After the recent events, returning to the Gunter family was unrealistic for Jessica and Martin. Next stop, Imperial Mountain Hotel. Ultimately, the whole mess was due to Joyce and the entire Paige family.
Seated in the car, Jessica grew increasingly unhappy. She couldn’t hold back her frustration, cursing, “That scoundrel Paige, openly refusing to repay the money in front of so many relatives. What a despicable person!”
“I did warn you back then, but you didn’t listen and insisted on lending them money,” Martin muttered.
This remark pricked Jessica’s nerves, “Martin, do you have the nerve to say that? Back then, why didn’t you stop me? Reminding me, what use is that?”
“I lent money to Paige’s family for the sake of our family’s reputation! You didn’t help me earlier, fine, but now you’re just standing there making cold remarks. Are you even a man?”
If Martin weren’t driving, Jessica might have already lunged at him. Martin, knowing reasoning with Jessica was futile, wisely kept quiet.
At Lemon Grass, Leo and Sophia were already seated at the dining table. Thinking about the Heartbreak Pill Leo had given Ethan, Sophia hesitated before asking, “Leo, is the pill you gave Ethan really poison? If there’s no antidote, will Ethan’s intestines rot after thirty days?”
Sophia was not concerned about Ethan’s life, only about Leo facing manslaughter charges.
Leo smiled and replied, “Heartbreak Pill is just something made up in novels.”
“Oh, so you were just scaring him!” Sophia blinked her pretty eyes.
Leo grinned mischievously, “Of course. While Ethan may not be a good person, scaring him was just to make him find a way to repay the money.”
“Leo, you’re becoming more and more wicked,” Sophia playfully sighed in relief.
“More wicked? That’s great. As the saying goes, ‘A man without wickedness is not loved by women.’ Are you falling more in love with me now?” Leo put on a serious expression, asking.
“Cut it out!” Sophia lightly scoffed.
Soon, various delicious dishes arrived, and they began to enjoy their meal.
In another part of town, in the Gunter family’s living room:
Returning from Lemon Grass, the Gunter family members sat in the living room, heads hanging low, looking dejected. They had planned to indulge at Lemon Grass with Donald Vogt’s support, but it turned out they had to return empty-handed.
Gordon, in particular, wore an extremely gloomy expression. Alex, Paige, and Ethan entered the living room last.
Feeling the heavy atmosphere, Ethan looked at Gordon and asked, “Grandpa, where’s Auntie Joyce?”
Ethan’s question ignited the explosive mixture in Gordon’s heart. He raised his dark eyes and angrily berated, “You little brat, how dare you come back! The mess you and your family caused has not only tarnished our Gunter family’s reputation but also made me lose every bit of face!”
Ethan, however, remained unmoved by Gordon’s harsh words. He boldly declared, “Grandpa, with things the way they are, getting angry now won’t change anything. Ultimately, the reason why the Gunter family lost face in public is all because of that waste Leo! The real troublemaker is Leo, who doesn’t regard our Gunter family with any respect. I can’t swallow this humiliation!”
Ethan’s nonchalance made Gordon stand up abruptly from his seat, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground. “Ethan, are you blind? How can a useless guy like Leo possibly buy Lemon Grass?”
Seeing this, Paige quickly stepped forward and said, “Dad, don’t get angry. It’s not good for your health.”
“Paige, it’s all because of you, spoiling Ethan like this!” Gordon now found Paige displeasing.
Paige rolled her eyes and explained, “Dad, it’s not the time to get upset. Ethan is right. The root of all this is that good-for-nothing Leo.”
“I can’t let this slide today. Dad, no matter what you think, even if I don’t kill that waste, I’ll cripple him, making sure he crawls out of Green Spring!” Gordon felt a burning hatred for Leo at this moment, and he needed an outlet for his anger.
Paige’s words made Gordon ponder for a moment. Then he asked, “What do you, what do you plan to do with that Leo?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Gordon suddenly realized that it might be inappropriate to ask such a question given his position. So, he quickly added, “Paige, whoever you want to deal with, I don’t care, and I don’t want to know. Just don’t cause any casualties and end up in jail.”
Gordon’s words were, in fact, giving Paige his tacit approval. This brought a sinister smile to Paige’s lips. She couldn’t help but signal Ethan to go all out against Leo.
“Oh, by the way, Dad, where is Joyce now?” Paige asked intentionally.
Ethan immediately added, “Grandpa, Auntie Joyce suffered a heavy blow today. I’m afraid she might not take it well.”
Paige and Ethan weren’t genuinely concerned about Joyce being emotionally distressed. They cared about the forty thousand dollars they had planned earlier.
To deal with Leo, they needed money, and Joyce had agreed to cover the expenses. Five hundred thousand dollars was a considerable sum, something Ethan’s family couldn’t afford. After careful consideration, they decided to bring down Leo, forcing him to hand over the antidote.
To achieve this, they had to spend money to hire Mignon. In other words, for Ethan to survive, they needed to find Joyce, get her to provide the money, and then approach Mignon to hire Black Dragon.
Gordon was unaware of Paige and Ethan’s twisted plans. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Joyce is in her room. She’s not in a good mood. You should go comfort her.”
As soon as Gordon finished speaking, Ethan turned and left the living room to find Joyce.
Paige reassured Gordon, saying, “Dad, don’t worry. We’ll handle this properly.”
In Joyce’s room:
Joyce forced back her tears and asked Ethan, “Do you really have a way to cripple that waste Leo?”
“Of course, Auntie. I won’t lie to you,” Ethan vowed confidently.
Knowing the nature of Ethan’s family, Joyce felt uneasy but decided to go all-in for the sake of dealing with Leo. “What’s your plan?” she asked.