Chapter 286 Can You Bear the Consequences?
Mary saw that the study door was closed.
She was worried that Margaret wasn't eating. Margaret was pregnant, and if she starved herself, the consequences would be unbearable.
While she was fretting, the phone rang.
Mary saw it was Alvin calling. Her face darkened, and she quickly took the phone downstairs, returning to her guest room and closing the door.
She answered the call, and Alvin, not one for small talk, got straight to the point. "How is Mrs. Howard doing now?"
Mary hesitated, unsure whether to tell him about Margaret's current situation.
If she did, she would truly become a spy on Margaret. She didn't want to betray Margaret.
"Mary, Mr. Howard sent you there to take care of Mrs. Howard's daily needs. Mrs. Howard is carrying Mr. Howard's child. If anything happens to her or the baby, can you bear the consequences?" Alvin pressed, changing his tone. "You should think carefully about who pays your salary. Is it Mrs. Howard or Mr. Howard?"
Frightened by his words, Mary bit her lip and told the truth. "Alvin, I made dinner for Mrs. Howard tonight, but she didn't eat. She locked herself in her bedroom and now she's locked herself in the study. There was a takeout box thrown in the trash. What should we do? Mrs. Howard is pregnant; she can't go without eating."
Alvin, upon hearing this, pondered and said, "Reheat the food. Mrs. Howard might get hungry later."
"Okay, Alvin." Mary hung up, opened the bedroom door, and went upstairs to the kitchen to make food for Margaret.
Alvin pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly relayed the news about Margaret skipping dinner to Raymond.
Raymond replied: [I understand.]
When Margaret had just entered the study, it was pitch dark.
Her fingers fumbled for the switch on the wall, and the wall lamp turned on.
Margaret vaguely saw Marlon, dressed in a traditional suit, seriously reading documents under a dim desk lamp beside the desk.
"Dad," Margaret murmured, walking towards the desk.
But as she got closer, the desk lamp wasn't on.
A thick stack of documents lay on the desk.
There was no one in the chair, let alone Marlon.
Margaret pulled the switch on the vintage desk lamp, and it suddenly lit up.
She picked up the documents on the desk, all about the Hughes Group's plans and information.
The documents felt very cold in her hands.
There were many notes on the papers, strong, clearly Marlon's handwriting.
It seemed he had really put his heart and soul into the Hughes Group's development.
"Dad, stop working. Why are you always working? You never have time to play with me. Other kids have their dads take them to the amusement park, but not me." A crisp, soft voice sounded.
Margaret looked up at the sound.
She vaguely saw her younger self, holding Marlon's hand, acting spoiled.
Marlon picked her up and placed her on his lap.
Her younger self had two braids, a smiling face, and boldly took Marlon's glasses off his nose, placing them on the desk.
Everyone knew Marlon spent most of his time working, and no one dared to disturb him, but he doted on Margaret.
"Dad, stop reading and talk to me for a while, okay?" Margaret pleaded softly.
Marlon patted her head, chuckling, "Okay, but only for five minutes."
"Dad, you can't make all the money in the world. If you work too hard and ruin your health, what then? Health is the most important."
"Margaret, I had you late in life. I'm getting old," Marlon sighed.
Little Margaret looked at him, puzzled, "So what?"
"It means I'll age faster than you grow up. I need to provide a better life for you and your mom. Money isn't everything, but enough money ensures you and your mom won't suffer and can live happily and worry-free."
"Dad, I didn't understand what you were saying."
"Margaret, you don't need to understand. Just know that we love you the most in this world. We will never do anything to hurt you."
"I love Dad and Mom too," Margaret said with a smile, then gave Marlon a kiss on the cheek. That kiss melted Marlon's heart.
Margaret, seeing this scene, also smiled.
Thinking back to the memories with her parents, it still felt unreal, like a fragile dream.
She blinked, and both Marlon and her younger self were gone, leaving only the cold, empty desk and a lonely desk lamp casting a dim light.
This lamp wasn't worth much; it was a birthday gift she gave Marlon over a decade ago.
Marlon had used it for work ever since, and its performance wasn't as good as before.
Margaret reached out and touched the desk surface, feeling it was very cold.
The chill spread through her fingertips, filling her body.
This was Marlon's desk, but everything had changed now.
If she had known that accidents come faster than tomorrow, Margaret would have treated Marlon better.
She had spent all her energy and time chasing Raymond, dating, and marrying him, leaving less and less time for her family.
Later, Marlon had a car accident and entered a vegetative state.
She was busy raising money for her parents' retirement, busy with medical bills, entangled with Raymond, but never spent time with Nancy. It was unforgivable.
Margaret, filled with guilt and self-blame, saw the old items, and the sense of loss overwhelmed her. Tears fell onto the desk.
The feelings of oppression, despair, loneliness, and helplessness surged in her heart.
Calming herself, she remembered why she came to the study.
She looked around and realized the safe in the study was gone.
Margaret wiped her eyes and noticed that everything in the study was untouched, except the safe was missing.
The safely contained letters, and only four people knew about it: Marlon, Nancy, herself, and Raymond.
During New Year's, Marlon had told her about his final wishes, and Raymond was there too.
Margaret was furious, trembling with anger. Raymond had gone too far by stealing Marlon's safe!
"Did you have someone move the safe from my dad's study?" Margaret leaned against the desk, dialing Raymond's number. When he answered, this was the first thing she asked.
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