Chapter 40

The child was not what Clarence wanted. The Jason family, a large, fat chunk of meat, was in front of him, which was a good thing because he would no longer have the bargaining chip to control him. How could he voluntarily turn down this chance that had been given to him?

"Uncle!" Holding her hand, Joanna reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, Annie. There is always a way to solve a problem." And Dempsey was familiar with Clarence's character.

At this point, getting the Conrad and Jason families married was the most crucial thing to do. Thus, all he could say to him was in a consultative manner: "Clarence, Annie will always be your little sister. You're putting her and the Jason family in a difficult and unpleasant situation if you do this."

"Don't you know very well that I don't have a sister," remarked Clarence indifferently.

Infuriated, Dempsey exclaimed, "What kind of bullshit are you talking about!"

Joanna's words arrived at the perfect moment: "We owe you nothing, Clarence. As the Conrad Group's heir, you have already received what is rightfully yours. All I want now is for Annie to wed into the Jason family with honor. You want to deny my one and only request, but that's not all?"

Clarence didn't modify the way he looked. He said very slowly, "Horace doesn't like her, How is she going to maintain her dignity?"

"Emotions are something that can be gradually developed. Did you not also decline to marry Stella when your father requested you to do so at that time?”

Clarence's face hardened into a mask. He remained silent. Truly, he had no idea what it was about Horace that Stella found endearing. He was with her while they discussed getting married to different women. Did she actually enjoy being mistreated?

"I've apparently come late, are things finished?" a charming, smiling male voice said from the doorway, just as the two sides were at odds and none of them was ready to give in.

Annie voiced her complaint, saying, "Clarence doesn't agree with my marriage."

Phoebe was pushing the wheelchair from behind Justin, who was seated in it. Justin was a little taken aback to hear this.

Then, with a smile that suggested he understood, he said, "Annie, Clarence has good cause to disagree. Here, don't be at odds with him. He had previously expended a lot of energy handling business affairs."

"But lI..."

"Annie, a matter like marriage is only possible if both parties are willing."

Joanna made a little movement with her lips, but she remained silent despite appearing to want to speak.

He said something like, "Justin, you're already not young," which made Dempsey a bit unhappy.

“It's time for you to consider getting married, even though I've never compelled you to do so before."

Justin's friendly smile persisted. He said slowly, "I'm just a cripple with no achievement, who will want to marry me." For a brief while, Dempsey's expression went blank and he remained silent.

Joanna sprang to her feet abruptly and said, "This isn't your fault. Only the one who has deprived you of everything is to blame!"

"Enough!"

"Aren't we discussing Annie's marriage, why do you say that?" Dempsey said, his face horribly contorted.

With a scowl, Joana turned and headed upstairs. Dempsey visited the study as well. Annie pawed the ground. She bolted out, anxious and jittery. People split up in disagreement.

Clarence's demeanor was detached and icy, with a tiny smirk beneath his eyes. Justin called him as he was about to depart, saying, "Clarence, talk to me."

within the garden.

"Don't take what Mom said just now to heart," Justin stated as he trimmed the flowers and plants in front of him while seated in his wheelchair. “You know one, ever since my accident, her emotions have been erratic. She has seen numerous doctors, but it is completely ineffective."

Standing behind him, Clarence spoke a quiet "um." Then, with a mocking chuckle, he asked, "Wasn't what she said true."

"Clarence."

After setting down the scissors, Justin turned his wheelchair and said, "Even after all these years, you still can't move on? You should go on; I've already moved on. Maybe fate is the cause of all of this. If I win, I'm in luck; if I lose, it's fate."

Leaning against the stone railing, Clarence ignited a cigarette and used his lips to bite it. He remained silent. Justin was not like Dempsey and Joanna, who intended to subjugate him and force him to work for them. When they realized that Justin could not be subjugated, they sought to lessen his influence and recruit a replacement. However, Justin had always been quite open-minded because he understood that he could no longer be in that position after becoming crippled. He might even be said to be detached from material achievement and disillusioned with the mortal world.

Justin didn't bring up the subject again. "I hear that you've divorced, is it because you guys have quarrelled?" he asked, shifting the topic.

It's unlikely that Clarence anticipated him saying this. After a moment of mild shock, he asked, "Why do you say so."

"I feel like you like your wife a lot, which shouldn't be because you two don't have a close relationship," Justin grinned. “Clarence, you should coax women more; sometimes you're too haughty."

"Your intuition is off. She doesn't appeal to me. "She refreshed my level of dislike for her at all times," he said, concluding his statement.

Justin shook his head and grinned. He said, "Sometimes, liking someone is when everyone around you finds out it but you're the only one who still doesn't know," as he spun his wheelchair and picked up the scissors once more to begin pruning the flowers and plants in front of him.

Justin had merit in his remarks. A few years passed, Clarence and his wife visited the Conrads' Mansion again, and throughout that night, she was treated like a servant and was constantly rushing in and out. Knowing this, Clarence threw his suit to her, saying, "Take it, don't go anywhere in case I can't find you when I need it."

Had he truly hated her so much, he could have allowed her to be made fun of. However, by giving her the clothing, he was clearly indicating to everyone there that the woman in the clothes was his wife.

"Will you like a woman who fakes a pregnancy and forces you to have a marriage with her?" asked Clarence in a low voice.

"Nobody can set the rules of how will feelings in a love relationship develop."

Phoebe, who had been watching from a distance, pursued Clarence as he departed, saying, "Clarence-"

Clarence stopped walking for a moment. He turned his head and asked, "Anything?" in a nonchalant manner.

She said feeling a bit uneasy in front of him , "Don't you want to talk to me? We haven't seen each other in a long time.”

"No."

Phoebe was completely taken aback by his lack of interest in her. "You don't even want to talk to me in a polite way," she said, looking a little irritated.

Clarence maintained the same face, "I'm free to say yes or no because you asked whether I want to. It's not that I don't want to speak with you politely; it's just that there's no reason to."

Phoebe laughed despite her own feelings. "You really... haven't changed at all."

"If this is what you want to talk to me about, allow me to excuse myself first."

Phoebe called him again and said, "Clarence, I hear you got divorced."

Clarence became a little agitated upon hearing this. Why was he getting asked about his divorce so much? Was this an extremely honorable act? They asked him about this when they contacted him, wanting to know why they wanted everyone to know.

"I actually come back because of you this time," Phoebe continued. “We were in the position where we were about to discuss marriage three years ago. Had it not been for the woman's intervention, we would have..."

"My name is not Horace. I am not under the authority of anyone."