Holden silently cursed Clarissa, but he knew he had to come back.
As long as Clarissa was alive and still the matriarch, if she told him to go east, he would go east; if
she told him to go west, he wouldnât dare go north. Even if tonightâs banquet was filled with danger,
he had to face it with her.
Holden said, âTonightâs dinner is definitely filled with danger. You three should stay close to Kathryn.
I can ensure your safety. Your mother wonât let anything happen to her only daughter, so sheâll make
sure Kathryn is protected. Stick with Kathryn, and I guarantee youâll be safe.â
Marco frowned, âDad, thatâs just your guess. Weâre all your sons. If thereâs real danger, why would
Mom call us all back? Donât overthink it.â
Holden glared at Marco, âYou never listen to me. If you had, and gone back to our Janzen family, I
wouldnât have to worry tonight. Now, you still wonât listen.
Your mother despises me. She usually doesnât even want to see me, and suddenly she asks me to
move back. Do you really think itâs just for the family to be together for the New Year? Why hasnât
she called all your siblings back?â
âEven if your mother plans to take me with her when she dies, Iâll come back. Iâm over seventy; Iâve
lived long enough. I want to see what Mr. Jimenez, who has occupied your motherâs heart all these
years, looks like.â
Mr. Jimenez had always been better than Holden, holding a place in Clarissaâs heart for decades.
Now, everyone was old, but Mr. Jimenez still had a special place in Clarissaâs heart.
If the people from Wiltspoon have evidence, tonightâs dinner will be explosive. Holden wanted to see
how Clarissa would feel when Mr. Jimenez, along with others, accused her of killing her sisters to
gain power.
Being accused and despised by the man she loved most would hurt more than death.
How could Holden miss such a spectacle?
âAnyway, listen to me. If you donât, donât regret it if something happens,â Holden said before leaving
his three sons and returning to his guest room.
He turned on the light, walked to the bed, and sat down. Glancing at the bedside table, he saw the
family photo he kept there.
He picked up the photo frame and took out a hidden picture behind the family portrait.
It was their wedding photo, taken when he and Clarissa got married. Most photos from that time
were black and white, and he had kept this one in perfect condition.
But Clarissa had never kept their wedding photos.
After they married, Holden wanted to hang their wedding photo in their room, but Clarissa wouldnât
allow it.
There wasnât a single wedding photo in the entire house.
Holden knew she didnât care for it. So, he kept the wedding photos himself, holding onto them for
decades.
But what did it matter?
Someone who didnât love him never would.
Now, Mr. Jimenez was back. He came back to kill Holden and destroy all his cherished memories.
Holden opened a drawer, took out a lighter, and lit the wedding photo of him and Clarissa.
Their relationship had ended when Clarissa caught him cheating and gave him an ultimatum. Their
marriage was over, but they stayed together for the sake of interests, children, and grandchildren.
Or maybe, there was never really a relationship at allâjust his own wishful thinking.
He burned the photo. Even though he had treasured it for a lifetime, he was never the one in
Clarissaâs heart.
â¦.