Meglum bit her lip, shot a shy glance at George, and then answered Bethany's question in a low voice: "Dad is wonderful and kind to me. I hope to take better care of him and stay with him forever."

George was very satisfied, a happy smile appearing on his face. Conquering young women gave a middle-aged man like him a sense of satisfaction. The light in Bethany's eyes dimmed. Although Meghan didn't give a direct answer, her reply implied her willingness. Bethany realized she had spent twenty years raising an unscrupulous woman. She clutched her heart, the intense pain suffocating her.

"Stop talking nonsense and go make my dinner," George urged irritably. "Meghan and I have been starving since this afternoon, and we're going to the hospital to see Eddie and Jas afterward, so don't waste our time."

Bethany's heart clenched. Are they planning to harm Eddie? she thought in horror.

Meghan said sweetly, "I'm sorry, Mom. I don't know how to do chores, so I can't help with the housework, but I'll put more effort into caring for Dad. I'll take good care of Dad and this family with you in the future. From now on, you can focus on the housework while I work hard—in the bedroom. This family can only be stable when all aspects are balanced."

Bethany took a deep breath, suppressing her anger and disgust. "Please wait while I go make something for you now," she said, then went to the kitchen.

Disdain flashed across Meghan's eyes at Bethany's perceived cowardice. 'She's incompetent and unassertive. She has no capabilities beyond her looks. Now that she's older, her beauty is no match for a young woman like me—so it's expected she'd be abandoned.' 'Even if I don't make a move on George, other women will still lure him away. Instead of letting others take advantage, I might as well seize the opportunity. The Gallagher family's assets are all mine. No one can take them away from me. I don't care if I have to give myself to a fifty-year-old man to get them. At least he loves and supports me. If I look for other men, I might not find one with comparable assets. Even if I do, he probably won't spoil me like my own family does.' After careful consideration, she chose to seduce George because the Gallagher family was her best option; she could get everything easily without suffering.

It took Bethany an hour to prepare dinner. The three of them sat at the table; George even instructed her to serve food onto his and Meghan's plates. Bethany didn't refuse and obeyed. During the meal, George and Meghan constantly fed each other, completely disregarding Bethany's feelings. They seemed to be constantly testing Bethany's limits, domesticating her, and deliberately demeaning her so she would willingly enslave herself to serve them as her masters. Bethany ate with her head down, trying to control her temper.

Halfway through the meal, Meghan suddenly frowned and rubbed her temples. "Meghan, what's wrong?" George asked worriedly. Meghan answered weakly, "I feel dizzy, and I don't know why." As soon as she finished speaking, she fainted in George's arms.

"Meghan!" George exclaimed, a worried expression crossing his face. He immediately scooped Meghan into his arms, ready to take her to the hospital. However, a wave of dizziness struck him as he rose to his feet. He slumped to the ground before he could speak. Bethany glanced coldly at the two and continued to eat.

After a long while, Meghan and George finally woke up. As soon as they opened their eyes, they found themselves tied to iron shelves, facing each other. The place was dark; only a kerosene lamp in the corner barely illuminated the surroundings. It looked like a basement—dark, damp, suffocating, and stuffy.

"Dad, w-what's going on? Why are we tied up here? What happened?" Meghan trembled, looking at George with a pale face. George's face was also pale with fear. Yet, he said in a deep voice, "I don't know either. I just woke up and have no idea what happened."

Meghan said tearfully, "I remember having dinner at home before passing out. Only Mom and we were at home at that time. Yet, we're tied up here now. Could it be Mom's doing?"

George's features twisted in anger at the thought of Bethany. "That bitch! How dare she do this to me! She has been eating and using my money for thirty years, and she dares to kidnap me? That bastard! Bethany, show yourself! You ungrateful bitch! I've allowed you to enjoy so many years of happiness, and I just want another woman now, yet you dare to treat me like this? You ingrate, crazy bitch! That little bitch Evangeline must have taken after you, since she's crazy as well. You're made—"

George had already concluded Bethany was responsible. The three of them had dinner together; then he and Meghan fainted. When they awoke, they were tied up, but Bethany was gone. Who else could it be but Bethany? he thought.

George was furious. How could he not be angry? Bethany had always depended on him, obsequious to his every word. How dared she kidnap him? He cursed as he struggled against his bonds. The iron chains shook, but he couldn't break free.

Crying, Meghan choked out, "Dad, what is Mom planning to do? Why would she do this to us? These metal chains are chafing my skin! Dad, call Mom to come over quickly. I can't stand this anymore."

George's anger intensified at his sweetheart's suffering. He yelled, "Bethany, show yourself, you bitch! I have spoiled you for thirty years. I didn't abuse you, nor did I cheat on you. I was so good to you, but you treated me like this. Do you even have a conscience? Meghan is your daughter. You even tied up your own daughter! Even animals wouldn't do that! Come and untie us now! If you let us go now, I can forgive you, and you're still the lady of the Gallagher family. If you keep being stubborn, I won't care about you anymore. You don't have any abilities or a job. You can't even socialize. You'll be nothing but trash after leaving my side. I'll see how you're going to survive!"

No matter how much George yelled, there was no response. The basement door finally opened after George's voice became hoarse. Bethany entered with a flashlight.

"Bethany, you bitch!" George yelled.

Slap!

Bethany slapped George and glared at him. "George, face reality. You're my captive now. The harsher you curse, the more miserable your death will be."

George looked at Bethany in disbelief. "You… are you thinking of killing me?"

Meghan also asked, "Mom, we are a family! How can you do this! Let Dad and me go, and I promise I'll listen to you in the future. If you don't want me to be with Dad, I'll stay away from him in the future. Please let me go. Mom, you love me the most. Don't kill me. I'll listen to everything you say."

Slap!

Bethany slapped Meghan. "Shut up! I don't have an ungrateful and disgusting daughter like you!"

Anger coursed through George and Meghan. Since they were captives, they didn't dare aggravate Bethany further and gritted their teeth, enduring their indignity.

George pleaded softly, "I know I've made a mistake, and I promise I won't be with Meghan anymore. I'll still treat her as our daughter. I promise that I'll only love and spoil you in the future. Let me go, and let's have a good life in the future, okay?"

Meghan chimed in, "Yes, Mom. We can do whatever you ask, so don't do anything stupid. If you let me and Dad go now, we won't blame you."

Hearing this, Bethany burst into laughter, laughing until tears flowed. "Do you think I'm stupid and gullible? If I let you go now, my son and I will be the ones who die!"

George hurriedly denied, "No, I promise I won't blame or hurt your—"

Tears streamed down Bethany's face as a satirical smile played on her lips. "I gave you a chance, George. After I found out you had slept with Meghan, I thought about keeping your affair a secret for the sake of my sons. I can turn a blind eye to whatever you and she do at home as long as my three sons are safe. I can and am willing to do that for them. But you tried to kill Eddie…"

George shook his head vehemently. "I never thought about harming Eddie. He is my son. How can I kill him? Don't go imagining things. I will never hurt our children!"

Slap!

Bethany slapped George again. "Don't even try to deny it! I heard everything! I heard with my own ears that you want to silence Eddie to keep your affair with Meghan under wraps! You're such a bastard, George! Eddie is your son, and yet you want to kill him! You didn't even blink when you decided to sacrifice Eddie. Do you even have a conscience?"

George and Meghan were flustered. They hadn't expected Bethany to overhear their conversation. He tried to explain, "Hear me out. I was just joking. Eddie is my favorite son. How could I kill him? It was just a joke."

Bethany laughed maliciously. "Do you think I'll believe you! You want to kill my son, so I have no choice but to kill you before you do. I'm useless and can't do anything, but I can risk everything to protect my son!"

Bethany took a dagger from her pocket and sneered at George. Dread filled him. "D-Don't kill me…"

Bethany ignored his plea and slashed his trousers.

"No! What are you doing? Don't! I know my mistake now! Please, I truly do! I promise not to make the same mistakes again. I'll do whatever you ask me to do. Please let me go!" he continued to plead.

This cleaned-up version addresses grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, improving flow and readability. It also removes the random numbers (33, 174, 90x, 444) which seem to be artifacts from the original text.