Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Given the situation, Fortune had already made up his mind to cut ties with Emest–completely, with no loose ends left to trip them up in the future!
Emest and Iliana, hearing this, could barely contain their delight.X
An official agreement to sever all relations!
Why hadn’t they thought of drafting such a document before?
Their Irves were going so well now, but what if the old man came back someday, dragging Caitlin with him? Up till now, everything had just been talk–no proof, nothing binding. But with a signed agreement, they’d have nothing to worry about.
“Of course we’ll sign!” Iliana declared, turning to Bonnie. “Bonnie, go print out a copy of the agreement for us p>
Bonnie was a high school senior, and their house had a printer. The internet was full of ready–made templates for this sort of thing, and Bonnie, eager not to be tangled up with Fortune or Caitlin any longer, got to work. In less than ten minutes she’d printed out two copies of the agreement)
When Fortune took the papers, his hands trembled. He looked at Ernest, eyes rimmed red. In that moment, a thousand memones flashed through his mind
Emest frowned slightly at the sight. “You’re the one who wanted this, Dad. Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now? Let me remind you–words, once spoken, can’t be taken back. Whether you want this or not, today, this is happening p>
He wanted this over with. He never wanted to be burdened by his father again.
Fortune, hearing this, hesitated no longer. He scrawled his name on both copies, pressed his seal into the inkpad, and stamped the documents, his voice thick with emotion. “Emest, from this day forward. I have no son p>
With that, he tumed to Caitlin. “Come on, Catle. Let’s go p>
Caitlin nodded silently and followed him out
The door slammed shut with a thunderous bang–Iliana made sure of it, as if she were sealing away a plague
Fortune stared at the heavy door, then at his son’s cold face. His heart ached with a pain no one else could knowl
By the time Cheryl got home, Caitlin and Fortune were gone
“Where’s Catie?” she asked, puzzled.
Iliana explained what had happened. Cheryl was furious. How could Caitlin be so ungrateful? After finally marrying into a wealthy family. how could she throw all that away with a divorce? Didn’t she realize she was ruining her own daughter’s future?
“A sparrow is always a sparrow,” Cheryl sniffed. “No matter how high it flies, it’ll never be a swan. I knew it–Caitlin was never going to keep that Mrs. Chandler title for long.
When Iliana told her that they’d officially cut all ties with Fortune, Cheryl let out a long sigh of relief. “You two did the right thing! We’re respectable city folk–we shouldn’t be mixing with country bumpkins like them. Its just a shame I bought all those expensive groceries p>
Cheryl had really splurged, buying only the best imported ingredients to impress Caitlin. She’d spent thousands, even splashing out on a king crab because Iliana said Caitlin loved seafood.
“Don’t worry about it, Mom, Iliana said. “ Now that we’ve cut them off for good, we should celebrate p>
“She’s right,” Emest agreed. “Dad just got back from his trip today–let me go pick up a bottle of his favorite sherry so we can all enjoy a proper family dinner p>
He might not have been the best son, but Emest was nothing if not a dutiful son–in–law With that, he headed out to buy the wine.
Bonnie turned to her mother. “Mom, do you really think Caitlin could get into Central Academy on her own?” Updates are released by
For some reason, Caitlin’s words kept echoing in Bonnie’s mind: “I get into Central Academy myself. I buy my own place in the right district” The thought unsettled her. What if Caitlin actually did surpass her again p>
chance. ”
Iliana rolled her eyes. “Get into Central Academy? With her brains? Maybe in her next life. Without our help, she doesn’t stand a c
Bonnie relaxed at that. Her mother was right. With Caitlin’s intelligence, there was no way she could get into Central Academy. If she had any sense at all, she wouldn’t have divorced Julian in the first place.
Carlin followed Fortune out of the Chandler’s apartment complex. Watching his stooped back, she asked quietly, “Grandpa, are you alnight p>
“I’m fine.” Fortune said, shaking his head “Not the least bit upset p>
But that was a lie, and they both knew it
Chapter 31
After all, Emest was his son–his own f would come.
resha
and blood. Fortune would never have believed, even in his worst nightmares, that such a day
“Grandpa, this is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have Caitlin started to say, but Fortune cut her
“No. Catie. This has nothing to do with you. I raised a heartless son, that’s all. In a way, I’m glad this happened-it’s opened my eyes to who he really is. I’m still able bodied, I can still work, still eam my own keep. If I’d waited until I was helpless to rely on him–that would’ve been truly hopeless”
He looked at Caitlin, his expression full of guilt. “If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I wanted to help you find a good school, give you the best environment to leam in But in the end p>
His voice trailed off, shame flickering in his eyes.