Chapter 167: Chapter 167



The soft, honeyed voice was mixed with some light gasps, as if the owner of the voice had run here.

They all looked at the doors and saw Caleb Gray enter. Dressed in a gray suit, he gave off a sense of comfort that resembled a spring breeze.

His chest rose and fell slightly as he panted. His deep, brooding eyes turned to Nora after he spoke. He nodded kindly and gently toward her and said, “I rushed over immediately when I saw the live feed. I almost spoiled things for you.”

Nora, “?”

Wasn’t that her ex-fiancé Anthony Gray’s uncle?

He had approached her to fulfill the marriage agreement between the Grays and her the other time. What was he doing here?

As she wondered, Caleb turned to Henry. The attitude he took with him was completely different from the one he took with Nora. He even sounded a little displeased when he said, “Do you really think no one knows the truth about what happened then, Mr. Smith?”

Henry, who had been punched, held his nose. Blood was seeping between his fingers. When he heard what Caleb said, he frowned. “What truth are you talking about?”

Caleb replied, “The truth about your marriage to Mrs. Anderson!”

Henry’s eyes twinkled. “What I just said is the very truth. What nonsense are you talking about? Are you planning to twist the truth? Besides, who are you, how dare you come to the aid of that ungrateful girl?”

Caleb sighed. “I’m from the Grays.”

The Grays?

An astonished Henry looked at him. “What?”

Nora could clearly sense that something was going on here. She thought about the marriage settlement, and how the Smiths were nothing more than a small family, while the Grays were a large and famous wealthy California family. He thought about how the Grays had never demanded to break off the engagement, even when she became pregnant before the marriage….

“What exactly happened then, Mr. Gray?” asked Nora.

Caleb replied with a sigh, “I was only three years old at the time, so I didn’t know the truth. It was my father who told me everything, but everything he said was completely different from what Mr. Smith said!”

Completely different….

Henry became terribly anxious. “You…”

He only managed to utter one word when Caleb looked at him, startling him so much that he repressed the rest of what he had wanted to say. He wasn’t very familiar with the wealthy families of New York, but the Grays were influential people from California!

Besides, his daughter was engaged to the Grays.

He stepped forward and said, “We are in-laws, Mr. Gray. You…”

Caleb lowered his gaze, causing his long eyelashes to cast silhouettes across his cheeks. He looked at Nora and said slowly, “It’s true that your mother was pregnant before she was married, but that’s something everyone knew, because you could already see her belly when she got married.”

Her belly was already showing…..

So that meant that the wedding deception didn’t exist at all!

Nora narrowed her eyes. “And so?”

“Your father was just an employee at the time. For some reason, your mother took an interest in him, so she had a frank and sincere talk with him.”

Henry was still disputing her statement. He said, “That didn’t happen at all!”

However, Caleb pulled out a very old-fashioned voice recorder pen and pressed the play button. From the recorder, a conversation between the two began to play clearly.

The voice that Nora found so familiar, but at the same time strange, spoke calmly and without any emotion. “Do you have a girlfriend, Henry?” she asked.

Henry’s voice sounded a little younger than he currently sounded. His voice trembled with trepidation as he replied, “…. N-no, I don’t.”

Yvette asked, “Are you willing to marry me, then?”

“What?”

Yvette let out a low laugh and said, “This is a transaction. I’m pregnant and my daughter needs a father, while your mother is sick and you need money for her medical expenses.”

The sound of Henry swallowing hard was very evident. He said, “So… So your assets…”.

Yvette said, “I am sick and in a very serious condition. I will probably only be able to live for a year after giving birth. After my death, the company will be left in the hands of my daughter. I have already found a dedicated manager for the company. As for you, you will be my daughter’s guardian. The dividends you will receive before she reaches adulthood will definitely be more than enough for you. I will also not prevent you from getting married and having children. I want you to take good care of my daughter. In return, as a thank you, I can give you the villa where I currently live.”

Henry looked incredulous. He asked, “Why did you choose me?”

However, Yvette merely laughed and said nothing.

Henry spoke again. He asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll mistreat your daughter?”

Yvette’s response this time was very casual. She said, “That’s fine, as long as you make sure she’s still alive. As for the rest, you can do whatever you want.”

“…”

“Oh, by the way, if she dies accidentally, then the villa will be withdrawn and the company’s dividends will be cut off. do you understand what I’m saying?”

“… Y-yes, I understand.”

“Good. If you agree, then sign this contract here. I’ll give you three days to consider it…”

Henry’s voice was tinged with emotion as he interrupted her and said, “No, okay! I agree.”

…

…

The whole place was silent.

No one had thought that the plot twist would come so quickly, nor that Henry would have to eat his words so soon.

One by one, the people lambasting Nora in the comments shifted their focus.

“What the hell, isn’t this too sensationalistic? This is the story of a man, who was using a woman, coming to make trouble because he can’t take advantage anymore, right?’

‘That’s a villa, you know! It must be worth at least five million dollars in California, right? Plus, he was also getting five million dollars in dividends every year. His only demand was that his daughter stay alive…’

‘The mother was a little cold to her daughter, but it feels so good for some reason!’

‘Oh my gosh, aren’t they just too shameless! Not only are they living off her and literally living in her house, but they’ve even mistreated her daughter. And now, they’re even pestering her daughter to support them! There is no justice in this world anymore.”

…

No one paid attention to the comments on the live broadcast.

Nora’s eyes were downcast at that moment. As she listened to the conversation her mother had left in her lifetime – and one from more than twenty years ago – she felt as if she had traveled through time and space.

It turned out that being a mother was also hereditary.

She had inherited her mother’s irresponsibility.

She was fine as long as she was alive.

Even if her words sounded cold, it was actually her mother’s greatest wish for her, wasn’t it?

Her mother was sure that, as long as she lived, she would never be ordinary, she would become strong and self-confident. That’s why she had left her a voice recording telling her to be discreet….

While Nora was stunned, Melissa had already recovered from the shock. She scolded, “Henry, you’re worse than an animal! How could you have the gall to bring people to our house and make a scene here?”

Simon looked even more furious. He said, “The Andersons were thinking of letting you go free, Henry Smith. But judging by the way things are now, this feud between us is irreconcilable!”

Henry and Wendy were like rats hunted and chased by everyone.

The two were supportive of each other.

Henry, who knew he was finished, shouted angrily, “Why is everyone so triumphant, Nora? Someone like you, who has inherited your mother’s coldness, doesn’t understand what kinship is at all. Even if you become rich and powerful, you’ll still be alone, unlike us – at least we’re a family of three!”

A family of three?

The corners of Nora’s lips suddenly curved upward. She took a step forward and said, “Henry, after calling you my father for nineteen years, why don’t I also give you a parting gift?”

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