Chapter 145

Duncan said darkly, "That's enough, Thea. Can't you see that not everyone welcomes you? Why did you have to come?"

Thea glanced around. "Is that so? Why are you at my birthday party if you don't welcome me? Is it fun?" Someone laughed, attempting to smooth things over. "How could that be? Mr. Rowland is joking. I can tell you two have a good relationship."

"That's right, that's right. I'm the same at home. My brother and I always bicker," Thea said with a smile. She could feel Duncan's intense gaze on her.

She toasted him, deliberately lowering her voice. "Duncan, don't you want to wish me a happy birthday?" Duncan snorted coldly. Naturally, he didn't.

Thea lowered her eyes. "You and I both know why everyone held a birthday party for me. Isn't it for Grandpa's inheritance?"

"Grandpa left it for everyone," Duncan emphasized coldly.

Thea said bluntly, "All of you haven't done anything good for Grandpa for a day, yet you still have the cheek to mention it belongs to everyone? Is that funny? In any case, I respect Grandpa's last wish and will read his will publicly today." Duncan's breathing quickened. "You have the will?" He calmed down, but his expression remained gloomy. "Who can prove that the will in your hand isn't fake? Perhaps it has no legal benefits at all. Naturally, there will be lawyers to answer for us. You can't keep it for yourself." Thea smiled enigmatically.

She had long suspected the Rowland family would make a move, but she didn't know why. She might as well beat them at their own game and provoke Duncan to act prematurely.

Thea lowered her head and said coldly, "No matter what, Emmalie won't get a single cent of Grandpa's inheritance." "You!" Duncan was furious. He raised his hand to slap her, but remembering the onlookers, he gritted his teeth and lowered his hand.

Seeing this, Thea sneered and left.

Emmalie stepped forward, eyes reddened. "Duncan, look how smug she is. I'm afraid my life won't be easy in the future. When you weren't around, she bullied me countless times." She wiped nonexistent tears.

Duncan's heart softened. He coaxed, "Emmalie, don't be afraid. Now that I'm back, I won't let her off. Max and Mom originally planned to deal with her slowly. Anyway, Thea isn't married yet. They'd make the inheritance yours first. But from the looks of it, that plan won't work." Emmalie looked up expectantly. "Duncan, do you have a better idea?"

Chapter 145

She bit her lip. "Why don't we forget it? Perhaps we can have a good talk with Thea."

Duncan sighed. "You want to resolve this peacefully, but she won't. Don't worry, leave the rest to me."

Emmalie nodded, but resentment flickered in her eyes. She blamed Thea for her predicament.

To Thea's surprise, the Hendrix family sent Jake, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. He seemed older, likely worried about Madelyn. Joyce also came and hugged Thea. "Thea, happy birthday." Thea's expression softened. "Thank you. We'll have a private gathering in a few days."

Jake shyly offered birthday wishes, but Thea ignored him, not even looking at his gift. The servant took it.

"Thea—" Jake began, but Thea interrupted with a fake smile. "Mr. Hendrix, the party's over there. If you have questions, ask Emmalie; she practically organized this party." Jake's eyes dimmed, and he left dejectedly.

Joyce chuckled. "I've been keeping an eye on the Hendrix family for you. They're a mess. Madelyn had a miscarriage; she orchestrated the abortion, but her motive is unknown. Also…" She lowered her voice. "I heard Madelyn had plastic surgery. She didn't look like that before. After the miscarriage, Jake naturally didn't want to stay with her. Madelyn got tough, gathering evidence of being his mistress for years. Now that the Hendrix family rejects her, she'll fight them until both suffer."

Thea was surprised. She knew Nicolas cleared her name, but she didn't expect him to investigate everything for Jake's family. Jake had hated Madelyn, but saw her as weak and innocent. Now he knew everything was fake, and he lost his marriage with Thea. Stefan must be furious. Thea finally understood Jake's listlessness. Her mood improved, and she smiled. 20:00 Mon, Oct 28

Chapter 145

"They'll probably avoid suspicion. When they get married, ask for an extra invitation," Thea said.

Joyce chuckled. "Oh, you. Don't worry. I'll gladly use this opportunity to poke at their wounds."

They smiled at each other. Joyce nudged Thea, gesturing for her to look back. Thea saw Nicolas entering.

She was surprised. He could have stayed away. Joyce whispered, "Should we say hello?"

Before Thea could answer, Emmalie approached enthusiastically. "Nicolas," she said affectionately, "You came! I knew you would."

The surrounding people buzzed. "Jake's already showing respect to the Rowlands. Now Nicolas is here. Could Key Biscayne's situation change?" "You don't understand. A hero can't resist beauty. I heard Nicolas has a complicated relationship with a Rowland girl, but I don't know which one." Someone mocked, "Do you even have to guess? It must be Emmalie. Why would Nicolas choose Thea over Emmalie?"

Emmalie heard them. She smiled smugly and moved closer to Nicolas, thinking, 'So what if Thea and Nicolas have a complicated relationship? A mistress is still a mistress. I'll use Nicolas to create momentum. Eventually, he'll realize being with me is better than with Thea.'