Chapter 237: Going To Extremes
Feeling speechless, Samuel simply furrowed his brows in response.
“Apologizing won’t change anything now. Casimir chose Raylee over me… He doesn’t want me anymore…” Waverly sobbed.
Compared to the worried and distressed mother and son, Alaric had practically become immune to Waverly’s suicide threats. She has staged such scenes for Casimir’s sake so many times that I’ve lost count. Is this ever going to end?
That was when he recalled the Raylee from the past. Though this young woman was somewhat headstrong, she never treated her own life as a joke. Even after enduring four long years in prison and suffering countless hardships, she never once considered giving up on life.
Upon making that comparison, the contrast became even clearer.
Having lost his patience, he lashed out at Waverly in a fit of anger. “Living has no meaning anymore, you say? Then what do we, as your family, mean to you? If you truly don’t want to live anymore, then just jump off! I’ll just pretend that I have one less daughter! If you still want to live, then be a bit stronger! It’s just a man. Without him, the world would still turn. Is he really worth all this agony you’re putting yourself through every day? As the daughter of the Goodridge family, you should live beautifully, vibrantly, and proudly! You shouldn’t be ruining yourself over a man every day!”
Waverly was left stunned by his sudden outburst. She had been treated like the center of the universe ever since she returned to the Goodridge family. At home, everyone from Alaric to the lowly dog doted on her. For this very reason, she took advantage of her privilege and became daring enough to threaten them with suicide. She had never seen Alaric so impatient before, nor had he ever uttered such ruthless words. For a moment, she felt utterly helpless, not even daring to cry.
Harriet couldn’t help but reprimand him, “What nonsense are you spouting, Alaric? It’s only natural for a girl to feel heartbroken and lose hope after being treated like that! It was one thing that you didn’t comfort her, but you even yelled at her and scolded her! Is this how a father should behave?”
Alaric retorted with a serious tone, “Was what I said wrong? How could someone be so fragile? Getting overwhelmed by the smallest things, contemplating life and death; how are they supposed to navigate the long journey of life ahead? Having lived to such an old age, I’ve weathered countless storms. If my mental resilience was as poor as hers, I would have died hundreds of times over!”
A single remark left everyone present speechless. The words may have been blunt, but the reasoning isn’t. In recent times, Waverly had attempted suicide several times, all because of Casimir. Each scenario was always heart-stopping, leaving everyone in a state of constant unease.
Waverly was someone who understood how to read the room. After assessing the situation accordingly, she didn’t dare to cause any more commotion. She willingly descended from the guardrail, approaching Alaric and Harriet. With tears streaming down her face, she admitted her mistake, “Dad, Mom, Samuel, I didn’t mean to worry you all. I know I made a mistake. Ever since I returned to you, you’ve provided for me lavishly, allowing me to live a life of luxury. I am deeply grateful. But you guys were overly protective of me, so I couldn’t go anywhere. My world was too small. All I could do was revolve around one man every day. As such, I couldn’t…”
Harriet held her, expressing remorsefully, “Wavy, you’ve had a tough time. I was inconsiderate, only focusing on your safety without considering your true feelings.”
“Mom, you will always be my mom. I promise you, I will never again consider suicide over a man,” she vowed.
Waverly’s show of vulnerability ultimately softened Alaric’s impatient heart. Feeling relieved, he said, “It’s good that you understand. I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you just now. As parents, we only want the best for our children. As for the matter concerning Casimir, there’s no need for you to be so heartbroken. The engagement between you two isn’t solely his decision to make. It’s not his place to call the shots in the Sutherland family. He can’t just dictate how this marriage arrangement is going to be! Do they really think there’s no one left in the Goodridge family to protect this household? Don’t worry, Wavy. I’ll take care of everything. Just relax and prepare yourself to become the lady of the Sutherland family.”
Upon hearing Alaric’s assurance, Waverly, who had been sobbing, finally revealed a smile. This time, Alaric was truly serious. First, he went to seek justice from the head of the Sutherland family. Subsequently, he meddled in the collaborative project between the Sutherland family and the Goodridge family. Given their marriage alliance, both sides collaborated on large-scale projects, involving hundreds of billions in funds. Suddenly, Alaric withdrew his investments from several projects, causing a major uproar within Sutherland Group. The company’s market value was also continuously dropping. With this, the entire board of directors was startled. Casimir had just settled into his role as the CEO of Sutherland Group. However, he faced severe repercussions for offending his future father-in-law. The turmoil within the corporation was unending, with shareholders repeatedly accusing him of not fulfilling his responsibilities while in his position. To them, it was a clear display of gross negligence. Casimir never imagined that Alaric would go to such lengths for the sake of this marriage proposal. Even if Alaric did emerge victorious in the end, it would still be a pyrrhic victory at best.