Chapter 456
Chapter 456
Chapter 456 This Is A Personal Vendetta
Braden left for more than a week. He was the same as Mr. Quintin, and no one heard from him at all.
And no one could reach him on the phone, either. Tracy could not explain anything clearly, and the media did not mention Braden’s whereabouts at all.
Nancy was so anxious that she kept pulling strings and trying to find out about Braden’s whereabouts. However, those rich young men and women, who had always been fearless, all chose to remain silent, not daring to say anything.
On the contrary, Shirley was very calm. Since she couldn’t reach Braden on the phone, she would try again after a few hours. And since nothing changed, she would simply drop it as if nothing had happened.
Another morning arrived. Shirley leisurely held the easel, facing the sea and painting the beautiful sea sunrise.
Nancy was flustered and walked up and down beside Shirley. Finally, Nancy could bear it no more. She snatched Shirley’s brush away, frowned, and asked, “Shirley, how can you paint so calmly? Aren’t you worried about him?”
“What should I be worried about?” Shirley asked calmly and slowly.
“There has been no Braden’s news for a week. He was all over you the last few days, and now he vanishes just like that. Clearly, something is off…”
“How so?”
Shirley smiled, “You make it sound like he has been killed or having an affair.”
“Those things are possible!” This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
Nancy was agitated. She continued, “Braden is a jerk. He has wronged you before. He once knocked up his mistress, brought her to you, and forced you to divorce him. Have you forgotten? Once a cheater, always a cheater. You can’t let him go too far.”
She was worried that Shirley would be hurt again, yet there were some things that she felt she was not at liberty to say. However, she would feel uneasy pretending that nothing had happened and not saying anything.
“If he did cheat, with his personality, I don’t believe he would hide it from me, and he certainly wouldn’t put me off in a childish way by not answering the phone. So, I think he had his reasons. After he deals with his matters, he’ll turn up.”
Shirley smiled as she spoke with confidence and optimism. Healthy relationships were strong enough to be tested. The first thing couples had to pass was trust.
If they couldn’t even give each other the benefit of trust, they would break up sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.
“That’s not true. Men are no different from kites. You have to tie them up with a string.
And now, it’s so obvious that Braden has broken free from the string. Where is he now? No one knows. You can’t just let him go wherever he wants, simply because you trust him. It’ll be too late to regret it!”
Nancy’s ideas were opposed to Shirley’s. In Nancy’s view, all relationships needed effort, and necessary discipline mattered.
After all, human nature was very unfathomable. Both Nancy and Shirley had suffered because of it, which was more of the reason why they should be more cautious now.
“NO! Nancy, I beg to differ.”
With the milk lollipop he had just ripped out of Alisha’s hand in his mouth and his hands in his pockets, Keith sauntered along, saying irreverently, “For men, if they are determined to fly away, it doesn’t matter how many strings you have in your hand. Instead, tying them down will make them fly away faster. I’m afraid that Shirley is right.Let men do whatever they want. If a man is meant to be yours, he will be. If not, you can’t cling to him anyway. Get it?”
“Scumbag! You and Braden are birds of the same feather. Stop with your absurd theories!”
After that night, Nancy’s feelings for Keith changed in ways she had not even noticed. She felt that her wheat-colored, healthy skin was burning inexplicably, and she felt awkward. She kept her back to Keith, embarrassed to confront him. Keith, on the other hand, was careless. He leaned closer to be in front of Nancy and teased her, as if he were a boy from primary school, “You are never my girlfriend. How do you know if I’m a scumbag or not? Or is it that you want to be my girlfriend, and you are afraid that I might fail you?”
“Scumbag!”
Nancy’s face turned even redder, and she elbowed him hard in the stomach. “If you want to die, I’ll give you a hand!”
“Ouch!”
Keith’s tall body curled into a ball, and he looked like a shrimp. He thought, well, well. Nancy has a silver tongue, and she can be so ruthless when getting physical. It hurts so much! The pain is killing me!
Tsk, tsk. If she does become my girlfriend, I’ll have to buy accident insurance overnight.
“Alright, that’s enough, you two. Stop messing around. I already have a headache with two children, and I would be devastated with two more.”
Shirley rubbed her temples, looking exhausted.
Keith childishly licked the lollipop and then patted Shirley. “Shirley, don’t worry. Braden is very good at solving problems, and I am sure he will fix things perfectly.”
Shirley’s expression slightly changed, and she asked, “So, you know something?”
“More or less.” Keith said meaningfully.
Nancy was angry when she heard him saying that. She glanced at him and said, “Be specific, OK? Stop being so mysterious about it.”
“Calm down. I’ll tell you right now.”
Keith said obediently, “I tried to reach Braden, too, and just like you, I couldn’t get through to him. So, I went to ask my Dad. He said that the Stewart Group had been plotted against. The Gilmore family, the group’s original partner, suddenly turned their backs on the group. The Gilmore family joined hands with the Stewart Group’s rival to target the Stewart Group. Right now, the group is under siege from both sides, and things are very tricky…”
“The Gilmore family?”
Shirley’s heart sank.
She knew it. Things were bound not to go smoothly if she wanted to patch things up with Braden. A lot of people would be offended.
“Yes. I only knew recently that the Gilmore family had been planning to unite with the Stewart family by marriage. The wedding date for Braden and Alina had already been settled. But then, you and he suddenly got back together, which interrupted all the plans. Mr. Gilmore, was so angry that he smashed several antique vases in the family, and each of them was worth 16 million dollars…”
Keith sighed and continued, “For so many years, Braden and Alina had been friends. She was afraid that Mr. Gilmore would take it out on Braden, so she knelt in front of Mr. Gilmore’s room door for three days and three nights to beg for mercy for Braden. At first, Mr. Gilmore was about to let go. However, his lover made a fuss, insisting that Mr. Gilmore avenged her. Then … the Gilmore family had a thorough fallout with the Stewart family, throwing their previous friendship away completely.”
“That’s impossible… Right?”
Nancy was puzzled. “Since when did Braden offend Martin’s lover? Why did she refuse to let the Stewart family off the hook? Braden didn’t wrong her, did he?”
“Beats me.”
Keith shrugged, looking helpless.
“Is his lover’s name Jasmine Jenner?” Shirley asked calmly.
“I think so. In fact, Jasmine doesn’t get to call the shots. The main point is that she was pregnant with Mr. Gilmore’s baby, and she bore him a son. Therefore, Mr. Gilmore practically was always there for Jasmine and her son.”
“That makes sense.”
Shirley nodded. “This is a personal vendetta and has nothing to do with the Stewart family. They want me to fix it.”
“What do you mean? What does it have to do with you?”
Nancy was still confused.
Shirley told Nancy and Keith about her history with Alina, Jasmine, and Jasmine’s son.
“I have to go to Seatie City right now. You two, stay here. Keep an eye on Ben and Ally.
Shirley packed up the easel and wanted to leave at once.
“You can’t go!”
Keith held her hand, stopping her from leaving.