In the Ink Garden.
Vivian hadn’t eaten for nearly a week. She was relying on the IV drip to sustain her life.
When Hansen walked in, Vivian was in a deep sleep.
She spent most of her time sleeping those days. She was only half awake in a daze when she woke up and couldn’t recognise anyone anymore.
Her life was coming to an end. She didn’t have much time left.
Besides Meroy, several servants also stayed in the room by her side all the time.
Hansen entered and looked at his grandmother. His heart was heavy.
“Mr. Richards, I have something to discuss with you.” Meroy followed as Hansen entered the chamber.
“Meroy, just shoot it!” Hansen raised his head slightly and urged gently.
He had always treated Vivian’s aide, Meroy, with respect.
“Mr. Richards, there’s a matter that might sound rather strange.” Meroy stepped forward and whispered, “Some time ago, when Old Madam was not herself and mostly in a daze, I saw her holding a black case in her hand. I didn’t know where she got it from but she held it tightly. I wasn’t sure what was inside and I didn’t dare to take it from her. At midnight on that day, Old Madam suddenly became sober and she ordered me to call Mr. Garver over. I agreed to her request but it was midnight. So, I called him early in the morning the next day. Mr. Garver wasn’t in the country and would only return a week later.”
Meroy paused and looked at Hansen’s expression.
Hansen was only listening casually at first. As Meroy elaborated, his expression turned solemn.
“Grandmother was looking for Mr. Garver?” He raised his head and asked, looking concerned.
Mr. Garver was the Richards Group’s senior lawyer. In other words, he was Old Master Richards’s exclusive lawyer. It was said that Old Master Richards had already written the will before his death and handed it to Mr. Garver for safekeeping. Why did Grandma want to meet him? The only possibility was to talk about the will. Hansen’s face turned solemn as he thought about it.
“Yes, Mr. Richards. Mr. Garver has retired and his son is living abroad. He was abroad visiting his son when Old Madam looked for him. He asked for the reason of her summoning him but I didn’t have an answer. When he heard about Old Madam’s condition, he immediately told me that he would come back soon.” Meroy continued to explain.
Hansen was deep in thought. It would make sense for her to find Mr. Garver if she realized that she did not have much time left to live. However, most of the will had been arranged by Old Master Richards before he passed away. Some of the assets belonged to Vivian and there were changes to asset allocation that happened later after his passing. Hence, Vivian actually did have the right to write another will.
Did Vivian look for Mr. Garver to change her will?
Hansen was not worried about the will. After all, Old Master Richards was always absolutely fair and impartial. He was indifferent to how the assets were divided as they were family. Hansen didn’t care how much he would get from the will. He believed he was capable of earning his own wealth.
“Meroy, thank you for letting me know. May I know where Grandma’s black case is now?” Hansen asked while thinking.
“Mr. Richards, the black case has disappeared. I figured that Old Madam returned it to its original place when she was awake. She has been bedridden and unable to walk around. My guess was she placed the black case somewhere around her bed.” Meroy thought for a moment and speculated.
Hansen nodded. His thoughts were a little murky.
If it was really related to the will, was it the one she made herself, or the one that Old Master Richards had given to her?
Hansen couldn’t figure it out and didn’t dare to guess. It seemed that only Mr. Garver knew about this.
Nonetheless, he also knew that the will was important to every descendant of the Richards Group. Many people were eyeing the will, especially Vivian’s two daughters. They couldn’t make a name for themselves yet still wanted a part of the inheritance.
His handsome face looked bleak and he remained silent.
Meroy left after telling Hansen what she wanted to say.
Hansen didn’t know what to do. Vivian was now in a critical condition, and it was indeed time to announce her will. Usually, a lawyer had to be present to announce the will. That might be the reason she called for Mr. Garver.
The blazing sun scorched the ground.
The black Jaguar rumbled on the main road.
Sergio’s mood was terrible.
The blue sea was vast with its waves surging.
The crowd nearby was laughing and playing on the beach. The surfers rode the waves, which was a spectacular sight to see.
Sergio stopped and walked out of the car.
The slightly cool seawater seeped in, soaking the soles of his feet. Although it was a hot summer, he felt a sudden chill from the bottom of his feet.
He stood still in a slight daze.
The beach that he was at, including several other nearby islands had been procured by Hansen and developed into amusement parks. A few years ago, Sergio also took an interest in the beach but as a soldier, he was not allowed to run a business.
He initially wanted to stop Hansen from purchasing the land with the excuse of claiming that the land would be procured for military use. However, Hansen was aggressive and purchased the island at a low price without the public noticing.
Sergio still could not figure out how he bought this island.
The place had the vibe of Hawaii, yet still carried A City’s unique charm. It had been successfully transformed into a famous beach paradise in the city. The island attracted many local tourists as well as visitors from abroad. The revenue racked up each year from the beach was extremely impressive.
Sergio realized his efforts to defeat Hansen were in vain.
It was impossible to defeat him.
He initially wanted to kill him with the reason of disclosing classified information without authorization. However, his mission was aborted because he received a call from his superiors, with instructions to stop the mission and protect private enterprises, as there was something suspicious about the Richards Group incident.
He felt restricted, as though he was being tied up, even though it was just a simple instruction.
“Sh*t!” He kicked the sand beneath his feet and cursed rudely. He felt a sharp, clenching sensation in his heart.
Jenna, the woman he loved, was pregnant with Hansen’s child again. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t win her over. He tightened his fists and his eyes were full of anger.
The image of Hansen hugging Jenna and their blissful expressions flashed across his mind. He gritted his teeth.
“Sergio.” A woman’s voice came from behind. The voice sounded eerie and cold, like it came from h*ll, even though it was a hot summer day, with huge crowd of tourists around.
“What are you doing here?” Sergio asked impatiently without turning his head.
“Sergio, I wasn’t expecting the two of us, unlucky souls, to meet again. This is indeed fate.” The woman’s voice was lovely and charming without a trace of sadness or disappointment. Instead, there was a hint of pride in her voice.
Sergio’s high-arched eyebrows furrowed. He raised his eyes, which were filled with anger and disgust.
Shouldn’t this woman be upset and feel miserable after being driven out of A City? From the looks of it, she seemed to be very proud!
“Shut up, stupid woman. You kept saying that you wanted to defeat Hansen. Look at where you are now? Weren’t you kicked out of A City, just like a stray? How did it feel? Are you still dreaming of becoming Mrs. Richards after seeing the great empire he built?” Sergio’s face was full of derision as he shouted in a deep voice.
His words pierced hard into Zoella’s heart and her expression changed. However, she collected herself a few moments later and she started laughing loudly. “Sergio, being upset is all that is for me. You, on the other hand, have more to worry about than your feelings. I’m afraid that he has certain evidence against you and you know very well of the consequences if this continues.”
Zoella’s words had other intentions.
Sergio’s mind went numb.
“What the h*ll do you know?” This was the second time Sergio had heard her say that. He stretched out his hand and held her chin roughly. He then pulled her face close forcefully.
“Oh, Sergio, please be more gentle!” Zoella raised her eyebrows and smiled. She reached out to remove his grip but Sergio was holding her so forcefully that she felt as if he was clamping her chin. The pain could be felt on her chin where he gripped. She said, “You didn’t have to get so angry just because you couldn’t get Jenna. I’m a beautiful woman too. Why can’t you just be a little gentler?”
Sergio lowered his head and stared at her face. “Do you know that a know-it-all woman is not only annoying but also an extremely dangerous trait?”
Zoella’s felt pain emitting from her chin. She was in a terrible mood, and her face was full of contempt. “You are just a useless bastard hiding in the corner feeling sad for yourself. I have already given you such a good opportunity to get closer to Jenna. You were the one who didn’t manage to win her heart. You can’t blame anyone as you are incompetent!”
“Zoella, shut up,” Sergio warned in a low voice, and the rage in his eyes was filled with murderous intent. “I’m telling you, your plans are over. You are never going to take down Hansen. Look at this place. His influences are everywhere in this country. He is as strong as a mountain, standing tall and upright. No one can touch him.”
The disgraced woman in front of him was foolish and arrogant. She couldn’t be saved from her self-righteousness and stupidity.
Such an ordinary woman like her actually had the courage to covet Hansen. Sergio couldn’t make sense of her.
Zoella flew into a rage because Sergio read her mind.
She recalled the scene from her childhood.
She remembered Johan hosting a party in Capital City and gathered all his friends and their family members.
At that time, Mars and Trevor were both commercial giants in A City. Old Master Yates died on the battlefield. Hence, the Yates family and the Richards Family were invited.
Javon was just an insignificant officer in a government department. After Old Master Murphy passed away, the Murphy family was slowly forgotten.
However, Johan liked Jenna. Zoella was jealous and hated the fact that Johan favored her. Jenna wasn’t qualified to attend the party but Johan invited her to attend it anyway.