Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Cornell got straight to the point. “Hector, do you know anything about Audrey’s wedding?”
What Cornell wanted to know was whether there were any inside stories.
Cornell was filled with questions. With the wedding approaching, Audrey was still pregnant with his children. What would the Clifford family do about the children in her belly? Would they accept it?
As for the Clifford family, Cornell still looked down on them, despite his current condition.
The outside world said the Clifford family was a prominent clan. But only family members knew about the dark undercurrents within. That was why, instead of staying in Ardlens, they chose to establish a foothold in Aurora. The Clifford family was definitely not as simple as outsiders thought.
Cornell assumed Stefan didn’t appear bad on the surface. But time could change a person. Stefan Loved Audrey now. But would he continue to love her in the future? Could he withstand the pressure from his family? Could he only be devoted to Audrey and not take another wife?
Hector knew what Cornell meant. Actually, when he heard the news about Audrey’s upcoming wedding, he had already called to inquire about the situation. He had some interactions with Audrey back in Ardlens, and he had helped her a lot. So, she was not too averse to his inquiries. After a moment of silence, she told him it was indeed the case.
Now, Hector didn’t know if Cornell could accept this truth. But after thinking about it, he decided to tell the truth. “From what I learned, there is no hidden agenda. Yes, Audrey is marrying Stefan. They’ve known each other for years, and Stefan is not a bad choice.”
Cornell’s eyes darkened. Hector’s influence abroad was broader than his. If Hector’s investigation found no issues, then it was Likely truly without any problems. He realized Audrey’s situation was different from his. His wedding with Katie was part of his schemes.
Audrey, on the other hand, seemingly was to get married on her own will. She really wanted to marry Stefan.
At the thought of this, Cornell suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. His face turned pale for a moment. Then, he returned to his original complexion.
“Well, it’s good that there’s no hidden agenda.” After saying this, Cornell turned his wheelchair around calmly and was about to leave.
“Wait!” Hector called out in a deep voice to stop Cornell.
Cornell’s wheelchair stopped, but he did not turn around. He still had his back to Hector. Even from behind, his posture remained upright, not showing any signs of emotion.
“Cornell, have you rested long enough?” Hector strolled to the sofa, leaned against its back, and said, “I heard from Luis that your rehabilitation training hasn’t been going well. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Whether or not I do rehabilitation training, the result will still be the same.” For the first time in a long time, Cornell had openly shared his thoughts. He didn’t want to undergo rehabilitation training because he felt he was already disabled. The training wouldn’t make much difference.
“That’s nonsense!” Hector scolded sternly.
Cap?tulo 998:
In the past, when Kyler was still around, Hector didn’t appreciate Cornell. That was because he had a preconceived notion that Cornell was no different from Alexis, who was selfish, greedy, and emotionless.
Back then, in the Clement family, Hector’s elder brother was benevolent and gentle toward everyone. Hector, at that time, had no idea that Cornell was his brother’s son since Cornell’s background was kept as a secret by Kyler’s arrangement.
Hector’s frequent absence from home led to him oblivious to Cornell being his elder brother’s biological son while Alexis was merely a father figure.
Hector had witnessed Cornell’s astonishing business acumen at a young age. But Cornell was aloof, only considering the interests of the Clement family. He didn’t care about the survival or demise of small enterprises.
Regarding those small enterprises, reliant on large companies like the Clement Group to survive, their prospects of going bankrupt or suffering losses was not his concern. Even if they came to complain bitterly, he was still indifferent and would only apathetically tell them to find another company.
At that time, Cornell was always focused on profit and success.
Sometimes, he would even resort to underhanded means to achieve his plans. Fortunately, he had not reached the point of harming others.
What he did was just some competitive tactics Hector disapproved of Cornell’s profit-driven, emotionless, and impersonal way of handling business.
Thus, upon coming back home from abroad, Hector had supported Audrey, who desired a divorce back then due to the numerous clashes she had with Cornell. Hector just tried to curb Cornell’s arrogance.
But as time passed, Hector noted Cornell seemed to have changed a lot because of Audrey’s presence. Cornell had formulated humanistic welfare policies for employees that he had previously neglected.
He also paid attention to protecting the interests of the small enterprises relying on the Clement Group and personally developed effective safeguard systems.
After marriage, the charitable causes Cornell engaged in, caring for sick children and the elderly living alone, had increased several folds compared to before.
Cornell was influenced by Audrey’s golden heart and kind deeds. His cold heart was subtly moved. And this had prompted him to make some changes.
Later, Hector learned Cornell’s coldness was largely due to the emotional abuse he had suffered from Alexis in his childhood.
For almost three decades, Cornell had always regarded Alexis as his father. But growing up with Alexis, he had never experienced a father’s love.
None had expected Alexis had ulterior motives all the while, wanting to corrupt Cornell’s mind from a young age. Unfortunately, Cornell’s decency thwarted Alexis’ control.
Although Cornell was aloof, he would not commit crimes or harm others.
He didn’t succumb to Alexis’ influence.
Actually, after learning the truth, Hector felt that Cornell was the real him after he married Audrey. The kindness in his nature, the core of his elder brother’s child, had never truly left, only buried and hidden in the past.
Now that Kyler had passed away, Hector was the elder of the Clement family. Naturally, he was responsible for protecting the helmsman of the Clement family.
“Cornell…” Hector looked at Cornell and said solemnly, “The Clement Group is yours. I am just temporarily guarding it for you. You can be in low spirits now. But you can’t go on like this forever.”
Cornell remained calm and expressionless.
Hector became angry. But he persuaded earnestly, “In this world, people are born, get sick, and die every minute. Losing a leg doesn’t mean a person can no longer live. Look around you. Some people don’t have limbs but can still live well. What about you? You still have both Legs. It’s just that one of them is injured. As long as you do rehabilitation training seriously, you will recover like normal people do. It’s just a matter of time.”
“It’s not about the leg,” Cornell suddenly said. Those words served as an explanation to Hector.
The inability to walk would definitely cause Cornell inconvenience.
But to make him feel inferior? It was very unlikely to happen.
After being in the business world for many years, Cornell had seen all kinds of people and things. He had many employees who filed sick leaves due to illnesses. There were also disabled people who had succeeded in their own businesses.
Cap?tulo 999:
Therefore, Cornell did not let his leg injury affect his state of mind.
Hector stood with his hands behind his back. He knew something about Cornell’s problems. He thought for a while and said, “I have already instructed my assistant to book the earliest flight to Aurora. However, a traffic restriction has been implemented due to the drill issues. We have to wait for their advice. If you have questions about Audrey’s upcoming wedding, you can ask her in person. Get things clear with her instead of lying half-dead in the hospital. That’s not how the men in our Clement family do things.”
Hector spoke it all in one breath. He didn’t even give Cornell a chance to hesitate or consider. He had made his decision and swiftly announced, “I can help you guard the Clement Group for another three months at most. It’s just in time because Audrey is giving birth in three months. During this time, you must focus on your rehabilitation and think about whether you want to be present when your child is born. After Audrey gives birth, you should be comforted by then. Because after three months, I’ll wash my hands of this and focus on my affairs. When the time comes that no one will take charge of the Clement Group, don’t look for me.”
As soon as Hector finished his statement, his assistant entered and reminded him that his presence was needed in the meeting.
When Hector was about to walk out the door, he paused and added, “Cornell, sometimes we need to learn how to coexist. Even if Audrey is really married, no one can change the fact that the child in her belly is yours. So, you still have to shoulder the responsibility. Learn how to be a responsible father.”
After saying that, Hector didn’t bother to consider what Cornell would think about his words. Anyway, he had said his pieces.
Hector grasped he wasn’t the perfect father in the world. After all, he didn’t have his own children and only raised Bryce. But he believed that what mattered was for a man to accept and acknowledge the role of a father.
It didn’t matter what approach a man used to guide his child’s growth. As long as he was sincere in doing it, he would be qualified for the role of a father.
Hector continued, “Bryce will attend Audrey’s wedding on my behalf. Take him with you and take care of him, Although Aurora has an agreement with Ardlens that they will ensure the safety of our people entering their country, they do not know about Lorenzo’s situation, which is related to you. If they find out, it may be a different story. So, you should be extra careful when you go there. Remember not to reveal your identity. Actually, as long as Lorenzo’s father doesn’t find out, everything will be fine. After all, everyone in his family is celebrating Lorenzo’s death.”
Lorenzo didn’t have a good relationship with the members of the Maxwell family, so only his father treated him as a treasure. But for other people? They wished he would die early and be done with it.
Once his father passed away, nobody would bring up Lorenzo’s matter again.
“I didn’t say I’m going,” Cornelll replied coldly. Audrey was getting married. What would he do there? Stop the wedding and steal the bride? He had pushed her away before. If he wanted to destroy her happiness by attending her wedding, he could do it effortlessly. But he didn’t want to do such a thing.
“Should you go and get to the bottom of it, or should you leave with regret?” The corners of Hector’s lips curled up. “No one else can make decisions for you. It’s up to you.”
Cornell returned to his ward.
He was a determined man and would not change his mind just because of a few words from others. If he wanted to see Audrey, he would find a way to go to her when he first woke up, even if he had to lie on a stretcher.
But the fact that he didn’t find her only showed he respected her decision. Her leaving suggested she didn’t want to have any connections with him. Though reluctantly, he knew he shouldn’t bother her anymore.
Most importantly, Cornell didn’t find any evidence that Audrey still had feelings for him.
On the day Cornell was shot, he had severe injuries and a high fever.
At that time, his memories of his last moments with Audrey became very blurry. All he could remember was that he took the bullet for her.
However, Audrey chose to leave on the day of his surgery. To Cornell, it was her way of indirectly telling him her decision.
Luis and Hector thought his injured leg made him feel inferior and refuse to see Audrey. But actually, no difficulty could defeat him as long as there was love.
Conversely, the two words ‘no love’ could easily bring him down.
Emotionally, Cornell was never that strong. And he chose not to attend her wedding simply because he understood his paranoid personality. He couldn’t even keep calm even when he hadn’t seen her since waking up. So, he must have been worse when he finally met her.
What could happen if she appeared in front of him? He didn’t know what uncontrollable things he might do.
The next day, the male nurse came to Cornell’s ward at noon. He gave Cornell an intravenous infusion.
Cap?tulo 1000:
When the nurse was about to leave, he noticed the leftover fruits next to Cornell’s fruit tray. He knew Cornell didn’t eat fruits that weren’t fresh, so he asked permission from Cornell and took the fruits to the cleaning lady on the floor. This had been the male nurse’s routine for many days.
It wasn’t because Cornell thought he was too precious, but because Cornell simply didn’t like the fruits. Besides, the VIP ward had fresh fruits delivered every day. So, instead of waiting for the fruits to rot before throwing them away, the male nurse thought of giving them to someone who enjoyed eating them while they were still fresh.
Shortly after the male nurse left, he returned to Cornell’s ward.
This time, the cleaning lady was with him.