31

Recently, Emily’s relationship with Mrs. Brown has been getting worse, causing her a great deal of distress.
“Mom, can’t you just say a few less things to me? I’m not in a good mood today,” Emily pouted in response.
Charlotte instructed the servant to clean the corridor and then pulled her into the house, asking, “What’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to go to James’s house? Why did you come back with such a gloomy face?”
“It’s all because of James’s mom. She was picking on me, so I got upset and came back,” Emily replied angrily.
Charlotte sighed helplessly. “Mrs. Brown has a lot of influence in the Brown family, even James’s father listens to her. If she disagrees, your marriage to James might be in jeopardy.”
“The more she disagrees, the more I want to marry her son, just to annoy her,” Emily said triumphantly. “Anyway, James is captivated by me, and he won’t marry anyone else.”
“What’s the use of getting angry with James’s mom? She will be your future mother-in-law. If you want to live a good life in the future, you can’t let the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law become too strained,” Victoria suddenly spoke up.
“Sis, then what do you suggest I do?” Emily asked, clinging to her.
“If you want to marry into the Brown family, you need some leverage,” Victoria continued. “I remember when Isabella and James were engaged, there was mention of a piece of land as part of the dowry.”
“I know about that, but that piece of land is in Eleanor’s hands. How do we go about claiming it?” Charlotte looked troubled.
Victoria smiled faintly. “Of course, we can’t go and claim it ourselves. Isn’t there still Dad? Find an opportunity to talk to Dad. Since both of you are marrying into the Brown family and are equally his daughters, he shouldn’t treat you differently.”
Charlotte felt enlightened after hearing Victoria’s suggestion. “You always have ideas, and I never have to worry.”
“Yes, Sister is the smartest,” Emily chimed in with flattery.
That evening, Charlotte talked to David about the matter of the land. Initially, David disagreed, but Charlotte tearfully explained how innocent and pitiful Emily was. As daughters, they shouldn’t be treated differently.
After much consideration, David reluctantly agreed.
Isabella received a surprising phone call from the hospital.
Eleanor had been in and out of the hospital over the years, and David visiting the hospital was a rare occurrence.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, Isabella hurried to the hospital. Before entering the ward, she could already hear voices arguing inside.
“Eleanor, I’ve told you so much, but you’re still stubborn. That piece of land is useless in your hands. I’m giving you money now to redeem the land. It’s a win-win situation,” David said.
Eleanor, with a pale face, suppressed a cough.
Redeem the land? That sounded nice. Over these years, the value of that piece of land had increased many times over. Trying to redeem it at the price from twenty years ago was no different from robbery.
“David, this piece of land was the betrothal gift you gave me in the first place. Perhaps you’ve forgotten the words you said back then. You claimed that even though you had nothing at that time, every penny you earned in the future would be mine. Later, when Isabella was born, we agreed to keep that piece of land as her dowry.”
Back then, the Allen family was one of the prominent wealthy families in Ithaca town, while David was an unknown individual. David, without presenting a decent betrothal gift, handed over the deed to the ancestral home to Eleanor.
At that time, the land wasn’t worth much. However, with the rapid economic development of Ithaca town over the years, the value of the land had skyrocketed, and its location was excellent, making it highly suitable for development.
“David, when we divorced, I didn’t ask for anything else. I only took the deed to that piece of land. Now, you want to reclaim even that?”
After Eleanor finished speaking, she coughed violently.
David, with a dark face, couldn’t stand her consistently putting on this high-and-mighty attitude.
She didn’t need to calculate; her father had already planned everything. Before his death, he transferred most of the company’s shares to Isabella’s name. If he hadn’t taken the initiative and placed Robert in the company, he would probably end up with nothing after all these years of hard work.
“Eleanor, I didn’t come here today to reminisce about the past. What happened back then is in the past. You’re no longer the girl who loved me so dearly, and I’m no longer the insignificant public servant. Let’s return to reality. When Isabella and James were engaged, both families agreed to use that piece of land as the bride’s dowry. Now, Emily is going to marry into the Brown family, they are both my daughters, and I can’t treat them differently. If you feel the price is unfair, we can discuss it again, but don’t try to take advantage. I’m not a fool.”
Eleanor’s palm tightly covered her chest, her face showing a painful expression. Yet, a bitter smile escaped her lips.
Yes, it was what it was back then, and now it’s a different story. In the past, they discussed emotions, but now, he and she were talking about money!
“Deputy Mayor, of course, you’re not stupid. I’m the complete fool. However, even if I’m foolish, I know that whatever I hold in my hands, no one can snatch away! David, you want to use that piece of land as a dowry for your illegitimate daughter, only over my dead body. Even if I donate it, I won’t give it to her. Is she even worthy!”
“You…” David was too angry to speak.
“You, just get out of here!” Eleanor clutched her chest tightly, forcefully saying.
After that, medical staff rushed in, the doctor hurriedly examined Eleanor, and the nurse politely escorted David out.
Once David left, Isabella entered the ward and went directly to Eleanor’s bedside.
“Doctor, how is my mom?” she asked urgently.
“No major issues; Mrs. Eleanor just had a moment of emotional instability. It’s better for her to avoid joy and anger with her current condition,” the doctor said and left with the nurse.
Eleanor struggled to sit up from the bed, grabbing Isabella’s hand and weakly asked, “What’s going on between you and James?”
If David hadn’t shown up, she would still be in the dark.
“When did you and James break up? How could he get involved with Emily?”
“There’s no reason when it comes to men cheating. He has already changed his heart. If we don’t break up, am I supposed to endure it? They have no shame, but I still do.” Isabella replied with disdain.
Eleanor sighed and shook her head with a bitter smile. “Have all the men in this world died? They have to snatch the fiance of their younger sister. Do they even know what shame is? And James, I watched him grow up since he was a child, such a stable and sensible kid, yet he did something heartless and unjust. No, I have to talk to Mrs. Brown about this.”
After saying that, Eleanor tried to get out of bed, but Isabella stopped her in time.
“Mom! Given the situation, let it go. We should be grateful that we discovered James’s unreliability early on. It’s better than regretting after marriage and having children.”
Eleanor fell back onto the bed, her face almost bloodless.
Yes, at this point, what else was there to say? She had been blind and almost harmed her daughter.
“Isabella, sorry for the trouble,” Eleanor reached out, gently stroking Isabella’s face. “Arrange with the doctor; I’ve decided to undergo surgery.”
“Really?” Isabella was overjoyed.
Eleanor nodded heavily, “I’m not dead yet, and they dare to bully you like this, it’s simply too much. I must live well. When your uncle comes back, we’ll have someone to rely on.”
Isabella was thrilled that her mother could see reason and agreed to undergo surgery.