Emma hurriedly exclaimed, “Dad, don’t blame Mom anymore! She’s already admitted her mistake. Don’t drive her away! Where can she go now? Back then, we came here as a family, and Mom endured a lot of hardships with you! Dad, Mom was wrong, but please forgive her!”
John looked at his daughter, sighed helplessly, and said, “Fine, fine! Do whatever you want!”
With that, he left the house gloomily.
As dusk fell, Kayden arrived, and John returned shortly after.
May and Emma had worked diligently to prepare a bountiful dinner. The table was filled with dishes, and May appeared unusually gracious.
Once again, Kayden sat down with them for a meal, but this time, the atmosphere was different. As soon as Kayden took his seat, May, looking deeply apologetic, said, “Young Master, I’m so sorry for what happened before. It was my fault! I was too harsh and narrow-minded. I offended you, and I hope you can forgive me.”
After receiving a great favor, May’s attitude had undergone a complete transformation. Witnessing Kayden’s close relationship with Mike Johnson and the Alfredson family gifting him such a grand estate, it was only natural for her to curry favor.
Kayden glanced at May, then at John. It was clear that John had resolved the issue.
With a slight smile, Kayden replied, “No need to be so formal, Aunt May.”
May sighed and said, “You’re so magnanimous, Young Master, not holding a grudge against me. I truly feel ashamed. John scolded me earlier, and I’ve realized how ignorant I was.”
“It’s alright, Aunt May. Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is learning from them. You’ve endured a lot alongside Uncle Baker too, and that’s commendable.” Kayden wasn’t one to hold grudges against women.
Though May had a sharp tongue, her willingness to admit her mistakes was a redeeming quality.
“Young Master, you really embody the grace of someone from a noble family,” May said with a sigh. “Seeing you reminds us of Mr. Scott. Ah, such a pity… such a talented man…”
“Cough, cough!” John quickly interrupted her with several coughs before she could continue.
May immediately caught on and stopped talking. She turned to Emma and said, “Emma, apologize to Kayden quickly!”
Emma nodded, picked up a glass of wine, and said solemnly, “Kayden, I’m sorry for what happened before. I’ll drink this to show my sincerity. You can do as you please.”
She downed the wine in one gulp.
Kayden smiled, picked up his glass, and said, “It’s all in the past. Don’t worry about it.”
He took a small sip.
Seeing that Kayden had forgiven Emma, May immediately let out a cheerful laugh. “By the way, Young Master, Emma has both the looks and the figure. I was wondering if you might-”
“Aunt May!” Kayden interrupted firmly. “There’s no possibility of anything between Emma and me!”
Before May could finish her sentence, Kayden’s decisive rejection left no room for misunderstanding. Emma’s face fell. Even though she didn’t like Kayden, being rejected so bluntly was still unpleasant.
This Kayden… doesn’t he know how to talk to women? Doesn’t he realize how hurtful his words can be?
“No, no!” May quickly corrected herself. “That’s not what I meant! I know nothing can happen between you two. I was just wondering if you could help Emma find a job. You’re so well-connected in the West. We’re not asking for much. With Emma’s abilities, a job that pays $3, 000 to $5, 000 a month should be easy to arrange, right?”
Kayden almost choked on his food. A job paying $3, 000 to $5, 000 a month? What kind of job would pay that much? Although Kayden wasn’t overly concerned about money, he knew that salaries reflected a person’s abilities. Emma… what kind of skills did she have that could justify such a salary?
“I think my daughter has great potential,” May continued confidently. “Many companies would be eager to hire her. She’s a college graduate, after all. Maybe not from a prestigious university, but it’s still a degree! So, I think $3, 000 to $5, 000 is just the base salary-there should be commissions on top of that!”
“Enough! Enough!” John finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop being so greedy! Do you think earning $3, 000 to $5, 000 a month is that easy? Stop making things difficult for people!”
His face turned red with frustration, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
May opened her mouth as if to argue but ultimately swallowed her words.
Feeling embarrassed, John turned to Kayden and said, “I’m sorry, Young Master. May is just like this. Please don’t take her words seriously.”
“Let’s drink, let’s drink!” John raised his glass to toast Kayden and took a big gulp.
As the meal progressed and the wine flowed, John began to loosen up.
At one point, he turned to May and Emma, saying, “Go clean up now.”
May and Emma headed to the kitchen, leaving John and Kayden alone in the living room.
John lit a cigarette, his gaze distant and melancholic, as if lost in thought.
After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke slowly. “Fifteen years ago, Mr. Scott was betrayed during a business deal. A deal that had been agreed upon fell through at the last minute. Mr. Scott was furious. The Scott family has always valued integrity above all else, and Mr. Scott was a man who placed trust as his highest priority. He despised such last-minute betrayals.”
“The person involved was someone we had dealt with several times before. Mr. Scott knew him well and didn’t think he was the type to go back on his word. This whole situation left Mr. Scott deeply troubled. He tried to confront the man, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find him. It was as if the man was deliberately avoiding him.
“At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. But as the deal fell apart, the Scott family began to suffer severe financial blows. Within just a few days, many of Scott Group’s partners refused to work with them anymore. Some companies even risked breaching contracts just to sever ties with the Scott family.”
“One by one, the companies that had once sought to curry favor with the Scott family turned their backs on us. The Scott family faced an unprecedented crisis. For one of the four great families, such a situation was almost unheard of. Yet, it happened to us.”
“Eventually, Mr. Scott had no choice but to inform his father about the situation. But when his father heard the news, he was furious. I don’t know what happened afterward, but not long after, we heard the devastating news of Mr. Scott’s death.”
As John spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, and a single drop fell silently down his face.