Chapter 484 Stand In For My Wife

Apart from the sparkling blue eyes, there was no denying that the man’s face had lost all youthfulness.

His skin was rougher than before, and the beard he kept only made him look like a foreign middle-aged man.

It was as if he had endured several hardships in the past year, and the stress aged himn rapidly.

Despite that, his eyes were still full of love and tenderness as he gazed at Gwendolyn “Hello, Gwen. It’s been a while.”

Gwendolyn, on the other hand, stood transfixed in shock and disbelief.

Wow. It’s been almost a year, huh? I never thought Charles would change this much, but he does seem far more mature now…

After scrutinizing him for the longest time, Gwendolyn finally broke into a smile. “It’s been a while, Mr.

Newton.”

Even though Charles was a little taken aback by how she had addressed him, he quickly understood the situation when he saw Cedrick standing behind her.

“It’s been way too long since we last met. Can I get a hug for old times’ sake?” he said, spreading his arms wide as he looked expectantly at Gwendolyn.

Instead of replying, the latter turned toward Cedrick, only to realize his head was down and his expression unreadable.

Hmm… It’s just a simple hug, and it’s not like I’m doing it behind his back. He wouldn’t mind, would he?

With that thought in mind, Gwendolyn stepped forward gingerly and opened her arms.

Alas, she was about a meter away from Charles when she suddenly felt a nudge on her arm.

Upon turning around, she saw a grim-faced Cedrick marching toward Charles, looking like he was poised to fight.

Oh, no! This is only the first day of Charles’ return. Is he going to get a knuckle sandwich as his welcome-home gift?

“Hubby…”

Before Gwendolyn could finish her sentence, Cedrick had walked over to hug Charles, albeit reluctantly and awkwardly.

“My wife’s a married woman, after all. I’ll stand in for her.” Cedrick muttered before patting Charles on the back.

Naturally, the latter was stunned beyond words, and neither man could hide the disdain on their faces.

Gwendolyn, however, couldn’t stop giggling at the adorable sight.

“All right. That’s enough. How long more do you guys intend to hug? I’m beginning to feel like I’m the third wheel now.”

Upon hearing that, Cedrick and Charles hastily let go of each other, their expressions dark and uncomfortable.

With that, Gwendolyn pulled Cedrick along and sat down opposite Charles.

“So, why did you suddenly want to come back?”

Charles smiled as he hid the trace of disappointment in his eyes. “It wasn’t a sudden decision. After living overseas for so long, I realized there were still things I miss dearly and can’t get. over. That’s why I decided to return. Anyway, I sent you an express letter a few days ago explaining this. I thought you’d have known about it…”

“You sent an express letter?” Gwendolyn asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Ah. Now that I think about it, I might have received something like that…

“Sorry. I’ve been pretty busy recently, and Elven’s usually the one who keeps my mail. I completely forgot to read them.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Charles said smilingly. “It’s not a big deal.”

Before long, the trio had settled into a comfortable conversation.

“Oh, have you heard about the Newton family acknowledging Jennifer? You have another sister now!”

“Jennifer Newton?” Charles mumbled.

Well, I can’t say I’ve heard of that. During the past year abroad, all I had done was teach in the countryside, and never once did I check in with my family. I did hear about Gwendolyn, though, and it warms my heart to know that she’s in good hands with Cedrick.

“She’s an actress signed under my company, Angle, and my good friend from when we were in Fairlake Orphanage. She and my brother, Treyton…” Gwendolyn said before her voice trailed off She and Cedrick had become solemn at the mention of Jennifer, but thankfully, Charles was observant enough to notice the changes.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

After glancing at Cedrick and seeing that he wasn’t about to raise any objections, Gwendolyn continued, “Have you heard about Craig?”

Charles said nothing, but his gaze had darkened.

“Let me take you to Jennifer. You might be able to find out more once you’ve met her.”

Soon, the trio returned to Harrick Villa.

Even though it was Charles’ first time meeting his paternal half-sister, he still had some memories of all the drama before her birth, so it was no surprise that he felt guilty about her situation.

When his father brought him home from Erihal all those years ago and requested that he be acknowledged as part of the Newton family, Caylie had flown into a temper and ran away despite being heavily pregnant.

Word had it that she subsequently became mentally unstable from the stress, which led to Jennifer being abandoned outside for many years.

“It was only a week since the Newton family acknowledged her, and she already ended up in this state,” Gwendolyn explained. “When I found her, she was chained up on the top floor by Craig and wasn’t in the best mental state, either. For some unknown reason, she only recognized him and would even go crazy and self-mutilate whenever she left him.”

Charles listened intently as he scrutinized the frail-looking woman on the bed.

Treyton, who had been silent before, added, “We suspect Craig had done the same to Mrs. Newton by imprisoning her and injecting unknown drugs into her system.”

“So that’s what happened. No wonder…” Charles replied after much contemplation.

Realizing that he seemed to know something, everyone in the room swiftly turned their attention to him.

With that, Charles decided to reveal the truth about his family.

“The current Mrs. Newton is my father’s second wife. After he passed away, Michael, Craig, and I began fighting to become the next head of the Newton family. Michael was my eldest brother, but unfortunately, he died in an accident amidst our power struggle. As for me, the Central Intelligence Agency happened to transfer me out of Salinsburgh for a mission. By the time I returned everything was over. Craig had clinched control of the family. From what I heard Mrs Newton had supported him every step of the way, even going so far as to use her family’s resources to establish his authority Of course, I found odd, then No matter how much she loved her son, there was no need to exhaust her family’s wealth for that Now that I think about it, though. I must say Mrs Newton behaved rather strangely when she showed up at the family meeting. It seemed as though she was under Craig’s control.”

Once the recap was over, a heavy silence befell the room until Charles looked up at Gwendolyn “Gwen, I think I have a solution to this. I can help you,” the man said determinedly.

Upon hearing that, Gwendolyn and Treyton’s eyes lit up.

Cedrick, however, remained deep in thought, and no one could tell what was on his mind.

After a thorough discussion, the group finally decided on a plan.

Later that evening, Lucas, who was exhausted from his time at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sat down nervously at the restaurant table with Jasmine.

Mealtimes had become a nightmare in the past two days, and they always felt like they’d be sentenced to death at any second.

Once again, Craig slowly made his way downstairs with the help of Karl and the housekeepe and took his seat at the head of the table.

Instead of tucking into his meal, he shot a look at Jasmine. “How is it?”

“Jennifer isn’t doing so good. I heard she had another outburst after being sent to Harrick. Villa and even injured Mr. Treyton. Then, she got sedated and hadn’t woken since. Till up now, there still aren’t any improvements to her condition.”

Upon hearing that, Craig seemed to have a weight off his shoulders.

“I want you to visit the Jenson residence often. Keep me updated on Jennifer’s condition.”

Jasmine lowered her head. “Noted.”

“By the way, remember to have Gwendolyn release the bodyguards the next time you’re there. I don’t want a repeat of today’s incident where they get locked up in the basement. Their job is to follow you everywhere and ensure your safety, so you should never be out o their sight. Understood?”

Despite being against it, Jasmine eventually relented. “Yes.”

Just as Craig was about to question Lucas, one of the bodyguards at the door suddenly dashed in.

looking like he had just seen a ghost “M-Mr Craig Mr. Charles is back!”