Ch. 1161..1170

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1161

Michael was lying on the new sofa, enjoying his life as Carmen painted his nails red. When he heard the report, he felt his heart clench in fear. Cold sweat dripped down his back as he hurriedly asked, “Are you sure?! Are you sure it’s three—” Glancing at Carmen, he changed his question. “What happened to the car?”

The security guard replied, “The car drove off after kicking the dogs out. After that, the dogs chased after the car for half an hour. And, we chased after the dogs for half an hour too.”

Michael nearly cussed out loud. “So, where is the car now?”

The security guard said, “It ran a red light and disappeared.”

“And the dogs?”

“I brought them back!”

Michael nearly threw up blood. “Why did you bring them back?! Send them away! Hurry and send them away!”

The security guard replied, “I passed by the madam just now. She took the dogs, saying that they were hers.”

At the same time, Sophia’s bright voice sounded from outside the door. “Carmen, my baby! Come and see who just came home!”

Carmen happily went to open the door. As soon as the door opened, three muscular huskies flew in like a whirlwind. The ground seemed to shake as they rushed toward Michael. He was instantly surrounded by the dogs as they enthusiastically licked him all over.

Howl. After licking his face, Cash howled piteously as if it had suffered the greatest grievance in the world. Burying its face in Michael’s arms, its body trembled slightly as it wept.

Covered in dog spit, Michael was dumbfounded. What’s going on? Who am I? Where am I?

Sophia put her bag down and picked Cash up. Smoothing out its fur and wiping away its tears, she comforted it. “There; there. That’s a good boy. Don’t cry. I’m glad you made it back home…”

The dog wept sadly, but Michael felt sadder than the dogs. Damn it, Yard Family! Useless pieces of trash! Damn you!

Despite all the businesses under the Yard Family, they couldn’t afford to raise three huskies. Therefore, they hastily returned the dogs to their owner. Probably only somebody like Sophia, who had an endless supply of money, could afford to raise three huskies.

That night, Callum called again. “Did you receive my express delivery?”

It was nighttime at Bayside City, but it was still morning at Ronney City. Callum was leisurely drinking a cup of coffee while three alpacas and a pig strolled about in the background.

“Yeah, I received it.” Sophia was applying a clay mask, which made her face look black. Her face swayed left and right on the screen as she applied the mask. Meanwhile, Michael rolled his eyes while reading the newspaper on the bed.

Callum put his cup of coffee down and said very seriously, “My two younger brothers seemed to have become rather intelligent recently. They successfully passed the event registration and even recruited a large number of big names from the fashion industry! I’m so worried about you!”

Sophia coldly pointed out his true intentions. “You’re just worried about yourself. If your younger brothers manage to take hold of the Cethosian market, they will become an even greater threat to you.” She suddenly felt slightly suspicious. “You know; I’ve interacted with your two younger brothers. Are you sure you share the same mother?”

She could tell that the two pairs of twins had a completely different approach in how they did things. Callum and Cade might be hateful, but they were not the universally hated type. For example, even though they kidnapped her dogs, they returned the dogs to her when they couldn’t handle them anymore. Moreover, the dogs were also much heavier than before when they came back. Although they were not good people in the traditional sense, they did not do anything truly hateful either. Ryan and Henry, on the other hand, were completely evil. Their methods were outrageously brutal, and they utterly disregarded the development of their peers. They only cared about their own rampant growth.

Callum smiled. It felt like there was a hidden nuance behind his smile. “That’s because they’re my younger brothers! Mom has always taught us to be nice to our younger brothers. We have to give them all the nice things for free. We also have to satisfy them no matter what. Even if they made a mistake, it was never their intention.”

However, Sophia couldn’t help thinking that those words had a lot of strange points to them. Why did Anna raise them like that? Is she not afraid of spoiling them rotten? Although she herself acquiesced to many of Carmen’s bizarre wishes, it was only within an acceptable range. Whether it was raising a dog or a pig or a chicken, Carmen had to take care of them herself. She had to participate in trivial everyday chores such as feeding the chickens or grooming and feeding the dogs. That’s why she did not dare to say anything about raising more dogs when the three huskies went missing. She knew that dog feces were extremely stinky!

As a mother, Sophia couldn’t help feeling that there was something fundamentally wrong with the way Anna raised her sons. Could it be that she was trying to emulate the Jar of Poison technique where only the strongest survives? Did she want her sons to kill each other off and make the last surviving son the head of the Yard Family?

“I’m hanging up.” Sophia prepared to hang up.

Callum immediately said, “No, don’t! I have something serious to ask you… I can’t beat the ‘Forgotten Valley’ dungeon in ‘Swordsman Game’. How did you beat that dungeon?”

She frowned. “You’re still playing online games?”

He said, “Why? Can’t I?”

Normally, only blue-collar and white-collar workers, or students played online games. I can’t believe Callum plays online games too. He’s a ‘diamond-collar worker’! I’m sure he’s busy with work all day long! How can such a delicate boy like him play such a violent game? “I can’t explain it well. Since I’m going to go online in a bit, why don’t I show you instead?”

“Sure.”

A short while later, Sophia and Callum were playing games together. When Michael came back after washing the facial mask off his face, he saw her cursing over the mike while she was gaming. “You noob! Even my son can play better than you! I told you to hide behind me until your mana recovers to 70% before joining the fight again! Why are you so stupid?!”

Michael was puzzled. How is she playing games with Callum so happily? Didn’t she say she wanted to strangle those twins to death? Still, he understood her feelings. She had too many things on her plate recently, so she was under a lot of stress. When her stress level increased, she needed to find something exciting to vent out her stress.

Lying on the bed, he teased her coquettishly. He wanted to do something more exciting and entertaining than gaming. However, she didn’t even spare him a glance as she focused on her game. Besides, he had spent the entire morning filling up all the holes in the garden today. Unfortunately, the three dumb huskies dug up all the holes again the moment they came back. He was quite tired after laboring the day away. He initially wanted to tease and seduce Sophia but inadvertently fell asleep.

Sophia was playing the game while yelling insults. After a while, she turned around and saw that Michael had fallen asleep. Thus, she hurriedly grabbed her laptop and went to her study to continue playing.

Inside the game, Callum suddenly said, “After you and Daniel taught my two younger brothers a lesson, the psychic grandmaster was detained for a few days. They have been preparing to cast a curse on you for the past two days.”

A curse? She nearly died laughing. “What era is the Yard Family living in? A curse? Are they going to draw circles to curse me?”

Callum felt that it was rather crazy too. However, his men had reported that Ryan and Henry were planning to set up an altar tonight and use dark magic to cast a curse on Sophia.

The Yard Family’s psychic grandmaster was carrying out a ritual on the rooftop of the Ronney Group’s office building in Cethos. A strand of Sophia’s hair had been placed on the altar. Meanwhile, Ryan and Henry dripped a bit of their blood on the spell. The grandmaster wanted to use the Dragon Blood flowing in their veins to control Sophia while casting a curse on her to suck away at her life and vitality until she dropped dead.

To be honest, Henry did not believe in such hocus pocus. However, now that Billy had died in a foreign country, the employees at the company were panicking and claiming that they were being haunted. Therefore, he had no choice but to do something to calm them down. He had invited most of the core staff within the company to witness the ritual. The company’s core staff mostly consisted of foreigners, including some Cethosians that were born and raised overseas.

Almost none of them were recruited locally from Bayside City. Hence, the only Cethosians present were Sandra and the crew she brought with her. Everybody watched as the Yard Family’s grandmaster sang and danced in front of the altar like a shaman. Their hearts were pounding wildly as they wondered: Will this really work?

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1162

Henry had been bragging about the psychic grandmaster and praising the grandmaster to the moon and back. He also claimed that the grandmaster could be traced back to the Yard Dynasty thousands of years ago. The ‘grandmaster’ title had been passed down from generation to generation, and the grandmaster’s powers were boundless. As long as the grandmaster used his powers, Sophia and her party members would be completely wiped out, all the ghosts and monsters would have to retreat, and the Ronney Group would quickly return to normal.

However, the employees were very doubtful. Will this really work?

The ritual went smoothly. Using Sophia’s hair as a guide, the grandmaster used the Yard Family’s Dragon Blood to write a magic spell that would suppress her vitality. In the future, she would never threaten the Ronney Group again!

“Bow to the heavens!” The psychic grandmaster’s voice rang out like a huge bell. He took the lead and knelt on the ground, bowing in the direction of the altar. The Yard twins followed suit, and the rest of the employees followed their example. The core staff of the Ronney Group, as well as several other employees, paid their respects in unison. It was quite a spectacular affair.

“Again!” Everybody bowed again.

“Again!” They bowed again.

The employees that did not understand Cethosian culture seemed to be confused while those that understood were feeling ashamed. All of a sudden, they smelled gunpowder in the air. A firecracker flew from somewhere and landed on the altar.

Boom! The firecracker blew up on the altar. The animal offerings, the spell, and everything else on the altar exploded. Pork and beef were scattered everywhere, and the Ronney Group’s employees were so scared that they fled while screaming.

Shocked, Henry left the rooftop under the protection of his bodyguards. He had wanted to calm the people’s hearts, but they were now more distraught than before. It seemed as if Sophia and the JNS Group had reached a point where they could no longer be suppressed by the Dragon Blood. After this fiasco, the entire company was shrouded in greater panic. The Ronney Group was going down! Even the psychic grandmaster could do nothing!

The ritual had failed and the rooftop was a complete mess. Subsequently, the psychic grandmaster was caught and dragged to Henry for questioning. “Speak! Were you the one who secretly sabotaged the ritual?!”

Somebody had thrown a firecracker at the altar while everybody was kneeling, which led to the ensuing commotion. Standing in front of the altar, the grandmaster was in the perfect position to do that!

Looking at Henry’s savage expression, the grandmaster began to tremble. “I wouldn’t dare, Young Master Henry!”

Henry interrupted him furiously, “Who else, if not you?!”

The grandmaster was so scared that he prostrated himself. “I don’t know either… It was perfect! Something must have gone wrong! Somebody must have sabotaged the ritual!”

“Believe me; I’m going to throw you off the roof! I’ll make sure you die painfully!” Henry exploded violently. His emotions were out of control, and he was like a wild beast.

The ritual had failed. Contrary to his intentions, it terrified the people in the company even more. Henry dragged the fifty-year-old psychic grandmaster to the window and held him out of the window. It was a steep drop to the ground from the glass window. Therefore, the grandmaster was so scared that he cried and begged. “It really wasn’t me!”

Unfortunately, Henry did not believe those words. Gripping the grandmaster’s neck tightly, his nails tore into the grandmaster’s skin. His eyes were bulging out of his sockets, and he had completely lost control of himself.

“That’s enough!” Ryan stopped Henry in the nick of time. “There are surveillance cameras on the rooftop. I’m sure we’ll catch the culprit!”

Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras on the rooftop had been turned off. As this was supposed to be a superstitious activity, Henry did not want to leave any evidence of the ritual that could make people’s tongues wag. Therefore, he had turned the surveillance cameras off. I can’t believe that somebody took advantage of that loophole! He was so furious that his veins were bulging. It felt as if there was a cannibalistic beast inside him that could jump out at any time. Then, he suddenly thought of somebody. “It must be his doing!”

At that moment, Sophia was battling inside the Swordsman Game. She was carrying Callum and Cade while fighting monsters. These two are complete noobs! I’ve never met such noobs before!

All of a sudden, Callum said, “Excuse me, I need to answer this call.”

He paused his game and answered the call. However, he did not turn off his mike. Moreover, he left his phone on loudspeaker… as if he deliberately wanted Sophia to listen in on the conversation. Thus, Sophia perked up her ears and listened to the sounds coming from his side. The first thing she heard was an angry roar; that person had lost all control of his emotions. “You were behind the firecracker thrown at the altar, right?! You did it on purpose! You’re afraid that I might take hold of the Cethosian market and affect your standing in the Yard Family! You… are such a schemer!”

Sophia could not tell whether it was Henry or Ryan. Aside from the color of their hair, she could not find another aspect to differentiate between the two of them. Based on voice alone, they were even more indistinguishable. Callum seemed extremely surprised after listening to the rant. Then, he looked worried and confused. “Altar? Firecracker? Henry, what are you talking about?”

Sophia nearly burst into laughter. So, Henry really did set up an altar to cast a curse on me! Moreover, Callum threw a firecracker at the altar?! Not bad; not bad. If it were me, I would have done the same thing!

Henry sneered and nearly grounded his teeth to dust. “Who else could it be but you?! My beloved elder brother… do you think I wouldn’t know about what you did?”

Callum clicked his tongue and pretentiously said, “Although I don’t know what happened, it seems like you did something you shouldn’t have done, Henry. How many times have I told you before? Cethos is different from other countries. If you want to integrate yourself into Cethos, you must first understand their laws and regulations—”

“That’s enough!” Henry coldly cut off his sentence. “I don’t need advice from you. Who do you think you are?!”

In return, Callum pretended to be angry. “Since you won’t listen to my advice, then I can only give you a stern warning as your elder brother. Back when you vowed to take control of the Cethosian market, Cade and I provided you with the resources and money that you wanted. I gave you everything you wanted! If you still can’t produce results, then go back to school and study for a few more years.” After that, he rudely hung up and continued playing his game.

On the other side of the phone, Sophia finally spoke up. “Wow; are you not going to confess to your crime?”

He continued playing his game as he replied, “What crime? All I did was ask somebody to throw a firecracker.”

Listening to him, she found it rather strange. It seemed like Callum had placed many of his men around his two younger brothers to act as his eyes and ears. “You’re pretty amazing to place spies among Henry’s men. So, why won’t you make a move yourself? Could it be that you can’t bear to do it yourself?”

His smile stiffened slightly. A long while passed before he quietly replied, “Mom has taught me this since I was young: ‘On the path to greatness, even family can be sacrificed’. What are two younger brothers?” The main reason is that we still don’t have complete control over the Yard Family right now…

Sophia hurriedly interjected, “Shh. Don’t say that out loud; Cade is listening!”

However, Callum didn’t seem to mind. “Don’t worry. That’s what Mom taught him too.”

“You’re weird.” Sophia could not understand their family and the way they did things at all.

After she finished playing her game, she left her study and went back to the bedroom to sleep. When Carmen heard Sophia moving about, she ran out of her room. Hugging a small frog plushie, she pouted cutely and said, “Mommy, I want to sleep with you.”

Sophia happily picked Carmen up and went into the bedroom. Then, she placed Carmen on the bed between her and Michael. Michael was sleeping deeply. Even so, he noticed the two of them coming in. Rolling over, he held Carmen in his arms as he slept. Sophia studied her husband and her daughter, a tender and loving emotion washing over her. On the path to greatness, even family can be sacrificed? Bah! Some people might be willing to sacrifice their families for the sake of power and wealth. But, I only want my family and the people I love to be safe and sound. I have to forge ahead bravely and fearlessly for the sake of my happiness!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1163

In the middle of the night, the psychic grandmaster and his two sons were cleaning up the mess at the altar on the rooftop of the Ronney Group’s office building. Now that the grandmaster had messed up the ritual, Henry was sure to kick them out of the Yard Family.

However, the grandmaster was not convinced that he was at fault. My clan has always acted as the Yard Family’s psychic grandmasters. We were extremely powerful in the past, so why are my powers not working? Then, he searched for the leftover blood from Ryan and Henry that had yet to be used as well as a strand of Sophia’s hair. He wanted to redo the ritual. Preparing the altar again, he stood before it like a madman with disheveled hair. If it fails again this time… That can only mean that the end of the Yard Family is nigh! Nothing can save them anymore. If so, the meaning behind my existence as their psychic grandmaster will be gone too…

On the 32nd floor of the Ronney Group’s office building, Henry was pacing about anxiously. It was late at night, yet even the 32nd floor was not spared the pervasive smell of barbecue coming from downstairs—the magnificent Ronney Group building smelled of barbecue.

Was it Callum and Cade? To be honest, Henry wasn’t sure either. Still, he was very familiar with his two elder brothers’ capabilities and methods. All four of them were twins, and he too wanted to become the head of the Yard Family. Therefore, he had always been competing against them as rivals. Since we were young, Ryan and I have considered Callum and Cade to be enemies we needed to surpass. Would they let us breathe easy? While he was mulling over those thoughts, the smell of barbecue coming from downstairs penetrated his senses. It seriously impacted his ability to think. “Why is the barbecue stand downstairs still open?!”

Ryan replied, “We can’t chase them off. The city management authorities have gone off work. If we mobilize our private forces and things get out of hand, it will reflect very badly on us.”

Not long ago, they sent their security guards out to chase those people away. The incident unexpectedly turned into a large-scale security incident, and nearly forced the company to close its doors for self-inspection.

If only this were not Cethos… and this was my private turf; who would dare to set up a stall on my private territory?! “One day, I’m going to make it so that they can never run wild within my territory again!” Henry said viciously. At that moment, something black fell from above. It flew past the 32nd-floor window where he was standing like a shooting star and continued hurtling down toward the ground without pause—the psychic grandmaster had committed suicide by jumping off the building! Moreover, he fell directly onto the barbecue stand and died on the spot. The dead grandmaster lying in a pool of blood frightened the barbecue stall so badly that they fled several miles away. After that incident, nobody dared to set up a stall near the Ronney Group’s building for quite some time.

Before the sun rose again the next day, the suicide incident at the Ronney Group’s office building had spread across the entire Bayside City. Various short video clips were circulating on the internet. In the age of the internet, the suicide at the Ronney Group could not be kept under wraps no matter how hard they tried to sweep it under the rug. Once again, Henry and Ryan were taken to the police station to aid in the investigation. The entrance of the Ronney Group’s office building was cordoned off by the police, and the company was forced to shut down for several days. Somebody had died in the building; combined with the rumors from a while back, none of the employees dared to turn up for work. Besides, the employees were already feeling uneasy in the first place. That was why Henry had brought in the grandmaster to soothe their fears. Contrary to his expectations, the grandmaster had killed himself instead. The Ronney Group was finished! Even the psychic grandmaster was dead!

In Ronney City, Callum had just finished his lunch. He was preparing to attend a meeting after playing with the pig. To his surprise, his spy hidden in the Ronney Group sent him a message: ‘The psychic grandmaster fell to his death. No idea who the perpetrator is.’

He frowned. The grandmaster is dead? Could it be Sophia? Killing the grandmaster now will certainly muddy the waters. I wonder if Henry can remain in control of the situation and keep it under wraps now that somebody from the Ronney Group, a foreign enterprise, has died. I’m guessing he won’t be able to hold on for long. Sophia will probably take the chance to strike again and get rid of those twins while she’s at it!

Callum held no affection for the psychic grandmaster. However, that grandmaster had devoted his entire life to the Yard Family. Even if he did not produce results, he still worked hard for them… Callum felt that the grandmaster’s death was a shame, but he had nothing much to say about it aside from that. In the struggle for power, human lives are nothing but cannon fodder.

In Bayside City, Sophia heard the news about the death of the Ronney Group’s grandmaster in the morning. The office building of the Ronney Group’s headquarters must be at least forty stories. Falling to one’s death from the rooftop… That’s really cruel… I wonder who did it? Did the Yard twins throw the grandmaster off the building in a fit of rage because the ritual failed and they couldn’t cast a lethal curse on me? Or, did Callum take the opportunity to frame his younger brothers? In any case, Henry and Ryan are goners. Somebody died. Moreover, it happened during the busiest time of the night. I wonder how much panic the sudden death caused?

Later, Sophia asked somebody to go to the police station to ask about the incident and soon received an answer. According to the statements given by the grandmaster’s sons, the grandmaster reportedly committed suicide by jumping off the building. That night, they were undoubtedly performing a ritual to cast a lethal curse on Sophia at the rooftop of the building. During the first attempt, somebody had thrown a firecracker at the altar and disrupted the ritual. During the second attempt, the grandmaster carried out the ritual again before going insane all of a sudden. Crying and laughing at the same time, he yelled, “The heavens have abandoned the Yard Family!” Then, he jumped off the building.

The police were rather doubtful about the grandmaster’s ‘suicide’ incident. There were no witnesses, videos, or audio recordings of the incident. Moreover, the grandmaster’s neck was bruised from being strangled. Based on the marks, they were made by Henry.

On the other hand, Henry said nothing whatsoever while waiting for his lawyer to arrive. At present, there was no evidence of him murdering the grandmaster. In the same vein, there was no evidence to prove his innocence either. Therefore, the police couldn’t do anything to him.

Callum had been paying close attention to the news in Cethos. After he caught up on the latest news, he immediately called Sophia. “This trick of yours is truly wonderful! Using the death of the grandmaster, you completely destroyed the favorability Henry had built up with great difficulty. There’s no evidence to prove him guilty, but there’s no evidence to prove him innocent either. That’s the most amazing part of it all! Despite knowing that he is the murderer, the police can do nothing! Not bad; they will definitely suffer in the future.”

On the contrary, Sophia became puzzled. “Weren’t you behind the grandmaster’s death?”

He frowned. “I thought it was you.”

Thus, both of them were bewildered.

If neither one of us did it, then who did? Could it be Michael or Cooper? But, they would have told me if they were the ones behind it. In the end, this incident turned into an unresolved case. However, Sophia couldn’t be bothered to investigate the incident since it had nothing to do with her.

Meanwhile, Callum was very sensitive about the issue. If it wasn’t Sophia’s doing, then that could mean that a fourth party had entered the fray and was secretly stirring up the waters. Therefore, he quickly obtained a surveillance recording of the incident. Since Henry was afraid that somebody would gain ammunition against him for doing something like that, he did not dare to set up any surveillance cameras. Unfortunately, he could not prevent Callum from gathering evidence of the incident; Callum had sent somebody to secretly set up a pinhole camera in advance to record the entire incident.

In the video, the grandmaster’s hair was in disarray, and he looked like a lunatic. He was using Henry and Ryan’s blood as ink as he drew a magic spell on some blank talismans. He wanted to use the strength of the Dragon Blood to curse Sophia to death. However, the soul-suppressing charm spontaneously burst into flames mid-way through the ritual! Looking at the soul-suppressing charm in disbelief, he suddenly burst out into insane laughter. “The heavens have abandoned the Yard Family! The heavens have abandoned the Yard Family!” After saying that, he dashed out of the pinhole camera’s view, and his sons immediately ran after him. What happened after that remained unknown. Callum did not know if the grandmaster had committed suicide or if his sons had pushed him off the building…

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1164

Scowling fiercely, Callum stared at the soul-suppressing charm that spontaneously burst into flames in the video. He did not believe in the existence of supernatural powers. He was certain that somebody had done something to the talisman. For example, it could have been dusted with white phosphorus, which would spontaneously combust when it came into contact with air. That would create a supernatural atmosphere to fool others into believing it.

But, why would that person do that? Do they want the ritual to fail in front of everybody? However, they probably did not expect me to hire somebody to throw a firecracker at the altar. Did that disrupt and foil their plans? Is that why they killed the grandmaster? To make the incident bigger? Besides, who could it be? It’s obvious that they have infiltrated the Ronney Group. What is their purpose? Is it Sophia?

Callum could not figure it out. Still, a death had occurred at the Ronney Group. As a consequence of that incident, the Ronney Fashion Week that finally received approval from the authorities became a pipe dream again. The authorities rescinded the event application, and the Ronney Group was forced to shut down for several days to rectify and improve their company policies.

In the end, Henry finally managed to get himself out of the mess with the help of his best lawyer. However, this incident had come as a huge and unexpected blow to him—so much so that even the event had been bungled. For some reason, he blamed it all on Sophia. If it’s not Sophia, then it’s Callum and Cade! It’s also possible that they’re working together! Damn it; Callum and Cade should just die! They are only a few years older anyway! What’s so great about being the eldest son?! Mom promised Ryan and me that the entire Ronney Group would belong to us! Callum and Cade are just temporary placeholders working on our behalf! Ryan and I are the true future kings of the Ronney Group!

Anna was holding General in her arms as she watched the snow in the Royal Garden of the Ronney Palace. Looking at the scenery in front of her, she felt extremely melancholic. The Yard Family had brought their entire heritage over to Ronney City—even this Royal Garden was an exact copy of the Royal Garden of the Imperial Palace. Still, she couldn’t help feeling that the scenery here was not as beautiful as the one in Bayside City.

After going back to Cethos, she finally understood what homesickness felt like. The Yard Family originated from Cethos. Moreover, she grew up in Cethos until she was found and taken back into the family at the age of 20. Although she had lost all her memories from before she was 20, she subconsciously resisted trying to recall those memories… It was probably very painful and filled with sad memories. Since it’s painful, I should just forget them.

Over the years, she had subconsciously avoided thinking about those suppressed memories. However, she started dreaming about something this year. She dreamt that she was in terrible pain as something tore through her body and slid out of her. There were two of them. They felt soft and hot, and they were moving too… It felt like two babies! Unfortunately, the doctor told her that she suffered from stunted growth. Although she had her ovaries, she did not have a womb. So, it was impossible for her to bear children. Even her biological sons were birthed through a surrogate mother. Having never experienced the feeling of giving birth before, she always felt incomplete as a mother. But, in that dream… it felt like I was giving birth. Moreover, it felt very realistic—it felt like it really happened! Could those dreams be due to my yearning?

All of a sudden, she wanted to go back to Cethos again. She wanted to see the scenery in Cethos, eat her fill of Cethosian dishes, and meet somebody in Cethos. But, I don’t even know who it is that I want to meet. She had never felt this feeling before. It appeared suddenly after her return to Cethos and had been growing stronger and stronger ever since.

“Mother.” All of a sudden, Callum walked over to the pavilion Anna was sitting at as she watched the snow.

Anna wearily opened her eyes and said, “Drop the formalities; nobody else is here.”

He glanced about his surroundings, then the dignified mask disappeared instantly. He walked over briskly and sat down. Just like how a normal son would act when he came home, he called out, “Mom!”

Her gaze was soft as she studied her son with gentle eyes. Then, she replied softly, “Hmm.”

He happily said, “As expected, Henry and Ryan have messed up the Fashion Week. It looks like we won’t be able to hold the Ronney Fashion Week in Cethos. I should take over the Fashion Week again. The spring/summer collection cannot be delayed because of them.”

She smiled coldly. “It’s only for one season. No matter how heavy the losses, we’ll be able to bear it. Leave it to your two younger brothers; let them act as freely as they want. The bigger the losses they incur, the better.” The worse those two idiots are, the brighter my sons shine in comparison. They truly are that b*tch’s children. Their despicable and disgusting nature cannot be concealed. They will never be able to compare with my sons!

A baby alpaca playfully pranced around Anna. Afraid that it might be cold, Callum had put a pink padded jacket on it. Then, Anna patted its head and said, “They belong to other people. You should return them after playing with them for a few days.”

Callum smiled. “I’ll send them back after the New Year’s.”

The New Year’s… Those words flashed across her mind. They sounded very familiar yet very strange at the same time—it felt both cold yet warm. Although Ronney City celebrated New Year’s every year, it was far from the festive atmosphere found in Cethos. She suddenly wanted to return to Cethos to celebrate New Year’s; she wanted to see the neon lights that covered the sky…

It was rather busy before New Year’s. Therefore, Sophia would play games to destress whenever she had some free time. Callum and Cade were always online too. “Hey, my hubby is going to be featured in my self-published pets luxury goods magazine soon. Hurry up and send my pig back to me. You can steal it back after the photo shoot.”

I can steal it back after the photoshoot? Callum found her words rather amusing. So, he deliberately teased her. “Hmm? Isn’t it a pet magazine? Why would your husband be featured in it?”

She sounded upset as she said, “Everybody who watched ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ knows that we raise a pig at home. Besides, I started many social media accounts in its name, which garnered over a million followers. Since you f*cking stole my pig, I have not been able to update those social media accounts in quite a while now—so much so that the fans are starting to wonder if I butchered it for the New Year’s. Since my husband is going to be featured in the magazine, the pig will be too. So, hurry up and return it to me. I’ll give you a god-tier sword in return.”

Callum was rendered speechless by her words. Similarly, Michael rolled his eyes while playing games with her. The pig was stolen; why would they return it?

Unexpectedly, the Yard Family actually returned the pig. On one early morning, a pig cage appeared at the entrance to the residential area. Inside the cage was a noble and graceful pig wearing a pair of golden pants. When Sophia received the ‘express delivery’ from the Yard Family, she called Callum and said, “I’ve received the pig. It’ll be at the magazine studio the day after tomorrow for the photoshoot. Estimate the time yourself. You can secretly steal the pig back once we’re done with the photoshoot.”

Callum said, “Okay!”

Michael was speechless.

discovered that the Yard Family had kept it so well-groomed that it was a peerless beauty—so much so that it could go to the studio directly without her doing anything. Wow; the Yard Family even made my pig beautiful for me!

During this time, Sophia reorganized the various domestic fashion influences and established the Bayside City Fashion Association. She also successively acquired several fashion brands and fashion magazines. At the same time, she designed cosmetics, clothing, perfumes, jewelry, and pet luxury goods. She had Kenny, a big shot in the fashion industry, on her side. Meanwhile, Russell, who brought his business back to Cethos recently, had formed a deep cooperative partnership with her. Moreover, the Yard Family’s Fashion Week was ruined by the death of the grandmaster. Everything was going well for her. Thus, she was ready to put on a great show.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1165

Michael, who hated appearing in magazines, was caught and forced to appear in magazines recently. Moreover, he had to suffer through a variety of topless and seductive poses for the cover page photos. However, Sophia’s request was even more outrageous this time—he had to bring the pig along with him too.

After the second season of ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ aired, the whole country knew that he had adopted the pig chosen by God. In one episode of ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’, they even filmed him in his house. As a result, everybody discovered how many pets he had at home, and he was instantly labeled as the ‘Rich Zookeeper’.

As New Year’s was just around the corner, everybody was preparing their knives to butcher their pigs. On that note, Sophia’s plump and healthy pig had been missing for some time. The fans were starting to worry and would check in on the pig’s whereabouts from time to time.

Therefore, Michael not only had to take a photo with the pig but also receive an interview about his experience raising a pig. My experience?! Do you want me to talk about postpartum care for sows?! What do you mean by caring for the pig? Justin will personally butcher the pig as soon as it’s brought back! I would rather tell the fans about my experience in making cured meat and sausages! However, this was a pet luxury goods magazine—he did not dare to do that. I feel aggrieved! Extremely aggrieved!

Unfortunately, Sophia was watching him intently. He had no choice but to awkwardly finish the interview with the reporter. Fortunately, he somehow bluffed his way through it. After the interview, he and the pig took a rest while she hurriedly went to check the results of the interview.

He was emotionally exhausted at this point. Marrying my wife is equivalent to marrying a zoo! I shouldn’t have listened to Daniel’s deceitful words back then. I shouldn’t have gotten greedy just because Sophia was beautiful. What was I thinking… High quality but cheap? A one-off purchase that comes with no baggage? Can be returned at any time? Lies! My wife and my daughter are great. However, my father-in-law is too troublesome. She also has a whole bunch of meddling relatives and a hostile younger brother.

Although the pig was back, Michael couldn’t wait for it to be stolen away again. Sure enough; it was stolen again two days after it was returned.

In Ronney City, Callum sent the pig back to Cethos for its magazine interview then quickly brought it back again. It was going to be the New Year’s in two months, so he gave the pig a new hairstyle and dyed its fur in an auspicious color. He planned to spend the New Year’s with it.

Having grown up in the Yard Family, Calum and Cade had to deal with suspicion and betrayal all the time. They went through a lot and bore too many burdens just to survive to this day. Therefore, they no longer believed in humans and would rather raise a pet. Raising a pig was great—at the very least, it would never lie. They were having a lot of fun as they dyed its fur with their own hands. All of a sudden, a servant came over and reported, “Mr. Edwards is here.”

Upon hearing those words, the siblings’ expressions changed drastically. Why is Jordan here?

Jordan was a mysterious existence within the Yard Family. He was the real power holder of the Yard Family and held full control over the authority the Yard Family wielded. Anna was nothing but his spokesperson. Under normal circumstances, he rarely appeared at the Ronney Palace as Anna was only a small part of his harem. He had many other women and children besides her. Despite his many children, Callum and Cade, as well as Henry and Ryan, were the only twins. They had the right to the inheritance of the Yard Family and were highly favored by him.

Naturally, there were others among Jordan’s many wives that had also given birth to twins before. Wanting to receive a share of the pie, they all ended up dead. Anna would never allow anybody else’s children to threaten her territory. Unfortunately, Henry and Ryan were loved by Jordan and well-protected by their mother—so much so that she had never had the opportunity to get rid of them. But, it was different now.

Callum and Cade soon appeared in front of Jordan. They were neatly dressed as they respectfully greeted him. “Father.”

Mere moments ago, they were dressed in shorts and slippers while playing with the pig in the back garden. Upon hearing that their father was here, they became neatly and meticulously dressed in a blink of an eye. It was as if they were going to meet a superior, rather than their father.

Jordan went straight to the point as soon as he arrived. “Were you behind the grandmaster’s death?”

His gaze was sharp and he studied his two sons. At some point, these two sons of his had gotten more and more difficult to control. It made him keenly aware that he was old. He was approaching 60. On the other hand, these two were at their prime. They would completely replace him soon. When he learned of the grandmaster’s death, he immediately knew that it was their doing.

In response, Callum and Cade exchanged a glance with each other. Then, they replied bemusedly, “Father, we don’t know about it either. We only received the news about the grandmaster’s death two days ago.”

Jordan stared at them while they spoke. His sharp gaze felt as if he was trying to pierce right into their souls; it carried such a powerful aura that it made one feel as if they were suffocating. However, Callum and Cade endured many similar gazes since they were young. They could now remain calm and impassive under that gaze. Besides, they truly did not do anything to the grandmaster. They were innocent.

“Was it really not your doing?” Jordan expressed his doubts. He did not trust anybody, not even his own sons. Needless to say, his sons were not completely aligned with him either.

Callum suddenly spoke up in a slightly profound tone. “The grandmaster used Henry and Ryan’s blood to make a soul-suppressing charm. I wonder if something went wrong with the ritual. It might have shocked the grandmaster so badly that he jumped off the building. After all, the grandmaster’s two sons claimed that he jumped down by himself.”

Although he did not believe in the metaphysical, it was no secret that Jordan’s other two sons were not part of the Imperial Yard Family lineage. From a metaphysical perspective, they were fake dragons and fake Dragon Blood would surely have failed to suppress demons.

Cade also lazily joined in, saying, “The grandmaster had some scratch marks on his neck. Perhaps, they failed to control themselves and pushed him down the building when the ritual failed. It’s just one person anyway. They only need to use some money to cover it up, just like they always have in the past.”

In the past, Henry and Ryan had behaved in the same way, running wild and doing as they pleased. They were regulars of the Devil Island, a place said to be outside the law—a hunting ground for the powerful. Moreover, what they hunted were not beasts but humans.

Many people, who were about to die, would go to Devil Island and volunteer themselves as prey, receiving a large sum of money in return. As prey, they would be hunted by the nobles for entertainment. If they managed to evade for a period, they would receive another sum of money and obtain their freedom. If they died, they died. More importantly, their deaths were completely legal—one could pay to kill legally on Devil Island. At the tender age of 20, Henry and Ryan were not just regulars at the Devil Island, but they were already VIP platinum members…

Even now, Callum and Cade could not figure out who was behind the grandmaster’s death. Perhaps, it truly was Henry or Ryan who lost control of themselves and killed the grandmaster in a fit of rage. After all, murder was nothing to them.

Jordan was silent. He probably believed what they said. Compared to his elder sons, his younger sons were far too lawless. I can’t believe they dared to kill in Bayside City. Bayside City is not a place they can run wild in! Sigh; I can only blame myself for spoiling them when they were younger. That’s why they grew up so aloof.

After that, Jordan finally left in a hurry. Callum got up to send him off, the warmth in his eyes disappearing as soon as Jordan left. What is he going to do? Don’t tell me; is he going to Cethos to help Ryan and Henry take over the Cethosian market himself? If that’s the case, he’s going to leave Ronney City…

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1166

If Jordan left for Cethos, Ronney City would be under Anna’s control. If so, Anna and her two sons would have the opportunity to do many things…

In Bayside city, Linus was trying to investigate who was behind the grandmaster’s death. This is just too strange. It wasn’t me and it wasn’t Sophia. Callum did not admit to it; Cooper would never use such means; and Michael would have said something if it was him. So, who on earth did it? At present, Callum and Cade were the most likely culprits. Only they could place spies among Henry’s men, but Callum did not admit to doing it. Could it really be caused by some metaphysical reason? Could it be that they wanted to use the Dragon Blood flowing within the Yard Family’s direct descendants to cast a spell on Sophia, but her genes turned out to be stronger than theirs?

Henry and Ryan had stepped on so many toes that countless people were waiting for a chance to kick them when they were down. Now that the Ronney Fashion Week was a wreck, Bayside City’s fashion industry was jumping for joy. Everybody was working together to promote Bayside City’s fashion brands. They wanted the Fashion Week to succeed so that they could drive the Ronney Group out of Cethos, once and for all.

Still, Linus couldn’t rest easy until he got to the bottom of this matter. “Siri, bring up all the surveillance data from the Ronney Group’s vicinity, three days before and after the incident, and analyze them for any suspicious individuals.”

The housekeeping robot immediately did as was instructed. It downloaded all the surveillance footage from the Ronney Group’s vicinity from three days before to three days after the incident. Then, it ran a facial analysis and matched them to the criminal database. The analysis was completed quickly, and it reported, “The wanted criminal, Quinton Clark, was discovered at 9 AM, one day after the incident.”

Linus was shocked. Bringing up the surveillance feed, he saw a man in a security guard’s uniform cockily leaving through the Ronney Group’s main entrance, one day after the incident. That man even looked straight into the camera while he was on his way out. Quinton?! Why is he back here again?! What’s he up to now?!

…

During this period, Sophia seemed to be extremely busy. She was busier than Michael. She left the house early in the morning and came back late at night, every day. If that wasn’t bad enough, she also brought her pets with her to work. Sometimes, they were used for filming purposes; sometimes, they modeled for a fashion show. In short, it was hectic.

Carmen was still very young, and Sophia did not want her to be involved in the entertainment circle at such a young age. Therefore, her acting career was rather intermittent. Instead, she spent most of her time in school, only appearing on ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ or shooting the occasional advertisement for the Michel Group’s range of children watches. Once in a while, she would also take on a cameo role in certain international movies. However, Sophia did not hold the same concern for her pets. There was nothing wrong with them following her to work. Besides, those who didn’t work, didn’t get to eat.

As the trailblazer for pet luxury goods in Bayside City, Sophia felt that she had to own several pets at the very least. When the fans recently learned that Taylor had nearly thirty pets at home, they clamored about stealing his pets from his house. However, nobody actually took any action except for Callum. Due to the frequent fashion shows, the pets were always going in and out of the house. That gave Callum more opportunities to make his move. He constantly sent people over to steal the pets, kidnaping a cat here or a dog there. Finally, Pleiades was successfully stolen too.

Michael was secretly celebrating Callum’s success in stealing the chicken. Unexpectedly, he heard Sophia calling Callum. “Return my chicken. In five days, it’s going to play a guest role in a movie.”

Callum said, “Sure.”

Two days later, a well-fed rooster appeared at the entrance of the residential area. At the same time, the giant poodle that was out for work was kidnapped.

At first, Michael was speechless. In the end, he got used to it. Callum would kidnap anything he took a fancy to. Meanwhile, Sophia would make a phone call to urge him to return the pets she needed. Two days later, the stolen pet would be dumped in front of their residence. Moreover, they were fed until they were plump and tender. Callum stole everything, except for the three huskies.

Damn retards! What’s the point of stealing the pets here and there? Besides, every stolen pet is shipped internationally! Are the delivery costs free?! Why don’t we just generously hand them all over to Callum?! Naturally, Michael could only complain under his breath. He had been paying close attention to his wife’s career recently. The fashion business was in full swing. After bringing Russell over to her side, things developed even more rapidly. The Remote Mountains Health Club Project she established in partnership with Daniel was expanding in scale. Plum Technology was gradually growing too. Those that supported Cooper had left Mitchell Group to work in Plum Technology—it was becoming the next ‘Mitchell’s Technology’.

At the start of the New Year’s, Plum Technology, a tech company started up by four university students to develop online games, finally surpassed Mitchell’s Technology in its own field. Plum Technology occupied a relatively large portion of the market share. It was comparable to that of the Michel Group’s Cethosian branch.

Mitchell’s Technology was once Cethos’ greatest pride as a national industry. It was Cethos’ calling card. Whenever foreign dignitaries visited the country, they fervently hoped to be invited to Mitchell’s Technology for an inspection. Bayside University and Mitchell’s Technology—one represented the country’s education while the other represented the country’s economy, However, since the start of the New Year’s, no foreign dignitaries were sent to Mitchell’s Technology for inspection anymore. That was a huge sign of what was to come.

Now, Mitchell’s Technology was declining at a rapid rate. It used to be a powerful dragon, brilliantly soaring in the skies. It used to shock the world with its innovations. But now, it was a withered and ailing dragon that could no longer move. It had lost its brilliance. It was just a matter of time before it died. Even if the Mitchell Family had the backing of the Yard Family, it would be to no avail.

The Mitchell Family’s annual family meeting was held as usual. The chairman, Alex, furiously threw the financial statements of the year on the table. Then, he gave a thunderous roar. “The share prices are falling! Our market share is shrinking! Mitchell’s Technology is growing weaker and weaker by the day! Who can explain this to me?!”

Nobody dared to say a word. They barely even dared to breathe. Ever since Cooper came back, Mitchell’s Technology began to weaken. Although Alex and everybody else understood the reason for its decline, they refused to admit it. Therefore, everybody started coming up with various excuses.

“The marketing department should take responsibility. Our marketing methods are still too old-fashioned. It’s a new era after all…”

“The product development department has the greatest responsibility. Our products have too many defects.”

…

Pushing the blame around, nobody dared to admit that they had benefited from Cooper’s original technology for more than 20 years. And now, those original technologies were no longer relevant. Feeling guilty, they could only push the blame around. In the end, Sandra stood up. She had remained quiet all this while but now said, “Many reasons led to Mitchell’s Technology’s decline. Not only are there external factors, but we also have many internal factors to blame.”

Stepping forward, she glanced at the Mitchell Family’s senior executives before sternly continuing, “Right now, the entire world is developing rapidly, especially in the high-tech industry. It has reached a point where it’s rapidly evolving. Every other country has been developing quickly, but Cethos is the only country where progress has slowed down. This isn’t solely the Mitchell Family’s fault.

Rather, it’s because the entire high-tech industry in Cethos has become stagnant. The Mitchell Family is still number one in the country. Aside from us, no other families can come up with products that are highly distinguished in the international market. As the entire industry is suffering from this stagnant development, we are no exception.”

Upon hearing those words, everybody nodded. That’s right. It’s not solely the Mitchell Family’s fault. The blame lies with Cethos’ slow development and poverty, which is dragging us down.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1167

Look at America and Germany. In the Mitchell Family’s opinion, the high-tech industry of both these countries boomed much later than Cethos. However, because these two countries progressed rapidly, it drove the high-tech industry to develop just as quickly as a result. These countries surpassed the Mitchell Family a long time ago, but it was mainly due to the strength of their countries which provided better conditions and foundations for the development of the high-tech industry.

On the other hand, the main reason the Mitchell Family was slowly declining was that Cethos did not place much importance on them. Moreover, they had to pay all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies to the country, which gradually made the high-tech industry within the country into what it was today. In short, the country did not protect its national industry and even allowed a rival like Michel Tech to enter the market.

Everybody seemed to have found a reasonable excuse, and the atmosphere of the meeting immediately eased up. Then, Sandra continued, “Naturally, we suffer from internal problems too. Firstly, we are suffering from a huge brain drain. As you all know, we have been losing many of our talents over the past two years. Therefore, the top priority is to bring back all the outflowing talents.”

Everybody nodded in agreement. Plum Technology had poached too many of Mitchell’s Technology’s employees. Those were the talents that Mitchell’s Technology had trained and cultivated. The loss of those employees had been a huge blow to the company.

Afterward, Sandra took out her proposal and passed it around. She was going to save the Mitchell Family.

A copy of the proposal soon fell into Sophia’s hands. “The carrot-and-stick method? Bringing back the outflowing talents? Vigorously recruit talents within the high-tech industry… Regardless of their origins, those that perform exceptionally will be allowed to take on the Mitchell surname.” Sophia was amused by Sandra’s creativity. God damn! Those that perform exceptionally will be allowed to take on the Mitchell surname?! Isn’t that just like in ancient times where the great heroes of the country are given a royal surname?!

When Cooper saw that, his entire expression darkened considerably. How dare they make excuses for their inaptitude?! The biggest issue with Mitchell’s Technology is that it isn’t making any progress! The entire world is moving forward, but they’re still fixated on the original but outdated creations! The high-tech industry has always been changing. Mitchell’s Technology is part of the high-tech industry. However, it continues using fingerprint attendance systems to clock in when even normal companies are starting to use mobile phone apps to clock in! It’s so backward that it doesn’t even seem to be part of the high-tech industry!

Still, he was relieved that not all of the Mitchell Family was gone. During the New Year’s, Plum Technology also announced that it was undergoing major changes. It was going to split out the high-tech business from the main company and establish ‘Dragon Technology Corporation’. Dragon Technology was more or less composed of the people that followed Cooper when he left the Mitchell Family. More importantly, it was mainly led by the Mitchell Family although Plum Technology held a large portion of its shares too.

Cooper was a director at Dragon Technology Corporation. However, the main operation of the company was led by Sean, Derek, and Vincent. Besides, a large number of talents were flooding in from Mitchell’s Technology. They planned to focus on the high-tech industry and vowed to bring back the glory days of the past. As such, Cooper was merely a name on the director’s board. He practically left everything in the company to the youngsters. He felt at ease with them around—with them around, the Mitchell Family would never collapse.

Although Linus did not take on the Mitchell name, he was still Cooper’s son and everybody considered him as part of the Mitchell Family. As a result, Michel Tech and Dragon Technology signed a series of cooperative contracts with each other. The authorities were also paying close attention to Dragon Technology, which seemed to be advancing aggressively.

Cethos used to be a backward country. However, the high-tech industry developed rapidly and the country became known for it. Unfortunately, Cethos’ high-tech industry had declined over the past 20 years. It had long been overtaken by other countries. Hence, the authorities had high hopes for Dragon Technology. They hoped that it would advance to the top, bringing the country with it too. Needless to say, Mitchell Energy and Technology under Cooper’s direct guidance was not to be ignored either. It had only been established for a year or two, but it was already the country’s pride and joy. Whenever foreign dignitaries came to visit, they were brought to Mitchell Energy and Technology for inspection.

The children from the Mitchell Family that had an interest in clean energy went with Cooper; those that were engaged in electronics went to Dragon Technology. Those interested in fashion went to Sophia and those in the entertainment industry came looking for Michael. It was a perfect arrangement. In that way, the new Mitchell Family had created something of its own. They were slowly overwhelming the Mitchell Family of the past and were gaining a reputation as a trustworthy party among the powerful of Bayside City.

During the New Year’s, Mitchell Energy and Technology made another major breakthrough. They took another step forward in the clean energy industry, bringing mankind closer to the future. After all, clean energy was the future! Cooper was truly the dragon of Cethos and the hope of mankind! In the past, Cethos remained one of the leading countries in the electronics industry for more than ten years because of Cooper. And now, he was going to make Cethos one of the top leading countries in clean energy for the next ten years!

As a result, the household became rather lively. Sophia quipped, “Dad, reporters from the News Bulletin and Focal Point have been camping out at the residential area’s entrance for a few days now. They are requesting to interview you.”

Cooper replied, “Not interested.”

Michael said, “Dad, the invitation to the New Year Dinner Gala has been placed in your study. Whether you go or not, you should give them a response.”

Cooper replied, “Not free.”

Linus asked, “Dad, this is an invitation for a party at the presidential palace—”

Cooper replied, “Next time.”

Everybody came back with various invitations, but they were all rejected. It was as expected. Whether he was Fass Michel or Cooper Mitchell, he remained as cold as ever.

Then, Carmen came back carrying a pink and fragrant invitation too. “Grandpa, the kindergarten is having a New Year’s performance. The teacher says that Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa, and Uncle Linus have to attend together!”

Thus, the cold and distant Cooper finally took the invitation and read it. However, he did not realize that his worth among the kindergarteners would not change much just because of all the amazing things he did.

After appearing on ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’, Michael became very well-received among the kindergarteners. The price of a photo with him had risen to 50 apiece, and the price was even higher if they were hugging in the photo. The business was booming recently, so Carmen launched a ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ activity for New Year’s. And, Cooper was the ‘free’ part of the deal.

However, Cooper’s existence was akin to a god among the adults. Even Callum, who was located far away in another country, couldn’t help talking about Cooper when he called Sophia to chat. “Your dad is amazing!”

Sophia was extremely proud. “Of course! My dad is the world’s most amazing father!”

He jealously answered, “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Look at you… By the way, I’m going back to Cethos in a few days. Can you help me clean my house please?”

She was puzzled. “Why are you coming back? Are you here to clean up your brothers’ mess?”

He replied, “I’m coming back to celebrate the new year.”

…

Every newspaper and magazine was trying to get an interview with Cooper. However, Cooper was extremely indifferent. Aside from the invitation from Carmen’s kindergarten, nobody could get him to attend their event. Even Maddie, who was related to Joel, came over to request an interview with Cooper several times. Combined with Sophia’s mediation, Cooper finally agreed to leave the house for an interview.

Sophia felt that he had to go out more. She did not want him to keep himself locked up in his studio all the time. After all, he was still decently young. She wished that he could fall in love again and give her more younger siblings.

Cooper appeared for the interview at the newspaper office where Maddie worked at. He was dressed very neatly, but his face was expressionless. Moreover, he was extremely cold and aloof. Although he answered every single question Maddie threw at him, his words were curt and his replies were short. On the other hand, Sophia was very talkative. “My dad is single and unmarried. He has no bad habits and no family history of diseases. He is very healthy. Moreover, he has a gentle nature and is very committed. Also, he has no history of being in a relationship. This is very important! Besides, the picture on the cover should be refined. Don’t forget to edit the photo to enhance his appearance!”

Maddie nodded frequently in response. Meanwhile, Cooper felt speechless. He felt a sense of déjà vu—it felt like the get-rich-quick scams all over again.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1168

Once the interview was over, Sophia and Cooper prepared to leave the place. Cooper calculated and figured they would arrive right on time to pick up Carmen from the kindergarten. As they walked over to the main lobby of the newspaper office, however, they happened to see the editor-in-chief welcoming several people into the building respectfully.

Suddenly, a familiar face was reflected in Cooper’s bleary eyes, stirring up a great reaction.

“Sophia! What a coincidence?”

Callum had spotted Sophia right away and called out to her in a friendly manner. Beside him, Anna was also looking over at Sophia and Cooper.

But, Cooper did not look at her once as though he had not registered her at all.

Sophia felt both mad and perplexed to see the three of them, but she still kept her composure as she gave them a greeting in return.

“Mrs. Yard, Callum, Cade. What brings the three of you to Cethos?”

Could they have come to spend New Years’ here?

In a mild tone, Anna answered, “We came here today to visit an old friend. I wasn’t expecting to see both of you here as well. This is such a coincidence!”

Sophia suddenly recalled that the head of that newspaper office was also a Yard.

“Indeed.” The two shook hands.

Anna also stretched a hand out to Cooper. “Mr. Mitchell, it’s an honor to meet you.”

Cooper had recently invented a miracle that shocked the world. It was labeled as a ray of hope for humans by foreign media. After Anna heard about it, she started to see him in a different light.

There were only a couple of men in this world whom Anna truly respected.

One of them was the mysterious Fass Michel who held the reigns of power in Michel Group, and the other was Cooper.

To save his daughter, Fass publicly revealed the formula to the cure for Virs-18, shocking everyone. Unfortunately, Anna never got a chance to see him.

Unexpectedly, Cooper acted as if he did not see her and walked right off, leaving her hand awkwardly suspended in the air.

To relieve the awkward tension, the editor-in-chief quickly came forward and grabbed her hand. “It’s great to have you here at our newspaper office, Mrs. Yard. Please come this way.”

A hint of disappointment grew in her eyes, but she did not let it show. As she followed the staff at the newspaper office inside, Sophia followed Cooper out promptly.

Concerned that Cooper would be saddened by Anna’s appearance, Sophia glanced at him with a concerned look, but Cooper did not seem bothered and still maintained an indifferent attitude.

When they arrived at Carmen’s kindergarten to pick her up, however, a piece of news hit them like a bolt out of the blue.

“We’re so sorry, Mrs. Fletcher, but Carmen has gone missing!”

Sophia’s mind went blank in an instant.

My daughter is missing?

“How did this happen?”

Cooper kept calm, but there was a slight quiver in his voice; he was staggering slightly as he held Sophia.

The security guard at the kindergarten admitted, “We failed to do our job. An unknown person came in here and took Carmen away!”

Since there was a history of Carmen getting kidnapped at her kindergarten, Michael felt uneasy and had placed someone there to watch over her. The abductor, however, had boldly knocked her bodyguard out cold today and abducted her. When the staff at the kindergarten could not find her, they made a report to the police right away.

Sophia lost strength in her whole body. It felt like someone had dug out a piece of her; she felt scared and helpless.

Who would kidnap Carmen? Could it be the Yard Family?

“Send people to the Yard Residence and Mitchell Residence now!” she commanded, but her body and hands were still shaking uncontrollably.

My baby, please be okay!

Currently, it seemed like the Yard Family had the biggest grudge against them. After Sophia wiped her tears away, she clenched down on her teeth and wanted to go to the Yard Family to ask them personally when she received a picture from an unknown number. The picture showed Carmen’s cute and smiling face.

She was happily eating a skewer while sitting on a seesaw. Under her tiger hat, her small face had turned bright pink from the cold.

Below the picture was a message that read, ‘Lunaville Children’s Amusement Park. Come alone.’

The sight of the picture inevitably sent tears rushing down Sophia’s face.

Cooper became enraged when he saw the picture and message.

“I don’t care who it is. I’m going to cut them up into pieces!”

Sophia yanked him back. “Dad, Carmen is still in their hands. Let me go and see how things are.”

Despite Cooper’s attempt to stop her, she hopped in the car and drove off to that amusement park alone. Enraged, Cooper quickly followed after her from behind. Soon, Michael and Linus also received news about Carmen’s disappearance and rushed people to the amusement park immediately.

When Sophia got to the place, she noticed that it was very remote with outdated equipment. Because they were at an outdoor amusement park on a weekday during wintertime, it was rather isolated and gloomy. She only saw a middle-aged lady who was knitting and collecting the entrance fee at the gate.

Sophia took out some money to buy a ticket and asked, “Did you see a little girl with a tiger hat come in here today?”

The middle-aged lady was very occupied with knitting, receiving the payment, and watching ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ on her phone. In the midst of everything, she answered, “A little girl went in there with her uncle earlier. She was very pretty, just like this girl on television.”

They’re really here!

As Sophia made her way inside, she stuck a hand into her coat where she had hidden a stun gun.

Carefully taking steps forward, she started to hear Carmen singing happily somewhere deep inside the spacious place. “La, la, la, planting a sun. La, la, la, planting a sun. La, la, la…”

Sophia held her breath.

She walked with even more caution and was incredibly nervous. Every sound she heard was amplified when it reached her ears.

As she continued to move forward, she quickly caught sight of Carmen. Carmen was wearing the tiger hat that was a family heirloom and squatting on the snow making snowballs. Sophia felt her heart rise up to her throat. When she was about to call out to Carmen, she saw Carmen stand up and run forward with the snowball in her outstretched hands. “Mister, I made this little kitty for you!”

A bare, pale, and big hand reached out to receive Carmen’s gift while the other fell on her tiger hat to adjust it. In a gentle tone, he asked, “Can you sing another song for me, Carmen?”

She chirped, “Sure!”

With that, she was off bouncing around and singing again. “Grow quickly, little pine tree. Green leaves and new sprouts. Let the sunshine and rain nurture you. Grow quickly; grow quickly!”

Sophia also caught a glimpse of the man. It’s him again—Quinton Clark!

Standing still in place, she was too afraid to move or take another step.

She might not have known the reason for Quinton’s return, but she knew that he was very dangerous.

Carmen finished her song and went back to stand in front of Quinton. In a child-like voice, she asked, “Mister, can I have another skewer?”

Quinton pulled his brows together. “You can’t eat anymore. Look; your mom is here to take you home.”

Carmen saw Sophia right away and started running happily toward her. “Mommy!”

Quinton stood up from the bench he was sitting on for the first time and looked at Sophia with a smile in his eyes. He took a couple of steps forward, but before he could say anything, a large troop rushed in and pressed him down on the spot.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1169

In the end, Quinton was not charged for kidnapping. Carmen told them that he had brought her out to play. Hence, he was simply released.

Quinton was on the wanted list in many countries around the globe, but he did not have a criminal record in Cethos. After he came to an agreement with the Fletchers, he was granted a pardon and his slate was wiped clean. The whole world had scores to settle with him, except for Cethos.

Alas, Quinton was dragged down to Michael’s basement to get interrogated.

Confronting the half-brother with whom he had a love-hate relationship for many years made Michael feel very conflicted. He did not know how to approach the situation.

I can’t hit him, yell at him, or kill him, but he’s getting into mischief all the time.

“Why did you come back? Didn’t we tell you to stay away?”

Quinton was sitting cross-legged in front of him with a nonchalant attitude and a milk lollipop that Carmen had given him hanging out of his mouth. “What else? It’s the New Year’s. I came back to visit the family and spend New Year’s here. I thought I’d drop by to see your wife and daughter too!”

Michael wanted to hit him, but he knew that throwing a few punches now was no use. “Were you the one who pushed the Yard Family’s high priest?”

Quinton attested, “Yes, it was me! I pushed him by accident. He was annoying me.”

Killing people was a trivial matter to him and did not make him feel guilty.

Even though Michael did not want to spend another second talking to him, he knew that Quinton would not have returned for no reason and that he surely had a motive.

“Tell me; what are you planning to do here?”

Quinton continued to suck on the lollipop in his mouth. “I really did come back to see your wife.”

Standing up, Michael left the room and did not bother with Quinton anymore. He locked Quinton in the basement and had people keep watch on him 24 hours a day.

“I’ll find a good time for you to leave the country.”

Quinton urged, “At least let me spend the New Year’s here before leaving!”

“You wish.”

Quinton was put in a confinement room with bulletproof glass in the basement. All four walls were clear which did not give him an ounce of privacy. He was also kept on a 24-hour watch where a sensor would go off if any movement was detected.

When Michael left, he settled down and silently watched the elevator go up.

He was back again.

Even if he only got to see her from a distance, he was content.

Back in the living room, Cooper was going ballistic. He was ready to kill both Quinton and Michael.

Michael sat quietly in the corner—too afraid to utter a single word.

Sophia was also silent but was grateful to be holding Carmen in her arms.

Thank goodness Quinton was the one who took her. If it had been someone else, I might not ever see her again.

Still oblivious to the situation, Carmen asked, “Why does Grandpa want to kill Uncle Quinton?”

Sophia explained, “This is a grown-up matter. You won’t understand! Sweetie, don’t ever go off with strangers again, even if it’s Uncle Quinton.”

Carmen pouted. “Okay.”

But Uncle Quinton is a nice person…

At midnight, someone made a sudden visit to see Quinton.

“Linus? What are you doing here? Are you here to seek revenge for your dear sister?” Quinton mocked as soon as he saw Linus walk in. “Between the both of us, I know everything that you’ve done. Who would have thought that she was your biological sister? Let me guess. You must feel both remorse and resentment. Are you afraid that she will distance herself from you once she finds out your true nature?”

Linus watched him in silence.

When Quinton finished ridiculing him, he asked, “Why did you come back this time?”

Quinton was still indifferent. “Nothing really. I just wanted to spend the New Year’s here, and see Carmen and your sister while I’m at it.”

Letting out a scoff, Linus stood up and walked toward Linus. With a piece of bulletproof glass between them, they locked eyes with each other and stayed that way for a long time, each seemingly analyzing the other’s intention with their gaze.

Alas, Quinton spoke first. “Stop looking. Even if you keep staring at me, I won’t like you. I only like your sister.”

Linus shook his head helplessly and lectured, “Stop pretending, Quinton. You know that you don’t have much time left. You were injected with an excessive amount of stimulants. These stimulants were never developed successfully, and they have strong side effects. Right now, the side effects are slowly showing up. Your body has started to deteriorate.”

Quinton continued to feign ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When you came in, I ran some tests on your blood and examined your whole body. I’m also looking into the stimulants that you’ve been using. The exceptional abilities that you have are all because of the stimulants. The effects of the stimulants might be degenerating now, but the side effects are slowly starting to appear. Both Celie and Sophia lost their memories after you brainwashed them. Sophia is back to normal now, but Celie has the mental age of a toddler. That’s because you only used the stimulants on Celie and not on Sophia. Celie ended up this way because of the side effects of the stimulants!”

Quinton fell silent. He was no longer sluggish like he was before, and there was even a bitter smile on his face.

Yes, he was already aware.

Those stimulants were developed decades ago in the Golden Triangle during Tanya’s time. It fell into the Phantom Wolf’s possession later and continued to undergo improvements. Ever since Quinton was a young boy, he had been subject to the administration of these stimulants to change his body. On top of the extreme training methods, he was able to develop superhuman strength and abilities that eventually made him the king of killers.

Nonetheless, it was not a fully-developed drug and was still being worked on. Both Quinton and Celine were simply lab mice. The side effects were something that had not been predicted.

Over the years, the effects of the stimulants had begun to wear off, and Quinton could feel the side effects slowly coming to the surface.

His intention for returning to Cethos this time was to observe Celine’s condition as she also had those stimulants in her system.

“Are you saying my intelligence will slowly decline just like Celine’s? Will I become a boy in a middle-aged man’s body?” He quickly went back to his previous self and joked, “Well, that would be rather unsightly!”

With a stoic expression, Linus remarked, “Not necessarily. Each body reacts differently. I don’t know what will happen to you, either. I came here today just to tell you that you brothers deserve to die.”

All of a sudden, the look in his eyes turned cold and piercing almost as if he could freeze Quinton with his gaze. Through gritted teeth, he seethed, “At the end of your strife with your brother, the only person who will be sad is my sister. I want more than anything to be able to cut you two up into pieces right now and get rid of your existence in this world forever!”

Four years ago, Quinton stabbed Michael with a poisoned knife. The poison had traveled into his bone marrow and was impossible to treat. All they could do was try to prolong his life.

His death was not going to make Linus sad, but it would be worse than death for Sophia.

As Quinton looked at a capricious Linus, he seemed to have seen something funny and broke into a guffaw.

“Linus, don’t forget who was the one that gave me money to let me experiment with those things! Your money funded those drugs! How many killers have I helped you raise over the years? Plus all those nonconformists that I helped you weed out! How did we do it? Wasn’t it with the help of those viruses and stimulants? Why? After you went from being an adopted son to a biological son, and secured your position in the family, are you choosing to forget all the great things you did in the past? Linus Michel—” He pointed a finger at the glass at the same position as Linus’ chest and sneered, “If she ever becomes sad one day, it will be on you too.”

 

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1170

Every word pierced through Linus’ heart.

He’s right. It will be on me too!

Because he wanted to kill someone he did not like without leaving a trace, he gave Quinton money to experiment on those drugs.

I’m an accomplice.

Falling into a deep silence, he turned around and left with haste.

“Don’t even think about leaving any time soon—not until I find a cure for Michael.”

Linus went back up the elevator. Once the doors shut, Quinton returned to a calm state and continued to sit there in a daze.

It was late in the night. Ever since Quinton showed up, aside from Carmen and Celine, no one else could really sleep.

Sophia went to bed with Carmen in her arms. Carmen thought that she had only gone out to play with Quinton today, but Sophia looked like she had been to hell. She was traumatized by the event and had nightmares all night long.

In her nightmare, she was sobbing in agony after someone took Carmen away, and Michael left her. When she woke up, she still felt unbearable pain in her chest.

Meanwhile, Carmen was sleeping soundly next to her and even kicking her legs.

Suddenly, Sophia noticed that Michael was not there. His side of the bed had gone cold.

“Hubby?”

Rubbing her eyes while sitting up in bed, she looked around and found him sitting on the sealed-off balcony.

It was currently 2 AM.

Very discreetly, she slipped out of bed and walked over to the balcony where Michael was drinking some wolfberry water.

When he saw that she had woken up, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

She buried herself in his embrace and hid her face in his chest. “I had a nightmare.”

Michael held her and murmured, “Dreams are always the opposite of reality. It’s okay.”

Hopefully…

There was nothing simple about Quinton’s arrival this time. Something definitely happened. The anxiousness Michael felt was keeping him from falling asleep.

“Hubby.” She grazed her hand over his chest and said coquettishly, “Am I a burden to you?”

He let out a dry chuckle. “Don’t be absurd!”

Even without her, he and Quinton would still have this internal strife.

She was just a victim.

Cooper was so furious today that Michael did not dare to speak up.

He knew that Cooper was not mad that Quinton had kidnapped Carmen, but that Quinton had put Michael on his deathbed while the two were fighting. At the present moment, there was no progress at the labs in Africa. They had spent several years and underwent countless failures before finally conquering Virs-18.

It was the same in this case. They did not know how many failures they would have to go through before they would succeed in clearing the poison in Michael’s body. They were even less sure of whether he could make it until then.

If Michael died, Cooper would not be sad—he would probably even catch a salamander to cook and celebrate—but Sophia and Carmen would be devastated.

Cooper would do anything to cross through space and time, and return to thirty years ago. I would hold Annabel back and protect my children, then kill Michael and Quinton on the spot.

His daughter was innocent. Ever since she was little, she had suffered through a lot. Now that she had finally stumbled upon her incompetent father, she also met a doomed fate with Michael.

Michael knew that he was dying, yet he still did not want to let Sophia go!

If Michael had let her go back then, the two could have lived as though they were strangers, and Sophia would not be sad over his death.

Michael also felt remorseful. If he had known that his body would deteriorate this much, he might have chosen not to cross paths with Sophia in the first place.

But, who had a say when it came to fate?

Cooper searched his own heart for answers. Can I really forget about Annabel?

Of course not!

…

Sophia noticed that the people at home were acting strange ever since Quinton arrived. She did not know what was wrong, but the atmosphere just did not feel right.

For example, Linus had not come over to eat in days.

At dinner that night, people were rather quiet. Once the meal was over, they went off to watch television. Since Linus did not show up, Sophia packed some food to bring to him in Villa No. 2.

In the basement, Linus was in a video conference with experts at the lab in Africa.

Linus had funded the research on the poison that was in Michael’s body. Not only did he support it financially, but he also provided technical support.

When they were first studying this poison, they never thought that anyone could survive it. The fact that Michael was still alive was a miracle on its own.

Moreover, he did not ever think that this poison would end up being used on Michael.

“Linus, we need time. This task is too hurried,” the experts on the other end of the call repeated for the umpteenth time.

Linus was losing patience, but he still stressed, “I know. I know. I just hope you can pick up the pace. I’ll give you as much money as you need.”

With that, he ended the video conference and flopped on the ground dispiritedly.

How did this happen?

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Through the surveillance camera, he saw Sophia standing outside with food in her hands. The frosty cold had turned her face bright red.

Composing himself again, he got up and went to let Sophia in.

As soon as she entered the living room and saw Linus, she spotted a difference in him.

“Ew! Why didn’t you shave, Linus?”

Reaching up to feel his chin, he realized that his stubble had grown all over. His beard started growing extremely fast over the past few years that even just a few days without shaving made him look like Tarzan.

He let out an awkward laugh, but Sophia did not mind. “Come and eat. I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet.”

Once she laid the dishes down on the table, the sweet aroma filled the entire dining room in an instant. Because Linus had been living off of meal replacements and biscuits over the past few days, he felt hungry immediately and began gobbling down the food.

Sophia sat and watched him at the side. She probably thought that he looked interesting with the beard.

He was eating under her watchful gaze, but when he thought about the consequences she would bear because of his wrongdoings, the food became harder to swallow.

Despite being born at the same time, Linus was lucky enough to have met Cooper earlier on, but it was not the case for Sophia.

Midway through, hot tears started to sting his eyes, and he embraced Sophia at once.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry,” he apologized in a weak, tearful voice.

He wanted to apologize to her a thousand, or even ten thousand times over.

But, he knew that no matter how many times he apologized, she probably would never forgive him; he could not forgive himself either.

Sophia knew why he was apologizing. Michael once gave her a brief account of what had happened. He told her that Linus worked with Quinton and almost abducted her. Fortunately, he came around in time and helped to bring her home.

“Okay, okay, Linus. I forgive you. Hurry and eat your food!”

Suppressing the despair and pain he felt, he forced the food down his throat.

I will cure Michael, even if it costs me my life!