*****
"Is—Is this where my parents live now?" Xavier, gaping with eyes wide and jaw dropped with disbelief abruptly mumbled to himself. Following which he trembled all over, acting as though a jolt of electricity had suddenly coursed through him. He couldn’t believe his eyes, so he had to rub them fiercely before looking again; however, the scene before him remained unchanged. It was still the same half-rundown and dilapidated house that appeared long abandoned. This was Xavier’s childhood home, inherited from his grandparents by his father. Despite its livable condition and slightly aged appearance at that time, Xavier felt that the house no longer suited his parents which was why he moved them into a better apartment after he started earning money. Looking at this same apartment now, apart from appearing abandoned, it was surrounded by tall weeds, something nobody had been to in years. *** After staring in a daze for a long time, Xavier finally shook his head vigorously with a deep sigh. "I refuse to accept that this is where my parents now live," he mumbled to himself, clenching his fists and trying to convince himself of his words. Even though he had been informed that his parents had moved out of the house he rented for them and returned to this place a few years ago, Xavier refused to accept it. "Although she stopped loving and caring for me, she wouldn’t be so heartless to my parents, who always loved her like their own daughter!" he mumbled again, trying to convince himself. After this thought crossed his mind, Xavier calmed down slightly and his fear disappeared, then he entered a deep contemplation, wondering how he would get his parent’s new address. Just as Xavier was about to abandon his pride and return to Jennifer to find where his parent now lives, he heard the loud creak of a door opening and he instinctively looked. The next second, his heart stopped working completely and his jaw dropped with astonishment. “That—that is my mother?” he muttered dumbly, almost choking on his words. If the state of the house had left him thunderstruck, seeing the person weakly dragging an axe with her frail, aged hands made Xavier feel as though his soul was being torn from his body. **** Xavier's mother was known for her dedication to maintaining her appearance, always striving to look youthful for Xavier's father so that he wouldn’t be stolen from her by young-blooded maidens. Xavier even used to playfully tease her about whether she was looking for a young man back then, given how well she usually maintained her figure. Now, however, she is almost unrecognizable to Xavier, looking more like his grandmother. The person dragging the axe out of the dilapidated and half-ruined house is an elderly woman with completely grey hair and deeply wrinkled skin. She no longer seemed healthy; instead, she appeared so weak, looking as if she might collapse at any moment. Her dress, though neat, looks heavily worn, and her sandals are tattered at the soles, a sigh that Xavier couldn’t believe no matter what. He continued gaping and before he knew it, two drops of tears rolled down his cheek as the woman finally got near him and he saw her full appearance. At the same time, the frail woman, who was going to chop some wood for her husband’s breakfast, noticed Xavier standing before her and she weakly raised her head, forcefully squinting her eyes to look at him. “Plea—please make way for—for me,” she said weakly, her voice so unfamiliar to Xavier’s ears. Xavier had always believed he was mentally strong, especially after what he experienced the previous day following his return from prison. Now, however, he realized how terribly wrong he was. Tears began to stream down his eyes before he even realized it and after what felt like an eternity of effort, he finally managed to open his heavy mouth. "Mo—mother," he choked out, his voice barely audible and cracking with emotion. Meanwhile, as Laura, who had begun to think that the person blocking her path was one of hers and her husband‘s oppressors, heard the word just spoken, her body trembled uncontrollably. It was as though a bolt of lightning had shot through her body as well. How many years has she heard this word last? Five years! Despite her poor vision, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and study the face of the person standing before her with intense focus. Though it had matured considerably, it was still the same familiar face that had appeared in her dreams every day for the past five years—the face she had thought she might never see again before she died, and the face she had always enjoyed seeing in her dreams, often not wanting to wake up because she knew it would disappear as soon as she did. Laura’s eyes reddened rapidly, and then she shivered hysterically. “So—son?” She carefully inquired with a raspy voice, hoping she wasn’t just daydreaming again. Xavier, seeing his mother like this, also trembled all over, and the tears gushing out of his eyes increased significantly. “It’s me, mother! It’s your son, Xavier. I’ve—I’ve been released!” Xavier finally lost it and wept. “My son?” Laura mumbled to herself in a daze. Although she desperately wished it was true, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was dreaming upon hearing the familiar voice confirm it. She stared blankly at Xavier for a moment before eventually, the axe she was dragging fell from her hand; however, she did not notice. She dragged her legs forward and approached Xavier, then after what felt like an eternity of hesitation and fear that it might not be real, she carefully raised her aged hand and touched the face she had been missing and yearning for over the past five years. The moment she felt the warmth of the body—something she had never experienced when trying to touch it in her dreams—Laura felt overwhelmed and suffocated. “You—you are really my son?” She inquired in a daze, and Xavier, whose tears had now turned into a dam, nodded his head repeatedly. “In flesh and blood, mother!” He responded and this was the last straw that finally broke Laura’s camel’s back. “My son is back!” She mumbled to herself in a stupor. “My—my son is back!” she finally cried out before suddenly slumping down, almost fainting from excessive excitement. Xavier, seeing her falling quickly rushed over and held her tight, not allowing her to fall, but Laura did notice. “Thank you, gods! Thank you for making me see my son at last!” “I’ve—I’ve lost all hope, I really have!” “Thank you!” She mumbled hysterically while sobbing, seeming to have lost her senses. Eventually, she looked back at Xavier, who was watching her with tear-filled, blurry eyes and without even the slightest trace of hesitation, jumped into him and hugged him tightly against herself, acting as though she was going to enter his body.Latest Chapter
Chapter 1288 – “Cat Got Your Tongues?”
*****“Which modafucker drove that van anyway?!” a pot-bellied man exploded, his voice so loud it practically slapped the air itself.Thick veins bulged aggressively along his neck as if they were also offended on his behalf. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! I still have some debts to pay, you bastard!”His glare shot toward the black van like a loaded weapon, and that was all it took.It was as if he had pressed a hidden “release chaos” button.“Is it a fucking toddler driving that thing?!” someone barked from the crowd, his voice laced with disbelief and leftover fear.“Did you want to kill someone today, or is this your daily hobby?!” another yelled, still clutching his chest like his soul had almost checked out early.“Fuck it! I thought only emergency vehicles and authorized cars were allowed here?! Who let this coffin-on-wheels in?!” a third added, waving his hands dramatically like he was filing a complaint to whoever cares to listen.The noise surged, rising
Chapter 1287 – The Car Dealership
*****At the same time, inside a car dealership.It was already approaching evening… around five, and yet the place remained lively, buzzing with activity as though the day had only just begun.Customers still flowed in and out steadily.Employees still moved with practiced efficiency, greeting each visitor with polished smiles that could probably sell ice to a snowman.Deals were still being negotiated, voices rising and falling in calculated persuasion.Somewhere deeper inside, engines were still being revved and admired.Everything remained smooth, orderly, and predictable as ever.This was the same dealership Xavier had visited a few hours earlier… the one that had delayed him endlessly, force-feeding him cup after cup of coffee until he was dangerously close to staging a caffeine-fueled rebellion.[Reference: Chapter 1202]The receptionist… the very woman responsible for his earlier suffering, had returned to her usual self.Gone was the strange behavior from before, a
Chapter 1286 - “You Can All Open Your Eyes Now”
*****This time, Xavier stopped right in front of the Flight Blue Lincoln Navigator, its polished surface gleaming under the soft evening light like a perfectly wrapped secret waiting to be unveiled.“Please don’t open your eyes until I say so,” he said, his tone brimming with barely contained excitement.At that moment, he didn’t look like the same composed, unreadable man from earlier.No… he looked like an overgrown child on Christmas morning, clutching the biggest present in the room and absolutely refusing to let anyone peek before the grand reveal.If anything, his energy was so infectious that even the air around him seemed to buzz.With that, Xavier turned around for the third time, moving with careful precision.Together with Little Lola… who was now fully committed to her role as Assistant of Suspense, they guided Susan and Williams forward.“Careful, careful,” Little Lola whispered loudly, giggling, which again defeated the entire purpose of whispering. “Big surpris
Chapter 1285 – “No Sneaking Peaks”
*****The three women and Little Lola moved first, sticking close behind Xavier, their steps quick, and their eyes already gleaming with anticipation.Little Lola, in particular, looked like she might burst at any moment, her tiny fists clenched in excitement as she bounced along.Behind them, David and Williams followed at a more measured pace, appearing utterly calm… but their eyes betrayed them.Before long, they reached the exit, and just as they were about to step out…Xavier stopped, then turned.“Please, everyone… kindly close your eyes,” he said politely, though the mysterious glint in his gaze and smug grin on his lips had intensified to an almost suspicious degree.“This…”Brows furrowed instantly.‘Close our eyes?’‘What kind of gift needs blindness to work?’‘Is this still a gift or a plot twist?’Their curiosity skyrocketed, colliding violently with mild suspicion. But in the end…They complied.One after the other, their eyes closed, all of them choosing to
Chapter 1284 – ‘I’m Absolutely Enjoying This’
*****Grace froze for a split second, dumbfounded. Then she quietly shut her mouth again, swallowing the rest of her words before they could make things worse.Meanwhile, Xavier didn’t think twice about it.To him, her concern was exactly what it sounded like… concern and nothing more.“Oh, before I forget,” he said suddenly, his tone shifting as he smoothly changed the subject, as though the previous exchange had never happened.Grace blinked, instantly refocusing on him.“I have a gift for you,” Xavier added casually, though the slight gleam in his eyes betrayed a hint of excitement.“Huh?”Grace’s lips parted slightly, her expression blank for a moment as she processed his words.“You… have a gift for me?” she repeated, almost as if confirming she hadn’t misheard.Xavier nodded immediately, his eyes lighting up in a way that was both boyish and suspiciously mischievous.Grace hesitated for exactly half a second before giving in.“…What’s the gift?” she asked, curiosity
Chapter 1283 – ‘That Explanation… Works?’
*****His mother was still seated comfortably, listening to his mother-in-law ramble on in animated celebration, her face glowing with excitement as though she had personally conquered the world.His father, on the other hand, stood firmly beside his father-in-law, nodding along with supportive enthusiasm, occasionally adding a word or two that only seemed to fuel the already unstoppable momentum.The entire scene was lively, noisy, and overflowing with joy.Little Lola had already returned to her corner, completely absorbed in her Labubu toys, humming softly to herself as though nothing else in the world mattered.Not one of them looked up, reacted, or even noticed that Xavier had left… or returned.Xavier paused slightly at this, glancing around with a faint, wry smile creeping onto his face.“…Wow,” he muttered internally. “So this is my position in the family.”For a brief second, he actually looked like he might file a complaint.Then he shook his head lightly, amused mo
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