Chapter 134

Frank and Edith’s relationship took both Brenda and Phoebe by surprise. Brenda shrugged. “Whether he had a reason or not, it has nothing to do with me anymore. He told me before that Edith was just a relative.” She let out a cold laugh. “So this is what he meant.”

Phoebe reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “Like your dad said, you’ll marry a man way better than him.”

Brenda nodded. “Regardless of whatever excuse he might have had, the fact is, he strung me along. No matter what, there’s no way for us to get back together. Even if he gets down on his knees and begs me, it won’t make a difference.”

If Frank really had no choice but to stay away from Brenda, he could have just told her outright. But instead, he chose to keep Brenda hanging. Since he made that decision, Brenda had every right to walk away. Brenda was exhausted from this relationship, physically and emotionally. And now, she was finally over it.

Phoebe agreed. “I’m with you. We will date someone better than them. And if we don’t, being single is fine too.”

And as for Phoebe, getting back together with Reece was impossible. Though his choice had hurt her deeply, she still believed that if she ever fell for someone again, she would be willing to give love another chance. Life was long. Having someone to walk through it with would be nice. But if she never met anyone who truly moved her again, she would not force it. Staying single was fine too.

Brenda grinned. “Exactly! We both will date someone better and drive them crazy with jealousy!” Then, she asked, “Pheebs, when I remind my dad tomorrow, should I tell him you figured all this out through fortune-telling?”

Phoebe replied, “That works.” The fact that she could read fortunes was no secret. Judging from this situation, even if she had not looked into Percival’s case, those people would still be coming after her. She already had suspicions about the reasons behind it. Now that she had uncovered these connections between the Hill family and the Harvey family, her doubts had only grown stronger.

“Alright, I’ll let him know,” Brenda picked up her phone and dialed. “First, I’m going to report this to my grandma and have her deal with Ophelia.”

Soon, a warm, gentle voice came through the line. “Brenda, what is it?”

Brenda immediately put on a pitiful tone. “Grandma, Ophelia is picking on me again. She’s trying to force me to hand over an antique that Grandpa left behind and give it away as a gift. I refused, and now she’s dragging my dad into it to pressure me.”

“And the person she wants to give it to? I can’t stand her. She’s that bitch who deliberately seduced Reece and made his girlfriend break up with him.”

Theresa paused for a moment before responding angrily. “Ophelia is getting more and more outrageous. Reece’s previous girlfriend was a nice girl, but Ophelia just had to meddle and break them up. How dare she?”

“She never cared about you before, and now she has the nerve to come asking for an antique! How…”

Theresa firmly instructed, “Ignore her. What your grandfather left you is yours. Do not give it to anyone.”

Brenda continued playing up her grievance. “I don’t want to, but she keeps using my dad to pressure me.”

Theresa responded, “I’ll handle this. If either she or your father brings it up again, tell them to talk to me.”

Brenda finally broke into a smile. “Got it, Grandma. I knew you are so kind. Thank you! I’ll come over in a few days to have a meal with you.”

Theresa’s voice was full of affection. “Alright. I’ll have them make all your favorite dishes.”

After hanging up, Brenda turned to Phoebe with a smug smile. “Done.”

Ophelia thought she was all-powerful, but in reality, she was no match for Theresa. Ophelia was just the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. The strategy Phoebe had taught Brenda, using someone else’s power to counter an opponent, was truly effective.

Phoebe gave Brenda an approving look. “Well played. Then, she thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, was Ophelia’s delivery with Soren a C-section or natural birth?”

Brenda replied, “C-section. That’s another reason she does not like Reece and me. She had to live C-sections again when she gave birth to us.”

Phoebe followed up. “Do you know Soren’s exact birth time?”

Brenda shook her head. “I only know his birthdate, not the exact time. Ophelia celebrates his birthday every year, and that’s why I remember.” But Ophelia had never once celebrated Brenda and Reece’s birthdays. Finnian, on the other hand, always remembered and made sure to give them gifts every year.

Phoebe said, “Then try to find out his exact birth time.” She added, “Also, have that detective you know continue looking into Sienna and Edith. See if they had C-sections or natural births. It would be best if we could get their exact birth times too.”

Brenda was quick to catch on. “You think there’s something off about their birth times?”

Phoebe nodded. “If they were delivered by C-section, the timing could have been calculated beforehand. If all three of them were born that way… then something is definitely wrong.”

Brenda nodded in agreement. “I’ll have him look into it thoroughly. Then, I’ll visit my grandma’s house and see if I can get something out of the maid who took care of Ophelia after she…”

After finishing this topic, they discussed some matters related to the studio.

Meanwhile, Theresa called Ophelia. Not only did she scold her, but she also ordered her to return home immediately and read the Bible with her. Ophelia did not dare go against Theresa’s words. Frustrated, she had no choice but to pack her things and arrange for a driver to take her to the Hill mansion.

Because of this, Ophelia resented Brenda even more. She also cursed Finnlan for being useless; he could not even…

While sitting in the car, Ophelia received a call from Sienna, asking about the antique. She said a few comforting words before hanging up, then immediately contacted Reece. Ophelia told Reece to ask Brenda for a horoscope artifact and bring it to Sienna.

At that moment, Reece was sitting in a cafe that he and Phoebe used to visit often, staring blankly at pictures of the two of them on his phone. This time, he did not comply with his mother’s request. After Ophelia finished speaking, Reece did not respond. He simply hung up the phone and could not help but recall what Brenda had said. Ophelia only ever reached out to them when she needed something, acting all warm and kind in those moments. He used to sacrifice everything for this hollow, conditional motherly love, even losing the girlfriend he cherished. But now, he no longer cared for…

Just as he hung up on Ophelia, he saw Leon calling. He declined the call. Then Frank called. He declined that too.

Meanwhile, in the underground parking lot of Jenkins Group, Frank heard the busy tone and turned to Leon, speechless. “Reece is really ignoring us now.”

Leon let out a cold laugh. “That is just how he is, so damn stubborn.” He had only used Reece as an excuse earlier to slip away.

Frank asked, “So, are we heading home?”

Leon had no desire to go back. “Let’s find a bar and have a drink. If I go home now, I’m afraid Sienna will latch onto me again.” He smirked and asked, “And you? Aren’t you worried that Edith will cling to you if you go back?”

Frank immediately agreed. “Yeah, I’m worried about that too. Let’s go to a bar.”

If I go back, Edith will definitely cling to me. Just thinking about her annoys me, Frank thought.

Leon asked curiously, “Did you and Edith ever sleep together?”

Frank raised an eyebrow. “What do you think? I am not insane.”

Leon still could not understand. “Then why do you drag her around all day? No wonder Brenda says you were stringing her along. Honestly, you do look like you were…”