In the Richards Group’s Ink Garden in Capital City.
“Jerry, do you hear what I’m saying?” Marissa was slightly impatient. She had been questioning Jepherson, and he hadn’t replied to her a single word about what happened between him and the girl.
Jepherson was looking at his phone. He was looking at Raeleigh’s design drawing, which was the last photo sent to him. His eyes and soul were completely blown away by it. Although he could only see part of the design, it was enough for him to tell that he had found a rare treasure.
Jepherson put his phone away and looked towards Marissa with a smile, “Grandma, do you want me to start my own family?”
“Of course. I like Deanna a lot. Don’t you like her too? Our families are perfect for each other, and it is one of my wishes. Do you know that Deanna hasn’t been over for a few days? Has there been a conflict between the two of you?” Marissa asked, grabbing Jepherson’s hand. She was afraid that he was going to run away like the previous time, and she wouldn’t be able to chase after him then.
Jepherson smiled and said, “How could that be? Deanna is such an obedient and likable girl. Why would I have conflict with her? It must be because of a past incident.”
Jepherson sighed, as if something was bothering him.
“What’s wrong? You can tell me about it. I promise I will help you.” Marissa was getting impatient as she held Jepherson’s hand. He then looked around the room and Marissa instantly instructed, “You may all dismiss yourself. The room feels suffocating with everyone here.”
“Yes, Old Madam.” Everyone in the room, including Stuart, dismissed themselves. Marissa watched as everyone left the room and asked Jepherson, “Can you tell me now?”
Jepherson was direct and replied, “Grandma, if I tell you about it, then you’ll have to keep it a secret.”
“Go on.” Marissa’s heart was at her throat since if the rumors about Jepherson were true, then it would be hard for Deanna to join their family as Jepherson’s wife, and Rayan wouldn’t allow it.
“The truth is, when I attended the freshman ball the other night, I was initially waiting for you to introduce Deanna but before you and Deanna showed up at the ball, something bad happened.” Jepherson decided to tell the truth that the Moore family was involved in the incident.
Despite everything, Johan hadn’t treated Jepherson’s mother, Jenna, well and Marissa had always disliked the Moore family. If it weren’t for a diplomatic relationship, then the two families wouldn’t have been kind to each other.
In recent years, the Moore family had been thriving in Capital City, but they didn’t have much support from the citizens. Marissa knew it better than anyone. The Richards family was doing equally well and therefore the Moore family didn’t dare to underestimate the Richards family. Marissa had always wanted to form a marriage of convenience between the Richards family and the Whalen family in order to strengthen the relationship between the two families, so that they would be more successful than the Moore family.
The Richards family had always been under Johan’s watchful eye and as long as he was still alive, the Richards family would never be able to break itself from the bond. On the other hand, the Richards family wondered about who was going to take charge of the Moore family once Johan passed away.
If the person were to be Yousif, then the Richards family would have a rough time.
Jepherson was old enough and he would join Hansen in corporate planning and Hansen had told him about most of the truths. This way, Jepherson knew the power within Capital City well.
The Moore family was the main family in Capital City and the other families were only minor compared to them. The Richards family had always been focused on business, and they didn’t bother with the politics in the city. Jepherson and Hansen were very much alike when it came to avoiding politics. They wouldn’t come in contact with them unless necessary.
The Richards family had a powerful placement in Capital City and if they were to join forces with a family that was similar to theirs, they would be even more powerful. Therefore, Marissa was planning for the Richards family to join forces with the Whalen family. The reason she wanted to do so was because they already had a good relationship with one another. Secondly, both families were similar when it came to their backgrounds. Lastly, the children from both families were decent people.
Jepherson knew Marissa’s intentions very well, and he figured he should tell Marissa about the Moore family at that moment.
“What’s the matter?” Marissa asked. Jepherson replied, “Grandma, you don’t know this but Yousif has a mistress outside his marriage and due to her poor background, Johan did not allow them to marry. Yousif and that woman had a daughter together and Yousif treats her extremely well. I’m not sure what he said to Johan, but he managed to bring his daughter into the Moore family.”
“The girl is a child out of wedlock, but she acts as she wishes in the Richards’ family’s Elkton University. She would bully other students but the Richards family didn’t make it a big deal due to the relationship with the Moore family, but she ended up causing me a problem.”
“What? A daughter out of wedlock is bullying my grandson?” Marissa was furious. The Moore family was powerful in Capital City but the Richards family wasn’t doing any worse than them.
Marissa was upset. She smacked her luxurious fan onto the table, and it split into two. Jepherson quickly comforted her and patted her on her chest to calm her down. “Grandma, don’t be angry. Listen to me first.”
“Go ahead.” Marissa couldn’t help but to feel angry.
“So, what happened was, Quirina from the Moore family, caught a girl and forced her to read a love letter to me. She also forced the girl to give me a pair of underwear. Quirina humiliated her in public along with me. If I were to reject the girl furiously in front of everyone, then how embarrassing would it be once you and Deanna arrive?”
“And?” Marissa asked.
“So, I played along and took the girl away. I accepted her gift and her confession. I wanted Quirina to give up and this way, I’m able to protect Deanna too. Otherwise, considering how naive Deanna is, she would be hurt’.” Jepherson emphasized the danger that Deanna may be in. Marissa quickly felt worried and became afraid by the thought of it.
Marissa knew very well the competition between wealthy families. In the past, Jenna was too innocent and naive. On the other hand, Marissa wasn’t aware of what was going on, and she almost ruined Jenna.
She didn’t know what the Moore family members were capable of.
The illegitimate child must have had ill intentions and if she were to really hurt Deanna, then it would be too late.
Marissa’s face turned pale. She grabbed Jepherson’s hand and asked, “What happened after?”
“After that, I continued to mislead everyone to believe that I accepted the girl’s confession. This way, Quirina wouldn’t plan to do anything to hurt Deanna anymore,” Jepherson explained reasonably. Marissa thought it made sense too.
This way, Deanna wasn’t going to get hurt and Quirina’s matter was handled. It was a good thing.
“What about the girl then? Is she going to take it seriously? What if she gives you trouble? If Deanna finds out about it, then it’s going to be hard to explain the truth.” Marissa was worried.
“That wouldn’t happen. The girl doesn’t even know who I am. She’s a top-scoring student and due to her poor background, she worked very hard to get into Elkton University on a scholarship. She would always get bullied by Quirina because of her poor background. Therefore, if I am with the girl, then Quirina wouldn’t dare to harass her in public anymore. The girl has every reason to cooperate with me and…”
Seeing that Jepherson was hesitating, Marissa continued to ask, “And what?”
“She doesn’t have any reaction towards me. She’s very cold. Therefore, I suspect that she is…”
“She is what?” Marissa was confused. Jepherson leaned over and whispered something into Marissa’s ear. Her eyes widened in shock. “Is that true?”
“I can’t say for sure either,” Jepherson added. Marissa was convinced by Jepherson’s words, and she got someone to carry out an investigation on Raeleigh. The investigation confirmed that Raeleigh was a decent child but due to her poor background, she was constantly being bullied by other students.
She was excellent in her studies. On the other hand, she hasn’t had any male friends since she was young.
Right then, she was living in the same dorm with a girl named Scarlette, and they would have their hands over each other’s shoulders when they’re around in school. It was odd.