Chapter 456 Caroline Gets Hit
Wylie's voice came through the phone, "Mom, I already know. He even tried to show off his power to me yesterday."
"What?" Caroline was immediately surprised. "Did you see him yesterday? How did he show off his power? Didn't he do anything to you, did he?"
Wylie sneered and said, "What can he do to me? Does he dare to challenge me? Does he still think I am the same Wylie as before?"
Upon hearing this, Caroline felt significantly relieved. She recalled James’s behavior moments ago, noticing a stark difference from five years prior. The suffocating dominance he once exuded was noticeably diminished; his imposing aura had significantly weakened, suggesting a considerable decline in his power. Thus, James’s return posed no threat. It was well known that Wylie had grown immensely over these past five years.
Wylie then recounted to Caroline what had happened yesterday at the Serenity Haven Hotel. Finally, he said coldly, "James disappeared five years ago, probably because Alistair sent him on some mission. It seems that mission failed, so he came back. It's a pity; he was indeed a genius back then, but so what? Now that he's back, there's no place for him. If he dares to go against me, I won't hesitate to teach him a harsh lesson!"
As Wylie spoke, he quickly crushed a walnut in his hand, the hard shell shattering under his grip.
Caroline remarked, "Indeed, this time James has returned without that suffocating presence he once had. He has become an ordinary person, undoubtedly much weaker and no longer a worthy adversary to you. Haha."
"Mom, don't worry about him. When I get back, I'll deal with him myself," Wylie said.
"Alright,let him know that the Smith family is no longer what it used to be. Even if he's back, he's lost his original status in the family!" Caroline said excitedly.
After hanging up the phone, Caroline called her husband, Trevor Smith, to tell him about James's return. Trevor's reaction was intense, filled with shock and even some fear.
"Trevor, look at you, so useless and cowardly! What are you afraid of? James is no longer the formidable figure he once was; Wylie surpasses him in every way. If he dares to cause trouble upon his return, Wylie will teach him a lesson he won't soon forget!" Caroline declared confidently, her fear of James completely dispelled, as if James were nothing more than an insignificant insect she could crush at will.
Trevor relaxed after hearing this. Actually, the Smith family was no longer what it used to be. His son Wylie was at the peak of his power, on par with Usher. Even if he couldn't become the heir, he was still very important. And James had been gone for five years; his influence was long gone. Even if he came back, so what? It was useless. Even the Serenity Haven Hotel, which James had built, was now Wylie's. James's return was nothing to fear.
"You're rght. With Wylie here, James's return is nothing to worry about."
James returned to his room. After five years, it was still the same, very clean, without a speck of dust. Clearly, someone had been cleaning it regularly. "Zaiden, who has been cleaning my room while I was away?"
Zaiden, standing nearby, said, "James, it was Mrs. Peterson. For the past five years, she has come to your room almost every day, spending two to three hours praying for your safety."
James's mother's image appeared in his mind. 'I have been unfilial!' James thought.
After a moment of silence, James asked again, "Zaiden, how has my mom been these past few years?"
Zaiden's lips moved as if he had something to say but didn't. It seemed he had a hard time speaking.
James immediately frowned. "Has someone been bullying her? Zaiden, speak freely. Is it Caroline?"
Feeling the intimidating aura emanating from James, Zaiden shuddered and nodded, "Yeah, it's her."
James narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did Caroline bully my mom?"
Zaiden said, "In the second year after your departure, everyone in the family believed you had been killed. Mr. Wylie Smith and Mr. Usher Smith quickly gained Alistair's favor and began to steadily us take over your influence. Without your protection, Mrs. Peterson's status in the family plummeted. Caroline frequently troubled Mrs. Peterson, and just last month, over a trivial matter, Caroline even slapped her."
With this, James was furious. That bitch Caroline dared to hit his mother, Erin Peterson!
"James, there's something I have no ideal if I should say," Zaiden stammered.
James said, "Zaiden, are you trying to persuade me to exercise caution? It seems Wylie has become quite formidable, to the extent that I must now seek his approval before taking action?"
His smile was cold, and Zaiden trembled under the pressure.
The next moment, James took a deep breath, reining in his aura and returning to a gentle demeanor, as if the angry person just now wasn't him.
Zaiden, sensing the change in James, was shocked. It seemed that James had become even more formidable over the past five years.
But he still kindly advised, "James, Mr. Wylie Smith is very powerful now. Recently, he even defeated a genius from the Percy family. Moreover, his status in the family is quite high. If you confront him now, you might end up at a disadvantage."
James's lips curled into a mocking smile, "Is that so? Now I'm even more looking forward to it."
Suddenly recalling something, James asked, "By the way, what about Usher? Is he in the City of Mysteries?"
"Mr. Usher Smith is not in the City of Mysteries. He went abroad for business," Zaiden said.
James then asked Zaiden about the events in the family over the past five years, gaining a general understanding. As he was about to dismiss Zaiden and spend some time alone in his room, he suddenly heard a familiar, hurried set of footsteps from downstairs.
The sound of those footsteps was unmistakably familiar. He had been listening to them for twenty years and instantly recognized that his mother, Erin Peterson, had returned.
James was overjoyed and quickly walked out.
However, as he stepped out of his room, he heard a sharp voice, "Erin, are you blind? You didn't even see me and walked straight into me. Did you do it on purpose?"
It was Caroline's voice, followed by his mother Erin's frightened and panicked voice, "Caroline, I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. You suddenly appeared, and I didn't see you."
"Oh, are you saying I bumped into you on purpose?" Caroline continued.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean? Explain it clearly to me!!"
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