Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Because of Greg, the Fraser Family was completely wiped off the surface of Harrion. Since the people from the prominent families were all elites, they took the initiative to cut off all cooperative ties with the Fraser Family after they learned about the grievances between Greg and Victoria. To make matters worse, even the bank began to urge the Fraser Family to repay their loans. In the blink of an eye, everyone started going against the Fraser Family, and things no longer favored them.
As to why the situation turned out this way, it was all thanks to Jonathan's ill-behavior. He took advantage of the fact that he was related to the Buckley Family, and he hadn't been very genuine when dealing with others. As a result, such behavior of his had long infuriated others. For that reason, his downfall took place like a greased lightning.
Surely, this matter was also made known to Valerie. Despite currently being far away from Harrion, she still heard and knew about it somehow.
When Valerie learned about the matter, she was shocked. The news left her devastated, as it never occurred to her that her most trusted adoptive daughter would treat her beloved son in such a way.
At that moment, past memories began flooding her mind. She remembered how she didn't have time to take care of Greg because of her work back then. Then, she remembered Greg's age at the time the incident took place. After that, she remembered there was a period of time where he became gloomy and quiet. So this was why he instantly lost all his spirits and strength at that time. Not only that, he even cooped himself up for a short while. As these thoughts circulated inside her mind, Valerie wished to slap herself badly.
Never once did I imagine that Victoria would take Greg to that kind of place at that time!
Will I still be able to see Greg alive now if it hadn't been for his strong ability to withstand pressure?
At once, Valerie snapped back as she didn't dare to think further. The mere thought of the possibility made her feel a chill running down her spine. Feeling the lingering fear within her, she sat dumbfoundedly on her spot and couldn't bring herself to get up for a long while.
Naturally, Lisa knew Valerie's present mood. Truth be told, she was also very surprised when she first heard about the matter. Like Valerie, she didn't expect the gentle and quiet Victoria to be so malicious.
Then, she remembered that Greg had passed the age where he needed his mother the most. An uncomfortable feeling struck her as she could feel the powerlessness Valerie felt as a mother.
Thus, she suggested. "Old Madam Buckley, why don't you give Mr. Buckley a call?
It was only then did Valerie seem to have some reaction. Looking at the housekeeper in front of her, she suddenly burst into tears.
"Tell me, what kind of a mother do you think I am? I don't even know anything about what happened to my son, and I still love an adoptive daughter like Victoria as if she's my baby. On top of that, I even wronged Greg several times for her sake! Does a person's wickedness really come from their core? How old was she at that time? How dare she do that to Greg?!"
Enraged, Valerie was trembling all over as she spoke.
In the meantime, Lisa was afraid that Valerie would get too angry to the point something terrible would happen. Therefore, she quickly said, "Old Madam Buckley, human beings are sinister. It's just that we were blinded by her façade. Thank goodness that it was a close call for Mr. Buckley, and he managed to overcome his trauma."
"We may discuss this matter leisurely like it's a close call now, but for Greg, it was a disaster back then. He probably has hated me since then. All these years, I have always felt that he was rebellious. I was even more dissatisfied, especially when he told me that he fancied Genevieve before. But now that I
think about it, it seems like he has never discussed anything with me. He has always been making his own decisions by himself. Previously, I didn't know why he acted so defiant and like a b*stard. I came to realize how much of a failure I was as a mother now that I finally know the reason behind his disobedience."
The more Valerie talked about it, the sadder she became.
Meanwhile, Lisa kept comforting her on one side. Eventually, Valerie calmed down a little, and a trace of maliciousness gleamed deep in her eyes.
"Since Victoria dared to treat Greg in such a way, she can't blame me for being unkind to her. She enjoys treating Greg like that, doesn't she? In that case, find someone to send her to the red-light district. Despite her age, I'm pretty sure men in their fifties or sixties will still enjoy having some fun with her."
I can treat Victoria as if she's my own daughter because I feel that she has done a lot to Greg over the years. Since she dares to act against Greg, she must bear the punishment of the Buckley Family. After all, Greg is the head of the Buckley Family.
Once she relayed her order to the housekeeper, Valerie went back to her bedroom. After thinking for a long time, she called Greg.
The call went through and Greg answered, "Mom."
Just as Greg had predicted, Valerie would definitely seek him out once she learned about the news. It would be a lie to say that he could put the hate away, but Greg knew that the past had passed. Since he couldn't change the past, he thought he might as well take this opportunity to ask for something from Valerie.
When Valerie heard Greg's voice, she choked up for a moment.
"Son, I have misunderstood you all these years. I didn't expect Victoria to be so bad at such a young age. You—"
Before Valerie could finish speaking, Greg interrupted her, "I'm fine. But if you really feel that you've wronged me, you can always make it up to me by treating my Sweetheart and children better in the future."
Upon hearing that, Valerie paused for a while. Sure enough, she knew who Greg referred to as 'sweetheart'. She didn't have much confidence in the first place, but she couldn't find any reason to refute him now that she heard his words.
"Why don't you two just get married soon since you like her so much?"
"Got it."
Greg hung up the phone. Then, he looked at Abigail who was beside him, and said cunningly, "Your mother-in-law just asked us to hurry up and register our marriage. What say you?"
Upon hearing that, Abigail paused for a while. Smiling, she murmured, "I'm fine with it, but I wish to wait a little longer."
"Wait a little longer? Our children are all grown up. I'm afraid another little one will come along if we wait a little longer. Things won't look nice for us by then, will it?"
When Greg heard Abigail said she wanted to wait a little longer, he truly felt that his marriage journey was a very rough one.
I have asked for her hand in marriage several times, but why won't she say yes? I thought we had discussed this before. Why do we have to wait a little longer again?
Seeing Greg's state, Abigail couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. Suddenly, a mischievous thought came into her mind, and she wanted to tease him.
"That's great. We can include all three children into our household registry. I must say, that's not a bad idea."
"Stop joking around, Sweetheart."
As Greg spoke, he wanted to grab Abigail's hand. However, she smiled and ran away from him.
"If I catch you, you're screwed!"
"Oh—you're going to be in trouble if I catch you!" All of a sudden, Greg cheered up. Then, he moved his feet and chased after Abigail. For a moment, the two were chasing each other on the road, much like children. Their cheerful laughter rippled, causing people to look sideways at them.
Just like that, Abigail and Greg enjoyed their outing for the whole afternoon. They didn't go anywhere or do anything. They walked around the mall and when they got tired, they went to the park nearby, thereafter sitting down and chatting while basking in the sun. Nonetheless, they still had fun.
While hanging out with Greg, a sudden thought came to Abigail's mind. She felt that even sitting quietly was a form of happiness when she was with the person she loved.
Slowly, her mind wandered off elsewhere, and she thought about the Fraser Family. Thinking that they wouldn't show up in front of her from now on, she felt as if she finally vented out the pent-up anger within her.
I can't believe that I was so naïve that I would actually fall for a man like Jonathan back then. Now that I'm no longer in a relationship with him, I realized my feelings for him weren't love at all. It was nothing more than a mere support I seeked when I was young and frivolous.
Sensing Abigail was being awfully quiet, Greg suddenly asked, "What are you thinking?" As he asked that, he took her into his arms. With a domineering demeanor, he added, "How can you think about another man when an outstanding person, such as myself, is sitting by your side?"
"Stop feeling so good about yourself, will you?" Despite blurting those words out, Abigail actually felt all warm and fuzzy.
They sat for a while until Abigail suddenly thought about her wanting to make her daughters something delicious for dinner this evening. With that, she took Greg's hand and headed straight to the supermarket.
Once they arrived at the supermarket, Greg looked around and thought to himself, My visits to supermarkets have become frequent ever since I'm in a relationship with Abigail. It gets so frequent that I even familiarize myself with checkouts and other businesses.
Seeing Greg leave the supermarket with his hands full of grocery bags, Abigail smiled and announced, "It seems like you're still somewhat useful to me after all."
Upon hearing that, Greg felt a little disgruntled. "Why do you make it sound like I have no other use than buying groceries? How about I warm you up tonight?"
Upon hearing that, Abigail rejected him, and she turned around and left.
This man is really getting more and more ridiculous. Any words he blurts out is a dirty joke. I can't stand him!
In the meantime, Greg simply chuckled when he looked at Abigail leave. Putting all the things into the trunk, he then drove back to Allie's Garden with her.
Once they arrived at Allie's Garden, both Alissa and Arianna ran out to greet them. They were very happy to see Abigail came back home and excitedly circled around her, chatting nonstop.
When Greg saw the children were so excited, he took the things to the kitchen. Shortly after, he took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and started cooking.
Looking at Greg, who was cooking earnestly in the kitchen, Abigail curled up the corners of her lips slightly. This is the happiness I want.
Abigail played with the children for a while, and Greg finished making the meal.
"Go and help your daddy serve the food," Abigail instructed the two children, and they ran to the kitchen to serve the food on the dining table.
The four of them sat around the dining table and enjoyed their meal. It was an enjoyable dinner indeed.
After the meal, Abigail helped the children take a bath. Once she was done putting them to sleep, she got up and walked out of the room.
Upon seeing Abigail, Greg whispered, "You still want to go back to the Reeves Residence at such an hour?"
"There's something that I have to deal with, so I'm going to make a short trip back. You go to bed first, and I'll move back here tomorrow."
"Let me drive you there." Greg didn't stop her anymore because he knew it was generally difficult to make Abigail change her mind.
Even though the two didn't talk much along the way, the atmosphere was very good. It was also at that moment that Abigail felt it wasn't a bad idea for her to consider growing old with Greg.
When they arrived at Teal's house, Abigail suddenly threw her arms around Greg's neck, and her warm lips immediately pressed against his.
Feeling surprised at the sudden kiss, Greg paused slightly. Immediately after, he wrapped his arms around Abigail's waist, deepening the kiss.
As the two kissed each other passionately, the temperature in the car instantly rose a little, and Greg's hands strayed all over the place.
"Sweetheart, I won't let you get out of the car if we let things continue like this."
Abigail's breath hitched when she heard that. Even so, she said with a smile, "Silly, we have a long time ahead." Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
Upon hearing these words, Greg was delighted. Although he was reluctant, he still let Abigail go. Then, he watched as she entered the Reeves Residence. Trying to calm himself down, he took a deep breath. However, he couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Abigail's scent was still lingering in the car.
It looks like I really need to marry Abigail quickly.
Abigail felt warm all over after getting out of the car. Thinking that everyone was asleep, she gently opened the door. However, she didn't expect that Emma was still up. She stared at the other woman's silhouette as she bustled around, cleaning up the kitchen. At that moment, a sudden thought popped up in Abigail's head, and it was only then that she recalled Emma was here to learn how to cook today.
When Emma heard the sound of the door closing, she turned her head slightly and saw Abigail standing in front of her. However, Abigail merely glanced at her lightly and made her way upstairs.
Finally, Emma couldn't hold herself and shouted, "Allie!"
Upon hearing that, Abigail paused slightly and halted her tracks. However, she didn't look back. Just as she was contemplating on whether to turn around or not, she heard Emma say, "I've made roasted tomatoes. Could you taste them and let me know if it's alright?"
Since it was rare for Emma to speak in such a manner, Abigail couldn't help but feel a little curious. Therefore, she turned around to look at her.
Regardless, she still couldn't bring herself to be nice to Emma just yet. "Roasted tomatoes? Is that all you made the whole afternoon? Have you ever counted how many ingredients that you've wasted? You only learn how to cook at this age, yet you're not ashamed to ask for my praise or recognition. How old are you exactly, Emma Kain?"
Abigail's words sounded very harsh, and there was even a hint of impoliteness to it. If it was the old Emma, she would've long risen up to her feet and scolded Abigail. However, she didn't do so this time.
Biting her lower lip, she said humbly, "I'll try harder."
Truth was, Abigail had never seen this side of Emma before. For that reason, she actually viewed her in a rather different perspective for the first time ever.
It's impossible for Emma to be able to learn how to cook for the whole afternoon, but she succeeded today. Thinking of that, Abigail naturally wouldn't pick her anymore.
"I'm tired, so I'm going to rest now. If you have something that you want to talk about, let's just talk about it tomorrow."
With that, Abigail turned around and left.
Seeing how resolute Abigail's steps were, Emma asked in a fit of panic, "Allie, was the Fraser Family's misfortune your doing?"
Upon hearing that, Abigail frowned slightly. "What do you wish to ask?"
At the same time, Abigail was deep into her thoughts. I know Emma always has feelings for Jonathan. Perhaps she wanted to upset me when she ruined my marriage in the past, but she never once gave up on Jonathan in these five years. Not only that, she even dwelled in misery when the Fraser Family called off the wedding. Emma must have fallen deep for him along the way.
But why is she asking me this right now?
Is she implying that she wants to continue to be my enemy simply for Jonathan's sake?