Chapter 219 Shameless Bentley
Sawyer quickly helped them into the car. “Mrs. Sanders, let me get you inside first.”
After they left the gated community, Sawyer asked, “Mrs. Sanders, did you come to me because you’re in trouble?”
Hearing his question, Caroline’s eyes immediately reddened. “Sawyer… you have no idea. Our family has completely fallen apart, and I don’t know whatto do. I had no choice but to ask for your help. Please… help us.”
"Mrs. Sanders, tell me what you need," Sawyer said without hesitation. “If there’s anything I can do, I will. Even though Cassie and I didn’t end uptogether, I’ve always thought of her as a sister. Whatever troubles you have, I’ll share them with you.”
"Oh, Cassie was so lucky to meet someone as loyal as you. ,” Caroline said, wiping her tears. “It’s such a shame… You know, Cassie’s father was arrested for stabbing someone at the hospital, and then Cassie got arrested too. I spent every day trying to save them both, but I couldn’t fix everything. Meanwhile, I completely neglected Bentley’s studies.He’s supposed to take his college entrance exams next year, and his grades are terrible. This can’t go on. He’s Cassie’s only brother and my only hope. I don’t know how, but I hope you can help us.”
Bentley spoke earnestly, “Sawyer, if you give me a chance, I’ll work hard.”
Sawyer thought for a moment. “Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll reach out to some top tutors and see if Bentley can join their classes. You’ll get extra help to raise your grades.I can’t promise I’ll find someone right away, but if I can’t, I’ll arrange a one-on-one tutor for you instead.”
Both Caroline and Bentley froze, clearly taken aback by Sawyer’s response. Caroline let out an awkward laugh. “Honestly… Bentley’s never been much of a student.It might be a waste of time and money to focus on his grades. Why not just help him find a job so he can support himself?”
Bentley nodded eagerly. “Yeah, the pay should be enough to support my mom and me. A light workload would be best—her health isn’t great,so I’ll need to spend a lot of time caring for her. Ideally, it would come with housing and a car. That would make it much easier to manage things while taking care of her.”
Sawyer stared at them in disbelief, while Caroline and Bentley watched him expectantly.
Although their demands seemed absurd, Sawyer said, for Cassie’s sake, “All right. I’ll keep an eye out for suitable positions.”
If he couldn’t find a suitable position, Sawyer had already decided: he would place Bentley in a Tucker family company. The salary wouldn’t be highwithout education or skills, but that didn’t matter—he could cover the difference himself. He’d take care of the house and car, too.
These were Cassie's only remaining family, and he had to take care of them. After all, how could he honor the love she had for him if he didn’t?
Caroline and Bentley relaxed at Sawyer’s words. “Mrs. Sanders, where are you living now? I’ll drive you home,” he said.
Caroline shifted uncomfortably. “We’re living in the shantytown at the edge of town.”
Sawyer knew the area and was shocked. “How are you living there? That place is unsafe and run-down.”
Caroline smiled bitterly. “We had no choice. We sold our house trying to save Cassie, and I barely have any savings left. In the end, it was all for nothing otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to you for help.”
"You can't live in a shantytown,” Sawyer said without hesitation. “I have a small place nearby where you two can stay.”
Caroline asked nervously, “How much is the rent?”
Her question only reinforced Sawyer’s certainty that he was helping the right people, and he smiled. “Rent? What rent? You’re Cassie’s family, which makes you my family too. Just move inI have plenty of properties.”
Caroline thanked him profusely.
They soon arrived at Sawyer’s modest apartment. Caroline and Bentley thanked him profusely before taking the keys and heading upstairs.
Sawyer pulled out his phone and began reaching out to management, determined to find Bentley a suitable position as quickly as possible.
When they reached the unit upstairs, Bentley’s face fell as he opened the door.
"Seriously? He brags so much and then gives us this tiny place? Isn’t he supposed to be some rich kid? He’s really handing us a dump like this?”
Caroline glared at him. "Shut your mouth! You’ve got too big an attitude. Do you even realize how expensive this place is? This unit alone is worth nearlyten million! You should be grateful we get to live here!”
Bentley scoffed. “Whatever. Got any money?” Caroline stared at him. “Why do you need money again? Didn’t I just give you two thousand yesterday?”
"I need to top up my game account," Bentley said casually. "I've been carrying two girls in the game—they’re calling me ‘big bro’ now. I can’t skip giving them their welcome gifts.”
"You're out of control!” Caroline kicked off her shoe in anger and started hitting him with it. “You think someone’s still backing you without limits? Your sister’s gone!The money she left is all we have, and it won’t last if you keep wasting it like this. No more of that ridiculous game.When Sawyer finds you a job, you’re going to work, do you hear me?”
Bentley shrugged, bored. "Mom, Sawyer's so stingy. We asked for all sorts of things today, and I thought for sure he’d at least give us something a cardor a gift. But all he gave us was this place to live. What if the job he finds me is terrible?”
Caroline shook her head. "It won't. He's devoted to your sister, and for her sake alone, he’ll take good care of you.”
Bentley sprawled on the wide European-style sofa, his voice bitter. “Once I get into the Tucker family company, I’m going to find Daniel and show himI don’t need to study hard to land a big corporate job. Let’s see how smug he looks then!”
He'd been bitter at Daniel for ages—how Daniel had risen to the top of the school and become the teachers’ favorite while he had been forced to drop out.
Just the thought of Daniel’s smug face made him furious, and he wished he could do something to him right now.
Caroline didn't stop him . In her eyes, Bentley could do no wrong; if he had conflicts with others, it was always the other person’s fault.
---
At the Watson Villa, the table was laden with sumptuous dishes. Anthony and Rachel faced each other across the table, while Jennifer presided at the head.
She clutched her soup spoon and asked Anthony, “Still no word from your father?”
Anthony let out a hum of acknowledgment, sipping his soup before saying, “He hasn’t come back in all these years. Why bother with him? Isn’t it better if we just live our own lives?”
Jennifer's knuckles whitened as she laughed coldly. “For that little homewrecker, he abandoned his family for years. He never cared how the three of us got by.Heartless bastard! Now that you’re all grown up, I even asked him to come back for New Year’s Eve dinner and he won’t. He’s scum!”
Anthony had always felt afraid whenever his mother said such things. Every time he heard them, a pang of guilt washed over him, as if her suffering were somehow his fault.
But now perhaps with age he no longer felt afraid. Hearing it, he even found it somewhat ridiculous.
It was true that his father had left home years ago and never reached out to them. Yet he had left the entire Watson Group to them, without taking a single cent for himself.
Honestly, if his mother couldn’t keep his father around, that was her failurenot his. What did any of it have to do with him?
Jennifer could only brood over her resentment in private, once a year. She had no way of finding him what could she do about it?
Looking around, she saw Anthony sipping his soup indifferently while Rachel busied herself texting on her phone. Helplessness washed over her.
The thought of Bruce made her sigh deeply once more.
"Anthony,” Jennifer said, turning to him, “a few days ago, someone introduced me to a young woman from a good family though not as prominent as ours. A fortune teller even predicted she could bear sons. Would you like to meet her?”
Her question struck a nerve. Anthony slammed his spoon down, his face hardening. “Mom, stay out of my business.”
In the past, Jennifer would have wagged her finger and lectured him on filial duty. But now, staring into those cold eyes, she dared not.
"I'm just worried about you being alone. I wanted to find you someone kind," she said.
Jennifer sighed. "At the very least, you'd have someone to care for you and manage the household. You’re not getting any younger you need to think about heirs. Families like ours aren’t ordinary;you must choose a successor. And right now, you don’t even have a child. How could you possibly choose?”
Anthony’s expression darkened. “Tell them I’m not interested.”
Jennifer's felt her heart sink at his expression. “You’re not still hung up on Arabella, are you, Anthony? Don’t be foolish. Forget about whether she’s worthy of you. Alexander alone is someone we cannot afford to provoke. I know it’s hard to accept, but there’s nothing we can do. We have to face reality.”
Anthony rose to his feet and strode toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Jennifer called out to him. “You’re not going to eat? It’s New Year’s Eve!”
Anthony walked away without glancing back. Jennifer banged her hand on the table in frustration. “One after another… none of you gives me a moment’s peace!”
Rachel got up and wiped the table for her mother. “Mom, why dwell on unhappy things? If he doesn’t want to eat, let it go. Look at this bag it’s gorgeous. It just came out, and a friend had it ordered for me.”
Jennifer glared at her. "All you ever think about are bags! And you still haven’t found a suitable match, even in your mid-twenties. What use are you?”
Rachel bristled , her voice sharp with indignation. “What do you mean I can’t find a match? If our family hadn’t been eclipsed by the Reeves family, wouldI have ended up like this? You’re always blaming me. When the Green family broke off the engagement, why didn’t you help me then?”
“Didn’t help you?” Jennifer was at her wit’s end. “You couldn’t hold onto him that’s the real problem! The Green family made their stance clear. What else was I supposed to do?”
“In the end, you and your brother are both worthless!” Jennifer spat the words and turned, storming upstairs.
Rachel felt tears well up. It always ended like this—no matter what, everything was her fault.
---
At the same time, Anthony left the villa and drove directly to Arabella’s neighborhood.