“What I mean is… I’m not so eager for the inheritance now.”
“Carter! What do you want from me?” I was getting frustrated.
Carter looked at me, his gaze deep.
“No rush, we’ll discuss it later,” he crushed the cigar into the ashtray, “Honestly, because of this video, my dad was furious. He not only scolded Cameron but also stripped him of many privileges. Before, I was inferior to him at The Lynch Group, but now, at The Lynch Group, I’m on equal footing with Cameron.”
I remained silent.
“You are the adopted daughter of The Lynch Family, yet you had such a relationship with Cameron, especially when he was already married… You can imagine how angry Dad must be. After all, Dad still needs to find a way to appease The Scott family and calm their anger. This means that all the advantages The Lynch Group gained from The Scott family in the past might have to be returned. Cameron is already struggling to keep himself afloat.”
“So I’m not in a hurry to fight for the inheritance,” he straightened his back, “That inheritance, sooner or later, will be mine!”
The old Carter was a sheep, but now I see through him; he’s just a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Carter,” I tried to keep a clear head, “I came to you because, one, I don’t want to benefit Cameron, and two, I’ve also realized that what you said earlier was right. There’s nothing more important in this world than interests. It was within my grasp, so why should I hand it over?”
“You’re confident that the inheritance will eventually be yours, but it’s not yours yet,” I looked at him, “As long as something isn’t in your hands, there’s a great deal of uncertainty. You know Cameron’s capabilities, and I understand him too…”
“So, if we join forces, our chances of success will be greater. Sooner or later… I believe that sooner is better than later. And with our cooperation, the inheritance will definitely belong to us ‘as soon as possible!’ What do you think?”
Carter blinked, seemingly surprised by my words.
Yes, the Laura of the past, The Lynch Family’s adopted daughter Laura. So humble and submissive, treating everything she got as a favor, how could she possibly take the initiative?
The old Laura, who chose to give up the inheritance for that humble love, is not so foolish anymore.
It was Cameron who turned me into a bloodthirsty monster like him.
Since I couldn’t kill him with a knife, I also want him to taste the bitterness of losing everything!
Carter looked at me for a long time.
“Since you have this determination, I will consider it,” he came over and patted my shoulder, “Laura, you know, I’ve always liked you since we were young… We almost became husband and wife.”
“But after going through so much, I’m not the same person I used to be, and neither are you. We need to have a fresh understanding of each other,” he smiled, “How about dinner at home tomorrow night! Dad is also at home, it’s about time we all got together as a family.”
I nodded in agreement. There’s no turning back for me now.
The next evening, Carter picked me up and brought me back home to The Lynch Family mansion.
The flowers and plants in the yard were well taken care of, and the swing I used to play on as a child was still standing.
My room was also cleaned daily, maintaining the same appearance as before I left. Looking at Carter, I suddenly felt a surge of indescribable mixed emotions. Fifteen years, these long fifteen years, my childhood and teenage years were all spent here.
Strictly speaking, this was my home.
The word “home” was both familiar and unfamiliar, filling me with contradictions.
“Let’s go to the dining room,” Carter held my hand, “Mom and Dad are already there.”
This “Mom” clearly wasn’t Stella.
I followed Carter downstairs.
Ethan sat at the head of the table, his usual cold expression unchanged. The woman beside him, whom I had seen before, was the woman who appeared in Stella’s hospital room that day.
She looked up, her gaze following me, and she gave me a gentle smile.
That was quite unexpected.
I carefully observed her. Whether it was her attire or her demeanor, she exuded an air of elegance and nobility. If I hadn’t seen her harshness towards Stella in the hospital room that day, I would have been impressed by her grace and elegance.
“Mom,” Carter gently pulled my hand, “This is Laura, the one I mentioned to you.”
Melissa looked at me with a soft gaze, extending her hand to shake mine, with just the right amount of pressure, very polite.
“You are a nice girl,” She smiled, “I heard you graduated from the University of California?”
“Yes,” I replied, feeling a bit nervous. After hesitating for a moment, I decided to address her as “Aunt.”
“Now call me aunt, and in the future, you’ll call me Mom along with Carter.” Melissa didn’t mind at all, inviting me to sit across from her and instructing the servants to serve the dishes.
I was quite surprised. The Melissa I saw that day was completely different from today.
I thought she would be critical and dissatisfied with me, especially since my stains had spread throughout Jerez State.
I didn’t expect her to be so amiable and genuine. From her kind eyes, I couldn’t detect any trace of pretense.
However, Ethan snorted coldly, looking at me with disdain, “Laura, if I remember correctly, four years ago, although you and Carter didn’t obtain a marriage certificate, you still had a wedding ceremony, and were considered married in name… But I never expected that you would do such a thing with Cameron!”
My body trembled, and I started to shake slightly.
“Dad…”
“Don’t call me Dad!” he looked at me sternly, “The daughters and daughters-in-law of The Lynch Family must be above reproach!”
“Above reproach?” I sneered, a surge of anger rising within me, “Well, Dad, if we’re talking about this, shouldn’t you set an example?”
“I come from humble origins, being adopted by The Lynch Family was my great fortune. I’ve always regarded you and Mom as the closest people in the world. I was willing to do anything for you both! However, I never imagined that the last time I saw Mom would be in a mental hospital, and you, Dad, would be with Aunt…”
“Laura!” Ethan couldn’t contain his anger, slamming the table hard. The living room fell silent.
“I don’t know about the grudges of the previous generation, but I do know that you were unfaithful to your wife!” I met his furious gaze head-on, “Is that being above reproach? If not, what right do you have to criticize me?”
“Laura, have you lost your mind!” Carter suddenly stood up, grabbing my shoulder, “Sit down!”
“Laura…” Ethan’s face turned pale, glaring at me for a long time, “You… get out!”
“Dad,” Carter intervened, blocking him, “Dad, Laura spoke out of turn, forgive her this once…”
“Get out!”
Carter signaled me to apologize.
I stood there silently, feeling like I had turned into an emotionless statue. I didn’t know what had come over me, why my emotions had spiraled out of control so easily. How could I expect to cooperate with Carter if I couldn’t control my emotions like this?
“A daughter of a murderer, causing chaos in my household, committing such vulgar acts… You nearly killed one of my sons, and now you want to harm another!” Ethan’s eyes glinted with hostility.
He suddenly pulled the tablecloth… The precious cutlery and dishes on the table crashed to the ground.
“What are you doing?” Melissa, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
She walked to Ethan’s side, gently stroking his chest, ordering the servants to bring medicine and personally feeding it to him.
Then she smiled, her voice not loud but firm and powerful, as she looked at each of us.
“Laura, your words just now were indeed a bit excessive,” she looked at me, “Regardless, one should not be so rude to an elder, especially one who has raised you for over a decade as your father.”
“Ethan,” she smiled at him again, “While Laura’s words were out of line, they do hold some truth. You haven’t even divorced my sister yet, and your actions are indeed heartless and unjust.”
“Mellisa!”
“Let me finish,” Mellisa exuded a special aura as she spoke, causing the entire room to quiet down. “I actually think that Laura spoke to you like that because she truly sees you as her father. In parent-child relationships, fighting is a sign of affection. A family that argues and bickers like this is more like a normal family. If there’s no arguing, then the emotions must have faded.”
“Ethan, actually Laura isn’t wrong, but truth can be hard to hear.”
I stared at her blankly, feeling at a loss.
She’s Carter’s mother, but why is she helping me?