Chapter 980
Having finally parked the car, Jasper and Imogen immediately noticed a crowd gathered ahead, drawn by the spectacle of two women in a heated argument. Upon hearing the commotion, Imogen hurriedly rushed over.
“Imogen…” Jasper was bewildered, following quickly behind.
Pushing through the crowd, Imogen spotted her mother, Carol Pembroke, engaged in a fierce dispute with her aunt, Thelma McCoy.
Carol’s eyes were brimming with tears, a mix of grievance and anger evident as she pointed and accused, “You shameless thing! Give the family homestead back!”
Thelma, whose features were contorted in malice, retorted sharply, “You’re the shameless one! Your whole family is!
“You deserve Gregory’s disability, Imogen’s failure to enter college, your poverty, your destitution, and your finger being chopped off! You’re just too shameless, and even heaven doesn’t want your family to live well.”
“You’re so cruel! Karma will catch up with you,” Carol cried, her anger palpable and resolute. “You shameless thing! We agreed from the start that the family homestead would serve as a bridal house for Maxwell to live in for two years and that he should move out after that.
“But by exploiting a loophole in the land survey, you registered it under his name and usurped our home.”
Thelma stood with her hands on her hips, exuding a fierce demeanor akin to a demoness. “It was left to Maxwell by his grandfather, and we allowed you to stay there temporarily for a few years.”
“Stop spouting nonsense!”
“You’re the one spouting nonsense! Your entire family is! You, pauper, are so destitute that you can’t even put food on the table. Now, you’re planning to covet Maxwell’s house?”
Carol was no match for Thelma. She was insulted to the point of tears, struggling to catch her breath.
Imogen hurried over, nervously taking Carol’s arm. “Mom, let’s not argue with her. Let’s go home.”
Upon seeing Imogen, Carol finally let her emotions show, breaking down. “Imogen, she’s gone too far…”
Imogen hugged Carol and shot a fierce glare at Thelma. Leading Carol out of the crowd, she comforted her in a soft voice.
“I know, Mom. Let’s not argue with people like her. Don’t let her ruin your health. There must be another way to reclaim the family homestead. We’ll find it.”
Jasper stood outside the crowd,
observing silently. This intense confrontation was unlike anything he had ever witnessed before.
Qu
Despite having heard only part of the heated exchange, he grasped the underlying reasons behind it.
As Imogen helped Carol upstairs, Jasper followed with the luggage. He was aware the apartment was compact and that it was a walk-up, but he hadn’t anticipated it being on the eighth floor. Luckily, he was fit from regular exercise, so the few pounds of luggage wasn’t too heavy for him.
On the eighth floor, Gregory heard footsteps and hurriedly opened the door. Upon seeing Carol in tears, supported by Imogen, he anxiously asked, “What’s going on? What happened?”
“Mom got into another argument with Aunt Thelma,” Imogen replied.
Gregory’s surprise and helplessness were evident. “No wonder it’s so noisy outside. Judging by your state, you must have lost the argument, right?”
Imogen frowned at him. “Dad, please stop.”
Gregory sighed deeply. He was just about to reach for the door to close it when he noticed someone tall, handsome, and muscular standing behind them.
He was holding some luggage and greeted Gregory immediately. “Hello, Dad.”
Gregory was dumbfounded, standing motionless. Carol, who had just walked in, couldn’t help but turn her head in surprise to look at the man behind her.
Jasper respectfully greeted Carol too. “Hello, Mom.”
It was only then that Imogen reacted, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness. “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce him. We’ve recently married. This is my husband, Asher.”