Alia Garcia signed the docunt and left. This ti, Christopher Hart let her go without trying to stop her, very readily.
Lawyer Jones confird the signatures and fingerprints were valid, reporting to Christopher Hart, "President Hart, your wife has signed the docunts without any issues."
"Okay, insert those pages we took out."
"Yes."
Lawyer Jones opened his briefcase, took out the previously removed pages, and inserted them into the half of the agreent Alia Garcia had signed.
Thus, the agreent was now complete.
Unfortunately, when Alia Garcia was signing, she hadn’t noticed that the page numbers were discontinuous. She was overwheld by Christopher Hart’s gesture and never imagined there could be any "deception" involved.
"But..." After re-binding the agreent, Lawyer Jones hesitated, "Are you sure... you want to transfer all your assets under your na to your wife? Once notarized, it becos legally binding. If your wife does not reconcile with you in the future, that would an you’ve essentially relinquished all..."
"I know," Christopher Hart interrupted him softly, instructing, "Just do as I instructed."
Seeing his determination, Lawyer Jones could only agree, "Okay, I’ll handle it as quickly as possible. Please take good care of yourself, I’ll be leaving now."
"Okay."
The hospital room returned to silence, and Christopher Hart slowly closed his eyes.
But he did not feel sleepy.
He knew the woman was intelligent, but she wasn’t completely unmanipulable.
The agreent she saw was only part that involved gifts for the children, but there was another part that consolidated almost all his assets, transferring them to her na without any compensation.
Lawyer Jones’s concerns had never crossed his mind.
If there ever ca a day when things fell apart, it would be because fate deed he deserved such punishnt, to end up with nothing, financially and emotionally barren, alone until the end.
————
"What?! You’re telling Christopher Hart was behind President Morgan’s rejection of our deal?"
"And he forced you to take two hundred million?"
"He also gave over a billion for the children’s living expenses which hangs under your na?"
"Oh my goodness! He... how could he— he’s being too generous!"
"Darling, are you really not reconsidering your decision? Although he has been a jerk before, nobody’s perfect, right! He’s making ands enough now!"
"Besides, he ended up like this trying to save Ethan. Maybe think of it as compassion, pity him, and forgive him!"
After Alia Garcia finished recounting the events of the morning, Snow Fitch was indeed flabbergasted, ranting incessantly.
Alia Garcia, eating her al, saw her friend’s astonishnt and quickly put down her utensils to cover her mouth, "Keep your voice down! Everyone can hear you!"
Snow Fitch recoiled and lowered her voice slightly, "This is really... he loves you so much! He’s pouring out his heart for you! Are you sure you’re not moved at all?"
Alia turned back, picked up her utensils, and continued eating, whispering, "Of course, I am moved, but..."
But she was no longer the naive young girl who believed it was simple that love alone was enough to sustain life, that love was rely between two people.
Alia sighed lazily, "You know what my ex-in-laws are like... and there’s Wendy — I heard her situation isn’t good. If I truly remarried her brother, what do you think would happen?"
Snow Fitch snorted, "What could happen? Are you saying she doesn’t like you, so her brother will remain unmarried forever?"
Alia smiled and stayed silent.
"I really can’t understand! You tell , Christopher’s parents are educated, not so uncivilized barbarians, don’t they understand that indulging a child is like killing a child? Wendy’s been spoiled to the point of having a distorted ntality, clearly bordering on being pathological. Can’t they see that?"
Alia Garcia said, "Of course, it’s obvious, but she’s their daughter. They don’t even know how long she’ll live. What can they possibly do?"
In fact, in the previous years, Alia’s thoughts paralleled Snow Fitch’s.
It wasn’t until she had her own child and beca a mother that she could understand Emma Carter and her husband’s feelings.
"You see, Hope has been frail and sick since she was little. How does Christopher indulge her? Although she’s my own daughter, to be honest, Hope has been spoiled. She’s willful, self-centered, and petty. Everyone around her has to give way to her; she gets angry over the smallest dissatisfaction..."
As Alia recollected how her daughter typically bullied her brothers, she gave a wry smile, "Do you think Christopher doesn’t know? Of course he does, but what can he do about it? Watching her suffer illness after illness, undergoing surgery after surgery, he’s bound to feel deep pity. Of course, he feels that no amount of indulgence is too much."
Snow Fitch sneered, "Hope is a lot better than Wendy Hart, not as bad as you describe."
"That’s because you’re biased towards Hope. You naturally overlook these faults. If Hope hadn’t recovered and continued to be indulged like this, she would end up just like Wendy Hart."
Fortunately, Hope had recovered very well after her major lung surgery. She now resembled a healthy child.
With her return ho, she would also pay attention to guiding her properly, hopefully righting the young girl’s path sowhat.
Upon hearing this, Snow Fitch found it to make sense; he nodded, looking at her lazily, "So what will you do? Just because his family objects, will you keep hanging on like this?"
"There’s nothing wrong with it," Alia confessed, "Actually, I don’t have many expectations for marriage anymore; whether it works out or not doesn’t bother . Seeing him in this state now, it’s unknown whether he can recover or not. Let’s just continue this way; I’ll visit and take care of him when I can, as friends supporting one another. That’s perfectly fine."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes!" Alia finished her al and wiped her mouth, revitalizing herself, "I’m not planning to find soone else. Raising three children is tiring enough; I have no energy left to think about n."
"That makes sense..."
When Snow Fitch saw her check the ti, he asked, "Heading back to the office?"
"Yes, Kane was supposed to be on today’s flight back to the country. I don’t know if he’s left yet. I’ll contact him in a bit, get these things sorted out so he can leave with peace of mind."
As they got up, Snow Fitch, thinking of all the effort Kane had wasted, said sympathetically, "This poor man really has it rough. He chased from abroad to here, and in the end..."
Alia patted her shoulder and smiled, "Alright, you’re single too, worrying about others every day. Let’s go!"
————
A week later.
Christopher’s recovery from surgery went well; after a full physical examination and comprehensive assessnt, the doctors decided he could be discharged.
Emma had already prepared the room at ho, just waiting for her son to return.
Who knew that before she could finish speaking, she was rejected.
"I won’t return to the old house; there’s no need for you all to busy yourselves."
When Emma brought in food and heard this, she turned to look at the hospital bed, "You’re not coming ho? Then where will you stay?"
Christopher remained silent.
Seeing her son not speaking, Emma understood and said coldly, "What, you plan to stay at Alia’s place?"
He still did not speak, his expression calm and steady.
"The two of you are in an improper relationship; what is it for you to live together like that? Besides, she’s so busy. How could she have ti to take care of you? You can’t see right now and you’re also immobile; you need soone by your side at all tis. Only by staying at ho can we take care of you properly."
"No need. Soone will take care of ."
"Even if soone does, they’re not family; they won’t care for you with the sa devotion. Don’t think just because you can be discharged, you’re completely healed. You’ve sustained serious injuries; at the very least, you’ll need careful nursing for a year or half a year, otherwise, you might suffer from complications for a lifeti!"
Emma spoke the truth.
Yet Christopher’s stubbornness was beyond what any ordinary person could compare.
"I’m not that fragile, and you already have to take care of my sister, which is hard enough."
Seeing him resolute, Emma Carter felt frustrated again, "Christopher, when will you listen to ? If you live with her, how can we visit you? I still have to go to her place, see her face... I just can’t do it!"
"She won’t give you a hard ti."
"Ha! You’re obviously biased toward her."
After Christopher finished his al, Emma called her husband.
On the other end, George Hart was furious and said irritably, "If he won’t co back, let him be! If he dies out there, don’t bother! It’s as if I never had this son!"
Emma was even more upset by her husband’s words, caught between a rock and a hard place, her eyes red as she left the hospital ward.
Later, Alia Garcia ca to the hospital.
After speaking with the attending doctor and learning he could be discharged, Alia was also happy.
"The doctor said you can be discharged; when do you plan to leave?"
Christopher drank the soup she brought, his eyes flicking to her face as his lips curved slightly, "That depends... when President Norton can make ti to pick up."
Now fully in charge of Venus, Alia gave him a glare, "You still want to pick you up when you’re discharged? I’m busy these days with lots of company issues, I have a new product launch to handle, and then I have to report back to headquarters. At the earliest, I can only co back in a week."
He frowned, "When are you going?"
"Early next month, I guess." That’s only a week away, so she’s swamped every day.
Christopher suddenly stopped talking; his expression clearly unhappy.
Alia fed him another spoonful of soup, but he refused to open his mouth.
She nudged his lips with the spoon, irritated, "Co on, drink! What’s with the sulking? I’m in a hurry."
"If you’re in a hurry then go."
He felt morose, as if he were torturing himself.
Seeing his temper flare again, Alia dropped her arms and looked at him helplessly, "Work is just like this, I’m doing my best to take care of you, still not satisfied?"
"It seems I have indeed beco a burden to you." She was so busy with work, yet she still had to "take care" of him.
Realizing her choice of words was inappropriate, Alia quickly corrected herself, "Okay, okay, I misspoke, didn’t an you’re a burden, you’re my creditor. I’m working so hard because I want the company to do well and pay off the debt I owe you sooner."
"I’m not in a hurry."
"But I am distressed having such a huge debt."
The more Christopher heard, the more depressed he beca, muttering, "I think that lousy company should just be sold off, helping you is like digging myself a hole."
Alia, hearing him despise her business again, felt upset and fell silent.
Seeing her silent, the tension growing, he realized his words were inappropriate and coughed awkwardly, chin advancing a bit, "Why did you stop feeding ? I’m not full yet..."
Alia snapped back to reality and continued to feed him.
But she still remained silent.
After a mont of silence, it was Mr. Hart, who had initiated the "dispute," who couldn’t bear it anymore and ekly explained, "I... I didn’t an to belittle your work, just... seeing you so strained, it feels... unnecessary."
"I told you the other day, countless other people live this way."
"But they don’t have three young children to look after, nor an invalid, you have it much harder than them."
Alia snorted with laughter, "You’re really thick-skinned, counting yourself in. Are you short of people to serve you?"
She was just a "jack-of-all-trades."
Since the topic had been broached, Christopher stopped pretending and said formally, "I... I was thinking, after being discharged, I could move into your place, to live with you and the kids."
Alia paused, her eyelashes lifting as she stared at him.
No wonder he was asking when she had ti to pick him up from the hospital;
That was his plan—to move in with her and the kids.
Hearing no response, Christopher cautiously asked, "What do you think... is it feasible?"
"What do you think?" Alia threw the question back, "You just said I have it tougher than most, why don’t you show so consideration for ? Wouldn’t it be better for you to move back ho?"
"I don’t want to return to the old house, facing my mom’s nagging every day; I fear it would just make us both unhappy. Plus, if I move back to the old house, I definitely won’t see you."
"What about Imperial Garden?" Alia asked, but then suddenly rembered he didn’t recall the past few years, and added, "Imperial Garden is your own place, a large villa."
Christopher was aware of Imperial Garden Villa; Benny had ntioned it when talking about the past.
"If I stay at Imperial Garden, wouldn’t I be lonely all by myself?"
"Aunt Harper and Fuller can go back to take care of you, and the caregiver has been looking after you for so ti now and is familiar; we can ask him to go ho with you too."
"They are all outsiders; I’d still feel alone."
Alia looked at him, irritation written all over her face.
This guy, such a burden.
"Alia... look at now, I can’t really do anything to you, what are you afraid of?" Mr. Hart, seeing her disagree, actually started to act spoiled.
"Who’s afraid of you?" She almost laughed, nearing a "Mummy" himself, and still thinking about those things!
"If you move to my place, it would be so inconvenient for your parents to co and see you. Also, with their proud nature, they wouldn’t want to step onto my turf, right? It would end up causing a rift between you and your mother, making the villain."
Thus, no matter what, she couldn’t agree to his request.
"You should go back to Imperial Garden instead, it will be convenient for both sides to visit you. Whenever I have ti, I will bring the kids to keep you company; you won’t be left to fend for yourself."
"Fine, that’s settled," Alia firmly decided, pouring another bowl of soup, "Hurry up and drink, I have a eting this afternoon and really need to rush."
"Alia, I..."
"Drink the soup."
Negotiation failed, and Mr. Hart felt utterly dejected, the soup in his bowl tasting bland.
After finishing the al, as Alia was about to leave, Christopher asked, "What about tomorrow? Will you co when I’m discharged?"
"Tomorrow?" The woman slung her handbag over her shoulder, her brows furrowing slightly.
Tomorrow, she indeed had things to do...
"Got sothing else?"
Seeing him say this, Alia felt a pang of guilt and reluctantly said, "I’ll co. I’ll put off even the most crucial matters and escort you ho from the hospital, is that satisfactory?"
"Fair enough," he replied reluctantly.
Seeing his stubborn defiance, Alia rolled her eyes, "I’m going now, you better get so rest."
Reviews
All reviews (0)