Chapter 245: Chapter 245 I Want To Know Your Stance

Early in the morning, a shiny black sedan pulled up at the gate of the Lodge residence in Coldbridge.

The car rolled to a stop and a slender figure got out of the vehicle.

Upon seeing him, the housekeeper respectfully greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Miller.”

Henry frowned. “Where’s Mr. Lodge?”

The housekeeper didn’t know how to respond after sensing something was off.

Just then, Alfred exited the house. When he saw Henry, he asked nonchalantly, “What brings you here so carly?”

Henry gritted his pearly white teeth and sneered. “I’m here to see you, of course, Uncle Alfred!”

Alfred glanced at his watch. “What a shame. I have a meeting to attend soon. The driver is already waiting.”

Henry blocked Alfred’s way and uttered with a mirthless smile, “This won’t take much of your time, Uncle Alfred. You won’t be late even if you depart after we’re done talking.”

Alfred furrowed his brows.

Henry lowered his head and lit a cigarette. Then, he took a few drags before stubbing it out and said, “I’d like to talk to you about Melora, Mr. Lodge!”

Mr. Lodge?

Alfred shot a look at his secretary, and the latter immediately retreated and even sent away all the housekeepers.

After everyone left, Alfred also lit a cigarette.

As he was standing in the wind, the smoke he puffed out momentarily obscured his handsome facial features before swiftly dispersing with the wind.

After a long while, he asked hoarsely. “How is she?”

Henry sneered. “How is she? A girl who’s already thirty-one years old, yet refuses to return home or get married, insisting on staying outside in a run-down-forty-square-meter rented flat. How do you think she’s doing, Mr. Lodge?”

Alfred’s slender fingers that were clutching the cigarette trembled subtly.

As a prominent figure, he was not one to wear his heart on his sleeve.

However, hearing about Melora’s news after over two years caused a stir in his heart, leaving him unable to maintain his indifference.

He guessed that Henry must’ve figured something out.

Alfred’s voice turned huskier as he spoke. “W-Why won’t she return home?”

Henry glared at him. The malicious look in his eyes seemed to expose his desire to tear Alfred into pieces.

Indeed, he was there to settle the scores with Alfred.

However, Henry wasn’t planning on revealing Berthold’s existence. Melora was the Miller family’s daughter and Henry’s younger sister. She had no reason to use the child to bind a man by her side.

Henry riveted his eyes on Alfred and asked, “How long did you sleep with her?”

Alfred arched his brow.

The secret he had kept for three years was finally exposed.

He took a deep drag and was silent for a long while before responding, “A little over half a year. It started when Crystal was hospitalized. Then, we interacted with each other on and off for another six months.”

Henry took a walk down memory lane. Crystal went abroad, while Alfred frequently went to Barnwood on business trips during that six months. Now I know.

Henry scoffed. “Mr. Lodge, before you did such a thing, did you ever consider your and Melora’s age and that our families are related by marriage? Indeed, you could disregard all these things since it’s not illegal. for you to sleep with her, but have you ever asked yourself conscientiously, during the many times you’ve bedded her, was there even once that you did so because you wanted to marry her instead of simply to satisfy your own carnal desires?”

Alfred’s gaze was dark with inexplicable emotions surging within.

He could not find the words to refute Henry.

Henry put out his cigarette, took off his coat, and tossed it aside. Then, he began rolling up his sleeves and chuckled coldly.

“Stumped, are you?”

Alfred knitted his brows. “Are you trying to fight me?”

The disparaging smile on Henry’s face widened. “Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Lodge? Let me tell you. I’m here as Melora’s elder brother now. She may be naïve and timid, but I’m no pushover. I’m asking you now. What are you planning to do?”

Alfred had always been decisive.

He couldn’t be with Melora in the past, and now that they had separated for over two years, there was even less reason to involve her in his complicated life.

Alfred quietly stubbed out his cigarette and said, “There’s absolutely no way for us to be together!”

Hearing that, Henry threw a punch with all his might, showing no mercy.

Alfred took the blow head-on, and soon, a bruise formed on his cheek.

Henry’s knuckles swelled slightly, but he swung his fist again.

At that moment, Leslie, who had been hiding at one side, hurried forward to intervene. “Please calm down, Mr. Miller. You and Mr. Lodge are family, so there’s no need to get angry early in the morning.

Henry brushed him aside and started brawling with Alfred again. “B*stard! Melora is sixteen years younger than you! How could you have done that to her?”

“And where do you get off? Do I need to remind you of what you did to Crystal? Why don’t you clean up the mess that you made first before confronting someone else?” Alfred snapped.

It was a bout of tit for tat, no quarter given!

The housekeepers in the house, watching from a distance, all knew it was Henry and Alfred fighting, but they couldn’t fathom why.

Leslie, as quick-witted as ever, hastened into the house to get reinforcement by alerting Lucia.

Lucia hurried over and saw her son and grandson-in-law exchanging blows ferociously.

Both parties were going at it with all they had, showing signs of injury on their faces and bodies.

“Stop” Lucia bellowed.

Alfred was the first to stop, and he took a step back while fixating his gaze on Henry. “We’ll discuss this matter another day. I have a meeting to attend now.”

Henry wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, replying tauntingly. “How do you plan on attending a meeting in this state, Mr. Lodge? Aren’t you afraid of being jeered at and tarnishing your impeccable image?”

Alfred did not respond.

Lucia stood between them and scolded her son, “Are you aware of your age and Henry’s? You’ve always been mature and composed, so why did you fight with Henry? Not to mention doing it in front of the housekeepers. How are you going to keep order here in the future?”

She was obviously biased.

Alfred was cursing Henry and his entire family inwardly but kept up a gentle façade while placating his mother. “It’s something to do with Crystal. Don’t bother yourself with this matter, Mom.

Lucia disagreed, “Aren’t they getting along quite well now?”

Alfred scratched his nose.

Henry helped Lucia to take a seat. As Lucia was very fond of him, he decided to expose Alfred right then and there. “He... He dated my little sister for over half a year!”

Alfred was at a loss for words, while Lucia was instantly stunned.

She picked up her cane and swung it at her son, scolding him, “Tell me. Is that true? I knew something was wrong. You’ve always acted high and mighty before Henry, yet you’ve been silent today. It turns out you’ve done something as disgraceful as this. I’ll beat you to death today to apologize to their parents!”

She didn’t hold back her strength while teaching her son a lesson.

Alfred’s back stung after taking a few hits.

He had always been filial and didn’t dare to anger Lucia further, so he got on his knees and confessed, “It’s my fault. I couldn’t control myself, but we’re really not suitable to be together.”

Lucia was taken aback.

She didn’t expect Alfred to admit his doings so readily.

She remained quiet for a long time before saying in a low voice, “Perhaps the first time was an accident, but you dated her for half a year. How do you explain that? Alfred, with your capabilities and charisma, you should realize how easily a young woman would fall for you. Now you’re abandoning her just like. that. How do you expect her to live her life in the future?”

Lucia was utterly disappointed. She got to her feet, wanting to return to the house.

Henry quickly helped her get up.

Lucia gazed at him and said softly, “I’ll find a day to visit Barnwood and apologize to your parents and sister in person. Alfred is at fault in this matter. I’ll definitely give your family an explanation.”

Henry had arrived at the Lodge residence with rage burning in his chest, but at that moment, he couldn’t help but tone down his anger and volunteer, “I have been impulsive too.”

Lucia shook her head. “What wrong have you done to stand up for your little sister?”

Henry added with an undertone, “I don’t mean to demand anything. I just want to know Uncle Alfred’s stance. If he doesn’t have feelings for Melora, I’ll arrange for her to go on blind dates after this.”

Alfred’s heart twitched. Blind date....

The words greatly stirred his heart, causing complex emotions to churn within him.

Henry calmed himself and stood before Alfred, speaking in a flat tone. “She didn’t say anything, but I could feel she really likes you and is deeply hurt. If you see her now, you may not even recognize her. Uncle Alfred, Melora lived a pampered life in the Miller family. She had never washed a dish or done any housework, b-but she...”

Henry choked up.

He did his best to pull himself together before continuing. “If you don’t want to be with her, quit bothering her!”

Alfred was in a tumultuous state of mind. I used to really like that innocent girl. We broke up because we weren’t suitable for one another. Our past is being dug up now, and it’s not that I don’t want to see her. It’s just that what difference will it make even if we do meet? Our relationship had already ended more than two years ago.

Alfred spoke in a low voice. “I have wronged her. Tell her she can demand any compensation she wants.”

Henry’s gaze darkened.

He chuckled wryly. “The Miller family don’t need you to compensate us in any way. All I want is for you to make a stand. Now that you’ve admitted you aren’t suitable to be together with Melora, I know what to do next. I’ll go back and tell my foolish sister to give up on you as soon as possible, then obediently go for blind dates. She may not encounter another man as competent as you, but it won’t be that difficult to find. someone who genuinely cares about her.”

With that, Henry turned around and left, leaving Alfred rooted to his spot in a daze.

Leslie contemplated briefly before saying, “Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up first, Mr. Lodge? You have a meeting to attend soon.”

Still. Alfred remained distracted.

After some time, he suddenly flew into a rage. “Meeting, my foot! I don’t even have the freedom to love a woman. What’s the point in attending a meeting?”