The little incident passed just like that. Eleanor Hollis didn’t mention the ten million, and Hugo Quinn didn’t care about the loss of that car, as it was just one of many.
In the evening, there was a knock on the living room door.
Hugo Quinn wasn’t there. He had left an hour before, leaving only Eleanor Hollis and Marcus in the villa.
Eleanor Hollis had just opened the door when she saw Nicholas Hollis standing outside.
Since signing that property transfer document, she hadn’t seen this person for a long time. Rumor had it that Alice Lynch had been looking for him, though she didn’t know if it was true. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Nicholas Hollis looked haggard, having lost about twenty pounds, and seemed as if he could collapse at any moment.
Eleanor’s brow furrowed, suddenly feeling a sense of irony.
"Being heartless to that woman is making you this uncomfortable?"
This state of his was all because of Alice Lynch. Clearly, he had no affection for her mother anymore.
Nicholas said nothing, which was as good as an admission.
During this time, he had been in torment. Alice had been by his side for so many years, but in the end, he hadn’t given her anything. To say so was indeed a bit cruel.
"Eleanor, I heard from Anna that they’ve started selling jewelry. No matter what, I’ve lived with them for so many years. I can’t treat them . Could you, could you take out a villa from the assets and give them a place to stay?"
The more Nicholas spoke, the quieter his voice became, probably recognizing his own lack of conviction.
Toward this father, Eleanor was deeply disappointed, showing mercy to the undeserving; how could her deceased mother be at peace!
She roared in a low voice, looking at him full of disappointment, her heart aching like a knife.
Back when he mentioned signing over that transfer document, she hadn’t hesitated for a moment, fearing that Alice Lynch would whisper in his ear and sway his mind.
Looking back now, her decision was correct.
"Eleanor, I’m sorry. I can’t bear to see her live like that. I’ve let you down, and I’ve let your mother down. In the future, even if I end up in hell, I’ll have no face to see her..."
Nicholas choked up, his eyes turning red.
Eleanor slowly closed her eyes, full of anger, yet within the anger she found it laughable, too ridiculous.
"Fine, one villa, right? Take it then. But in the future, neither you nor those two women who disgust me should ever show up in front of me. The Hollis family estate will not be given up, but you can choose from the other villas. However, let me tell you, Alice and Anna will surely not be content with just one villa."
Nicholas stiffened, almost blurting out.
"They won’t. Anna and Alice have said one villa is good, just to have a place to stay."
So they had already met in private. It seems he had been whispered to once again, hadn’t he?
Eleanor’s heart calmed, like a pool of dead water without any ripples.
Nicholas realized he had slipped up and quickly shut his mouth.
"Take the villa, but don’t come looking for me again. The Hollis family’s belongings are mine. Even giving you one villa is out of respect for you. If those two women become insatiably greedy again, don’t blame me for being ruthless!!"
Nicholas nodded, too guilty to meet her eyes. He got up and left.
Eleanor watched his departing figure, finding him extraordinarily unfamiliar, perhaps never really knowing him before. After all, when she was sent to the countryside, she was just too young.
Nicholas left, getting into the car parked outside.
Alice Lynch was sitting in the front passenger seat. Seeing him come out, she anxiously asked.
"Well? Did she agree?"
Nicholas nodded, feeling inexplicably upset, as if this time he was really drifting further from his daughter.
Alice’s face flushed with excitement, and she immediately pounced, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Nicholas, I knew you couldn’t bear us suffering, mother and daughter, outside. I’ve really missed you these days."
Nicholas stepped on the gas, afraid that Eleanor would see him tangled with Alice, and immediately drove away.
"Nicholas, I swear, all I want is one villa. I can’t bear to see Anna wandering with me, not even having a place to live, sobbing..."
Alice was very good at acting, having lived with Nicholas for so many years, she knew exactly where his soft spots were.
Nicholas drove silently and stopped in front of a villa. Eleanor had said to pick one, and he couldn’t be ignorant enough to choose the most expensive one. The old Hollis family estate was impossible to give this woman, so he came here.
Alice was a bit surprised to see the car stop here, but considering property prices here weren’t cheap, it was better than nothing, so she felt at ease.
This house wasn’t close to any commercial districts, requiring a ten-minute drive for shopping trips, so it was certainly not fancy compared to luxury areas.
"This is it. You and Anna can live here. From now on, this will be yours."
Alice nodded and kissed him on the cheek.
"Nicholas, you’d better give me the property certificate soon, so I can feel at ease, at least not constantly worrying about being kicked out."
A trace of impatience flashed in Nicholas’s eyes, but he still agreed.
After he left, Alice was filled with triumph, calling Anna Hollis to move things down from the car.
"Mom, did Dad really agree?"
Anna was still a little incredulous. Knowing Mom’s true identity, he should hate them to the bone; why would he...
"All men are the same; as long as you can be coy, you can have anything. Anna, after settling here, I’ll use my contacts to get you an internship in a big company. Now that we have a place to live, we can call ourselves respectable people."
The two had been living in a hotel, always worried that the exorbitant accommodation costs would bankrupt them, yet if they were to live in cheaper places, they might as well be dead!
"Got it, Mom, you really are amazing."
Anna admired as she walked around the villa. For this location, it must be worth at least over ten million. Mom just whispered into Dad’s ear, and so much money came their way.
Soon, the two began busying themselves with moving in, and once she finished unpacking, Alice made sure to invite Nicholas over for a meal.
Nicholas did come but seemed a bit silent at the dinner table.
"Nicholas, these are your favorite dishes. In the past, I really didn’t do well enough, but my feelings for you are genuine. You know what I’ve done for you over the years."
Nicholas’s eyes flickered as he picked up the chopsticks to eat.
There’s wisdom in the saying, no matter how bad a person may be in the eyes of others, as long as she’s good to you, you have to recognize that goodness.
To him, Alice Lynch was such a person.