now become proper parents. I’m going to be the world’s greatest father!
Three days later, Stanley appeared at the entrance of a certain hospital.
In these three days, he felt as if he had lost the entire world. He finally realized that losing Sean was like losing all the light in the world. His world was dark and gloomy—the birds did not sing, the flowers did not bloom, and delicious food tasted like wax in his mouth. It turned out that losing Sean was so painful. It felt as if somebody had grabbed his heart and cruelly cut out a piece before placing the bleeding heart back into his chest—he experienced a soul-crushing pain with every beat of his heart.
When he arrived at the hospital and saw Sarah, he felt at ease after seeing that she was recovering well. But, Sean…
Sitting in front of the window in Sarah’s hospital ward, he lowered his head without saying anything. Over the past few days, he seemed to have turned into a different person altogether—a stubble was growing on his lower jaw and his hair was a mess. He looked like a person who had his soul stolen from him. What’s the point of living in a world without Sean in it? I will never get used to a world without him. Even when Sarah spoke to him, he didn’t seem to hear her voice. In his daze, he heard somebody calling him from behind: “Stanley! Stupid Fletcher!”
Stiffly turning around, he saw that the door to the hospital ward opposite Sarah’s was wide open. Sophia was standing there while holding Judge’s leash as she beckoned him. “Stanley, come here! I have good news for you!”
Thus, he despondently stood up and walked over like a zombie. Upon entering the hospital ward on the opposite side, he saw that it was an individual room with only one bed in it. Somebody was lying on the bed with all sorts of medical equipment surrounding them. However, that person seemed to be in fairly good condition and was already able to sit up slightly. Michael was sitting next to the bed, feeding that person a liquid diet. Meanwhile, Carmen, Hope, and Nathan were sitting quietly by the side.
Upon seeing Stanley walking in, the person on the bed broke into a wide smile. Despite looking pale and weak—almost as if death could come knocking at any time—that person strived hard to say, “Stan, why haven’t you come to visit me before this?”
Stanley stared at that familiar face and froze in shock—he was frozen to the spot for more than 10 seconds. The two of them stared at each other, their gazes meeting in mid-air. One looked calm and happy while the other looked absolutely stunned.
Sean is still alive! With the help of the best surgeons in Bayside City, he managed to survive in the end. He looked at Stanley and tried hard to maintain control over his emotions. However, he couldn’t stop the faint trembling in his arms.
All of a sudden, Sophia dragged Stanley, who was stunned, out of the room and over to a corner. Then, she said to him, “Sean isn’t dead. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest which saved his life. I’ve been searching for you for the past few days, but I couldn’t get a hold of you. You didn’t answer your phone nor reply to your Messenger; the Fletchers couldn’t locate you either. That’s why you didn’t know.”
Meanwhile, Stanley was still in shock. He stood there in a daze as Sophia reprimanded him, staring blankly at her small mouth opening and closing without hearing a single word she said. His entire head was filled with only one thought: Sean is alive… He’s alive…
All of a sudden, she grabbed him by the collar, messed up his hair, and slapped his cheeks lightly. “Look at yourself! Here, here, and here! Ugh, you’re so filthy! How much have you been drinking and smoking over the past few days?! Also, how many days was it since you last washed your hair? Look at yourself! There are bloodstains on your scalp! Ugh, so dirty and stinky. Moreover, how could you come and visit a patient empty-handed?!” Opening the door to a room, she shoved him inside and said, “Go inside and wash up. Make yourself presentable before coming again. Otherwise, Sean will smell that stink on you!”
After being shoved into the empty room, he stood there for a minute before coming back to his senses. He steadied himself against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. Leaning his messy hair against the wall, his tears dripped down his high nose bridge and fell to the carpet. Sean is alive! He’s alive!
Twenty minutes later, Stanley appeared again. He had washed his face, shaved his stubble, combed his hair, taken a shower, and changed his clothes. After that, he entered Sean’s ward with a basket of fruits, feeling refreshed.
When Sean saw Stanley, he smiled with difficulty. “Stan, you’re here.”
Staring at Sean, Stanley blanked out for several seconds again before he walked in. He sat down soundlessly next to the bed and studied Sean with bloodshot eyes. He was filled with the joy of being alive. When he fought against Blade, he had gotten injured in several spots. There was a two-centimeter-long cut along his cheekbone that had scabbed over. If not for his skills, that blade wound would have landed on his temples. His shoulder was also injured; it was only several inches away from his heart. There were cuts on his neck too. All over his body, there were rather severe wounds near his vital spots. Although he looked relaxed, these wounds could have killed him if their positions were just slightly off.
Sean continued staring at him with red-rimmed eyes before saying softly, “Stan, thank you.”
However, Stanley said nothing. Despite everything he wanted to say, at this moment, he choked up and couldn’t get the words out. He’s still here; that’s great…
Sarah was safe, Sean came back alive, Sophia had been rescued by Michael and Cooper, and the Fletchers had united to kill Blade. It felt like the storm was over, but it was only just the beginning.
Cooper announced the termination of the contract with the Edwards Family and canceled all forms of cooperation with them. At that moment, the Edwards Family had yet to respond.
Sarah stayed in the hospital for a few days before Harry brought her back home. The sports car that had saved his life was slightly dented, but it went on the news and became a world-famous car. Once again, Michel Manufacturing shocked the whole world with the quality of its products, and the sports car was bought by a collector at a high price. After that, Sarah and Sophia split the proceeds and donated some of them. Sophia also bought Sarah a sturdy car as a gift.
When Sean’s injuries stabilized, he was transferred to the Edwards Residence to recuperate. During that period, Sophia’s wounds healed the fastest. Moreover, Jordan seemed to settle down after his experience with the killers—at the very least, he did not dare to make such blatant moves anymore. Quinton also confirmed that the kill order placed by the Assassins’ Guild had been retracted by the head of the Edwards Family.
As the turmoil subsided, Sophia immediately threw herself into her work again. The Dragon Eye was selling very well on the market, from the countryside all the way to the city. Although it could not compare to Serpent’s accumulated sales over the years, it rivaled Serpent in terms of reputation.
Pourl was making great progress too—it was about to sign a contract with a world-renowned luxury goods company. It was a key step in entering the international market. Hence, Sophia was being very cautious. Meanwhile, Plum Technology was still working with Michel Computers, a company controlled by Linus, to develop games. Development was in full swing, and Stanley also won the rights to host the Esports World Championship. Therefore, they were extremely busy.
On the other hand, Sarah was bored of recuperating at home alone. Thus, she brought her dogs and her son with her and moved into the Edwards Residence where it was livelier since more people were around. As soon as she moved in, Harry was constantly in and out of the house, and Hope came over to accompany Carmen during summer break. As usual, the swimming pool in the house was packed like sardines in a tin—as soon as it was opened for use, it was immediately filled with black dogs.
Not long after the incident, Sophia was about to clock out from work one day when she received a message from Sarah: ‘Several fierce-looking people came over to your house. They’re so stern and terrifying.’
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1026
Attached to the message was a snapshot. Sophia saw that a group of people had arrived at the Edwards Residence. They were blonde and blue-eyed; moreover, their blue eyes were especially blue. Looking at those blue eyes, she knew that they were bad news—the Michel Family was here!
Up until now, she had only come in contact with a small portion of the Michel Family. This family that had survived almost a thousand years was incredibly huge. Within it, there was also an existence equivalent to the elders’ council that set the rules within the clan, monitored the implementation of the rules, and so on. If her guess was correct, this group of people was sent by the elders’ council to check on Carmen’s household registration.
She knew that this day would come sooner or later. Besides, she had to face this matter at some point. She didn’t want to abandon the name of the Michel Family. It was a huge power—as one of the top families in the world, it owned a vast business empire. Why not fight for it if she had the ability? At the same time, she did not wish to give up on Michael either! Love and career; I want it all!
Making her decision, she prepared to return home. During this period, Michael had been rather elusive. She did not know what he was busy working on. However, he continued to personally escort her to and from her work as usual. He was here again today like clockwork. Hence, the two of them matched their stories during the drive home.
She was still powerless right now, having only taken her first steps—all she had were the representative rights of Dragon Eye. It was still impossible to go head-to-head with the Michel Family’s council of elders. Even Alice didn’t dare to do so, let alone her. Therefore, she could only resort to delaying tactics for now.
Upon arriving at home, more than a dozen pairs of blue eyes stared at Sophia, Michael, and Carmen coldly. The group consisted of both young and old men and women. Each of them was extraordinary, distinguished, and carried the Michel Family’s crest.
Cooper was feeling very troubled too. The matter regarding Carmen’s household registration was something they had to confront sooner or later. Although the Michel Family could tolerate him returning to Cethos and taking back the Mitchell Family in the name of Cooper Mitchell, they would never tolerate Sophia marrying into the Fletcher Family nor would they tolerate Carmen taking on the Fletcher surname. Carmen was part of the Michel Family—she was not allowed to take on any other surname!
Meanwhile, Carmen pretended to be drinking milk and did not talk to them.
As soon as Michael entered the house, he was targeted by the cold gazes coming from a dozen pairs of blue eyes. It was clear that they were aware of his identity as the Academy Award for Best Actor winner, Michael Fletcher, and Lucile’s husband. The reason for their arrival this time was to urge Michael to marry into the family and change his surname. They even had the contract ready. As soon as he signed the document, they would immediately change his surname and his household registration.
To their surprise, Sophia walked in and introduced herself. “Hi, everybody. I’m Lucile, and this is my ex-husband. He is a famous actor and the Academy Award for Best Actor winner, Michael Fletcher. We have divorced, and our assets have been divided cleanly. Although the children are in my custody, he is still Gianna’s biological father. Hence, he occasionally comes over to visit her. Seeing as he is a public figure, a divorce would harm his reputation. Therefore, we have not announced our divorce to the public.”
The Michel Family was rendered speechless by her words. The contract they prepared in advance for Michael to marry into the family and change his surname suddenly lost its weight since they were already divorced.
As an ex-husband and an outsider, Michael tactfully left after a cursory greeting.
Then, Sophia sat down. Carmen automatically ran into Sophia’s arms, her big and wet eyes watching the blue eyes in front of her warily. At this moment, Sophia couldn’t help silently admiring Cooper’s intelligence back then. Cooper must have foreseen the events of today and made us divorce in advance.
Now that they were divorced, Michael was just her ex-husband. How could the Michel Family ask her ex-husband to change his surname? Even so, she could continue interacting with him. It was just that they no longer had a formal relationship. Besides, many women within the Michel Family had lovers that they lived together with all their lives. However, the men had no status. Although Michael was trying hard to earn his place in the family, now was not the time.
Since the matter of making Michael change his surname didn’t work out, everybody sat down and immediately began discussing the matter of making Sophia and Carmen change their surnames.
Thus, Sophia instantly said, “Um… I’m afraid now is not the right time for that. I am currently running a business in Cethos. If I change my nationality, I will have to give up my Cethosian nationality. As you know, Cethosian nationality is one of the hardest nationalities to obtain in the world. Besides, being a Cethosian makes it easier for me to do things within the country. Therefore, before my business achieves success, I won’t consider giving up my Cethosian nationality for the time being. As for Gianna…” she patted Carmen’s head and continued, “she is still young. Since she has lived here since she was young, I’m worried she might not adapt to a sudden change in her environment. So, I want her to study in Cethos until she is eighteen years old. Her household registration is very important for her if she wants to study in this country. Otherwise, she will not be able to enter a good school. As the household registration is very strict within the country, it will be very troublesome for her to study without a Cethosian nationality! Besides, Bayside University is famous throughout the world and ranks within the top ten universities in the world. Hence, I plan to let her enter Bayside University once she grows up. It will be very difficult if she took the university entrance exams with an international student’s identity. However, if she holds domestic nationality, she will need a much lower score compared to an international student…”
Meanwhile, Carmen nodded along obediently.
Sophia wittily deflected the Michel Family, focusing on the matter of Carmen’s studies and her household registration. In the end, she managed to gloss over the issue for now and earn several years for herself. In a few years, she was confident she could find a way to change her current situation. My daughter was named Carmen Sophia Fletcher at birth, and she will always be Carmen Sophia Fletcher! Half of her name comes from me while the other half comes from Michael. It’s proof that she is the baby we had together!
That night, the Michel Family stayed at the Edwards Residence. Their visit this time wasn’t just to check on Carmen’s household registration. It was also to inspect the Cethosian market and see how well the Michel Group’s products were being received in Cethos. After accompanying them on their inspection for two days, she finally sent them off without any incidents.
After Dragon Eye’s lower-end products were officially launched globally, only North America and Cethos, which were the strongest economically, achieved the best sales. In fact, sales in Cethos even surpassed Europe to take second place. Thus, Dragon Eye became an undisputed dark horse, which allowed Sophia to hand a beautiful token of allegiance to both the Michel Family and the Michel Group.
Who knew that Cethos, which had previously been regarded as unpromising, would have such outstanding results. As a result, everybody gained a preliminary understanding of the strengths of the clan head’s daughter.
Michael was Sophia’s ex-husband for several days. During that period, he was very well-behaved. However, he went back to interacting with Sophia as usual after the Michel Family left. Cooper simply turned a blind eye to their actions and left them be.
The welcome banquet was just around the corner. As Sophia had important business to do, she had no choice but to go abroad. Similarly, Michael also suddenly offered to go with her as he had things to do as well. Their destinations were the same—a developed city somewhere in North America. Hence, they departed together, and he was able to freeload and board her private plane.
Sophia quickly arranged for a plane to North America and set off with Michael. Contrary to her expectations, she saw Quinton following Michael up the plane on the day of their departure. “Hope? What are you doing here?”
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1027
Sophia was shocked. She only knew that Quinton had helped Stanley take down Blade, but she was not aware that he was still in Cethos.
Quinton replied, “I can save on flight tickets if I take your plane out of the country.”
He boarded the plane as if he still had something to say to her. However, Michael stretched out a slender arm and blocked him fiercely. “Your room is on that side.”
As he spoke, he pointed to a remote corner of the plane. He had arranged a room and a seat for Quinton. Thus, Quinton could only reluctantly take his luggage and head toward his seat.
After that, he led Sophia to their room. Despite the existence of a hindrance like Quinton, it couldn’t stop his long-awaited plans to join the mile high club. As the oxygen content at such a high altitude was much lower than on the surface, one’s blood vessels would dilate, making them more prone to arousal. For that reason, it was the best time to have sex. I’m going to join the mile-high club!
Sophia felt that it was rather embarrassing to be playing these tricks despite being an old married couple. Still, we’re already here, and the game is set. It’s a waste not to enjoy ourselves; we might as well do it. After making love for a long time, she became tired and lay on the bed to rest.
Getting out of bed, Michael went to get some water in his birthday suit. When he came back, he noticed a project proposal lying on her work table. It was titled ‘Proposal to Develop Pet Luxury Goods in Cooperation With the Ronney Group’.
“The Ronney Group? The Yard Family?” Upon seeing the words ‘the Ronney Family’, he scowled fiercely with a trace of disgust in his eyes.
“What’s wrong? It’s the Yard Family! The world’s greatest Cethosian financial conglomerate! Is there a problem with it?” Sophia sat up on the bed and asked. The disgusted expression on his face as he stared at the words ‘Ronney Group’ was as if he had swallowed a dead fly, and it made her even more curious. “What’s with your expression? Why do you have the same expression as my father?”
The ‘Ronney Group’ was the world’s greatest Cethosian financial conglomerate. Its strength was comparable to that of the Michel Group. The family behind the Ronney Group was a Cethosian family—the Yard Family—that was said to be an ancient family that migrated from Cethos. They fared the best out of all the Cethosians that had migrated abroad—so much so that they controlled the parliament of the country they were located in. Moreover, they operated many luxury brands. For example, L/K was one of their many assets. This time around, Kenny Blair had spearheaded the efforts to bring Sophia and the Ronney Group into contact.
Hence, she planned to work together with the Ronney Group to develop a series of pet luxury goods. For that reason, she was going abroad to officially discuss this business plan. If the discussion went smoothly, Pourl would officially take its first steps into the international market. However, Cooper had shown a similar expression of disgust when he heard that she was going to cooperate with the Ronney Group and the Yard Family.
“Ugh.” Faced with this company, Michael only had that one word to describe it. He lightly dropped the cooperation proposal on the table. Climbing into bed, he hugged her close and gave her a lecture on the origins of the Ronney Family and the Yard Family. “The Yard Family originated from the river basin of the Lombardi River in Cethos. They claim to be descendants of Lady Lombardi, who was part of the former imperial family which established imperial power and ruled over Cethos more than 700 years ago. Their regime lasted for more than 300 years. At the time, Cethos’ borders were vast, and it was rich in natural resources. It was the richest country in the world. However, the last emperor of the Ronney Family 300 years ago was unspeakably brutal. As a result, the peasants raised an army, started a revolt, and built the previous dynasty. Before the peasant army invaded the capital, a total of 100,000 civil and military officials of the Yard Family and the imperial court entered the sea by way of the Lombardi River and escaped overseas. Back then, the Yard Family monopolized the most advanced textile and porcelain technology in the world. It was the private property of the imperial family. Even now, that technology is lost to Cethos. Using these technologies, they created a stable foothold for themselves abroad, became a hegemon, and took control of the silk, porcelain, and tea businesses overseas. They gradually formed a huge conglomerate, operating dozens of luxury brands.”
She was very astonished to hear the story he was telling her. It turned out that the company is operated by the former imperial family. No wonder all the luxury brands under the Ronney Group are so extravagant!
Smiling coldly, he continued, “The Yard Family used several hundred years to build a stable foothold overseas. 100 years ago, they took advantage of the weakening power of the previous dynasty and the declining state of Cethos. Claiming that they were the legitimate Cethos imperial family, they colluded with foreigners to invade Cethos in an attempt to seize the country and restore it.” As he spoke, his expression was full of hatred. “Back when the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Eleven-Nation Alliance invaded Cethos, they were manipulated by the Yard Family from the shadows. They held power in various countries’ parliaments and did not hesitate to work with foreigners to regain their ruling power. How dare they think of themselves as the legitimate imperial family?! Hmph—”
The history that came after that was something she knew well. At the time, the foreigners had invaded the capital city of the previous dynasty. They even stole the Imperial Seal of Cethos. Therefore, the regime of the former dynasty collapsed, and Cethos was completely subjugated. Thinking that their chance was here, the Yard Family was about to return in force when the people rose up in resistance. The unprecedented unity of countless Cethosians formed a powerful force, which allowed them to push back the invaders, establish a new country, stabilize the society, and develop rapidly. To this day, the weak country that was looked down on by all had become a huge economic body that now stood among the greatest powers of the world.
Back then, the Fletchers, the Mitchells, the Winstons, and the other families had actively participated in the national restoration and preservation movement, donated money and materials, and lost many of their family members on the front line. For example, the Fletchers were once a huge family. However, no more than 10 or so members of the Fletchers survived by the time Cethos was re-established. During Mark’s generation, dozens of his brothers had died on the front line protecting the country. He was the only one who survived; to bring honor to his brothers, he participated in the founding ceremony on behalf of them. It was extremely tragic! Similarly, the Mitchells and the Winstons also suffered heavy losses. Still, that was not considered bad. At the very least, they had descendants that survived, unlike some other families that were completely annihilated!
The history books only recorded that foreign coalition forces had invaded Cethos. However, both the Fletchers and the Mitchells knew that the Yard Family was greatly involved from the shadows. Later, as Cethos started over from scratch after the bloody war, the Yard Family used their economic and political influence to join forces with other powerful countries to suppress the country. Despite being under heavy oppression, Cethos did not fall to ruin. Instead, they became stronger the longer they fought—until they grew to their present strength. Now, they no longer feared the Yard Family.
In recent years, the Yard Family slowly began to re-establish contact with Cethos, bit by bit, following economic globalization. As such, several brands managed to enter the country. Retaking the country was impossible now, and the Yard Family had firmly established themselves overseas anyway. However, they were not willing to give up on the Cethosian market. By making a deal with Cethos to return some of its lost national treasures and lost technologies, they achieved a breakthrough and forged a collaboration with the country.
“Huh?” Sophia had not expected the Ronney Group to have such a background. Thus, she suddenly felt awkward. “Should I continue with the cooperation?”
Michael sighed. “To be honest, it’s nothing much. Although history should be remembered, people still need to move forward. Back then, the Fletcher Family killed countless foreigners. Besides, am I not being equally hypocritical by working with foreigners when filming movies?”
Despite that, she still felt slightly angry. No wonder the people working in the Ronney Group’s Cethosian branch are so arrogant. From general employees to janitors, they all had a sense of superiority around them—so much so that they were indifferent and haughty toward the head of the Cethosian Brand Department, Kenny Blair. I thought that they had a claim to the throne. It turns out that they truly have a claim to the throne. Bah! They are simply an imperial family past their time; why are they putting on airs?!
Calculating her options, she decided that if the other party’s conditions were too harsh, she would refuse the cooperation. Still, the Yard Family held a large number of skills and craftsmanship that were lost to Cethos. Besides, they were leading in the luxury goods market around the world. It would be great if she could cooperate with them. Lying in his arms, she mulled over it for a while. All of a sudden, she asked him, “Why did you want to go abroad suddenly? As far as I remember, your film set is not in North America, right?”
Michael closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. It seemed like he wasn’t willing to let Sophia know about it, but she learned about it anyway. Turning on his phone, he pulled up a photo on his phone and said, “This was what Blade was holding tightly in his hand before he died.”
Sophia glanced at the phone. It was a blood-stained and crumpled photo. Looking at the photo, she gasped in shock. “That can’t be! How could that be—”.
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1028
Michael let out a sigh. “It’s exactly what you’re thinking. This is tough for me too. Justin and my sister still have no clue. We’ll see how things go once Hope and I have found him.”
He often went between calling Hope by his real name and ‘Quinton’. In more public settings, he called him Quinton, but in private conversations, he still called him Hope.
Perhaps, Michael already saw him as part of the Fletchers.
He had inherited all of their father’s fortune. It was a shame!
If they had known about his existence decades ago, they would have found him at any cost and raised him in the Fletcher Family. In that case, they would not be in this situation today.
When the plane landed, the group of people got off and headed to their destination.
The object Blade had in his hand was a photograph; a blood-stained photograph that he carried with him all the time.
At the moment of his death, he struggled to take the photograph out of his bag and held it tightly in his hand as though he wanted other people to see it.
Moreover, the people who were at the scene were the Fletchers.
He wanted the Fletchers to see it.
There was an address on the back of the photograph which was in the city they had traveled to this time.
Very quickly, they found the location. It was a serene small town in the suburbs. There were multiple detached houses aligned in a neat row and a carpet of green grass that covered the ground. Occasionally, people walking their dogs would pass by. It looked like a pleasant neighborhood where people were simple and sincere, and it was essentially crime-free.
With that photograph in hand, they went up and knocked on the door of the house indicated in the address.
“Excuse me. Do you know the child in this photo?” Quinton asked politely.
The door opened to reveal a married couple and two lively kids inside the house. The man took the photograph in Quinton’s hand and had a look at it.
In the photograph were a Caucasian boy and an Asian girl who was also holding a blonde, mixed-race baby girl in her arms.
Undoubtedly, the two people were Blade and Katrina. Aside from falling in love with each other, they also secretly had a baby. The child was probably around six to seven years old by now.
The arrival of the child was the reason Katrina and Blade chose to leave the assassination industry, but little did they know how short-sighted they had been—there was no way out of it.
They did not want their child to follow in their footsteps, so they secretly left the baby in the care of this family.
At the time, Blade knew that he was on his deathbed and Katrina was not going to show up anymore. Hence, before he died, he pulled out the photograph with the written address in hopes that the Fletchers would bring this child back.
Sophia looked at the blood-stained photograph and felt a sudden ache in her heart. Looking inside the house, she noticed the family portrait in the hall and caught sight of the blonde mixed-race girl who was around six to seven years of age. She had a piercing gaze and a strong demeanor, just like Celine.
That’s Blade and Katrina’s child.
On the other hand, Michael felt shocked and torn over the child’s existence for he still did not know how to tell Justin about this.
Should I tell him that he got two-timed? That his wife had a child with another man out of wedlock?
Even though Justin might not be able to accept it, Michael, as an uncle, could not walk away from it. She was part of the Fletcher Family!
He could no longer leave the child with outsiders now that he knew she was their family.
Old Master Fletcher was also aware of the child’s existence and had urged him to take the child back so they could raise her.
To their surprise, however, at the mention of the child, the owner of the house revealed that she had gotten kidnapped!
A month prior, a group of people just barged in and took her.
The family made a police report, but it was still not solved to this day. No one knew where the child had gone.
Quinton could not help but stomp his feet after hearing everything. He was exasperated. “Oh no! Those people must have found out about the child and took her away!”
Sophia pressed, “Those people?”
She had a feeling that things were not good.
Quinton was extremely annoyed now. “There are people out there who deliberately abduct children like her and train them to become killers!”
Michael and Sophia understood what he meant.
Because that was how Quinton got sent to the Phantom Wolf and trained to become a killer.
The children of the people in these specialized professions such as killers, soldiers, and athletes were especially in favor as they generally had good roots. There were people who ruthlessly abducted these children and chose to either raise the child on their own or sell the child to other killer organizations. These children only had one fate—to become a killer!
It was hell on earth.
Sophia was horrified as she urged, “Let’s find the child quickly! Before it’s too late!”
However, a month had gone by. Who knew where this child was or what she had gone through?
At the same time, Michael was blaming himself for not taking action sooner. The reason he hesitated before was that he wanted to take into consideration Justin’s feelings and the child’s birth father.
The child might be part of the Fletcher Family, but her father was Blade—a demon who killed people in cold blood. What would the child turn out to be?
After hesitating for a few days, he finally revealed everything to Old Master Fletcher. He was given an earful and several beatings from his walking cane, but Old Master Fletcher also insisted that he find the child.
What did a child know? Even if her parents were demons, she was innocent. Her environment influenced the person she would become. Not to mention, she was a girl!
The group of people proceeded to leave hastily just as they had arrived.
Once they were in the car, Quinton said, “I will make some calls to ask around the locals here. We will probably hear some news soon.”
Michael was also anxious and filled with regret. He was mad at himself for having stalled for a few days.
Earlier, Sophia had asked for the child’s photographs.
According to the owner of the house, the child was delivered to them when she was just two months old. Blade and Katrina gave the couple a large sum of money to look after the child. They even asked the couple to send the child to the best school in the area and to treat her as their own while they continued to pay them generously.
Every so often, Blade and Katrina would transfer money to that couple’s bank account, but they never showed up in person. They usually had the couple mail photographs of the child at given times.
From the photographs the couple had given Sophia, she could tell that the child was being raised well. She was attending school now and had taken a photo with her classmates. She was taller than the rest of them and always had a cold expression on her face. The slight smirk on the left corner of her lips whenever she smiled made her look incredibly charismatic.
At an early age, she had already gotten a black belt in Taekwondo. There were a lot of photographs of her participating in field days and Taekwondo competitions.
She inherited Celine’s athletic build and the imposing manner of a Fletcher. Most importantly, she did not look like the child of a killer.
The more Sophia looked at those photographs, the more terrified she became.
Please don’t let this child get sold off to become a killer! Otherwise, she will become the next Quinton.
Meanwhile, Quinton was also in great alarm for he knew the implications of entering that underworld.
Even if he had to sacrifice himself, he was not going to let this child go down that path! She can’t be allowed to destroy her life just like I did. She should return to the Fletchers and live a better life!
Both Michael and Quinton, the two brothers, ended up working together once again!
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1029
Michael and Quinton raced against time to find the child.
More than a month ago, Blade had gone to steal a glance of the child. Even though he lingered a distance away from the school, he was still found out.
Thus, the child became a target.
Although Blade was mysterious, powerful, and had remained on the list of top killers for over a decade, he was no longer invincible once a chink in his armor was found.
If Blade had really come to kill Sophia, she would be dead by now. Moreover, even if Stanley and Michael teamed up, they would not have been able to kill him.
But, he had come for Celine or rather, for Katrina—a part of Celine that once existed. Despite knowing that Katrina was long gone, he still came.
If it weren’t for Katrina, he would not have fallen for Michael’s act and sustained those serious injuries. More so, he would not have died by Stanley’s knife.
A killer’s fate was to kill or be killed.
Upon returning to the hotel, Michael started to dispatch his people. He had the most extensive network of connections in North America. Several organizations and gangs were at his service, so it would not have taken long to find a child.
Meanwhile, Quinton had contacted the local killer black market to find out the whereabouts of the child.
Sophia also contacted Michel Group and a few of her old friends here.
Back when she was a student, she had a group of friends and classmates at Bayside University. Some of them went overseas to study and some developed their careers abroad.
Unfortunately, those connections were cut off when she lost her memories. Now that she had returned, however, she was contacting them to rekindle those connections. She could also ask her classmates to help out.
To their dismay, two days had passed but there was still no news about the child.
It was not time for Sophia’s appointment with the representative of Ronney Group yet, but she did not wander off and kept looking for the child with Michael.
Everyone who was looking for the child felt weary.
Where on earth was the child?
Regardless of where she was, she must not have been doing well.
Sophia was putting in all her effort even though it was not her own family matter. However, wasn’t Michael’s problem her problem too? She was also part of the Fletcher Family! They had to bring that child home!
After searching for two days, they finally received some news—the child was sold off to Ronney!
Ronney was the name of a city because that was where the Ronney Group’s headquarters was.
Everyone made their way to Ronney City promptly.
After the imperial Yard Family fell from power, they fled to North America. They rose to prominence there and slowly gained a foothold. Today, the south-eastern coastal region of North America belonged to them, making them the owners of the most bustling and prosperous place in the world. After they established the Ronney Group, they slowly developed Ronney City into what it was today.
Ronney City was the origin of many global luxury fashion products. It was named the capital of fashion—it was the holy ground for fashion icons in the world. It was a city of addiction; no matter who went there, be it men or women, they were unable to stop shopping.
For the sake of finding the child, however, Sophia suppressed her desire to shop and rushed to book accommodation at a hotel.
Inside the hotel, a haggard Michael went to take a shower and washed his hair. Before his hair was even dried, he was already on the phone. In the hotel suite where they were staying, there were people coming in and out of the office with various updates on the situation.
Michael was also mentally drained. There was still no news on the child. After she entered Ronney, it seemed like she had disappeared into thin air. When Michael finally returned to his bedroom late at night, he found Sophia sitting on the bed and reading the hotel’s fashion magazine.
Seeing Michael come in, Sophia showed him the magazine in her hand. “Why don’t we go and ask the Yard Family? They are the local tyrant here.”
She wanted to remind him after seeing the whole magazine filled with advertisements about Ronney Group’s special luxury items.
Michael put down his phone and let out a long sigh. “Although I have endorsed the luxury products for Ronney Group’s subsidiary before, I only did it because the assistant manager and I are good friends. But, I don’t want to interact with the backbone of the Ronney Group, the Yard Family.”
“Why not?”
Sophia felt dumb after asking.
Obviously, it’s because they’re the national enemy!
Drawing the curtains open, Michael was confronted with the view of a vibrant globalized metropolis.
This was one of the most prosperous cities in the world—the origin of the Ronney Group, the Yard Family’s nest overseas, and the fashion capital. Even the items for sale on the side of the road were all famous luxury brands.
Aside from luxury goods, there were also casinos, horse betting, and other playthings for the rich. The pornographic industry was also well-developed, and it was a bustling city for killers to carry out their business. Additionally, it was where overseas Cethosians gathered typically. Standing there at night, one could clearly see, among the multi-colored neon lights, the ancient Cethosian-styled buildings—beautiful seven-layered pagodas. It was even more authentic than those built within the country—as if they were looking at a second Cethos.
After letting out a sigh, Michael began speaking leisurely. “During the Yard Dynasty, our ancestors were military generals and the leading commanding officers. Throughout their reign, our family sent out over a dozen generals.”
“Nearing the end of the Yard Dynasty, the Imperial Yard Family was beyond cruel. The ruler extorted the fruits of the people’s labor to live a pleasurable life on their own. At the same time, natural disasters were happening everywhere. While the rich reeked of wine and meat, the bodies of the poor were frozen at the side of the roads. The country’s population declined by a third in a short amount of time. Not long after, the farmers formed a rebellion. Our ancestors realized that the government was incapable of salvaging the desperate situation, so they decided to turn against them and join the rebellion along with other noble families to overthrow the Yard Dynasty.”
“A century ago, the Imperial Yard Family worked behind closed doors to plan for a foreign entity to invade our country. The direct line of the imperial family once personally responded to the plan, but their mail boat just so happened to stop in Fletcher territory.”
“That year, our family was also one of the warlord factions. My grandfather and father led their brothers and sons, and five thousand people, to sabotage that luxury mail boat, capturing the Imperial Yard Family and the foreigners they colluded with at once.”
“The Imperial Yard Family put up a strong resistance and were unwilling to surrender. But, the Fletchers wiped out all the troops of the Yard Family, except for women and children.
Turning to look at Sophia with an aggrieved look, he continued, “Our family destroyed the once prosperous Yard Family and left them with only one son for generations. To this day, the imperial line still has not been able to recover from the scale of that year’s event and have remained with only one male descendant.”
The story left Sophia in a daze. The Fletchers were so ruthless. But, they can’t be blamed either; the obsolete imperial family brought it upon themselves.
Nonetheless, their history ran quite deep.
Hence, asking the Ronneys for help to find the child did not seem plausible. At this point, they were already being quite gracious for not having killed the Fletchers already.
Michael sat by the window and looked out at the lively city. The multi-colored neon lights were reflected in his eyes.
How many crimes were happening under the guise of this bustling atmosphere? Every year, so many children were sold off to this place.
Wherever these children came from, they all disappeared once they arrived in this huge city—as though they had been swallowed by a giant beast in one gulp, not leaving a single trace.
My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1030
“At the time, the Yard Family should have all been killed, but the Fletchers showed mercy and let all the women go. Over the years, they have all passed away from old age. It would not be wise to seek out the Yard Family for help.”
Once Sophia became aware of the history of the previous dynasty, she also thought it was unreasonable and they were better off looking for the child on their own.
The next day, Michael and Quinton went out together to look for the child. Originally, Sophia planned to evaluate the market to prepare to work with the Yard Family, but after finding out the situation, she decided not to anymore and went along with Michael to search for the child.
The competition was high so it was not a loss even if she stepped out.
Because this was the Ronney Group’s territory, and the Ronneys and Michels were competitors, she did not have much of an influence here. She was unable to receive a lot of information, but she still managed to gather some here and there. Michael and Quinton were also able to get some information.
In the end, all their information pointed in the same direction—the black market.
The black market was a place where people were trafficked.
It was an illegal industry that the government had no control over. They had been in existence for centuries—ever since the maritime period. When colonizers trafficked Cethosian workers and Black slaves, it slowly gave form to the market and let it develop until it became this large-scale industry today. It even had a complete business chain. Behind closed doors, conglomerates and government officials continued to tacitly approve of them. Hence, they had never gotten banned.
Every day, people were delivered like goods in mass quantities to be sold off. There were men, women, and children—anyone that had a value.
Sophia and Michael drove for an hour before they arrived at their destination.
Getting out of the car, it looked like a regular shopping street. All they saw was famous international luxury brand retail stores, exclusive stores, and even the Michel Group’s high-end mobile phones. It was a woman’s paradise.
Michael turned to Sophia and said, “You can take a look around here. Hope and I will go down first. I’ll come and get you once I’m done.”
But, it was not an ordinary day and Sophia was unwilling to take a step away from him. Tugging on his hand tightly, she said, “I want to go with you.”
He squeezed her hand lightly. “You shouldn’t go there.”
Sophia bit her lip, and her face turned red. “I… I don’t want to leave you.”
Michael smiled. Holding her face in his hands, he gave her a peck and said, “That place is not suitable for you. You will regret it.”
She quickly shook her head. “I won’t talk later. I won’t get in the way.”
In the end, he brought her along with them. The black market was just within the area. Even though the place was filled with people from the underworld, no one dared to mess with the consumers. However, heinous criminals were crawling all around the place. Even if Sophia had bodyguards, Michael still did not feel at ease, so he decided to bring her along.
Quinton felt dejected as he silently watched them act lovey-dovey with each other, but he soon dismissed it from his mind.
Love did not work on a first come, first served basis. People did not get to call dibs on someone just because they saw them first.
The difference was only in whether love was present or not.
It was clear that Sophia had never loved him.
…
Over a dozen people entered the largest department store. Once they all shuffled into the elevator, they went two levels down to the basement. When the elevator doors opened, they were confronted with a big door that was guarded. The man asked coldly, “Did you make an appointment?”
Michael and Sophia were wearing masks. They kept themselves hidden among the large group of bodyguards and did not say a word. Quinton took the lead and said, “Yes. Number 29834. My boss and his wife are unable to bear children, so they have come to pick one.”
A person went to look up the appointment and found a match. It was a Cethosian married couple who were unable to have children, so they came to pick a child from this place.
Once their identities were verified, the door opened. Sophia followed the rest of them in.
It was a whole new world on the other side of the door; one that could overturn the world that Sophia knew.
An underground bazaar was taking place inside. It was not much different from the underground bazaars in Cethos. There were a lot of shops, the air circulation system constantly brought in fresh air, and there was no odor. It was spacious and not stuffy.
Michael walked ahead silently. Holding onto Sophia’s hand, he murmured, “Don’t act rashly no matter what happens later or things will get messy.”
Sophia nodded. This place was not to be taken lightly, so she did not dare to mess around. After all, no matter how powerful they were in Cethos, they could not beat the local tyrant here.
Heads bobbed around in the crowd of people. Most of the stores were selling none other than people!
Men, women, children, elderlies, beautiful ones, ugly ones, and even strange ones—all sorts of people were being sold.
A woman with heavy make-up, who looked like a procuress at first glance, was choosing beautiful young women and girls under the protection of a tattooed bodyguard. There was also a gruff and perverted old man lusting over young women through the display window with a stack of cash in his hand.
There was also a beer-bellied, wealthy-looking man who brought away young and strong men. No one knew where they were being taken.
Once they entered, Sophia felt her whole body go cold as though she had just stepped into hell.
This place maintained order with its own rules. Under all that glamor, a lot of heinous crimes were taking place. Sophia acted carefully and was cautious with every step she took.
Quinton said, “Our people are in. They will let us know if they find anything.”
He was familiar with these places. “This is the miscellaneous area where they sell all kinds of things. We have to walk further to get to the specialized area.”
There were all sorts of people in the miscellaneous area. The sellers were also very strange. There were buyers for all the goods and goods for every buyer. Every day, the turnover and profit made one boil with anger. That was how this big and inhumane industry was produced.
For money, people could take on the form of any monster.
Sophia looked at those ‘goods’ that had a numb expression on their faces that looked like they had gone through immeasurable torment. They were sitting in a daze by the display window waiting to be purchased. Feelings of desolation and anger grew within her, but she realized how powerless she was.
She could not change a thing.
All of a sudden, she came to an abrupt halt and stood still where she was. Michael kept tugging her forward, but she did not budge.
Sophia’s eyes were fixed on one of the stores at the side. A child was up for sale by the display window. It was a little Cethosian girl. She was very beautiful and was dressed neatly. Her glistening eyes were filled with misery and fear.
She looked to be the same age as Carmen. She was supposed to be a little princess, spoiled and cherished by her parents, but she had been sold off to this place and turned into one of the ‘goods’ that were up for sale.
She was even wearing a wristband with a number on it. If people liked her, they could take her to the counter, pay the price, and carry her out of there. The people there could even provide legal identities and adoption procedures.
Sophia felt her heart ache and could not take another step. Breathing heavily, she only kept her eyes fixed on that child.
Michael knew that bringing Sophia in would cause trouble.
Anyone with a conscience who entered this place would burn with indignation. They would want more than anything for a huge fire to burn the whole place down. Unfortunately, the reality was that cruel. That place was not going to disappear and there was not much they could do about it.
Michael tugged at Sophia, pulling her back into reality. Her weary gaze moved away from the young girl as she slowly followed Michael forward. It did not keep her from feeling terrible. Lowering her head, her tears slowly soaked through her mask.
When they had just taken a couple of steps, however, she suddenly wrenched her hand out of Michael’s grip and ran back. Rushing into that store, she went and carried the child out, then stood before Michael with pleading eyes.
He almost expected that to happen.