Chapter 1998

Wendy said, "I went upstairs with Brother Gerald to see Doris, but Doris ignored us. She also had people tell us that the Emgrand Group wouldn't cooperate with 'low-quality trash' like us. Then, Brother Gerald was beaten by Emgrand Group security guards"

She continued, "The Emgrand Group terminated its cooperation with Gerald's family. His father and uncle were furious. After that, Gerald and I drifted apart. His uncle, Mr. White, inexplicably became close to Charlie Wade, even giving him that large villa next door

"Claire Wilson's contract with the Emgrand Group was also terminated because of Grandmother's broken promises. Since then, our family has been declining"

"Wendell pursued Claire, and his family went bankrupt and disappeared without a trace"

"Jason Grant also pursued Claire and disappeared with his father. To this day, the Grant family is offering a large reward for their whereabouts"

"Kenneth Wilson came to support our family, but Charlie Wade beat him, rendering him impotent and sending him back to Eastcliff in disgrace"

"Kenneth later gave me to Jeffrey Weaver. Jeffrey also despised Charlie Wade, and consequently, both he and his father disappeared. Their illegitimate son inherited the business. I also heard that they're now digging for ginseng at the foot of Golim Mountain, but I don't know if that's true"

Hannah, starving, sat up, slapped the coffee table, and roared, "That son of a bitch Charlie Wade! He's the one who sent me to that black coal mine! He's behind all of this!"

Wendy asked urgently, "Mom, do you think Charlie Wade is hiding some kind of power? Otherwise, how could he have so much influence?"

"Power?" Hannah scoffed. "That orphan? What power could he possibly have? He doesn't even deserve the word!"

Wendy countered, "Then how does he command such respect from powerful figures? He must have hidden skills."

Hannah gritted her teeth. "He's good at manipulating people!"

Wendy shook her head. "I think he must have real skills; otherwise, it's impossible for so many important people to be fooled by him."

Hannah sighed. "What can we do? We can barely eat. To fight Charlie Wade, we'd need a powerful backer!"

Wendy quickly said, "I'm not talking about fighting him, Mom. We haven't fought him before, and we certainly can't now"

She pleaded, "Mom, Claire is my cousin, and Charlie Wade is my cousin-in-law. We should try showing goodwill and ask for their help. If all else fails, I could become Charlie Wade's mistress!"