Chapter 898
Jackson keenly caught the cold glint flickering in Kenneth's eyes, and his disdainful gaze pierced through Kenneth like a knife.
Kenneth snapped back to reality and sighed. "Lilian, I don't want to argue with you in front of your mother. If she were watching from above, she'd be heartbroken."
Kenneth looked defeated as he started to walk away.
Oberon suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "Don't come back here again."
Kenneth froze, shocked, and looked at Oberon. "Father-in-law, what did you just say?"
He wasn't allowed to come to the cemetery anymore? This was the Kelly family cemetery, and Kenneth was the son-in-law of the Kelly family. He never liked coming here; cemeteries were gloomy places. Moreover, as a son-in-law, he was supposed to be buried in the Kelly family cemetery when he passed away. The plot next to Ophelia's tombstone was reserved for him. He would be buried here, but his last name was Castillo, not Kelly. This made him feel humiliated, a constant reminder of his lowly status in the Kelly family.
But now, Oberon suddenly said he shouldn't come here anymore, and Kenneth felt a mix of confusion, panic, and disbelief. Yet, he didn't feel happy. He understood Oberon's meaning: he was no longer considered a son-in-law of the Kelly family, no longer part of the family. But years ago, when he knelt before Oberon and Flora to marry Ruby, Oberon hadn't made such a decision.
"Father-in-law, my late wife is here. If you don't let me come, Ophelia will be sad," Kenneth said urgently, looking at Ophelia's tombstone, still pretending to be deeply affectionate.
Oberon sneered. Initially, he didn't want to make things awkward in front of Ophelia's tombstone and wanted to leave Kenneth some dignity. But since Kenneth didn't want dignity and continued to disgust them, Oberon decided to make things clear.
"Do you deserve to mention Ophelia? Kenneth, since you joined the Kelly family, have we ever treated you unfairly? Ophelia feared you would feel wronged and always considered you, ensuring that you have all the respect you deserve in public! When she passed away, she felt sorry for you being young and left all her shares to you! Do you know why I agreed to you marrying Ruby despite my anger?"
Oberon's eyes grew hot, closing them briefly before opening them again, filled with anger and regret. "Because Ophelia, on her deathbed, held my hand and said she felt sorry for you, making you a widower at a young age. She said if you found someone you loved and wanted to remarry, I shouldn't be sad or stop you, but support you! Ophelia even said, no matter who that person was, as long as she treated you and the child sincerely, she would bless you!"
Oberon felt heart-wrenching pain hearing Ophelia's last words. But facing Ophelia's pleading eyes, he couldn't refuse.
"Did Ophelia really say that? I didn't know, I..." Kenneth was stunned, his face pale. He turned instinctively to look at Ophelia's tombstone but stopped halfway, his eyes avoiding it, not daring to look.
He and Ophelia were high school sweethearts, madly in love since their school days. He thought they'd have a perfect life together, but becoming the Kelly family's son-in-law showed him reality was far from his imagination.
As Ophelia gradually took on the Kelly Group's affairs, he slowly lost the charm of his school days, becoming just an accessory. Even though the Kelly family never humiliated or criticized him, treating him kindly, the kinder they were, the more he felt they looked down on him. It was like those contemptuous gazes followed him everywhere.
Even the strongest young love couldn't withstand such daily self-loathing and twisted feelings. Later, Ophelia fell ill, bedridden. Her beauty faded, her temper worsened, but he had long lost love for her while she was still alive. But he didn't expect Ophelia to leave such words for Oberon on her deathbed.
Oberon stared sharply at Kenneth, angrily saying, "How foolish I was to agree to Ophelia's request without realizing why she said 'no matter who that person was'! Seeing you and Ruby kneeling at the Kelly Manor's gate, I finally understood. Ophelia meant Ruby! Did she see the problem early, or were you two already involved before Ophelia died?!"
Oberon was furious, hitting his cane hard on the stone floor. The sound echoed deeply, like it struck Kenneth's heart. His face turned even paler, shaking his head vehemently.
"I swear before Ophelia's tombstone, I never did anything to betray her while she was alive. Ruby and I had no secret relationship! You can't accuse me like this!"
He thought Ruby was gentler, kinder, and more understanding. When he was occasionally upset, he liked talking to Ruby, having a drink together. But that was all; he saw Ruby as a friend, controlling his feelings, never cheating. Kenneth felt increasingly wronged.
Oberon sneered, "Really? If there was nothing, why did Ophelia sense a problem?"
Lilian heard Oberon's words, and tears finally flowed. She looked at the tombstone, where Ophelia was young and beautiful, smiling boldly at the camera. But Lilian couldn't imagine how Ophelia felt discovering her husband and her closest friend, like a sister, were involved. Lilian couldn't imagine Ophelia's mindset when she asked Oberon to support them.
Ruby was so good at pretending; did Ophelia truly believe Ruby would treat her daughter well? Ophelia's last words must have been sincere, hoping Ruby would be kind to her child. But Ruby was a snake, and Ophelia couldn't have known her daughter had already been swapped. Ruby and Kenneth were truly hateful. Even death wouldn't be enough to forgive them! Lilian thought, her fingers trembling.
Jackson, holding her hand, felt her emotional turmoil. His thumb gently stroked the back of her hand, silently comforting her. Lilian turned slightly, leaning gently into his embrace.
Jackson pulled her close, gently wiping away her tears, and whispered in her ear, "Your mom was a kind, strong, and generous woman. Kenneth never deserved her. If she can see Kenneth's true nature now, she wouldn't be sad over a man like him. She wouldn't want you to shed tears for him either."
Lilian listened to Jackson's soothing words, and her emotions began to calm. She nodded at Jackson, her voice hoarse. "You're right. He doesn't deserve to be my father, and he certainly doesn't deserve my mother's love."
Kenneth wanted to say something, but Oberon raised his hand, not wanting to hear any more of his excuses. Oberon spoke in a deep voice, "Leave now, and don't come back. You're not welcome here anymore. The police will investigate everything Ruby did. You better hope you weren't involved. Take care of yourself."
Oberon's words left no room for the past. Kenneth knew there was no point in arguing further. He looked at Lilian, hoping she would speak up for him. But Lilian didn't even glance at him. Kenneth clenched his fists, lowered his head, and turned to leave.
"Clean this up. Don't let Ophelia's grave be sullied," Oberon instructed.
Ambrose supported Oberon, who waved him off, indicating he didn't need help, and spoke to Ambrose. Ambrose glanced at Lilian, who quickly wiped away her remaining tears and stepped forward to take Oberon and Flora's hands.
"Grandpa, Grandma, let's go rest for a bit," she suggested, pointing to a nearby area. "Grandpa, that place looks nice. Is it a park?"
Oberon knew Lilian was trying to distract them from the unpleasantness. He appreciated the gesture and looked in the direction she pointed. "That's not a park. It's an industrial area, including our Kelly Group's electronics factory. You should know where our properties are!"
Lilian stuck out her tongue, "I was wrong, Grandpa. But I'm all grown up now, so don't scold me in front of everyone. Besides, we have Ambrose for that."
"You!" Oberon couldn't help but smile, tapping her on the head.
Flora, however, was displeased, pushing Oberon gently. "Don't scold Lilian. She's the best."
Lilian beamed, hugging Flora's arm. The atmosphere lightened, and Ambrose and Jackson quickly cleaned up the flowers, bottles, and snacks Kenneth had left, throwing them in the trash.
As they turned back, Ambrose looked at Jackson. "With Kenneth like this, Grandpa will be even more cautious about Lilian's marriage."
Jackson understood. Ambrose was warning him that Oberon would scrutinize him more closely and wouldn't easily agree to their remarriage. Jackson had already prepared for this. Still, he was frustrated with Kenneth, who was a stumbling block in his path to winning Lilian back. If Kenneth weren't Lilian's biological father, Jackson would have considered drastic measures to get rid of him.
He looked at Ambrose, his eyes narrowing. Ambrose raised an eyebrow, "What?"
Jackson smirked, clapping Ambrose on the shoulder.
"Nothing, just thinking you look particularly handsome today."
Ambrose shivered at Jackson's tone, swatting his hand away and walking towards Oberon and Flora. Jackson watched him go, a small smile on his lips. "Thanks."
Ambrose knew Jackson's gratitude wasn't just for stepping aside. With the area cleaned, Lilian joined Oberon and Flora to place fresh flowers at Ophelia's grave. Oberon touched the photo on the tombstone, silent for a long time before speaking, his voice thick with emotion.
"Ophelia, I'm sorry. It took me so long to realize the danger we harbored. The Lawson family are all wolves in sheep's clothing. If I had seen their true nature sooner, maybe you wouldn't have missed seeing your own daughter. It's all my fault. But don't worry, I won't let any of them get away this time."
Oberon's back was slightly hunched, his silver hair trembling in the morning light. Lilian felt a pang of sorrow, stepping forward to comfort him. Oberon squeezed her hand tightly.
"Stay here and talk to your mom for a while."
"Okay, Grandpa." Lilian knew Oberon was giving her and Jackson some private time to pay their respects to Ophelia. It was also a sign of his initial approval of Jackson. She glanced at Jackson, who smiled at her.
Ambrose helped the elderly couple away, leaving Lilian and Jackson alone at the grave. They knelt solemnly, bowing their heads to Ophelia's tombstone. Lilian then looked at the photo and introduced Jackson.
"Mom, this is Jackson."
Jackson turned to Lilian, his eyes filled with warmth.
"You've mentioned me to our mom?" Jackson's voice was light, clearly pleased.
Lilian looked at him, blinking. "Of course, I had to tell her how awful you were! And stop calling her 'mom'!"
Jackson clicked his tongue, smirking at Lilian. "You complained about me to your mom, but now you're bringing me to meet her. Lilian, aren't you making things hard for yourself? Is that your hobby?"
Lilian was speechless. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand away. "Then to avoid making things hard for myself, you should stay over there."
Jackson wasn't about to let her go. He held her hand tightly, interlacing their fingers, and looked at the tombstone, his expression serious. "I was a fool before, doing many things that hurt Lilian. I'm grateful she gave me another chance and thankful for Grandpa and Grandma's forgiveness. I promise to love and protect Lilian, never letting her be hurt again. I hope you can see my sincerity and support us. And maybe bless us to get back together soon, have a happy marriage, and start a family..."
Even though Lilian had heard some of these words before, they still touched her deeply each time. She was someone who lacked a sense of security, and Jackson's actions recently had proven his words. The combination of his words and actions moved her profoundly.
Just as she was feeling emotional, but to her surprise, he kept going off track and became more and more inappropriate.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
