Chapter 266: Picking the Soft Persimmon
Mrs. Kohl looked down on her second son’s girlfriend, thinking she wasn’t rich like her eldest daughter-in-law, nor did she have a professor for a mother who could pull strings for her youngest son like his wife did.
But little did she know, the girl had a formidable older brother. After learning about everyone in the Kohl Family and the background of Kohl’s wife, he gave the young couple an idea.
He told them to lay down an ultimatum for Mrs. Kohl and her eldest son: if they didn’t hand over the money, the couple would go to the eldest son’s company and the local television stations to expose the despicable things the pair had done to their own son and brother.
The threat was a direct hit to their weak spot. Left with no choice, the mother and son reluctantly returned the money that rightfully belonged to the second son.
Over this, the third son threw a massive fit, forcing the eldest son to cough up another sum of money to help him get married. But the eldest son made it clear this was a one-time deal and would never happen again, threatening to make him regret it otherwise.
This just went to show that her two sons each had their own ulterior motives and their brotherly bond had long been fractured. Only Mrs. Kohl was still lost in her delusion of being a benevolent mother with filial sons and devoted brothers, directing all her ire toward her disfavored second son and his girlfriend.
"You make it sound so noble. That brother and sister were so eager to push him into cutting us off—wasn’t it because they had their eyes on the money? He’s the stupid one for thinking that bitch genuinely had his best interests at heart. I’m sure the moment he cut ties with us, she conned him out of all his money. He’s probably somewhere suffering and crying his eyes out right now. A pity, but it’s too late for regrets."
Arabella Donovan shot her a look that spoke volumes. It was obvious from Mrs. Kohl’s words that she hadn’t paid any attention to her second son after disowning him and was completely clueless about his current life.
"Just because you’re greedy and money-grubbing, you assume everyone else is too. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but not only was your second son not swindled out of his money as you expected, he actually married his girlfriend. After the wedding, your son refused his wife’s suggestion to use that money to treat her injured fingers. Instead, they used it to lease a small shop and start a business together."
"Now, their business is booming. They’ve bought a house and a car, they have two children, and their home is happy and harmonious. His wife’s family treats him wonderfully, like their own flesh and blood, so he honors them as he would his own parents. He takes his wife and children to visit them every weekend and on holidays, letting them enjoy their grandchildren and have proper family gatherings."
"The familial love he could never get from you all, he finally found elsewhere. And you? You’re stuck being a nanny and a maid in the homes of your two unfilial sons, getting bullied and mistreated, living a life worse than their dog."
Arabella Donovan glanced at Mrs. Kohl’s darkening face and sneered. "You gave birth to four children. If those four children were all outstanding, each more so than the last, with upstanding character, filial, and polite, then fine. I could at least understand your grand lecture about my grand-uncle and Preston having no heirs. I might even think you were speaking from a place of genuine concern for them."
"But you’ve had all these children, yet your life is still a complete mess—worse than people who have no children or fewer children. Where do you get the nerve to pass judgment on another family’s affairs?"
"Serena is right!"
The rest of the Donovan Family quickly caught on. Recalling her earlier comments about Dennis Donovan and Victor Donovan’s family, then comparing it to her own situation, they found it deeply ironic.
Hector Donovan crossed his arms and scoffed, "Your own biological sons are completely unreliable, yet you expect a grandnephew from a different branch of the family to be filial to his grand-uncle. You willingly let your son mistreat you, but our grand-uncle isn’t an idiot. Why would he abandon this huge house just to eagerly move into someone else’s dog kennel like you?"
Dennis Donovan: "..." ’He has a point, but why does that sound so wrong?’
"And another thing, we were all sitting in the front yard for ages, and I didn’t hear anyone bring up our grand-uncle’s ’grandnephew.’ Yet this outsider seems to know all about it and is awfully concerned. Don’t tell me she’s connected to that grandnephew’s family. Maybe she couldn’t stand seeing Grand-uncle treat Preston and our Serena so well and came here on purpose to stir up trouble?"
"That’s because she’s an idiot." Aurora Donovan’s expression was one of visible disgust as she looked at Mrs. Kohl.
Although she had been cooped up in her lab since arriving in Brynn, she wasn’t completely oblivious to the outside world, especially since her little sister was involved. She made sure to pay attention.
Aurora Donovan had already heard about the feud between Victor Donovan’s family and her little sister. She didn’t believe an unpopular old woman like this could have any substantial connection to that family of social climbers. The best explanation was that the woman was simply dumb beyond saving. Someone probably just fed her a few lines, and she eagerly ran over to be the one to stick her neck out and disgust Dennis Donovan and the rest of them.
"She’s clearly not playing with a full deck. Who with half a brain crashes someone else’s wedding to get in their face about the issue of heirs?"
Compared to Mrs. Shelby from before, Arabella was actually more concerned about Mrs. Kohl’s recent words. After all, her grand-uncle and Preston’s bond was rock-solid; there was zero possibility of a third party coming between them. Preston knew this better than anyone and wouldn’t let her mind wander.
But what Mrs. Kohl had just said was another matter entirely. Arabella wasn’t sure if Preston would start overthinking things after hearing it. After all, not *wanting* to have children and not *being able* to have them are two completely different things. If Preston really got fixated on those words, then wouldn’t that...
And to top it off, the woman had just deliberately brought up people whom Arabella already disliked.
"My grand-uncle had already cut ties with Victor Donovan’s family long before Preston and I ever appeared. Your own children, whom you birthed, raised, and educated yourself, are unreliable. Yet you want my grand-uncle to go pin his hopes on a junior family member he’s had conflicts and feuds with, a person who’s no good to begin with? Are you afraid my grand-uncle’s golden years will be too peaceful? What’s most disgusting is that you tried to use twisted words to pin the blame for it all on Preston and me. You’re utterly shameless."
Although this was the first time Eloise Donovan was hearing about the situation between Dennis Donovan and his grandnephew’s family, by combining what Arabella had said with the woman’s absurd remarks, she immediately got the gist of it.
She cut straight to the point. "Perhaps it’s because that’s the kind of person she is. Her two sons treat her that way, yet she still thinks they’re filial and sensible enough to be relied upon. Meanwhile, her other two children catered to her every whim, obedient and devoted, yet she tried everything she could to ruin them. She forced them into a corner until they ran away, and she still thinks it was their fault. Her brain is just wired differently."
"It’s not that her brain is wired differently; she just preys on the weak. She only knows how to throw her weight around with the people who actually care about her, but she won’t dare let out a peep when faced with those who truly want to hurt her. She’s a classic bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong."
"Well said!"
The moment Arabella finished speaking, a sudden round of applause erupted from behind them.
Surprised, everyone turned toward the sound, only to discover that several middle-aged and elderly people in formal wear had appeared behind them at some point.