Kelvin cried out in pain as his mother struck him. “Mom, please! Stop–li tell you everything!”
He barely got the words out: “The child, actually, I was just-”
“Kelvin.” Eddy’s voice cut in, low and commanding. “Tell us. Whose child have you been raising?”
Kelvin whirled around to see Eddy and Blanche entering the room. He froze, stammering, “I–I never said I was raising someone else’s child. I just meant–1 just wanted to make sure the Anderson family line continued! Ingrid wouldn’t marry me, and you and Dad kept pushing me, so I asked Jean to have a baby for me.”
“I swear, Mom, Dad, I only did it for the family’s sake.”
Margaret Anderson could see through him now–everything was clear. This woman and the child were both shields, taking the fall for Kelvin instead of Eddy.
She hurled the riding crop aside and spat, “Idiot!”
Theodore was so furious he could barely catch his breath. Seeing Eddy and Blanche come in, he forced himself to swallow his rage, managing only, “I’m sorry you had to witness this.”
“Uncle, things have already gone this far. Kicking Kelvin out of the Anderson family won’t fix anything,” Eddy said calmly.
Margaret shot him a cold look. “Then what do you suggest?”
Eddy replied, “The Simmons Group can handle their wedding arrangements. As for the dowry…” He glanced at Blanche.
Blanche spoke up, “We’ll provide five million dollars as a dowry, and the Smart Parking Project will be a joint venture with the Andersons.”
At this, Eddy frowned slightly. As far as he knew, Blanche should despise Rhoda–why would she offer a five million dollar dowry for Jeannette?
Margaret’s expression soured as she watched Blanche going out of her way for that woman. “No. I won’t allow that woman and her daughter to set foot in my house.”
Blanche was honestly surprised. She hadn’t expected Margaret to be so firm in her principles.
“Mom, we can’t just leave them out on the street,” Kelvin pleaded. “The wedding
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announcement has already gone public. If we back out now, the whole city will laugh at us.”
Margaret shot Kelvin a look of withering disdain. “The real joke is you marrying her at all.” She turned her gaze on Eddy. “We Andersons may not have the Simmons family’s wealth, but we don’t need anyone’s charity.”
“Aunt Margaret,” Blanche said gently, taking Margaret’s hand, “we’re not forcing anyone. But they love each other, and they already have a child. We just want to help them. If you feel the dowry isn’t enough, we can add more. Whatever a proper bride needs, we’ll provide. I’m truly sorry things have come to this. I never expected my own relatives to cause you such distress.”
Margaret’s heart wrenched as Blanche pleaded so kindly for that woman. “Child, sometimes loving someone too much clouds your judgment,” she said softly.
Her words struck a nerve, and Blanche’s eyes filled with tears. She turned away, choking back a sob.
Eddy looked over at Kelvin, who immediately dropped to his knees at Margaret’s feet. “Mom, please–let me marry Jean.”
At this point, it was clear–her son was determined to marry Jeannette, no matter what. Was it possible he was being blackmailed by Eddy?
Theodore heaved a sigh. “Enough. It’s settled. Eddy, you’ll help us boost the Anderson stock price, yes?”
“Of course, Uncle,” Eddy replied.
Margaret’s tone turned icy. “Let’s be clear: Once she marries into this family, she’s one of us. If she misbehaves, I’ll be the one to deal with it.”
“That’s how it should be,” Blanche agreed quickly. “We have no objections.”
After some polite exchanges, Kelvin escorted Blanche and Eddy downstairs.
Blanche’s gaze lingered on the fresh welts on Kelvin’s back–raw and bleeding. She couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. In the end, it wasn’t the Andersons who had tricked her; Kelvin was suffering too. Forcing Jeannette to marry Kelvin, dragging the Anderson name through the mud–had she gone too far?
Kelvin’s voice broke her reverie. “Blanche, the Simmons family’s PR team has reached out. They want to host an engagement party first, to officially recognize Lara Anderson as part of the family. You and Eddy have to come.”
“Of course,” Blanche replied. “Eddy and I will be there. My health isn’t great, so we’ll
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Chapter 110
take our leave now.” Eddy wrapped his arm around Blanche and led her away before she could say more.
The following day, Felipa arrived.
Blanche was surprised. “Why did you accept his invitation to be my tutor?”
Felipa grinned. “The professor wanted me to create a distraction while he worked in secret. Besides, your security system really needs my help, Blanche.”
“Trust you to figure out the smartest way,” Blanche laughed, leading Felipa to her study.
Working side by side, they quickly mapped out a powerful security network.
In a quiet moment, a video call came through on Blanche’s computer.
She hesitated, glancing at Felipa.
“Don’t worry. This is a private line I set up just for you and the professor. Totally secure.” With that, Felipa slipped out of the study. “I’ll go get some water and give you privacy.”
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