Ch. 1041..1050

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1041

“I’m on my way to the filming location. We’re entering an isolated area now. The line might be bad.”

Sophia was on the phone with Michael, but his voice kept cutting out. It looked like they were losing connection.

“Okay, you should focus on filming now then. I’m hanging up.” She blew a kiss into the phone.

After the call ended, however, she still felt uneasy. On the one hand, she was thinking about the advantages that a fake marriage would bring. Even though family did not equate entirely to business, the Michel Group was currently being managed by Linus and Alice. Fass’ daughter did not have as much authority as Linus’ wife would have. If she and Linus got married, it would be much easier to enter the company.

On the other hand, her conscience was bugging her. The more she thought about it, the more the fake marriage seemed flustering and awkward. Moreover, she was going to marry her own uncle.

She spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed, wondering if Michael was in the same state as she was in.

On the other side of the world, Michael was filming a movie in a mountainous region. There were many developed places overseas, but the infrastructure in some places was just unlike Cethos’, especially when it came to phone signals. All in all, they even had Wi-Fi connection in their subway stations in Cethos while many places overseas did not even have a basic mobile network.

Once Michael arrived at the filming location, he grabbed his high-end Dragon Eye phone and searched for a signal everywhere. He eventually managed to call Sophia, but it kept indicating that her line was busy. When the call finally went through, her voice came in choppy and they were unable to say a complete sentence.

Later, he gave a call to Justin that also only went through after a long while and sounded just as choppy.

Some time ago, he planned to let Cooper drop the search for his son, but a flood of events occurred and the matter ended up being delayed. Now that he was overseas, he entrusted Justin with the matter.

On the other hand, since they found Lorelei and brought her home, Cooper feared that Justin would sense something if he had nothing better to do, so he started sending Justin out to look for his son on his behalf.

According to Michael’s plan, he was going to make Cooper abandon the search by the end of the month.

Through their choppy conversation, Michael was able to receive an update on Sophia.

Justin replied, “She’s been quite busy lately with the partnership contract with Ronney. The line over there is bad, so video calls won’t work. Carmen has no way of seeing you. These days, we’ve been fooling her with fake video calls from you.”

“Fake video calls? What’s that?”

The line started to cut out again. “Video… with this software… edited… your voice… combined to produce a conversation and vague image…”

Even with the bits of information, Michael knew what was happening, and it made him feel anxious. He could not see his precious daughter and kiss his wife, but the phone signal there was certainly not of much help.

It’ll be over soon. It’s just slightly over a month. I’ll go home right after we’re done here!

Taking the opportunity when there was still a connection, he quickly asked Justin about Cooper’s search for his son. According to their plan, Justin should be helping him look for his son now.

But there was a heaviness in Justin’s choppy voice.

“A change in plans… moved the grave… the casket was empty.”

…

On the outskirts of Riverdale in Bayside City, the Johnson Family Village’s cemetery, which was usually isolated except on Ancestors’ Day, was crowded with people today.

Today was the day they were going to move Annabel’s grave. Cooper found another tomb for her. He wanted her to receive a grand burial as his wife.

When they dug out the grave and opened the casket, however, they found that it was empty.

“What happened?”

The Johnson Family members were glancing at one another. Cooper stared at the empty casket and did not want to believe his eyes.

Annabel’s casket was empty!

He jumped into the grave and observed the casket. It was simple. At the time of her death, things were hectic and they had prepared the casket hastily. It was almost broken now, but it was definitely empty. There was no corpse or any burial objects.

The villagers were pointing at the casket.

“How did that happen? Her uncle and I were the ones that buried her that year! I still remember how hot it was that day. She passed away in the afternoon, but we were unable to get an ice casket, and the morgue was too expensive. We quickly brought her home that night and buried her. I even laid the final layer of soil!”

…

While everyone was pointing and whispering, Sophia rushed forward to look and Justin jumped down to observe. “Someone tried to open it. Look at the marks. It was done a long time ago—at least twenty years ago.”

Cooper did not look good. With his hands on the casket, he was looking at the empty space inside and radiating a frightening presence throughout his body.

Who dared to touch his Annabel?

The villagers were also making guesses.

Annabel was dead, and there weren’t any expensive burial objects in there. What maniac dug her body up?

She had gotten pregnant before marriage. Even though people talked behind her back, no one held a grudge against her. Who could have that much hatred for her that they would dig up a dead person’s body?

The villagers talked among themselves when suddenly someone shrieked, “I know who did this! It must be him—Aiden Johnson!”

At the mention of that name, Cooper suddenly remembered that Annabel had two older brothers. One was Liam, and the other was Aiden.

Liam and his family advanced abroad and had not been back in years. Meanwhile, the second brother, Aiden, was released from prison less than a year ago.

The reason he served time in prison was that he stole a female corpse!

A man who died before he got married was given a female corpse to be buried with him. It was said that he needed a wife; otherwise, he would wreak havoc on the whole family.

The female corpse was usually purchased. These days, they were sold for thousands. The younger and fresher they were, the better. The ones who weren’t married yet were the best.

But, looking for a female corpse was not easy, since not everyone was willing to sell their family for money.

When Annabel passed away that year, someone came to ask if they wanted to sell her corpse, but the Johnsons kicked that person out.

She might have been dead, but how could they sell their own daughter?

Some who could not buy a female corpse targeted females who were already buried underground.

That was how it produced a group of desperate people who only stole freshly buried female corpses to sell. Aiden was sent to prison because he stole a female corpse.

He went in and out of prison countless times for the same reason. At this point, he had only been out for less than a year.

When Annabel’s body went missing, he was the first person that came to all of their minds!

The family head was fuming mad. He assumed that Aiden had stolen from other graves, but who would have thought that he would desecrate his own sister’s grave?

Knowing that Annabel’s body could have been stolen to become a ghost bride, both Cooper and Sophia were quivering with anger.

“Bring Aiden to me right now!” the family head shouted and the people got moving. They quickly dragged a boorish and thin middle-aged man over and flung him in front of Annabel’s empty casket.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1042

That man was Aiden Johnson. Previously, Sophia had seen a photo of him at the Johnson Residence. He had wretched and shrewd inverted triangular eyes. His body was so skinny that he was all bones and skin. On the back of his hands were various needle scars of unknown origins. His entire body had a deathlike pallor, and his back was hunched. He didn’t look human but more like a ghost.

Cooper could not believe that Annabel had a brother like him. As the saying went ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. Back then, Annabel sacrificed her chance to study and went to work instead. It was so that she could earn enough money to allow her two elder brothers to continue their studies. In the end, one molested a child while the other stole a corpse. How tragic it was for her to be born into such a family!

Aiden collapsed to the ground in horror. Before he could react to anything, a large hand reached toward him from above and fiercely grabbed him by the neck. A man looked down at him condescendingly. “Tell me Anna’s whereabouts in a single sentence. If you dare to lie, I will crush your throat!”

Despite struggling like a monkey, Aiden was unable to break free of Cooper’s grip. Cooper was wearing gloves. He exerted force, squeezing Aiden’s hand so strongly that he broke his hand. Thus, Aiden let out a hoarse scream, trembling in fear. “Have mercy! I was wrong! I did it! I dug her up! Have mercy on me! I won’t dare to do it again!”

Upon learning that the culprit was truly Aiden, Cooper stomped on Aiden in a rage. He wanted to kill this man; he did not hold any kindness for the person who could commit such desecration against Annabel. Afraid that Cooper might lose control and trample Aiden to death, Sophia hurriedly asked somebody to drag Aiden to the side.

After the severe beating, Aiden wept as he confessed. When Annabel breathed her last, the hospital asked them if they were willing to sell her corpse for money. A young lady’s corpse was worth 1000 back then. That was a lot of money! At the time, Mr. Johnson, Liam, and Aiden agreed to sell her corpse for money, hoping to have some use for their garbage. To their surprise, Mrs. Johnson invited Annabel’s grandfather over, threatened the buyer in front of everybody, and chased the buyer away. In the end, the corpse was not sold. However, Aiden couldn’t forget about the money. On the night Annabel was buried, he stealthily dug her corpse back up and sold her body to the hospital that offered to buy her in the first place.

“That buyer… His son was about to be buried after dying in a car accident that day. But, he was not married, and his family was worried that he might haunt them after his death…” Aiden begged for mercy with tears and snot flowing down his face, prostrating himself before them.

Upon hearing what he said, everybody within the family was livid at the thought that he would dare to harm his own sister!

Meanwhile, Justin quickly sent people to investigate the people who bought Annabel’s corpse. It was easier to search for the family, as they might have left traces behind, compared to searching for Cooper’s long-lost son. After several twists and turns, they found the grave of the boy that died in the accident twelve hours later. Upon excavating the grave, they found a pair of skeletons inside—they clearly belonged to a male and a female.

“Anna! Anna…” Cooper sobbed uncontrollably; he finally found Annabel’s corpse. Right now, he was no longer the greatly accomplished and all-powerful Cooper Mitchell. He was simply a pitiful man who just learned that the corpse of his deceased lover had been stolen and sold off as a match for necrogamy—an arranged marriage between the dead. He was simultaneously furious and heartbroken.

As he was emotionally disturbed by the sight of Annabel’s corpse, he lost part of his reasoning. Still, Sophia was very vigilant as she studied the shifty-eyed Aiden. She was suspicious of him; she had the feeling that he was lying. “Justin, can I ask you to do something? Can you perform a DNA test on the corpse? I suspect this man is lying.”

Justin said, “Sure. Let me compare the DNA between this man and the corpse. Since they are biological siblings, we’ll get a match. If it doesn’t match, I will slice his head off!” As he spoke, he deliberately glared at Aiden fiercely.

When Aiden heard that they were going to perform a DNA test on the corpse, he shuddered in fear and nearly lost control of his bowel movements. “No! I swear I’m speaking the truth! Anna… Anna isn’t my biological sister! We don’t share a drop of blood between us, so you won’t be able to check with my DNA!”

Everybody was shocked by his words. Annabel was not Aiden’s biological sister?! What was going on?!

Lying on the ground, he wept piteously. “Our entire family is so ugly. How could we possibly produce a daughter as beautiful as Anna?! When I was younger, I accidentally overheard a conversation between my mother and my grandmother. After my mother gave birth to my sister in the hospital, she accidentally lost my sister and was unable to explain it to my father when she returned. Hence, my grandmother went to the train station and stole a baby girl to replace the one my mother lost!”

Everybody was shocked and immediately started gossiping among themselves. No wonder Annabel did not look like anybody from the Johnson Family—it turned out that she was a stolen child!

Staring at Annabel’s bones blankly, Cooper… couldn’t say anything. He even lost the ability to think and could only subconsciously murmur under his breath, “Anna… Anna…”

At this point, it was meaningless to obsess about Annabel’s origins when she died so many years ago. Sophia was already 28 this year; that meant that Annabel had been dead for nearly 28 years now.

Sophia kept her composure. Violently stomping on Aiden’s hand and grinding her foot against his hand as hard as she could, she coldly said, “I’ll believe you for the time being! If you’re lying, I’ll make sure you wish you were dead!” Turning her head, she quietly whispered to Justin, “I still suspect that this guy is hiding something from us. Why don’t you use my DNA instead?”

Justin nodded, temporarily forgetting about finding a signal to contact Michael. He hurriedly extracted some DNA from Sophia and the corpse to perform the DNA test. Traveling through the night, he returned to Bayside City. On the other hand, Sophia and Cooper stayed at the guesthouse in Johnson Family Village for the time being while Aiden was locked up.

Cooper had experienced a lot of emotional instability today. He was unable to remain calm anytime he came across something related to Annabel. Losing her was a heartache that would remain for as long as he lived! For that reason, Sophia did not voice her concerns. Instead, she quietly asked Justin to return to Bayside City with the DNA samples so that he could obtain the results of the DNA test as soon as possible.

It was late at night when Sophia finally called Michael. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t get the call to go through. Although the call connected once, the signal was unstable—so much so that she couldn’t even get two sentences in before the call dropped. I wonder where they are filming the movie. Why is the signal so terrible?

Upon learning that Aiden had lied, Cooper rushed toward the room where Aiden was being detained like a rampaging dragon. “Where on earth is Anna?! Where is she?!”

It seemed like Cooper had completely lost control of his emotions. At this point, Sophia was afraid that he might be unable to stop himself from strangling Aiden to death. If that happened, they would never be able to locate Annabel’s corpse. Therefore, she quickly asked Roger and the others to drag Cooper away. Stepping on Aiden, who was bruised and battered from the beating, she coldly said, “The Johnson Family was around during the day. My father did not kill you on the spot out of respect for them. But, they aren’t here now. We can kill you at any time! So, are you going to talk?!”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1043

Aiden clutched at his head and repeated the same words. “Have mercy on me! I don’t know what’s going on either! I handed the body over to them myself! I don’t know anything else!”

Sophia knew that he was lying. Looking at the needle scars on his arms, she immediately had an idea. Soon, Roger brought some items over and placed them in front of Aiden. Upon seeing those items, Aiden screamed like a banshee. It was his life’s blood—heroin.

He was a drug addict that had been injecting heroin for years. When the addiction of a drug addict flared up, they were willing to say anything. Sure enough; he spilled everything. It turned out that he had just dug up Annabel’s corpse on that fateful night twenty years ago when he met a man before he could even step out of the cemetery. That person bought her corpse and paid 10,000 for it. 10,000 was an incredibly large amount of money at the time. Thus, he happily sold off her corpse and dug up another random female corpse nearby for the family at the hospital.

Not knowing where her body was now, he casually led them to the female corpse he sold off previously. At first, he assumed that he could fool them since all that was left after twenty years was a pile of bones. He did not expect them to be so technologically adept that they could determine whether it was Annabel just by matching her DNA.

“What did that person look like? What was their name? Where did they come from?” Sophia continued questioning.

The drug Aiden craved so much was placed right in front of him, but he couldn’t enjoy it. Hence, he was so anxious that he looked like he was willing to sell his soul for it. No matter what questions they asked him, he answered without fail. “I don’t know him. By the time I finished digging, he was already there when I turned around. I nearly died of fright when he appeared at the grave in the middle of the night like that! But, I really don’t know him! Besides, it has been twenty years, and it was very dark at the time. I don’t know anything else… Please give it to me! Just let me take it… Just a little bit…”

Sophia could tell that there was nothing else she could get from the man in front of her, and she felt a chill in her heart. How I wish I could kick him to death! There was nothing else for her to learn from him. It was dark that night, and he only saw that person’s figure. Still, so many years had passed, and he couldn’t describe that person’s appearance anymore. It was impossible for them to figure out who the buyer of Annabel’s corpse was at this point.

Snatching the heroin from them, Aiden began inhaling it frantically. At that moment, he looked more like a ghost than a human.

In contrast, Cooper fell silent. He was unusually silent as he blankly sat there with bloodshot eyes. It seemed like he couldn’t wake himself up from the great shock he had experienced all day. That was his beloved—the one he could never forget but had lost through a strange sequence of fated events! Yet now, he couldn’t even find her!

Comparatively, Sophia was a lot calmer than he was, considering that she had never experienced life with Annabel before. After all, Annabel passed away on the day she was born. For that reason, she was still much calmer than he was at the moment, even though she, too, was filled with sorrow and rage. “Dad, I heard from Aiden that he sneaked out to the grave in the middle of the night and dug up Mom’s body. As soon as he finished digging, he turned around and saw the person that offered to buy her corpse for 10,000. I don’t believe an ordinary person would show up in a cemetery in the middle of the night, much less carry 10,000 around with them. Plus, who would go out of their way to buy a corpse for 10,000? I’m guessing that that person might be an acquaintance of Mom’s or somebody sent there by an acquaintance. Moreover, they were there specifically to take her body away. Even if Aiden didn’t make the first move, that person would have done the same. It just so happened that Aiden was one step ahead.” Lightly shaking Cooper, who was about to faint, she asked, “Dad, think back carefully. Back then, who, among Mom’s acquaintances, could afford to spend 10,000 and might have known about her circumstances?

Cooper closed his eyes, vigorously trying to recall everything he knew about Annabel in his memories. In the end, he shook his head. He actually knew little about Annabel. When he first met her, they were both very young—they were only 16. They had gotten to know each other and fallen in love in their ignorance. As a result, he had never met her family nor visited her house before despite knowing about her family circumstances. Not to mention, their relationship had been a secret that not many knew about.

Besides, she did not have many friends. Her social circles were very limited, and she generally hung out with him. The serving staff that worked with her were jealous of her beauty, so they rarely interacted with her and even teamed up to exclude her from their circles. Therefore, he had never seen her with any other friends. The only other person they both knew was Sam Edwards.

Sam was 14 years old at the time. He was still studying and had yet to step into the political world. However, he was extremely talented. He took over the family business at a young age. It was his first business, and it was a restaurant that was not particularly well-run. As soon as he took over the place, he changed its name to ‘Crimson House’.

On the other hand, the 16-year-old Annabel had just dropped out of middle school and came to the city to look for work. Thus, she became one of Crimson House’s earliest employees. The restaurant was located near the university. Since Cooper and Sam were very close friends, Cooper often went there to eat. At the time, she was a fair and slender beauty—she was the prettiest member of the serving staff, as well as the restaurant’s unofficial mascot. She charmed many men, including him. They later got to know each other and fell in love. At the peak of their love, something happened and they eloped. Afterward, they were caught and a tragedy ensued…

Who on earth was it that took Annabel’s corpse away? The willingness to pay 10,000 in exchange for a female corpse 28 years ago… couldn’t have been for something like necrogamy. Could it have been a medical institute that was looking for corpses to perform experiments on? Or, was a medical school nearby buying corpses to use for their teaching materials? Did somebody from the Mitchell Family take her corpse away? But, why would they do that? Anna… Why did they do that to my beloved Anna?! Cooper’s eyes were bloodshot, and his head felt like it was going to split apart. Even so, he couldn’t think of any leads. 28 years was simply far too long ago…

Sophia knew that too many things had happened today, and he was still in shock. He probably couldn’t recall anything more in his current state. Hence, she comforted him and told him to rest. However, she could not fall asleep. After ruminating and struggling over it all night, she finally decided to question the Johnsons. Perhaps they knew something.

The next day, all members of the Johnson Family who could come were gathered in the Johnson Family’s ancestral hall. Squeezing in the yard, they gossiped about the disappearance of Annabel’s corpse. Meanwhile, Sophia sat on the rattan chair in the middle of the great hall. She had an extraordinary aura around her as she watched the Johnson Family standing before her. Then, she announced loudly, “Everybody, think back to the time my mother was still alive. Were there any strange or special people that she interacted with before she died? No matter how big or how small the clue you give me, or no matter good or bad, as long as you have news, I will reward you.”

She was very straightforward. Stacking a huge pile of money on the table before her, her slender fingers tapped against the stacks of cash. When everybody saw the mountain of money, their eyes widened. There were at least several hundred thousand scattered across the table. All of a sudden, their memory became sharp as they racked their brains and started providing clues of what they knew, one after the other.

A woman, who looked to be in her forties, suddenly waved her rough hands from among the crowd and yelled, “I know something! I know something! After Anna dropped out of school, she worked at my noodle restaurant. One day, a bigshot came into my shop and took an interest in her. After that, he brought her to the city to work!”

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1044

A bigshot? Sophia frowned, then relaxed her scrunched-up brows. My mother was acquainted with ‘a bigshot’? Still, anything unusual could be a clue. Lifting her hand, she gestured slightly. In response, Dimon picked up a thick stack of cash and handed it to the woman.

The woman took the money happily, weighing it in her hands. Everybody felt incredibly jealous at the sight. Even without counting, they could tell that that stack of cash was worth around 10,000. It was real! They really received money for providing clues!

Sitting in the hall, Sophia instructed her men to record the information they obtained. After that, she asked again, “What was the name of the noodle restaurant? What was the address? Who owned the noodle restaurant? How did the bigshot who took my mother away look? How old was he? How was he dressed?”

She fired off a series of questions in quick succession. After receiving the stack of cash, the woman was very enthusiastic as she racked her brains to answer them. “The noodle restaurant is located right by the middle school in our town. It is owned by a school teacher that has retired now. Unfortunately, I don’t quite remember how that bigshot looked anymore. I recall he looked extremely wealthy. He also brought several bodyguards with him… Oh! I remember! He had a hooked nose! Moreover, he came here in a big sedan!”

When the woman finished answering the questions, Sophia raised her hand again. A few more stacks of cash were handed over to the woman, and the woman was so overjoyed that she nearly passed out!

Motivated by the promise of money, everybody’s memory suddenly became good. As Annabel was the prettiest lady in the village, everybody paid attention to her affairs. For that reason, some people still remembered things about her even though more than 20 years had passed, and a steady stream of people provided information about her.

“When she was pregnant with you, a man came to visit her. He was hooked-nosed and looked extremely wealthy. Moreover, he drove a luxurious car! I ran into Anna when she sneaked out to the small river in town to meet him. If memory serves me right, he was in his twenties!”

“Hooked-nosed… It feels like I’ve seen him before too. The next day after Anna passed away, a BMW was parked in front of the guest house in town. It was super eye-catching! It was the first time I had ever seen such an eye-catching car in our town, so I remember it very clearly! The man in the car was a young man with a hooked nose!”

“That’s right; that’s right! It was a BMW! I didn’t know it back then, but now that I think about it, it was a BMW! The bigshot that took Anna away drove a BMW too. Furthermore, he had more than one!”

…

Everybody took turns describing the situation back then. As a result, the money Sophia brought dwindled while the information they retrieved increased. From the raw information they obtained, Sophia deduced that the mysterious person was a wealthy hooked-nosed man in his twenties who drove a BMW. 28 years ago, the BMW had just entered the Cethosian market. It was very expensive and rare at the time. Therefore, those that could afford to drive a BMW back then were not just ordinary rich men.

Over the next few days, Cooper, who had suffered a great shock, returned to the city ahead of time. Meanwhile, Sophia took the initiative to spearhead the efforts on locating Annabel’s body. At first, Justin was tasked to search for Cooper’s son. However, he was caught by Sophia and roped into searching for Annabel’s corpse.

According to the information Sophia obtained, they found the retired teacher that ran the noodle restaurant next to the middle school in town. Thus, they questioned the teacher about the wealthy bigshot that had taken Annabel away back then. Fortunately, the teacher still recalled the events back then even though he was quite elderly by now.

Back in those days, the 15-year-old Annabel had been one of the teacher’s brightest students. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to drop out of school due to her family’s circumstances. Feeling sorry for her, the teacher then asked her to help out in his restaurant. When she was being harassed by the local bully one day, the bigshot stepped in and rescued her. The bigshot was extremely wealthy. Moreover, he drove a BMW. Hence, the teacher could remember it as if it were just yesterday because it was his first time seeing a BMW. The bigshot did indeed turn out to be a hooked-nosed young man in his twenties that was very handsome.

Then, they questioned the guest house in town and confirmed that a bigshot driving a BMW had indeed visited the place 28 years ago. As the town was quite poor back then, many people saw a BMW for the first time. As a result, most of the older staff at the guesthouse recalled the incident. It was the first time a BMW had graced the guesthouse, and many people came to gawk at the car.

More importantly, the bigshot driving the BMW had a hooked nose. Furthermore, he did not come alone. Quite a few people were traveling with him, and they drove several cars, including BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. Most of the townspeople saw luxurious cars for the first time, so it caused quite a stir.

After asking around town for several days, Sophia had figured out a rough timeline. After Annabel dropped out of school at 15, she worked at the noodle restaurant. After that, she was taken away by a wealthy bigshot. At 16, she suddenly started working at the Crimson House, a restaurant owned by Sam. As a result, she got to know Cooper and Sam. At 18, she eloped with Cooper and was caught. At first, she was supposed to be disposed of, but Woody secretly let her escape. Following that, she entered the Edwards Residence as a nanny and returned to her village after she was raped. Then, the hooked-nosed man appeared again to visit her secretly.

According to the villagers, she was taken away by the bigshot to work in the city and came back pregnant. Therefore, everybody assumed that she was pregnant with the bigshot’s child. The day after her death, the hooked-nosed man appeared in town again. Later, the Johnsons brought Sophia into the city in search of Joe after she was born, thinking that the bigshot was Joe. However, they returned embarrassed.

On another note, Aiden claimed that the man who took the body away did not have a hooked nose. However, they could not be certain that he was not working for the hooked-nosed man. After all, he was so wealthy—there was no need for him to personally go to the cemetery in the middle of the night to excavate a corpse.

In other words, if we can find the hooked-nosed man, we will be able to find my mother’s body! Sophia sent all the information she obtained back to the Edwards Residence without fail. She planned to let Cooper analyze it since he was from that era. Perhaps, he might have known of a hooked-nosed, wealthy, handsome man.

However, he had been greatly shocked by the news about Annabel’s body. Not wishing to bother him too much, she worked with Justin over a few days and collected information on all the men in Bayside City that matched the age, looks, and financial strength of the person they were looking for. Once the information was organized, she planned to ask Cooper to screen through them, one by one.

Justin was extremely capable. In a single day, he selected and compiled a long list of possible matches for her to go through. Thus, Sophia went through the computer database, going through the pictures one by one. Sean and Sarah, who had been recuperating in the Edwards Residence, decided to help out too. Screening through the list, they spent the entire morning looking through the information and the photos of over ten people while discussing them.

“It’s not this guy; I know him. Their family was not affluent 28 years ago, so they couldn’t afford a BMW back then.”

“I asked somebody to obtain the consumer list of the BMW factory from around 30 years ago. You can refer to it.”

All of a sudden, Sophia came across a photo. Naturally, the man in the photo had a hooked nose. Aside from that, he was very handsome and sharp, and his angular side profile had an air of heavy solemnity which made his handsome features particularly prominent. His name was Jordan Edwards.

28 years ago, Jordan was 27 years old. According to the information on him, he was already the chairman of the Edwards Group back then. He was young, wealthy, and at his prime. To this day, he was still a domineering president. However, the man in the photo and the man Sophia had met during the Edwards Family’s Annual Meeting seemed different somehow.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1045

Needless to say, one’s beauty would fade after 28 years. Besides, Jordan had grown older—so much so that his hair was starting to grey. However, Sophia compared the two men’s photos side by side and discovered that aside from their ages, both men were vastly different.

28 years ago, Jordan had a sharp aura, a steely gaze, and a towering arrogance. He had a frivolous and domineering attitude that looked down on others. However, the man she met 28 years later was a sly and wretched little old man with a large potbelly. No matter how she looked at them, she had the feeling that they were not the same person.

All things aside, Jordan owned a BMW back then. More importantly, he was also Cooper’s greatest enemy. According to Cooper, he was just an underaged boy 30 years ago. On the other hand, Jordan was already the head of the Edwards Family by then. Even so, he felt jealousy and hatred for a child 10 years younger than himself. He was the kind of man who would eradicate all his potential enemies, even if the opponent was just a child. As a result, many promising young geniuses in Bayside City met an untimely end, and he was the mastermind behind their deaths.

Although Jordan and Sam were brothers, they constantly competed with each other. Back when Sam was still active in the political scene, he nearly became president at one time. However, he was only one step away from becoming the president when he suddenly retired from politics and returned to doing business. It was rumored that Jordan was behind that incident too.

Sam and Cooper were Jordan’s enemies. Even if those two were just teenagers at the time, Jordan would not hesitate to take action against them. If the bigshot who had taken Annabel away from the Johnsons turned out to be Jordan… Sophia suddenly felt a chill running down her back. Her heart pounded wildly, and her eyes were filled with horror and disbelief—her hand holding the photos started trembling. If… Annabel was already acquainted with Jordan before she started working, and Jordan was the one to introduce her to her workplace…

Annabel was taken away by Jordan when she was 15. Upon turning 16, she appeared at Sam’s first independently-run business—the restaurant known as the Crimson House—as part of his first batch of employees… Not only that, but she also met Sam and fell in love with Cooper through her connection with Jordan.

At the time, Jordan must have begun to fear Cooper’s existence. After all, Cooper was already starting to show his extraordinary talents. He was in the process of writing the world’s first online game and developing the world’s first USB flash disk. He was a genius with unlimited potential as well as the future head of the Mitchell Family.

On the other hand, Sophia had never heard Cooper and Sam mentioning the fact that Annabel was already acquainted with Jordan before meeting them. It was highly possible that they were completely unaware of that fact. Moreover, Cooper later gave up on his promising future, eloped with Annabel to the South, and even encountered assassins along the way…

The deeper Sophia dug into the matter, the more frightened she became—it felt as if she was about to unravel a terrible truth. From the start to the end, it was all a conspiracy! It was a huge conspiracy!

“Sophia, what’s the matter?” Justin suddenly put his hand on her shoulder when he noticed her staring at Jordan’s photo in a daze.

She quickly snapped back to the present and smiled stiffly. “It’s nothing. I was just taking a second look.”

Stanley glanced at Jordan’s handsome picture on the computer and said in disgust, “Look at you; your eyes must have gone blind after staring so hard at these handsome guys! Tsk!”

She did not respond. Instead, she silently crossed Jordan’s name from the list of suspects. She was scared. She didn’t dare to question the authenticity of her parents’ love—she did not have the courage to do so. If the person who took Annabel away back then turned out to be Jordan, it would be a hugely painful and shocking blow for both Cooper and her. Cooper could never accept it, and neither could I…

For the moment, Justin put the matter of searching for Cooper’s long-lost son aside and focused all his efforts on helping Sophia locate her mother. Thus, he went back to Johnson Family Village to look for clues. Before returning to the city, he avoided everyone else as he went to the house of the woman who once worked with Annabel at the noodle restaurant.

As soon as the woman opened the door, she was very surprised to see him. However, he did not waste time on pleasantries. Taking out a photo, he showed it to the woman. “The bigshot that took Annabel away back then; was it this man?”

That woman leaned closer and studied the hooked-nosed man in the photo. The man in the photo was unusually handsome and noble. Looking at it, she thought back to the man in her memories. Finally, she said affirmatively, “It’s him! He was so good-looking that I still remember him now.”

Upon hearing those words, Justin’s expression suddenly became somber. Sure enough; it’s him… Then, he rushed back to the Edwards Residence with this information. However, he did not know how to bring this information up with Sophia. The further they looked into this matter, the more he realized that what they might discover could potentially be an unacceptable truth for all the parties involved. Seeing as this matter took place such a long time ago, and the person involved has already been dead for 28 years now… Perhaps… what happened back then isn’t so important anymore… Perhaps, it doesn’t matter anymore…

Pondering over what he should say when he met Sophia later, he drove toward the Edwards Residence. To his surprise, he saw Linus as he walked out of the garage. It seemed like Linus had been waiting for him for a long time. He hesitated slightly upon noticing Linus. Avoiding his gaze, he did not greet Linus immediately. Although Linus was very welcomed at this house, he knew that Linus was not to be taken lightly. Justin had not forgotten that he once worked with the Phantom Wolf to spy on the Fletcher Family’s situation.

Based on Michael’s progress, Linus should have joined Cooper’s household registry by now. However, Justin had been helping Sophia search for Annabel over the past few days—so much so that he forgot about the preparations to remove Cooper’s son from the household registry. He had to be smart and careful about it throughout the process. If it was done in a way that was unnatural and was discovered by Cooper or Linus as a result, Michael would be digging his own grave. Not only would Michael be punished severely, but it would also drag Justin down with him too. Therefore, Justin had to make careful preparations to ensure everything went naturally. Still, he had been too busy these past few days and had been postponing the issue as a result.

Mulling over it, he walked toward Linus. “Mr. Michel, why are you here?”

Linus stood without moving. His handsome face had an unspeakably lonely and worried expression. “Recently, Fass has been extremely upset over Annabel’s affairs. He has completely collapsed mentally… He seems… emotionless, but he’s actually just the most determined. The shock he experienced this time around is too huge.”

Justin did not understand what Linus was trying to say and chose to remain silent.

Then, Linus continued, “Thank you for your hard work during this period. I’m very sorry that I couldn’t help you with anything.”

Cooper had given all authority to Justin and Sophia, be it in the search for Annabel or the search for his son. For some reason, Linus had not been involved in these endeavors. Perhaps he felt that he shouldn’t trouble Linus with his personal matters. Thus, Justin calmly replied, “Mr. Michel, you’re a busy man. I can deal with these matters myself. Besides, I’ve been doing tasks like these for the past few years.

After the two exchanged greetings, Justin entered the Edwards Residence. He decided to keep quiet about that for now and went to meet Celine first. Celine had been very anxious recently because she couldn’t get a hold of Michael. Therefore, Justin wanted to rush back to keep her company. To his surprise, he received a phone call while he was on his way to her…

It was 10 PM as Sophia anxiously paced about in her room. Justin mentioned that he was heading to Johnson Family Village today to search for other leads, but he had yet to return. Logically speaking, he should have arrived home before dark. However, it was already 10 PM, and he was nowhere to be seen. When she tried calling his phone, it was switched off. His Dragon Eye phone had been fully charged before he left the house. Even if he gamed on his phone the entire day, it should not have run out of power. Moreover, the management system did not display any relevant prompts.

Pacing about in her room, she couldn’t get through to Justin’s phone. When she tried Michael’s phone, the signal on the other side was so terrible that it kept breaking up throughout the call. In the end, the call dropped before she could tell him about her discovery today.

After hanging up the call with Michael, Sophia lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze. If Justin found something during his investigation today and confirmed my suspicions… won’t it be extremely cruel to Cooper?

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1046

Carmen had gone to bed early. She and Lorelei & Co. had been running about all day. The little rascals were so cheeky that they were about to tear the house apart. As a result, she usually went to bed early after tiring herself out.

Meanwhile, Sophia lay on her bed, tossing and turning. She was unable to fall asleep when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

“Sophia, it’s so late. Why are you still awake?”

Opening the window, she saw Linus standing on the lawn downstairs in his pajamas. He was looking up at her. Under the streetlight, he was enveloped in a soft yellow glow that made him seem angelic. Lifting his head, his handsome features were very dazzling.

Leaning out the window, she greeted him, “Uncle Linus, you’re not asleep either!”

He replied, “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk. Are you having trouble sleeping too? Why don’t you join me for a stroll?”

She considered it briefly, then quickly put on her shoes and went downstairs. Too many things had occurred over the past two days. It felt as if her beliefs had been severely tested, and the things that she had taken pride in were on the verge of shattering into pieces. Feeling distressed and hurt, she wanted to vent her worries to somebody.

Soon, the two of them took a walk together in the Edwards Residence. The cool breeze that blew across the small lake at night was very comfortable. Moreover, the insects were chirping softly. It was quiet and peaceful—the entire Edwards Residence felt warm and beautiful. They walked over to the small lake and sat down on a bench. However, she said nothing as she ate a popsicle.

“What’s wrong? Did something troubling happen?”

She finished eating her popsicle and gave a small sigh. Looking at him, she hesitated to speak. In the end, she did not tell him about the matter. She had a terrifying conjecture—one that she desperately hoped was simply her imagination running wild. She also hoped that Justin failed to find anything concrete. At the same time, she was also eager to know the truth, even if it was extremely horrifying.

She believed that Annabel Johnson was a beautiful pawn sent by Jordan to deal with Cooper. No; to be precise, Annabel was specifically sent to target Sam. Unexpectedly, Sam and Cooper were friends, and so Cooper was dragged into the plan too.

At the time, Sam had just received his first business from the Edwards Group. That was the restaurant, which was now known as the world-renowned chain restaurant ‘Crimson House’. What would have happened to him if he had caused the business, which was handed over to him by his family, to fail? Everybody knew that it was a test. If he passed, he would receive even more attention and resources from the Edwards Family in the future. But, if he failed, he would have been labeled as trash. He might have been looked down upon by his family, or worse, thrown aside.

At the most critical point of his life, an exceptionally beautiful and innocent girl came to his shop. Sam, who was young and frivolous at the time, was so enchanted by her that he nearly forgot all about his business… In the end, the one that was completely smitten wasn’t Sam, but Cooper.

Cooper was originally a genius with limitless potential. He held a double Ph.D. at the tender age of 18. However, the future head of the Mitchell Family was willing to give up on his promising future and position as the head of the family for Annabel’s sake. Eloping with her to the South, he was ready to become an anonymous person for the rest of his life. If their elopement had succeeded back then, the Mitchell Family might have let them get away. If that had happened, Jordan would have successfully gotten rid of one of his potential opponents without any bloodshed.

Sophia continued to imagine the worst.

Sam was the young master of the Edwards Family while Cooper was the only son of the Mitchell Family. Although they were young, they held noble statuses. They must have met countless women before, but for some reason, both of them coincidentally fell in love with Annabel, who had neither educational background nor ability. All she had was her beauty.

The devil in her heart was going wild, and her head was filled with countless unruly thoughts. Could it be that my mother was not as kind and innocent as I had imagined? They were attacked when they were trying to escape. But, only the three of them knew about their elopement. So, who was it that leaked the news? Sam? Cooper? Or… had Annabel tipped them off?

She had an even more terrifying thought.

What if Annabel and Cooper’s elopement was actually a ploy to get Cooper away from the protection of the Mitchell Family? They wanted to take the opportunity to assassinate him, but before they could do anything… Sam tattled on them to the Mitchell Family in a fit of jealousy, and the Mitchell Family made their move. As a result, Cooper was caught just in time while Annabel was given a death sentence…

On the other hand, Annabel failed to complete the mission given to her by Jordan—she failed to seduce either Cooper or Sam. Thus, she was also abandoned by Jordan and had no choice but to work under the Edwards Family. Later, Jordan visited her again for some reason when she returned home. Moreover, he appeared once more after her death.

Sophia pulled her hair back softly and massaged her scalp. Her head felt like a mess. She was extremely scared that the truth would turn out to be just as she had imagined. If so, the beliefs she had firmly built up and the pride she took in them would shatter just like that. She had always believed that she was the product of the great and beautiful love between her parents. She had always believed that her parents were the best in the world. But, everything I believe in… might be completely destroyed once this riddle is solved.

In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to voice her concerns to Linus. Perhaps she was thinking too much into it. Perhaps, that hooked-nosed man was simply a bigshot who was lusting after Annabel.

Feeling exhausted, she leaned against the strong shoulder that just happened to be beside her. When she leaned against his shoulder, she immediately felt much better. It was a very comfortable feeling. She had tossed and turned all night; she had been unable to fall asleep in her bedroom. Yet, as soon as she leaned against his shoulder, she felt her sleepiness washing over her as she vaguely felt herself falling asleep.

Linus held her by the shoulder and looked down at her tired little face. Then, he gently whispered, “Sleep, sleep… Sleep for a while and all your worries will be gone.”

She gazed at his sexy lips moving slightly and soon fell asleep. After that, he simply watched her quietly as she slept beside him. The tenderness in his eyes did not disappear. He wished that he could watch her for the rest of his life. No matter how much he looked at her, he would never get bored of it…

The next day, Sophia woke up in her room. Rolling over, it took her a long time to recall the events of last night. No, I need to ask Justin about it. However, she couldn’t find Justin anywhere no matter how much she searched. Reportedly, he received a phone call after he arrived home last night. Then, he rushed out again in a panic as if something urgent had come up.

Unable to find Justin anywhere, Sophia brought the documents with her as she searched for Cooper. “Dad! Dad!”

When Linus heard her calling for Cooper, he reminded her, “Fass went out for a change of pace early this morning. He’s not back yet.”

A change of pace? Cooper, that recluse, would actually take the initiative to go out for a change of pace? He normally found it troublesome just to take his dog out for a walk—so much so that he specially created a robot to walk the dog on his behalf. Ever since they moved Annabel’s grave, Michael’s signal had been cut off, Justin had rushed off in a panic, and Cooper suddenly went out for a change of pace. Everything is so strange! Don’t tell me; did moving the grave bring about bad luck?!

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1047

It looks like we didn’t do a good job at choosing the feng shui. We should’ve hired a professional for something as major as the relocation of a grave. Unfortunately, Daniel was traveling the world, and nobody could locate him. Nobody even knew which part of the hemisphere he was in, plying his scamming trade.

It was late at night. Not only did Cooper not return, but Justin did not return either. In the meantime, Sophia spent some time playing mahjong with Sarah and lost 2,000. As it was the World Cup season, she also made some bets on the games. However, whomever she betted on would lose. Thus, she lost more than 200,000 over the next few days. Even the prices of the stocks she bought fell. It feels like I’m doing everything wrong these past few days.

She still couldn’t get through Justin’s phone whenever she tried to call him. Moreover, she couldn’t locate his phone either. Feeling anxious, she continued trying to call him. Just as she was about to raise a commotion and send somebody to search for him, he finally answered the phone.

His voice was very gloomy. “Sophia, I… know about Lorelei… Please give me some time; I need some time alone.”

Her heart sank. At the end of the day, he found out anyway. The matters involving Katrina and Blade, as well as that child’s existence—he found out everything. I knew we couldn’t keep this matter hidden… I’m sure Justin must be suffering greatly right now.

No man could accept that his wife had been in love with another man and even had a child with that man—not even if it was something Celine had no control over. Although Katrina had been a temporary and insignificant personality that existed within her, she and Katrina were completely different people. Even so, Lorelei had been adopted into the Fletcher Family. Moreover, she often spent time with Nathan. Needless to say, Justin probably found it difficult to accept everything that had been thrown at him.

If I think about it from another perspective… Supposing Michael had an illegitimate child and the Fletcher Family took the child in. Not only that, but that child also constantly spent time with Carmen in front of me… I think I would die of heartbreak on the spot. Even if I know Michael never meant to betray me, and that child was an unforeseen outcome… something like that is still extremely difficult to accept…

“For now, why don’t you take a few days off to calm down?”

Justin might have had trouble accepting it, but Celine needed him—their little family needed him. He couldn’t keep running from reality forever. Therefore, he would surely return, sooner or later.

Sophia told him to take several days off. Then, she tried calling Michael again. The call connected for a mere three seconds. “Chica… halfway done… miss you…”. In the next moment, the call disconnected again. What a terrible signal!

Sigh. She tossed her phone aside, feeling frustrated. Seeing that it was getting late and Cooper had yet to return, she changed her clothes, rode on a Yamaha bike, and sneaked out the back door. Cooper had not returned for two days now, and she had an idea where he went. Thus, she drove there to look for him.

It was very late, and the park near Bayside University was very quiet—not a person was in sight. Under the cover of night, the crescent moon was reflected on the dark surface of the lake while the calls of the insects and the frogs mixed into the gentle night breeze. It made her agitated nerves calm down instantly.

Searching around, she found Cooper by the lakeside, just as she expected. He was sitting quietly in a corner, watching the peaceful surface of the lake. Like a stone-carved statue, he stared ahead in a daze. This park was filled with beautiful memories of the time he had spent with Annabel.

30 years had passed, and Bayside City had undergone a huge change during that time. The stone-paved road they walked on together had turned into a shopping district; the river in the village they played in had been flattened and covered with high-rise buildings. Everything they experienced together had disappeared among the bustling city of Bayside City, becoming part of the unrecorded past and vanishing without a trace. Only this old park that had existed for 60 years remained.

This place remained the same as it had 30 years ago, but it was also facing demolition. For that reason, he had bought over the entire park so that he could maintain the park as it had always been back then. It was also his holy land. Whenever he missed Annabel, he would come here and sit quietly, just as he was doing right now. Looking at the places he had walked together with her, his heart was filled with a sense of satisfaction and sweetness.

After arriving, Sophia said nothing as she sat down beside him. Then, both father and daughter simply sat there quietly, watching the night scenery. As they sat there, 30 minutes passed. She switched her phone off as she enjoyed the peaceful silence to her heart’s content. She knew that the disappearance of Annabel’s body had been a huge shock to him. Moreover, they failed to locate Annabel’s remains even now. Hence, she did not disturb him and left him alone. Everybody needed some peace right now.

Besides, she had no idea how to bring up that matter with him. Until now, he was unaware of the hooked-nosed man’s existence. How could anybody accept something like that?

Another half an hour passed when the motionless Cooper moved suddenly. He reached out, stroked Sophia’s hair, and sighed. “My daughter…” Turning his head, he looked at her. Even now, he believed that Sophia was a gift from the heavens—a gift he obtained in exchange for all the happiness in his life.

Sophia leaned her head against his shoulder, then looked up at him and said cheekily, “Dad, can you tell me stories about Mom?”

Upon hearing her request, he fell silent for a minute or so. He was organizing his words in his head, wanting to use the most beautiful words he knew to describe the love of his life. “Your mother was the most wonderful person in the world. She was kind and gentle. Also, she sang beautifully. I felt like I was looking at all the good in the world whenever I looked at her.”

He occasionally smiled or frowned when speaking about Annabel, just like the young man who was deeply in love back then. Despite all these years, he, who had experienced all sorts of things in life, was still the same young man he had been back then.

On the other hand, Sophia listened carefully. She had never heard Cooper speaking about Annabel in such detail before. As she listened, she tried hard to look for clues hidden in his memories.

Cooper said, “At the time, Sam was still known as Andrea. He had just taken over a restaurant and changed its name to Crimson House. And, your mother was among the first batch of employees at Crimson House. Your mother was very intelligent and capable.” His eyes shone with a gentle light as if he was telling the most touching story in the world. “As a business, that restaurant wasn’t doing particularly well. Your mother was promoted from part of the ordinary wait staff to the head waitress, before becoming the floor manager, in a short span of time. Together with Sam, they worked on the restaurant and business boomed. Thus, Sam asked me to develop a cash register system for his restaurant.” At this point, his eyebrows were dancing, and a smile hung from his lips. “Back then, computers were rare while people who knew how to operate computers were even rarer. When I installed the cash register system in the restaurant, none of the service staff in the restaurant knew how to operate it. Hence, I spent some time every day teaching them how to log in and operate it. That was when I met your mother for the first time. She was incredibly beautiful and intelligent. I only taught her once, yet she understood it immediately. She was such a smart lady!”

He looked at Sophia, trying to find a shadow of that person from her similar facial features. “You are similar to her. Both of you are icy but intelligent. Unfortunately, her family forced her to drop out of school to work before she could finish her primary education. As a result, she worked as a salesperson and a service staff. She even sold mineral water at the train station before. Despite her youth, she suffered through all sorts of hardships. Even so, she was optimistic, determined, and filled with hope in life. She might have been young, but she was very talented. She quickly became Sam’s right-hand man and worked with him to expand the Crimson House. Haha… Your mother was only 17 or 18 at the time. If she were not living in that era or born into that family… I’m sure she would have achieved something big.”

Sophia listened seriously, but her heart was filled with doubt. Why is the woman I’m hearing about different from what I discovered during the investigation?

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1048

Sophia had always thought of her mother as nothing but a kind and beautiful woman similar to those dumb blondes that successfully tamed the heart of a domineering president in most modern romance stories. However, it turned out that her mother was a strong and independent woman. No wonder so many of her photos were hanging in Crimson House.

As a result, the image of Annabel in Sophia’s heart changed again and again—so much so that she herself didn’t know which one to believe anymore… Perhaps, there was a story hidden behind what happened back then. If Annabel had truly appeared before Cooper with a malicious purpose, Cooper would have noticed it. It was Cooper after all; how could he fail to see through such tricks?

If not for love, why would she be so determined to give birth to their child despite the rumors swirling around her? All of a sudden, Sophia felt extremely guilty. I shouldn’t have doubted Annabel. After all, she is my mother! Besides, 30 years had passed. Stories about her mother had turned into myths. Who else would remember a pitiful young woman that had died at a young age, aside from Cooper, Sophia, and those few who cared about her?

If not for Sophia making a name for herself over the years; if not for Michael, who was such an amazing husband; if not for Cooper, who returned to recognize Sophia as part of his family, Annabel would still be considered a slut that returned home pregnant after failing to become the mistress of a bigshot. Similarly, Sophia would still be an illegitimate child without a father.

Besides, nobody could even clearly recall the exact date Annabel had dropped out of school. Some claimed that she was never educated; others claimed that she dropped out of primary school; some claimed she was illiterate; and others claimed that she was a top student that received a scholarship and was only forced to drop out of junior high school. Perhaps stories of that hooked-nosed man that drove the BMW were stories of other people that the villagers had tacked onto her name. It had been 30 years after all!

One wouldn’t even be able to recall how many trees were planted in front of their house after 30 years; how could they possibly recall how old somebody else’s daughter was when she dropped out of school? However, the Annabel that Cooper knew was the closest to the truth. That was because he truly cared about her—so much so that even if 30 years had passed, he could still remember everything about her clearly…

At that thought, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief, and the gloominess that shrouded over her for the past few days dissipated. I’m still the product of love between my parents. I’m so glad.

The father and daughter pair sat at the park until midnight before they got up to return home.

“Dad, let’s get some barbecue!”

The father and daughter pair walked under the street lights. The streets near the park were still very lively. Many people came out for a jog or to walk their dogs in the coolness of the night, and the stalls along the streets were operating in full swing. Cooper felt slightly repulsed by the sight of the street stalls. Even so, he saw that Sophia was very excited. Thus, he went over, found a place to sit, and took out his phone to deal with some business matters. Occasionally, they talked to each other too.

Sophia took out her phone and tried to call Michael again. Unfortunately, the results were the same as before—the line kept breaking up. Out of 10 calls, only one would connect. Moreover, the call would only last for several seconds before it disconnected again. Still, she felt satisfied even though she only managed to exchange a few words with Michael and happily wolfed down her barbecue after ending the call.

Looking at the way she was immersed in love, he couldn’t help but think that she was very similar to how he was in the past.

Then, she suddenly asked, “Dad, if I really faked a marriage with Uncle Linus, will it be awkward in the future?”

He replied, “It’ll be fine. It’s just a piece of paper. With this marriage certificate, Linus will officially be entered into the Michel Family’s genealogy record book.”

This matter was giving him a huge headache. The Michel Group was advancing with the times because it had to constantly be innovative to remain at the forefront of the times. It was the only way to maintain its dominant position in the market.

However, the Michel Family remained stubbornly conservative. Despite the era they were in, it was still implementing rules from hundreds of years ago. He once tried to initiate a change in the past, but the resistance was too strong. This family that had been passed down for hundreds of years was very sensitive to change. It would never accept any changes easily. Even if he was the head of the family, even if he controlled the Michel Group, many people still stood out to oppose any changes that were proposed.

As they ate, they chatted.

“Master Sam told me that he bought the first Crimson House for my mother—”

“How could you believe what Sam says?! He was a jerk at the time! He had nothing but money. Everything from big to small matters was dealt with by your mother! She was the one who managed his restaurant and created a turnover of several hundred thousand for him. Yet, he only paid her a salary of 800 each month. How dare he try to woo her after doing that?! He must be dreaming!”

“The barbecue at this stall is delicious. I’m going to buy some to bring home. I wonder if Uncle Linus will eat it.”

“Yeah, he will. I always see him coming out for barbecued meat while walking the dog alone in the middle of the night.”

“What?! How could he eat such delicious food behind my back?!”

…

After they finished eating, Sophia tried to take out her wallet to pay only to discover that she… did not have her wallet with her. All she had on her was a fiver. Thus, she said to the shopkeeper, “I didn’t bring any money. Can I pay by Venmo?”

The shopkeeper was extremely busy and simply said, “The total comes up to 98. The QR code is on the table.”

Wiping her mouth, she took out her phone and scanned the QR code on the table. With a soft ‘beep’, she successfully scanned the code and keyed in ‘98’, which was the amount that was to be transferred. Just as she was about to press on the ‘confirm’ button, her hand suddenly froze mid-motion and she stared blankly at the screen…

Cooper noticed that something was amiss and glanced at her phone. After scanning the QR code to make the payment, the name of the receiving party was displayed on her phone—Annabel Johnson. The profile picture was that of a middle-aged woman. She had her hair tied up delicately and wore a white apron. That person looked almost identical to Sophia, except that she was slightly older, had wrinkles, and her eyes were more relaxed than Sophia’s.

When both father and daughter saw the profile picture, they were completely taken aback.

Then, the shopkeeper walked over and asked, “Was your payment successful? The Venmo account belongs to the owner, so I can’t see the notification from my side. Please show me your receipt of payment…”

Cooper had taken Sophia’s phone out of her hands and stared at it with an expression of disbelief. It was as if he couldn’t recognize the words ‘Annabel Johnson’!

Noticing that they had yet to pay and were just staring at the owner’s account, the shopkeeper immediately felt angry. He was about to speak out when he saw a woman approaching on an electric bike. The bike stopped by the side of the barbecue stall, and the woman walked over with a satchel. Her hair was tied up high, and she looked slightly aged. Her skin was relaxed and wrinkled, but she still had a noble air around her. She did not seem like the owner of a barbecue stall by the roadside at all.

“Heath, how is business tonight?” The middle-aged woman spoke with a foreign accent.

Upon hearing that voice, Cooper felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood up blankly and stared at the woman in a daze.

Walking over, the woman talked to the shopkeeper for a bit. Then, the shopkeeper pointed toward them, and the woman glanced over. As soon as she saw Cooper, her expression changed drastically. The calm smile on her face stiffened, then it was slowly replaced by a dumbstruck look before becoming one of shock and disbelief. All of a sudden, her eyes were filled with great joy as she exclaimed in non-standard Cethosian, “Coop, is that you?!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1049

She rushed toward Cooper, tears of joy running down her jubilant face.

On the other hand, Cooper stared at her with trembling lips. A name was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t dare to call out the name. He was afraid that it would turn out to be a dream. He was afraid that if he called out that name, he would wake up from the dream.

Seeing that he was not saying anything, the woman wept as she threw herself into his arms. “I remember you. You’re Cooper! Cooper, you’re alive! You’re alive…”

When that familiar yet unfamiliar body pressed against his, he felt like he had woken up from a dream. I’m not dreaming! It’s really her! It’s the person I’ve been thinking of all my life, yet couldn’t be together with due to a stroke of fate! “Anna… Is that you?”

She lifted her face and looked at him. Her wrinkled face was filled with both bitterness and delight. “It’s me! It’s me! I’m Anna! Coop, you’re still alive! You’re alive!”

“Anna! Oh, my Anna!” He fiercely pulled her into his embrace, using a lot of strength; it was almost as if he wanted to pull her into his body. Is this a dream? If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up from it. I want to keep dreaming forever!

Looking at the two people crying tears of joy, Sophia felt very shocked. Is this person my mother? Annabel Johnson? She’s back?!

Afterward, the Edwards Residence was in an uproar as everybody came out to watch. Sure enough, they saw Cooper bringing a middle-aged woman home. Moreover, the woman looked very similar to Sophia. Thus, Cooper’s family was reunited, and they celebrated happily. Sophia felt like a blessed child—not only did she get a father, but she also had a mother now.

According to what Annabel said and some guesswork to fill in the blanks, Annabel did not die back then. At the time, the hospital she gave birth at was no different from a small clinic, and many facilities were limited. She gave birth in the afternoon and suffered from amniotic fluid embolism. Despite several rescue attempts, the doctors failed to rescue her and eventually announced her death.

Due to the hot weather, her body could not be preserved for long. As an unmarried pregnant woman, her death was considered ‘disgraceful’. Moreover, somebody had offered to purchase her corpse. Therefore, she was hastily buried on that night itself. Even her tombstone was added later. Unexpectedly, her remains were dug up again several hours after she was buried and sold as a match for necrogamy. However, she woke up midway and was rescued. Afterward, she was sold to a bachelor overseas and became his wife. As a result, she was imprisoned for 20 years without any means of escape!

Then, she was rescued a few years earlier and finally returned to Bayside City. Unfortunately, everything had changed even though it was still the same city. Upon learning that Cooper had been dead for more than 10 years, she wanted to go home to her daughter and her family. That was when she discovered that the changes in Bayside City were greater than she imagined. Moreover, she no longer remembered where her home was nor how her hometown accent sounded… Unable to locate her home and thinking that Cooper was dead, she left Bayside City. She finally returned to the city half a year ago and started this barbecue stall to earn a living.

Looking at the family of three who was immersed in their joyous family reunion, everybody felt happy for them too. However, Sean couldn’t help feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Cooper had just relocated the grave and discovered that Annabel’s remains were gone. And now, she appeared before them alive and well? Glancing at Linus, he noticed that Linus was standing by the side without saying anything. Moreover, the look in Linus’ eyes seemed rather solemn. When their gazes met, he realized that they both harbored the same suspicions. Everything about this matter felt extremely strange. It was like a bizarre dream—it felt unreal.

On the second day after Annabel’s return, Cooper brought both Annabel and Sophia back to the Johnson Family Village to visit their relatives. Watching as the family of three merrily left the house, Sean finally had the opportunity to talk to Linus alone. Michael was not around, Justin was taking some time for himself, and Sean was still recuperating from his injuries. Therefore, Linus was the only one Sean could rely on to investigate this matter.

The two of them silently watched as Cooper and his little family left the house. Then, Linus let out a long sigh. “This is too bizarre.”

Cooper and Sophia were giddy from the joy of their family reuniting again. However, Sean and Linus were able to look at the matter objectively as they were outsiders. Putting aside whether that person was genuinely Annabel, everything else was still too strange.

”

They were silent for a moment. All of a sudden, Sean asked grimly, “What do you plan to do?”

Linus glanced out the window. The light reflected off the surface of the lake shone on his face through the window, and the glare hurt his eyes. Narrowing his eyes under the glare of the light, he finally answered, “Forget it; who cares if she is real or fake? It’s been a long time since Fass was this happy.”

Sean did not respond. Cooper was very happy right now… even if the happiness was simply an illusion. He might have noticed it from the start, but he chose to ignore it, even if he knew that the other party’s sudden appearance was too coincidental.

“I will keep an eye on her,” Linus said, closing the window for Sean before walking out of the room quietly.

Sean was almost fully recovered after recuperating for quite some time. His face had a healthy flush to it, but he was still very weak and spent most of his time resting in bed. In the meantime, he ruminated over the recent incidents. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. It felt like the calm before a storm—something was about to happen…

In contrast, Cooper seemed like the happiest man in the world. He spent all his time with Annabel. They visited all the places they used to go to in the past, including the park and the restaurant, reminiscing all the beautiful memories they had together. Similarly, Sam was also incredibly astonished to learn that Annabel was back.

At first, Sophia was very happy. However, she later discovered that their family of three gradually began to change. Cooper constantly disappeared without saying anything. Sometimes, he was gone for several days on end without coming back to visit her even once or giving her a call. It felt like her father had been snatched away by somebody else…

She became Cooper’s one and only precious treasure since the moment he found her. Even when Carmen was added to the mix later, both she and Carmen were the treasures he greatly cherished. However, she couldn’t help feeling that both she and Carmen had fallen out of his favor ever since Annabel returned. Sigh.

In the past, nighttime was family time. Sophia, Cooper, Linus, and Carmen used to gather in front of the TV and chat every night. But now, only Sophia and Linus were left. Carmen had gone to bed early; Cooper wasn’t around and neither was Michael. Thus, Sophia let out a long sigh again.

“Alright; stop sighing.” Linus walked over in his pajamas. Sitting down next to her, he said, “This is the general event schedule for the banquet that’s taking place in two days. Have a look at it.”

The banquet that Sophia had been planning for a long time was about to take place in two days as scheduled. Due to several changes to the plan, many extra events had been added. For example, Cooper was going to introduce Annabel, as well as… the engagement between Sophia and Linus.

“No way…” Sophia frowned. Must we announce it during the banquet? I thought we were only going to privately and secretly obtain the marriage certificate. It’s enough if we can bring back proof to fool the Michel Family, right? Shouldn’t something as shameful as this be done in secret? Besides, not many people know about our intention to have a fake marriage. Not even Sean and Sarah, our best friends, are aware of it.

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1050

“Isn’t this a little…” Sophia was starting to feel unsure. If we announce this to the public, all my friends will learn about it. How awkward will it be when we meet up to play mahjong or games? Moreover, I’m going to remarry Michael in the future. If my marriage to Linus is made public, won’t it seem like I’m taking marriage too lightly? At the very least, I need to think about Michael’s reputation! Also, Carmen is going to film ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ with Michael soon. As a mother, how can I act like marriage is such a trivial matter? Can I be certain it won’t affect Carmen?

“Is there a problem?” Linus frowned as he glanced through the event program.

She said in a troubled voice, “Michael is a public figure. No matter how small a matter it is, it can turn into a huge scandal. So, I’m worried things might get out of hand!”

Although he seemed rather disappointed, he said, “It’s okay. Let’s cancel that event.”

She nodded in agreement. After that, they discussed other details regarding the banquet. All of a sudden, Linus asked after Carmen. “I heard Carmen is sick. How is she? Did you bring her to see a doctor?”

When the topic of Carmen came up, Sophia looked very worried. “She ate something bad and had diarrhea. The doctor has examined her. He said that she’ll be fine after taking some medicine and having a good rest.”

Upon hearing that, Linus felt relief. The two of them watched some TV together before heading back to their respective bedrooms.

Sarah’s injuries were almost fully healed. Therefore, Harry came to bring her home. Before they left, she didn’t forget to promote her well-endowed son as much as possible. “Look; look! Sour Face has such a large penis! Are you sure you won’t consider an arranged marriage between our children?”

Carrying Hope, she kept pushing him in Sophia’s face. The three-year-old was wearing a pair of open-crotch pants. Moreover, his face was impassive and expressionless. As a result, both his lower body and upper body were radiating murderous intent. Sophia reached out and pressed it against his stomach, diligently trying to push his looming appendage out of her face as she irritably said, “Let’s leave the talks about marriage between our children until they’re older.”

Carmen’s relationship status was relatively interesting recently. She was currently in a stable relationship with the female black giant poodle, Dusky, who was only several months old. Besides, Hope didn’t seem to be her type. Rather, she seemed to regard him as her younger brother. So, it didn’t matter how well-endowed he was—it was meaningless.

Afterward, Harry left with Sarah, Hope, and Poppy, the child they adopted not too long ago.

Once her friends were gone, Sophia felt very empty inside. Feeling much better, Sean would get out of bed occasionally and take his adopted daughter for walks. Meanwhile, Justin had yet to return, and Michael still couldn’t be contacted.

The atmosphere in the house had changed. Ever since Annabel came back, Cooper only had eyes for her. He seemed to have forgotten about his daughter and granddaughter. It was probably because he had lost her for such a long time that he cherished her even more now that she was back.

Before this, he would have stayed by Carmen’s side 24/7 whenever she was sick. He would have taken care of her, hugged her, and pampered her. But now, he only visited her once in a while. Even the young girl had noticed the change in him and complained that her grandfather only loved her grandmother and no longer loved her.

After Sophia recovered from her initial joy of having a mother, she discovered that it wasn’t quite as joyous as she imagined. Once the initial delight died down, she felt extremely depressed and disappointed instead. She didn’t seem to like her newfound mother very much, but she didn’t know why either. It seemed like she subconsciously felt a sense of animosity toward Annabel from the beginning. Still, she was her mother; she knew she shouldn’t be feeling emotions like these. Unfortunately, that feeling slowly spread and grew in her heart like creeping ivy. She couldn’t control it no matter how hard she tried to conceal and suppress it.

Although Annabel seemed to be trying very hard to be a good mother, and Sophia was also trying very hard to be a good daughter, it felt like the atmosphere in the house was becoming more and more depressing by the day, ever since Annabel came back. Combined with the fact that Carmen was sick, Sophia became very irritable and short-tempered. As a result, she would fly into a rage from time to time.

At noon that day, everybody was sitting down together for lunch. All of a sudden, Annabel tentatively asked Sophia, “Sophia, when will you and Carmen move back into your husband’s house?”

As soon as Sophia heard those words, she became upset. I’m living here just fine. Why should I move out? Thus, she continued eating as she answered, “I have no plans to move out!”

In an earnest voice, Annabel said, “You married into the Fletcher Family and became part of their family. So, you should be living in the Fletcher Residence. It’s only appropriate that you live with your husband. Besides, living with your natal family will invite gossip.”

No matter how Sophia thought about it, those words seemed incredibly harsh. Why shouldn’t I live here? Is your daughter no longer family once she gets married? Is it embarrassing for your daughter to return to her natal family after her divorce? Is this really my mother?! Forget it; she’s older and more conservative. It’s normal to have a generational gap between us. Thus, she grunted perfunctorily in response. “Let’s talk about this next time.”

However, Annabel seemed hung up on it. She continued in an exasperated voice, “Listen to me; women shouldn’t act so tough. You are way too career-oriented for your own good. Women should take care of the hearth and home while men are in charge of making a living. I’m sure that’s the reason why Michael divorced you. You should reflect on it. Besides, you need to reconcile with him as soon as possible and have a good life with him. Living with your natal family is not a permanent solution. You’re an adult now; living with your natal family is embarrassing. Hurry up and give birth to a son. That’s the only way to keep your husband by your side. If you have a son, the two of you can finally remarry each other as soon as possible… You don’t have much time left; you’re already approaching your thirties. In another two years, you will be worthless since you are no longer young. It will be very hard for you to remarry then.”

Sophia focused on eating as she frowningly thought to herself, Do all mothers talk like that? It was the first time she had a mother, so she was confused.

Cooper probably felt that there was a huge illogical flaw in that statement too. However, he was very forgiving of Annabel. He did not object to what she said. Instead, he placed some food on her plate and took the opportunity to cut her off. “You should worry more about yourself. The children can worry about themselves. It’s not our place to decide for them.”

After that, Annabel said nothing more even though she still felt very worried about Sophia.

That night, Sophia opened her bedroom window and saw her parents taking a stroll by the lakeside. From the distance, she heard Annabel saying to Cooper, “She’s already 27, yet she’s still staying with her natal family after the divorce. This is not good for her; girls shouldn’t act so tough. Coop, why don’t we talk to the Fletchers? We should ask them to take both Sophia and Carmen back. A daughter will have to marry into another family and take on their surname, sooner or later. Coop, you’ve given her so much of your assets; don’t you think that’s a little ill-considered? Furthermore, she was violated as a child. It’s a good thing someone is even willing to marry her, yet she can’t even produce a son—”

For a moment, Sophia seriously doubted her own ears. Did I really hear that?! Then, she slammed the window shut with a loud bang. Make me move out? No f*cking way! My name has been written on the land title ever since Michael bought the Edwards Residence! Why should I move out?! Is it so embarrassing for me to come back here?! This place is my home! I’m the owner! I’m not going anywhere!

Although it was the first time she had a mother, she quickly lost interest in a few days. All that was left was an inexplicable sense of disgust and hatred.

Carmen had a specialized baby-care team and a medical team on standby at all times. All her daily necessities were taken care of by specialists. Five or six highly educated personal nannies watched her, and three nutritional experts prepared all her meals. The costs for these services every month were astronomical. However, Annabel seemed extremely dissatisfied with these services and constantly complained about them.

She claimed that daughters would be married out of the family, sooner or later, so there was no point in raising them so well. She also criticized Sophia for not taking better care of her body, claiming that it was better if she could give birth to a son and tie a man down to her compared to spending so much effort raising Carmen. She also reprimanded Sophia for being way too career-oriented. She said that it destroyed the harmonious atmosphere between a husband and a wife. In her opinion, women should quit their jobs to focus on the children and the family.

Truthfully, even Cooper felt that Annabel’s views were problematic. However, he believed them to be trivial matters and was not bothered by them. He knew that Sophia would not be influenced by Annabel, so he simply ignored the issue. Unfortunately, the dissatisfaction in Sophia’s heart slowly piled up, little by little. The day before the welcome banquet, her patience finally snapped after enduring it for so long. She lost her temper and caused a huge ruckus in Carmen’s room—so much so that Carmen started crying out of fright.