Chapter 467 The Sackler Family's Past
"Just crash, Elodie," Arthur said, not sweating it. They had all the time in the world.
Once Elodie’s eyes shut and her breathing evened out, Arthur’s soft expression vanished. That gentle look? Gone, replaced by a stormy scowl.
Arthur brushed a hand over Elodie's face, memories flooding back. The year he met her, he was the black sheep of the Hernandez clan. His dad, Preston Hernandez, got the boot for marrying a nobody, against his grandpa’s wishes.
Preston was born with a silver spoon, but even though he wasn’t the favorite, he never knew what it was like to be broke. But after shacking up with Arthur’s mom, the honeymoon phase ended fast. Money got tight, and the fights got nasty.
One day, Preston bailed on Arthur and his mom. Arthur’s mom, Odette Rivera, was so pissed she rented a junker to run Preston over. Odette and Preston died on the spot, leaving baby Arthur to be scooped up by a neighbor. That neighbor? A drunk who’d beat and curse him when he was wasted.
Arthur, too young to know who he really was, took the abuse from his stepdad. One day, the drunk fell and cracked his head open. He begged Arthur for help, but Arthur just stepped over him. Not long after, the house caught fire. The old man must’ve knocked over a candle trying to get help.
Arthur watched the flames grow, not lifting a finger to save the drunk. After ditching town, Arthur hit the streets and ended up saving six-year-old Elodie by accident. Elodie's folks, seeing Arthur was an orphan, took him in.
Arthur sucked at school but was all about self-defense. Once he got good, Elodie's dad, Gavin Sackler, had him stick close to Elodie as her protector. As Elodie grew up, their bond got tighter.
Elodie, sweet and innocent, saw Arthur as a brother. Little did she know, Arthur’s feelings had shifted big time. One day, Gavin caught a weird vibe from Arthur but kept quiet. Instead, he moved Arthur to the company’s security team.
Arthur, always scheming, focused on his job and kept his cards close to his chest. Later, Elodie's parents died in a car crash, and 18-year-old Elodie went temporarily blind from the shock. Arthur came back as her bodyguard, protecting Elodie and the Sackler family’s assets.
Their relationship deepened, and 19-year-old Elodie and Arthur crossed the line. But soon after, Elodie uncovered a huge conspiracy, flipping her view of Arthur and turning them into enemies.
Arthur, using Elodie's blindness as leverage, locked her up in the Sackler villa. But Elodie managed to escape and went into hiding. Three years later, she popped back up, married to the Sackler family’s old friend Clayton, living abroad with their two kids.
By then, Arthur had been welcomed back by the Hernandez family and held serious power. But Elodie couldn’t care less about him.
The dim bedside lamp cast shadows on Elodie's pale face. Arthur’s eyes glinted coldly. Why did her memory stop at 18, when her parents were still alive and he hadn’t even had her yet?
Arthur didn’t buy that Elodie only remembered up to when she was 18. His grip tightened slightly as he thought, 'Elodie, you better not let me down again.'
Arthur didn't want to mess her up like before.
Footsteps faded away, and Elodie, who had been pretending to sleep, slowly opened her eyes. The room was dim, and she clutched the bedsheet tightly. Tears, like tiny pearls, rolled down her cheeks.
Arthur was a total creep! She couldn't take him head-on, so she had to be smart. She had to get out of there. She needed to see her daughter and visit the grave of her son who had passed away.
The next day, Agnes was over the moon because Francis was coming over. Early in the morning, she dragged out a ton of dresses, trying to pick the cutest one so Francis would take her out.
From morning till noon, Agnes couldn't stop yapping about it. Harper, a bit exasperated, told her, "Daddy will come over after work."
Agnes, with her big round eyes, asked, "Can't we go to his company and wait for Daddy to get off work? I wanna ride in Daddy's car."
Unable to say no to her, Harper asked Francis and then took Agnes to the company. They waited in the car, though.
Harper held Agnes's little hand and said, "Agnes, Daddy and Mommy have something to tell you later."
Agnes's big eyes blinked as she said excitedly, "Mommy, can I guess?"
Harper asked, "Sure, what do you think it is, Agnes?"
Agnes, being super smart, nailed it. "Is Daddy gonna be my real Daddy?"
Harper was a bit surprised and exclaimed, "Agnes, you..."
"Mommy, my teacher said that kids pick their parents before they're born. Just like I feel close to you, I feel the same way about Daddy. I always knew he was my real Daddy!"
Agnes's explanation was heartwarming. Harper smiled and asked, "Agnes, do you know what a real Daddy means?"
Agnes said, "Uh, Agnes doesn't know."
"It means unique, the only one." Harper gently explained, "Daddy is Agnes's only Daddy, and Agnes is Daddy's only treasure."
Agnes's eyes widened with curiosity as she said, "Daddy only has me as his kid?"
Harper replied, "Of course, Daddy only has you as his child right now."
Agnes asked innocently, "Then why don't you give me a little brother or sister?"
Harper was taken aback by Agnes's question.
Agnes was already shaking her hand, grunting, "I really want a little brother or sister. My classmates have little brothers, and they're super adorable, even more adorable than me."
Harper was amused by Agnes's words, pinched her chubby little cheek and said, "That's not something I can control; it has to happen naturally, okay?"
"Alright." Agnes agreed verbally but was thinking of asking Francis later. When could they have a baby? She was dying to be a big sister.
Harper then said, "Agnes, there are some things Daddy has been looking forward to saying to you himself."
Agnes was very happy to hear this and pleaded with Harper, "Let's go find Daddy now. I wanna see where Daddy works."
Harper didn't initially want to go up, but seeing Agnes so eager, she thought of taking the private elevator up, where no one would see them. She had also informed Francis earlier, and he said he would come down after his meeting. She thought it might be a nice surprise to bring Agnes up.
Harper exited the elevator, which led directly to the side door of the CEO's office. She held Agnes's little hand and introduced, "This is where Daddy works."
"Wow, it feels even bigger than Uncle Jasper's company." Agnes reached out her little hand curiously to push the door, which easily opened.
Inside, a woman's sobbing could be heard, "Francis, you're truly my child's father."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
