However, upon entering, Heidi Cooper noticed Maria Long, Stephen Cooper, and Fiona Cooper sitting at the dining table, staring at each other. The atmosphere felt a bit off.
"Um, what's going on? Why isn't anyone talking? Where's brother-in-law?" Heidi sat down cautiously, sensing the unusual atmosphere.
"What brother-in-law are you talking about?" Maria Long asked with a displeased expression.
"What? Joseph Wilson, my brother-in-law," Heidi was momentarily confused.
"He's not your brother-in-law anymore," Maria Long said with disdain.
"What? How is he not my brother-in-law anymore?" Heidi was completely baffled.
"I divorced him. He's already left," Fiona said coldly.
"What? Divorced?"
"Sis, are you crazy? Why did you drive him away? What did he do to offend you?" Heidi was perplexed.
"He and I are from two different worlds. I, Fiona Cooper, look down on men like him," Fiona said with indifference.
"No, I don't know how he falls short. He's always been diligent, honest, and humble."
"You don't want to marry that Charles Martin, do you? Sis, you've gone mad. Charles Martin is not a good person," Heidi said, utterly bewildered.
"I never said I wanted to marry anyone. Eat your food," Fiona said emotionlessly, poking at her rice bowl.
"Calling him brother-in-law all day long, what's so good about that loser? Eat your food. Do you need to manage your sister's affairs? Why do you care so much about that Joseph?" Maria Long said irritably.
"Enough, let's all eat. Stop discussing that outsider," Stephen Cooper finally spoke.
"You..." Heidi was momentarily speechless.
"Enough, stop talking. Just eat!" Maria Long gave Heidi a turkey leg, trying to shut her up.
Heidi had nothing to say. She instinctively took a bite, but as soon as the food entered her mouth, she spat it out with a disgusted expression.
"Pfft... Pfft! What the hell is this? Why is the food so awful today? What's going on?" Heidi looked miserable.
"Awful? How is it awful? Your mom was busy today, so your dad cooked. Just make do with it!" Maria Long glared at Heidi.
"Mom, you have no self-awareness about your culinary skills. Your cooking is even worse than Dad's. I'm not eating. This life is unbearable. I'll go eat instant noodles by myself." Heidi stood up and returned to her room in a huff.
"Hey, you..." Maria Long was helpless seeing this.
"Is it really that bad?" Maria Long couldn't quite believe it.
"It's a bit unpleasant," Fiona had already eaten some. Although it was bearable, the food couldn't compare to what Joseph cooked.
Maria Long also tasted a bite.
"Pfft, pfft..." As soon as the food entered her mouth, she spat it out.
Stephen Cooper watched this scene with an innocent expression. His cooking skills were poor, but Maria Long's were even worse. Fiona took after her mother, with a similar level of skill.
"Stephen Cooper, what are you doing? You can't even cook a few dishes properly. Is salt free?" Maria Long exploded in anger.
"You've all gotten used to that loser's cooking. Besides, as a grown man, I can't spend all day studying how to cook, right?" Stephen Cooper said, a bit exasperated.
"I'm full. I'll go back to my room first," Fiona stood up and left for her room.
Maria Long and Stephen Cooper sat at the table, both in a bad mood.
"We can't go without eating in the future. Let's hire a housekeeper," after a long while, Maria Long finally spoke.
"That's the only way," Stephen Cooper also had a sullen expression, looking at the table full of dishes, feeling quite helpless.
Heidi returned to her room, still full of resentment.
"What's the big deal? Who does she think she is? She really considers herself a goddess? You're so high and mighty, you're so great, no man in this world is worthy of you," Heidi tossed her things on the bed, grumbling incessantly.
After taking off her outer clothes, she lay directly on the bed and took out her phone. She found Joseph's phone number and called him right away.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later," the voice prompt indicating the phone was off came from the other end.
"What's going on? Why is it switched off?" Heidi tried calling several more times, but the message remained the same.
Left with no choice, she could only send messages.
"Brother-in-law, where did you go? Why is your phone switched off?"
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong? Are you okay? Reply to me when you see the message!"
"Brother-in-law, you're not thinking of doing something stupid like committing suicide, are you? Don't do anything foolish. If you need any help, just tell me..."
"Brother-in-law, can you at least reply? You're making me really worried about you..."
"Brother-in-law?"
"..."
Heidi sent many messages in a row. She lost count of how many she had sent.
Previously, Joseph's phone was always accessible 24/7, and he would reply to messages instantly. He never disappeared like this and was basically available whenever needed, always responding to everything.
After sending numerous messages, she finally stopped.
Perhaps brother-in-law was heartbroken and didn't want to see anyone from the Cooper family anymore. It made sense. All these years, this family had always treated him as an outsider.
Thinking this way, Heidi stood up, took her cup, and went out to get some water.
"Joseph Wilson? Joseph Wilson? Get me a glass of water. Also, I'm going to wash my feet. Prepare the foot bath water for me," at this moment, Fiona's voice came from her room. Hearing these words, Heidi was a bit exasperated.
"Joseph, are you deaf or dead? Can't you hear me talking?" When there was no response, Fiona stormed out of the room.
"Sis, are you crazy? What Joseph? Didn't you drive Joseph away?"
"From now on, get your own foot bath water. Or see if Charles Martin, whom you'll marry in the future, is willing to get foot bath water for you," Heidi shook her head and sighed.
Hearing these words, Fiona remembered that Joseph had left and felt awkward.
"I... forgot," Fiona opened her mouth, but in the end, only uttered this sentence.
"He's a man, after all. Don't keep ordering him around. People have dignity. Serving you all day and getting scolded. He must feel liberated now. You're on your own!" Heidi took a sip of water and slowly walked back to her room.
Hearing Heidi's words, Fiona rubbed her forehead.
"Am I going crazy? Joseph is gone. Why am I calling for him? What an exhausting day," Fiona sighed, shook her head, and also returned to her room.
Back in the room, Fiona sat down and wearily slumped over the table.
A few minutes later, she took out her phone and stared at it, lost in thought.
"Did I... go too far?" After a long while, Fiona murmured this sentence.
Latest Chapter
Chapter 886
“Of course we kill them.”“These assassins are vicious. The last time they slipped into Nova City, quite a few civilians lost their lives.”“The bastards are madmen—madmen with terrifying strength.”“The surest way to keep Nova City stable and prevent any leaks is to send every last one of those sons of bitches straight to hell.”Old Ortiz spoke with righteous fury.“Old Ortiz is right.”“Our strength alone is nowhere near enough.”“It wasn’t enough last time, and it certainly won’t be enough now.”“This time, our mission remains the same—to coordinate with the Nova City police.”“But there’s a difference. We’ll also need to work alongside another group.”“Only with all three parties acting in concert can Nova City survive this crisis.”“As for who this other group is—I don’t need to spell it out. You already know.”Clarence Bennett spoke pointedly.“Working with another group isn’t the issue.”“The issue is, old Bennett, how can you be sure they’ll act?”“We can’t base our battle pla
Chapter 885
“As long as the request isn’t unreasonable, I would agree to it.”Joseph replied almost at once.“And marrying you—becoming your woman—would that count as unreasonable?”Heidi pressed.“I can’t generalize. It would depend on the circumstances.”“You know as well as I do that my situation is… complicated. Marriage, at the very least, requires affection. Mutual love matters.”Joseph answered with deliberate caution.“Then what about us? Would you say we’re mutually in love?”Heidi asked bluntly.“What do you think?”He countered.“I like you. Do you like me?”She refused to let him evade.“Can’t you feel the answer yourself?”Joseph replied with another question.“Hmph. You’re deliberately dancing around it, aren’t you? Typical man—cunning as an old fox.”Heidi huffed.“Go get some rest. I’m heading for a shower.”Joseph said.“Oh, I haven’t showered either. I’ll go now.”After a brief exchange of goodnights, the conversation ended.Heidi lay flat on her bed and let out a soft breath.“
Chapter 884
“Then they would marry, of course.”Old Mr. Cooper answered as though it were the most natural conclusion in the world.“And what about the Morgan family? Even if their eldest daughter agreed, would the family itself consent?”Heidi pressed.“It wouldn’t be their place to object. If the Morgan family refused, the Cooper family would step forward.”“Even back then, I accepted the Morgan family’s proposal and allowed their daughter to form an alliance with Joseph.”“You must understand—someone like Joseph does not enter into marriage as a mere union between himself and a woman. His marriage represents the convergence of two powers, the merging of mutual interests.”“Do you see what I’m saying?”Old Mr. Cooper spoke plainly.“So by that logic, my sister married him for the sake of interests. And when you encouraged me and my brother-in-law… that too was for the same reason?”Heidi’s thoughts felt tangled.“You could interpret it that way.”“But your situation is different. You and Joseph
Chapter 883
“No, really. There’s nothing.”Heidi forced an awkward smile.“What could you possibly be hiding from me? Honestly.”Fiona shot her a look of disdain, set down her bag, and poured herself a glass of water.Heidi fidgeted for a moment, rustling about.“Fine, look. This is what I was hiding.”From somewhere behind her back, she produced two small packs of sanitary pads.“It’s that time of the month. You know how it is. Surely you don’t need to inspect these too.”She put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression.“It’s just pads. What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’re a grown woman. Periods are perfectly normal.”Fiona couldn’t help but roll her eyes.“By the way, sis, can I ask you something?”Heidi quickly tucked the items away again.“What is it? Go on.”Fiona sat down.“Back then, if my brother-in-law had found the owner of the other bell… what would have happened?”Heidi asked carefully, her meaning layered beneath the words.“If he had found her, he probably would have granted
Chapter 882
“I think… there was only one?”“It’s been so long, I honestly don’t remember.”“But I’m certain my mom told me they came as a pair!”Lillian Morvek said, her tone uncertain.Heidi fell into deep thought.Which meant that when Lillian was seven and she herself was eight, the other bell had already been lost—and that lost bell had somehow ended up in Joseph’s hands.In other words, she must have met Joseph before she turned eight.More than a decade had passed since then.She had only been a child—whatever she did back then would have been pure instinct.No wonder she couldn’t remember.No wonder the first time Joseph came to her house, she had felt an inexplicable warmth toward him, a strange and undeniable familiarity.Of course.Of course.As the realization settled in, everything became clear.The little girl Joseph had been searching for all these years—was her.It had been her all along.“What’s wrong with you? Why are you staring into space like that?”Lillian asked, puzzled.“T
Chapter 881
“It’s nothing expensive—just a few little trinkets.”Lillian Morvek said this with a bright, playful smile.“Tsk, tsk. Why did you bring him a gift but not me?”Heidi looked thoroughly perplexed.“I did bring you something! The lipstick, remember? It cost me over five hundred!”Lillian gestured emphatically, her face full of mock heartbreak.Her family circumstances were nowhere near as affluent as Heidi’s. When it came to allowance money, she simply couldn’t compare.The Morveks were an ordinary family with a modest business—comfortable, perhaps, but nothing remarkable. Compared to the Cooper family, they were worlds apart. It was precisely for this reason that Maria Long had always looked down on them.“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”Heidi blinked, suddenly remembering.“You really are my favorite cousin.”With that, she threw her arms around Lillian.“Hey—can’t breathe—I'm dying!”Lillian struggled dramatically, and within seconds the two of them were wrestling and laughing like chil
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