Chapter 114: Chapter 122

Angeline paled in response as she helped Wilfred sit down on the couch.

Then, she picked up the coffeepot on the table. “Floretta is Evander’s daughter. She’s not her.”

“I see,” Wilfred replied indifferently without saying anything further.

Instead of feeling shy, Floretta sat down next to the old man and chatted with him as though they were old friends. She told him about everything she experienced in kindergarten.

At first, Angeline thought Wilfred would get annoyed, but to her surprise, he was actually paying attention to the girl and would even reply to her childish remarks. I didn’t expect him to change so much. He no longer treated me harshly, and he’s even much more patient with a child.

Angeline poured the old man a cup of coffee, only to realize it had gone cold. When Mr. Ziegler was still here, he wouldn’t allow something like this to happen.

She smashed the pot on the table and angrily questioned the housekeeper, “Is this how you do things every day?”

Fearlessly, the housekeeper crossed her arms and spoke nonchalantly. “Ms. Joseline’s the one paying me. You don’t have the right to criticize me.”

Angeline was livid upon hearing that. I’ve never seen a housekeeper as arrogant as her!

“That’s enough. Just let her be.” Wilfred sighed heavily. “Why did you suddenly come home?”

Hearing that, Angeline ignored the rude housekeeper and turned to look at Wilfred. “The anniversary of my parents’ deaths is right around the corner, so I’m here to ask if anything’s planned this year.”

Holding his walking stick, he responded grimly, “Josie’s usually the one taking care of this matter.

However, there is still no news from her about it. She’s probably too busy preparing for childbirth.”

“I see,” she replied. She disliked the way Joseline held a grand ceremony for the anniversary of her parents’ deaths. Hence, she decided to only bring a flower when revisiting their graves in a few days.

Subsequently, she turned to meet Wilfred’s unfocused, lifeless eyes which looked like two dried wells obscured from sunlight. “Your eyes…”

Wilfred smiled somewhat sorrowfully and uttered in a raspy voice, “I can’t see anymore. When we age, our bodies break down. That’s just how things are. The doctor diagnosed me with late-stage lung cancer. I don’t have much time left to live.”

Bewildered, Angeline gazed at him with disbelief. “You were still healthy last year. How did things turn out like this?”

Wilfred wore a calm expression, as though he had already accepted his condition. His tone even sounded relaxed as he related, “The doctor said it’s an illness that was developed over the years. As I grew older, my body struggled to keep up. And now…”

Right then, Floretta carefully approached him while holding a glass of water. “I brought you some water from the kitchen, Old Mr. Sorelle.”

“Thank you.” He took the glass of warm water and caressed the girl’s braids with delight.

He then recounted earnestly, “This little girl is as thoughtful as you when you were young, Angeline.

However, you aren’t as smart as her. One time, when you brought me a glass of water into my study, you ended up spilling it all over my documents.”

“You still remember that?” Angeline was slightly surprised.

“Of course I do. How could I forget?”

As though reminiscing the past, the old man stared at the void before him with his unfocused eyes while his voice sounded world-weary. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of things during the past few days.

I’m glad you came. It saved me the hassle of going to you.”

Angeline didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she merely sat there silently, for she knew what he was about to say.

“Five years ago, when you brought shame to the Sorelle family, I treated you harshly. I did many things to hurt you. Now that I look back at what I did, I must admit that I’ve gone way too overboard. I apologize for what I did, and I hope you’ll forgive me.” Wilfred lowered his head regretfully.

Seeing that, she hastily held his arm. “Please don’t. I’ve never blamed you.”

For some reason, she felt distressed, and she didn’t know what to say.

In reality, after being driven out of the family and treated unkindly by her grandpa, Angeline was so disappointed that the bond she shared with Wilfred was basically reduced to nothing by that point.

She used to hate him, of course, but at that moment, she was probably ready to let go of her hatred against the Sorelle family.

Furthermore, Wilfred was dying from late-stage lung cancer. He was heroic and proud throughout his life, yet he was reduced to such a sickly, bony state thanks to cancer. As a result, he no longer possessed the overbearing aura that he did in the past.

That kind of emotional torture was much more insufferable than any physical agony.

Following that conversation, the atmosphere eased.

Wilfred was extremely fond of Floretta, so he invited them to stay for a meal, to which they happily agreed.

The housekeeper had gone somewhere else, so Angeline put on an apron and prepared a meal in the kitchen.

By the time she exited the kitchen, Floretta had already become good friends with Wilfred. The duo chatted away happily.

Throughout their meal, Wilfred cuddled the little girl fondly and was all smiles as he listened to the stories she made up.

Angeline served the old man some food and said, “That’s just how she is. She talks a lot. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I really like this girl.” Carefully, Wilfred placed Floretta on the chair next to him and smiled lovingly. “It’s been a long time since the Sorelle residence has been this lively.”

His tone reflected the distress he was trying very hard to hide.

Frowning, Angeline felt sorry for him and asked, “Does Joseline not visit you?”

“Sometimes, but she’s about to give birth soon. It’s a hassle for her to travel back and forth.”

Though his tone was casual, Angeline’s heart wrenched. If my parents were still alive, the Sorelle residence would be much livelier.

When her train of thought ended there, Angeline recalled why she visited the residence. She chose her words carefully before questioning, “Do you still have the examination report of my parents’ deaths?”

Wilfred thought about it for a while before answering in a deep voice, “When your parents passed, I was too sick to handle anything. So, Josie took care of matters in my place. She has the report.”

Angeline frowned with frustration. Things are a lot more complicated if the report’s in Joseline’s hands.

I still remember the reminder Jonathan gave me about how she may have done something to the car.

Perhaps…

“Then… Do you still remember the license plate of the car Mom and Dad drove during the accident?”

she asked again.

“I don’t remember, but Mr. Ziegler has a copy of it back then. I can’t help you since I’m blind now.

However, if you really need that plate number, I can give you his contact number.”

“Okay, thank you,” replied Angeline somewhat nervously as happiness inundated her. Finally, a lead!

After their meal, Angeline and Floretta kept Wilfred company for a while longer. As night fell, they got ready to leave.

Before Angeline left, she gained Wilfred’s permission and took a piece of each medicine he was required to take daily so she could run a test at the hospital’s lab. For some reason, she thought it was weird that he would fall ill out of the blue.

The Sorelle family’s daily meals had to undergo strict inspection. Moreover, the old man had been taking good care of his health, so it seemed unlikely to her that his lung cancer was developed over the years.

If Joseline were the one who killed her parents, then it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that her next target was Wilfred, considering how greedy she was for profits.