Riley passed on Clayton’s message, though she added her own little twist.
+28)
“I talked to Uncle Clayton. He didn’t sound sick at all. His voice was strong. Dad, he’s not working, and Ashbourne’s cost of living, especially healthcare, is way higher than ours. How’s he paying for everything over there?”
Wyatt took that in with a frown.
He’d heard Luna was being looked after by someone wealthy. ‘Could the money be coming from them?”
But that person had no real connection to Luna. Maybe they were just kindhearted enough to help a kid, but what reason would they have to support Clayton, a grown, useless man?
“I’m taking a few days off. I’ll head over to Ashbourne myself,” Wyatt muttered as he carried the heavy soiled diaper into the bathroom. After washing his
hands, he came back to eat.
Technically, Lillian could still eat some solid food, but Wyatt had been limiting her intake to minimize bathroom needs.
Lillian was devastated. Her pride and joy, her eldest son, was now rationing her food.
She had a pension. She had health insurance. Supporting herself wasn’t an issue. But her body no longer worked the way it used to. She had no choice but to rely on others.
Even the most devoted child might start slipping when the care dragged on, but it had only been a month. Just one month, and Wyatt was already treating her like a burden.
Once Wyatt left, Riley noticed her grandma staring longingly at the food in her hand. She broke off a piece and popped it into Lillian’s mouth.
“Grandma, once Dad’s out of the house, it’s hard for me to take care of you on my own. So try not to poop too much, and I’ll try to sneak you a bit more
food.”
‘At least my granddaughter still cares.‘
Wyatt went to the transport company to find Neil and ask about Clayton. Neil was surprised. These two were brothers, and instead of calling, Wyatt had come all the way to the office?
“Between you and me, my brother’s hiding out in Ashbourne so he doesn’t have to take care of our mom,” Wyatt said as he handed Neil a cigarette, wearing the face of a man burdened by a thousand worries.
“The reason I’m on the brink of divorce is because of the woman he married after Audrey. She tore our family apart. It’s almost Christmas, our mom’s not
well, and she misses him.
“I figured I’d go talk to him in person. Even if he just comes back for a few days… You know how it is. She’s old. Anything could happen.”
Neil nodded in understanding.
The Patel family’s mess wasn’t exactly private, especially after Alexa drove Riley to a suicide attempt and Valerie had that brawl with her in their complex. The whole thing had gone viral online.
Clayton might be a terrible son, but Neil wasn’t about to comment on someone else’s family drama.
Cora Front, Neil’s wife, happened to be there that day too. She had stopped by to grab car keys before heading out to shop for their island trip.
She had no tolerance for deadbeat husbands, and even less for men who abandoned their mothers. She pulled Neil aside. “I’ll return Clayton’s investment. I don’t want that kind of person making money through me.”
Sure, there could be all kinds of reasons for being a lousy husband. But anyone who could turn their back on their own mother? That wasn’t someone
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Chapter 379
who could be trusted. One day, he’d probably accuse her of stealing from him and turn on her too.
Her voice wasn’t particularly quiet. Wyatt heard everything.
“No need for that. I’ll take the money to him,” he said quickly.
Cora didn’t care who delivered it. She just wanted to cut ties with someone like Clayton.
Neil, though, still had his doubts. He called Clayton afterward. “Clayton, Cora says the market’s too unstable right now. She’s worried about losses and wants to return your investment.”
That didn’t sound right at all. Just last night, she was saying how promising everything looked and encouraging him to invest even more next year. And now, suddenly, she was backing out?
“Neil, I’ve got a project coming up that’s about to generate returns. Tell Cora I’ll double down next year. Don’t worry about the short term.”
“Uh… we can talk about it after Christmas. Your brother’s here, by the way…”
Neil handed the phone to Wyatt.
“Clayton, I took the money you gave Neil. I’ll be using it to take care of Mom.”
Right now, Clayton was using the funds Lucia had given him as bait, trying to hook Kyle. Kyle was definitely showing interest, but he hadn’t committed
yet.
The investment he’d made through Cora was his only current source of income. If Kyle didn’t bite soon, his funds would run dangerously low.
Clayton clenched his fists in frustration. He was miles away and couldn’t stop any of this.
“Fine. Buy her some supplements. I’ll come visit once things settle down here.”
Wyatt ended the call, handed the phone back to Neil, and walked away with Clayton’s money in hand.
‘Riley was right. Clayton’s definitely hiding something.‘
Clayton had no idea that while he was trying to flip borrowed money into returns, Wyatt had quietly arrived in Ashbourne. He’d already tracked down the hospital where Clayton was undergoing chemo.
Christmas was approaching fast.
Yann, even with his reluctance to leave Audrey, had work piling up that couldn’t be postponed. He was flying in and out of cities, often gone from morning until night, but no matter where he was, he never missed a morning, noon, and night video call with Audrey.
Lena had also wrapped up her own work and brought a whole box of supplements when she came to visit Audrey at Hillcrest Gardens. “Audrey! And the babies! I missed you so much!”
“You’ve lost so much weight!” Audrey stared at Lena in shock.
Lena had always had a small face, but now her jawline looked practically sculpted. She touched her own cheek and laughed, “Gotta stay camera–ready.”
But Audrey sensed something was off.
Lena avoided eye contact while talking, and her usual brightness felt just a little… forced.
As usual, they chatted for a bit. When Audrey went to nap, Lena slipped away to tidy up the nursery.
After her nap, Audrey learned from Sylvie that Lena had shut herself in the baby room, holding a basin of water and wiping down every corner like her life depended on it.
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Chapter 379
It didn’t look like cleaning. More like… she was trying to scrub out some unspoken pain.
Audrey grew more worried. With Sylvie’s help, she made her way over and knocked on the door. “Lena?”
“Yeah!” Lena’s cheerful voice rang out, but she didn’t come to the door. “Almost done! The floor’s wet. Don’t come in!”
“I need to talk to you,” Audrey said. “I’ll be in the living room.”
“Okay! Be right there!”
She sounded perfectly fine, but that only made Audrey more uneasy.
Back in the living room, Audrey had a snack and reviewed a financial report. It wasn’t until much later that the upstairs door finally opened.
88%
Lena’s laughter drifted down the stairs as she chatted with the housekeeper. Moments later, she fluttered down like a butterfly and plopped into the single armchair beside Audrey.
“What’s going on?”
“Your hair’s a mess,” Audrey murmured, smoothing it back.
Lena chuckled and redid her ponytail. She then leaned over the armrest, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at Audrey..“So? What did you want to
talk about?”
Audrey noticed the fine sheen of sweat on Lena’s forehead and asked Sylvie to bring her some water.
“That place you followed Clayton to last time… Is it being demolished?”
Lena took a sip and thought for a moment. “I think so.”
She had gone at night, and visibility was poor. Some residents had deliberately scraped the demolition notices off the walls, making them easy to miss.
Still, a few units had already taken compensation and never returned to clean up. The signs were there, just faint enough to escape notice unless someone was looking closely.
“He contacted you again?”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Audrey said with a soft laugh. “But I do have a job for you. It’s a little disgusting, though. Think you can handle it?”
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