Chapter 182 Sowing Discord
I've been away from Starstream City for over twenty days, and the Chaotic Zone territory has been pretty much divided up.
Some of the small gangs that originally belonged to the Chaotic Zone were kept around, and without exception, they all pledged loyalty to the newly arrived major powers—like branch forces of the four big families, or the Starstream City government.
Outsiders are trying hard to get in, and I've taken the chance to plant some of my people in the Government District and Co-governed District.
We've opened ten more chain pharmacies, and I'm working on setting up a pharmaceutical company. Every day is busy.
Michelle is still missing, but I have a gut feeling I'll see her again soon.
This morning, I was handling paperwork in my office when the internal phone rang. James said, "Bella, there's a lady here to see you. Her name is Tessa Valeri."
I twirled the pen in my hand. The visitor was Lucas's aunt—Donald's brother's wife.
Last time she came with Donald to see Lucas, trying to convince him to apologize to the family, but Lucas threw them out.
After that came the incident where Lucas injured Donald and Holden had a stroke and became paralyzed.
The Valeri family is in bad shape now. They have no capital for business and no one willing to work for them to grab territory. A whole household of old and young, weak and sick, some ill, some disabled.
Over the years, the Valeri family made plenty of enemies in Dawnharbor. With their sudden bankruptcy, many people are itching to get revenge on them!
Left with no choice, the Valeri family moved to Starstream City.
They fear Lucas, yet still hold the delusion that he'll treat them well.
Besides them, part of the Gambino family has also moved to Starstream City. In short, Starstream City is quite lively these days.
I wonder what Tessa wants from me.
After thinking briefly, I said flatly, "Let her in."
Tessa walked through the door wearing simple makeup and a custom-tailored dress in soft colors and a fitted cut.
"Sorry, last time I saw you, my attitude wasn't great," she said right away, apologizing first.
I didn't say I forgave her, just asked her to sit down.
Tessa had shed her former flashy jewelry. Her face no longer wore that sharp, mean look, but instead showed some weariness.
"We've been in Starstream City for a while now, but Lucas hasn't paid any attention to us."
She didn't put on the arrogant elder act like last time. She sighed softly and said, "I know Lucas resents us."
I didn't respond, so she continued on her own. "Lucas had it rough growing up. Donald is his biological father, but treated him like an enemy. His mother wasn't in good health and couldn't handle stress. His home was always cold and empty. During holidays when other kids were playing, he was always alone."
"Though Lucas isn't my child, I did take care of him for eight or nine years. I didn't like you much before—you were just brought home by Lucas as a shield for his arranged marriage. Not just me, most of the family didn't take you seriously." Tessa looked at me, her eyes showing complicated emotions. "I didn't expect you truly cared for him. Too bad Lucas only realized how much you loved him after you divorced. Lucas did a lot of wrong things before. Will you forgive him?"
I lowered my eyes and said calmly, "I don't know."
"Too few people truly care for Lucas. I hope you two can get back together." Tessa sighed a few times, then turned to look around my office.
After scanning the room, she said glumly, "You're wealthier than I imagined. The Valeri family hasn't progressed in all these years. Though Father had sharp vision and wanted to shake off the gang reputation, the family only produced a few masters and PhDs—useless bookworms!"
Tessa complained, "Including my own children, not one has talent for business or politics. Now we don't even have a decent enterprise. The most successful person in the family is Lucas."
Our relationship wasn't nearly close enough for this kind of talk. I didn't know what she was getting at, so I just stayed quiet and listened without agreeing or interrupting.
Tessa wasn't here just to vent. After all that talk, she finally got to the point.
"Originally I still hoped to persuade Lucas, but he injured Donald, Grace, and David, and made my father so angry he fell ill. The family has completely broken with him—there's no room for reconciliation. But I've come to terms with it." Tessa's tone sounded especially sincere. "If it were me, after suffering so many years of grievances, I'd resent them too."
She took a neatly folded document from her handbag, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward me.
"This lists several properties and shares in some small and medium-sized companies. Never mind how much Lucas invested in the family over the years—he deserves a share of the original family assets anyway."
I opened the document and quickly scanned it without reading carefully. "This little?"
Tessa smiled bitterly. "The Valeri family has many members. No matter how big the fortune, when everyone takes a piece, there's not much left. Plus the family is in a tough spot now. Being able to give this much wasn't easy. Please pass this along to Lucas."
"Got it." I closed the document and looked up at her. "Why don't you give it to Lucas yourself?"
"We've been in Starstream City for days, but Lucas acts like he doesn't know. He's clearly determined not to deal with us." Tessa pursed her lips. "Fine, since he hates us and won't see us, why should I keep pestering him? I'm leaving this with you."
I thought for a moment and took the document. "Okay, I'll pass it to him."
Tessa nodded. With nothing more to say, she got up and left.
That evening, I was working late when Lucas came to have dinner with me.
The table was full of food I liked, but maybe due to the changing season, I'd been feeling restless these past couple days and had no appetite.
Lucas suddenly asked, "Aunt Tessa came to see you today?"
His tone was casual. I nodded, put down my utensils, and told him everything from this morning without leaving anything out. Then I took out the asset list and placed it in front of him.
"Here you go. My job is done."
Lucas opened the document and looked through it. His brow furrowed and his lips curved slightly. "Just this?"
"Yes." I nodded. "She said there are many people in the family, not enough assets to go around, and this is all they can give right now."
Lucas suddenly laughed coldly. "They've been taking turns trying to see me lately. I haven't met with any of them—turns out this is what it's about? She sent me emails and voice messages about giving me family assets. But what she mentioned was more than this."
I was battling with the grilled squid on my plate. It took me a few seconds to react. "What do you mean?"
Thinking Lucas might be suspecting me, I felt uncomfortable. My expression turned cold. I put down my fork, not wanting to eat another bite.
Lucas seemed not to notice my mood change. He looked straight at me. "She said that even though you have money now and the Sorelli family backing you, I should still be careful around you. She told me to check everything carefully after getting it."
The anger in my heart flared up instantly. I slammed my hand on the table, and the knife and fork at the edge of the plate rolled. "Are you saying I secretly took some of it? How ridiculous! I wouldn't even bother with this little bit!"
I pulled back my chair and got up to leave. Lucas grabbed me. Seeing my angry face, a cold smile appeared on his lips. "How could I possibly suspect you? She's trying to drive a wedge between us. I'm not falling for that."