Filed to story: I Got Married Without You
Stella’s heavy heart was unable to contain its joy upon hearing this good news. “That’s great!”
Andrey was overjoyed and wanted to rush to the hospital to pick up Mia, but when he saw Stella, he quickly suppressed his excitement. “Let’s go, I’ll accompany you back to Imperial Capital first.”
It was rare for her brother to go this far, but Stella had to be sensible. “Mia just got pregnant and needs company. You should go and be with her. I’ll go find Aunt myself…”
Andrey had already established a family. Now, this family had added a new member. The role Andrey played in Stella’s life was not only her brother, but also her husband and father. He was already busy enough, so she shouldn’t burden him with her own issues.
Furthermore, Andrey had cut ties with the Simpson family, while she had a close connection with them. She could even say that she was raised by the Simpson family. It was normal for her to ask questions. It would be better for Andrey not to get involved in the relationship and situation with the Simpson family to avoid any conflicts.
Andrey’s intention was to go to Imperial Capital with her after he picked up Mia from the hospital, but Stella refused. She was only going to find Aunt and clarify what was going on, not to fight with Karen. Nothing would happen.
Andrey also believed that Stella wouldn’t conflict with her beloved aunt because of Erin’s matter, so he didn’t try to persuade her further. Instead, he assigned a few bodyguards to protect her and instructed Stella to call him if anything happened. Stella agreed with a nod, and then she went to Imperial Capital with the bodyguards.
Meanwhile, Andrey went to the CEO’s office to ask Andrew for an extended leave. Maybe because of Mia’s pregnancy, he was overly happy. When he pushed open the door, he couldn’t contain his smile, even with his hand covering it.
Andrew, who was reviewing documents, raised his cold eyes when he heard Andrey occasionally burst into laughter. He coldly glanced at him and asked, “What’s so funny?”
Andrey, who was waiting for Mr. Evans to ask, quickly moved This hands away from his covered smile and rushed to Andrew’s desk, using both hands to support himself. “Mr. Evans, my wife is pregnant. I’m here to request a few days off…”
Andrew, with eyes as cold as snow, had been staring at Andrey’s hands on his desk. But when he heard what Andrey said, he slowly moved his disdainful gaze away and looked at Andrey’s smiling face….
Seeing that smiling face, Andrew suddenly had the urge to smack him.
Andrew frowned and thought for a moment, figuring out the source…
Andrey got married later than him, yet Andrey’s wife got pregnant first…
He picked up the pen in his hand again and said coldly, “I won’t approve your leave.”
Andrey’s smile immediately froze on his face, “Why?”
His wife was pregnant and his boss won’t approve his leave, that’s too harsh!
Andrew ignored him and continued signing, while Andrey anxiously pleaded, “Mr. Evans, just let me take a leave, even if it’s just for a day…”
Seeing that his boss still didn’t pay attention to him, Andrey immediately let go of the table and turned to walk towards the sofa. “If you don’t agree, then I’ll sit here and protest silently…”
Andrew: …
After giving Andrey a sidelong glance, he opened the drawer and took out a bank card, throwing it directly at Andrey. “Congratulations.”
Andrey was stunned for a moment upon seeing the bank card, then he waved his hand. “Your blessings are enough, I don’t need the money…”
Andrew put down the pen again, extending his slender fingers to take back the card. “Since you don’t want it, then I’ll save it for Zack’s child.”
Upon hearing this, Andrey immediately snatched the bank card back from Andrew. “Then you should give it to me.”
With a thick-skinned smile, Andrey took back the bank card. “Well then, Mr. Evans, I’ll go pick up my wife…”
Without even lifting his head, Andrew nodded slightly. It was only after Andrey left the office that he raised his eyes, sparkling like stars, and smiled at Andrey’s receding figure.
He was probably the first person around him to become a father, and he naturally felt happy for Andrey. He just wondered when his own child would come…
Andrew originally didn’t want children, but seeing Andrey’s joy made him slightly look forward to it. However, the moment The thought about the pain Rosalyn would have to endure, that anticipation instantly vanished. It’s better not to have children, so his wife could suffer less.
Stella quickly arrived at Imperial Capital and returned to the Simpson family. Karen was sitting on the sofa, scolding the servant severely. When she saw Stella coming in, Karen immediately shut up, quickly helped the servant up, and told her not to cry. After instructing her to get back to work, Karen. stood up and smiled at Stella.
She linked arms with Stella and led her towards the living room, explaining what had just happened. “She ruined my dress with the iron. She got scared and kneeled in front of me apologizing. I told her it’s okay, but she was afraid she couldn’t afford to compensate for the dress, so she kept crying. I scolded her on purpose, but I didn’t expect you to come back so soon…’
After Karen gently finished speaking, she waved her hand towards the teary-eyed girl. “Didn’t you see that Stella is back? Stop crying and go back to the kitchen to cook. Remember to prepare more of what she likes to eat…”
The girl looked helpless, glanced at Stella, but didn’t dare say anything. She obediently nodded and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
In the past, Stella wouldn’t have been able to see through this, but now she could see the sadness in the girl’s eyes. It was probably because she knew that Karen’s cousin had paid money to those thugs. Only then could she see that her aunt had two faces.
She also thought about how Erin had scolded Karen many times. for being fake, but because Karen was her aunt, she had never doubted what Karen said or the explanations she gave. If she had thought about it more at the time, would she have been able to discover the erent side of her aunt…
Thinking of this, Stella calmly pushed away Karen’s hand, and without wasting any time, she sat down on the sofa. Then, she directly stated her purpose, “Aunt, I came here to talk about an old matter.” Karen, who was about to sit down on the sofa, stiffened for a moment upon hearing this, but she sat down without showing any signs of it. Then, she smiled and asked, “What old matter?”
Stella took out a stack of documents from her bag and placed them on the glass coffee table. “Why did your cousin Bart give money to those thugs after they were released from prison back then?”
Karen glanced at the documents and felt a twinge in her heart. She hadn’t expected Stella to investigate this after so many years. But she quickly composed herself, pretending not to know anything, reaching out for the documents with a surprised. expression.
“Oh, I don’t know. Why would he give those thugs money?” Karen took the documents, furrowing her brows and flipping through them. Stella sat opposite her, silently observing Karen, trying to detect any hint of emotions on her face. She could sense a hint of anger in Karen’s eyes and eyebrows.
“That bastard Bart, why would he give those bullies money who used to torment you?” After finishing reading the documents, Karen became so angry that she threw them away. Her elegant body trembled, clearly furious.
“If that bastard hadn’t died two years ago, I would definitely bring him here and ask him why he did this.” Indeed, Bart had passed away, making it impossible to confront him. Otherwise, Stella could have simply sought help from Andrey, captured Bart, found evidence, and then confronted Karen. Karen would have had nothing to say. So why bother coming here to extract information from her? Stella stared at the furious Karen and remained silent for a few seconds before saying softly, “Aunt, Bart transferred money to those people after they were released from prison. This proves that he was the one behind it. erwise, he wouldn’t have a reason to give them money.”
Karen’s emotions flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t show it. “Wasn’t Erin the mastermind? He admitted it himself when we interrogated him. How could it be your uncle? Maybe Bart owed those thugs money, so he sent them the money after they were released. You know what desperate people like them are capable of. Perhaps your gambling-addicted uncle was afraid of being hunted down by them, so he gave them the money.”
Karen found a reasonable excuse for Bart, but Stella didn’t believe it. “Aunt, those thugs were associated with Erin. They’re much younger than your uncle. How could your uncle borrow money from them? Besides, your uncle always gambles abroad. How could he dare to have any dealings with these people? And those thugs don’t have much money. Why would your uncle borrow money from them?”
Karen was somewhat speechless under interrogation but refused to admit it. “Stella, I really don’t know much about your uncle’s affairs. He never told me who he associated with, who he gambled with, or how much money he owed. He always just asked me for money… Perhaps your uncle did have contact with Erin’s people in secret. Perhaps Erin bribed your uncle and made him do something to hurt you. You know your uncle had a lot of gambling debts. When I refused to lend him money, he got angry and went to see Erin. It’s possible they conspired together.”
Stella knew it would be very difficult to get the truth about why Bart made the payments from Karen. So she decided to play the emotional card. “Aunt, you should know about Bart’s situation. He relied on you his whole life. If he really was bribed by Erin and did something bad to me, he would have definitely told you. Now that Erin is dead and our grievances have been settled, I won’t argue with you over his actions or blame you for hiding anything. I just want to know the truth.”
Karen calmly looked at Stella and saw the respectful and friendly gaze, just like before, without a hint of hatred. Her heart softened slightly, but she shook her head. “Stella, I really don’t know why your uncle would give money to those thugs.”
After saying that, she let out a long sigh. “Now that Bart is dead, no one knows why he did this. But if you say he was the mastermind, I find it hard to believe. After all, Erin really did admit to sending people back then.”
If Karen now agreed with Stella’s words and said that Bart was the mastermind, Stella would suspect that Karen was somehow involved herself. So Karen decided to push the blame onto Erin. After all, Erin did have such intentions back then, even if it was just to scare Stella. What harm would it do to go along with it?
Karen was determined that Erin had admitted to being the mastermind behind everything. But Stella didn’t hear it firsthand; she was in the hospital at the time and Karen was the one who told her all the news. Because of this, Stella was shocked when she saw Bart giving money to those thugs. But at the same time, Stella wondered why Erin would admit it if she didn’t send them.
Stella wanted to clear up these doubts, but it was clear that Karen wouldn’t tell her. After hesitating for a moment, Stella stood up and walked over to Karen. Just like when they were kids, she squatted down next to Karen and placed her hand on her leg, looking up at her.
“Aunt, I am your beloved niece. I have always treated you like a mother. We both came from a small town, and we should love, help, and trust each other. You know Mike is still young, and his cousins are all eyeing the position of heir. The Simpson family is a corporation, and who knows if one day those cousins will take over. If that happens, Mike’s position as heir will be in danger.”
“Even though I am in Arcadia, I have some influence behind me. If you trust me and tell me the truth, I will definitely help Mike become the heir of the Simpson family in the future.” These words were truly touching and struck a chord deep within Karen’s heart. Before Erin died, Karen feared that Erin would become the heir. Now she had to fear Mike’s cousins for the sake of her own son.
The corporate structure of the Simpson family was truly despicable, as if anyone could interfere. Thomas was the chairman, so why should others have a say in the position of the heir?
Karen was furious inside, but she didn’t show it. She looked into Stella’s innocent eyes and felt that Stella wasn’t trying to deceive her into revealing the truth. But regardless of whether Stella was trying to deceive her or not, Karen couldn’t reveal the truth. On the contrary, she had to stabilize Stella and make her help Mike in the future, using the power of the Evans family as her strong support.
With this in mind, Karen raised her hand and placed it on Stella’s hand, gently patting it. She praised Stella for being sensible, saying, “Stella, I am so grateful to have a niece like you. If you are willing to help Mike, I can’t shortchange you. How about this, when the Simpson family redistributes their shares, I will talk to your uncle and let you join in.”
This way, Stella would have a share, and Mike would have a large portion. When it came time to choose the heir, Mike would definitely be ranked first and no one would be able to surpass him. Mike, who was sitting next to them reading a book, blinked when he heard this. The Simpson family’s shares were already divided, and now if Stella joined in, his share would be even smaller?
