Chapter 524
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“ Hello ? Sanford , ” Liora said .
“ Mom , ” Sanford blurted out . On the other end of the line , Liora demanded anxiously , “ Where are you ? Why aren’t you home yet ? ”
Sanford sighed , “ I’m in Nareigh . ”
Liora snapped , “ What ? Why aren’t you listening to me ? Didn’t I tell you not to go to Nareigh ? Get back here right now . ”
“ Mom , you don’t have to hide it from me anymore . I know everything now . ” Sanford stared at the DNA test report , enunciating each word clearly .
“ My father is Yorick , isn’t he ? He left us for a woman named Irene . He had a son with her Jonathan . He’s now the CEO of Horizonlead Group .”
Liora sighed helplessly , “ It’s not like that . Yorick and I are over . He’s not your father . ”
“ Why are you still denying it , even now ? ” Sanford pressed .
“ Mom , I’ve already done the DNA test . I am Yorick’s son . ” Sanford declared .
Liora was stunned into silence for a few seconds . “ What ? Who did you get to do the DNA test ? ”
“ I did the DNA test with Jonathan’s kid . I’m related to that boy . It proves I’m his uncle , because we both carry the Lynn bloodline .
“ Why have we been stuck hiding out all these
ars ,
instead of coming home ? Why does the guy who ditched his wife and kid get off scot – free ? ”
Liora gasped sharply on the other end . “ Sanford , please come back to Shaville first . Let me explain everything to you slowly . ” Liora pleaded .
“ Mom , you’re not in good health . Just leave this
to
Don’t worry about it . ” With that , Sanford was about to hang up .
“ Sanford , listen to me . ” Liora pleaded urgently on the other end . “ Please , don’t do anything rash . Just wait for me . I’ll come to you and explain everything because Yorick really isn’t your father ! ”
“ Mom , I just don’t get it . What else are you hiding from me ? If Yorick isn’t my father , then why did you name me Sanford ? You chose that name because you missed him , didn’t you ? ”
Liora cut in urgently , “ No , that’s not it ! ”
“ Exactly . ” Sanford cut in stubbornly , hall up before Liora could finish . His eyes hardened .
A
Meanwhile , at Donald’s parents ‘ house , Werner and Cathy had just returned from personally apologizing to Irene .
Surrounded by her socialite friends , Irene sipped her afternoon tea with deliberate indifference , not even glancing in Cathy’s direction .
Under Werner’s insistent gaze , Cathy reluctantly apologized to Irene for calling her a widow . Now that Gordon had passed away , she hoped there would be no more conflicts or estrangement between them
Irene remained stone – faced throughout . In the end , Werner had to step in as the peacemaker , urging her not to hold it against Cathy . To curry favor with Irene , he belittled Cathy as tactless and incompetent , just to make Irene look better .
Finally appeased , Irene declared with feigned magnanimity . “ I’m not the petty , vindictive sort . ”
Back home , Cathy impatiently shook off Werner’s arm around her.
“ Alright , are you satisfied now ?! Ever since I married you , I’ve had to kowtow to trene at every turn . I am no pushover . Why is it always me who has to grovel and apologize to her ? ”
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Werner sighed , “ You have to think about the children . Donald’s wedding and so many other things were sponsored by Jonathan . Do you really think he’s foolish to give us so much money ?
“ He does it so that when he’s not around , we respect Irene . If we don’t treat Irene well , we’re the ones who will suffer . ”
Hearing this , Cathy flared up . “ Well , if you actually made more money , do you think I’d have to put up with all this crap ? ”
Werner snapped , “ I’m already past fifty . How much more do you expect me to earn ? Isn’t 6 thousand good enough ? I’ve never short – changed you , have
12 ”
Cathy took a sharp breath . “ I’m no slouch myself . I just can’t stomach this . Why do you always have to berate me in front of her and then make me apologize to her ? ”
Cathy was furious at Werner’s refusal to stand up for her . This wasn’t the first time . Every time Cathy clashed with Irene , or whenever irene showed the slightest displeasure , Werner would immediately make Cathy apologize first .
Back home , Werner would then play the good guy and try to console her , claiming , “ I can’t be harsh to my late brother’s widow . Just endure it , Cathy
But before Cathy married Werner , she had never felt so wronged . She was the issues was always just one word – endure .
youngest and always doted on . After marrying Werner , his response to big
He completely disregarded her feelings . Cathy was angry , sad , and felt wronged . Just like before , Werner acted as if nothing was wrong and went to cook . And just like before , he tried to placate her with little trinkets .
Cathy pushed her plate away , unable to eat another bite . “ Werner , ” she snapped , “ if you’d just stood up for me even once in front of Irene , I wouldn’t feel this miserable . I should’ve seen through you long ago . I want a divorce ! ”
Werner thought Cathy was making a mountain out of a molehill . “ Come on , we’ve been married for decades . You’re really talking about divorcing me over something this trivial ? What would people say ? It’d be mortifying if word got out . ”
“ Why should I always be the one to back down ? Does Irene ever treat me like your wife ? She gives me small favors when she’s happy but tramples on my dignity when she’s not .
“ My son’s wedding was ruined by her family , and she barely apologized , only doing so reluctantly . It makes us look like we owe her something . ”
Werner’s eyes flickered , as if some long – buried memory had resurfaced , twisting his expression into something unreadable . He finally sighed and said , “ Come on , Cathy , it’s just a trivial matter . Drop it already , it’s all water under the bridge . ”
He handed him the fork again , his brow furrowing in mild irritation . ”
“ I don’t want it . ” Cathy swatted his hand away .
eat already . No big deal . How about buying you a bracelet tomorrow ? ”
Werner sighed , “ Look , I’m only doing this for you and the kids . If you and Irene get along well , you know Jonathan will be the first to help whenever Donald and Cheryl need anything . Wouldn’t that be great ? It’d save us so much worry . ”
“ It all boils down to your incompetence . Your father put all his hopes in you and sent you out to make your fortune , but you failed miserably and came crawling back . Honestly , it would’ve been better if he’d sent your brother to study abroad instead ! ”
Werner’s face abruptly darkened , his tone turning sharp . “ Will you ever stop ? Why dig up all that old crap now ? ”
“ That’s just who you are — all talk and never willing to take responsibility , ” Cathy snapped , then slammed the door and stormed back to her room . Fuming , Werner slammed his fork down on the table .
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