Chapter 6 Adeline Had Never Felt So Happy
"How could you hit her, Steffen? Have you forgotten how I warned you before? Besides, we're not as powerful as we did before, and I've become disabled. We can't afford to be as reckless as we were before!" Curtis slammed the arm of his wheelchair as he said this, clearly dissatisfied with what Steffen did.
Steffen apologized with his head bowed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Riley, I just can't help it. I can't bear hearing anything negative about you."
"But you have to put up with it! She's Mrs. Riley's family anyway. Besides, I promised Mrs. Riley I wouldn't hurt anyone again."
Steffen immediately apologized to Adeline: "Mrs. Riley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break Mr. Riley's promise to you. You can completely blame me. Mr. Riley has nothing to do with any of this."
Instead of being angry, Adeline was delighted because this was her first opportunity to retaliate against her family.
She knew she couldn't show her happiness, so she nodded lightly in response. She didn't even warn Steffen things like, "Don't be impulsive anymore."
Adeline felt she had turned "evil."
Curtis smiled at Phillip and said, "Mr. Burton, let me apologize for my assistant. I'm older than Viola Burton and will be her brother-in-law in the future. I'm sorry. Consider that I took the liberty today to educate your daughter for you. She not only did not respect her sister, but she also humiliated her by saying horrible things to her."
Phillip was surprised and at a loss for words.
Curtis said, looking at the shambles on the floor, "Now that I've given you all the money and gifts, I should get going in case I interfere with your cleaning. See you next time."
Hearing this aggravated Phillip's already tense mood. Not only did he not receive a penny or a gift, but nearly all of his antiques in the living room were destroyed.
He treasured those antiques because they were all he had to show off his wealth. He was unsure whether he should invite his friends over in the future.
Phillip couldn't help but sigh. He found the whole thing so heartbreaking that he could hardly breathe.
Adeline smiled wickedly as she pushed Curtis' wheelchair out of the house.
Steffen deliberately left the house behind the Rileys. He warned Phillip and Edith, "Mr. Riley asked me to leave a message for you. He said he would not tolerate anyone humiliating his wife, so maybe you should think twice before speaking to her in the future."
Steffen then turned around and walked away.
Viola was the first to realize what was going on. In a fit of rage, she stamped her feet and yelled, "Mommy! How did that bitch Adeline end up with all that money? Even if she marries a disabled person, how can she get over 70 million dollars, a house, and land? I'm so angry, Mom! This was supposed to be mine!"
Phillip was overcome with rage while Edith narrowed her eyes in a weird way.
To calm her daughter, Edith said, "Don't be mad, baby. I peeked at her screen while she was checking the text message she got from the bank. She didn't get that much money, at least not in the millions."
Viola paused, suspiciously asking her mother, "Are you sure?"
"I'm very sure! It's probably only a few hundred thousand."
Phillip asked his wife, "Are you sure you really saw it?" with slightly narrowed eyes.
Edith nodded, as she couldn't believe that Adeline, an unlucky child, would ever come across something so wonderful. She said confidently, "They just staged a scene together to trick us. Curtis had lost his power after the car accident, so how could he get so much money to spend on his wife?"
"And what about that land?" Phillip asked. He didn't think the money was a big deal because the land was what really mattered.
With a sneer on her face, Edith said, "Perhaps it's a useless piece of land that's barren and hard to develop. Besides, he claimed to have transferred land ownership to her, but no one has seen documentation to support this. He must have said that in front of us on purpose."
Phillip nodded, thinking her words made sense.
"Curtis is now disabled. He admitted that he had lost his power and even told his assistant to tone it down. You heard him, didn't you?" Edith said. The more she belittled Adeline's husband, the happier she felt from the bottom of her heart.
Phillip didn't respond because he was struggling with his emotions.
Phillip thought, "Curtis is much more competent than Logan, but he's still a cripple anyhow." He believed he had no reason to be pleased with himself as the father-in-law of a disabled man.
Edith said, rubbing Viola's shoulders, "Now that your sister is married to that disabled person, you have to fight for your life. You should spend more time with Logan when he returns and better make him your boyfriend."
Viola nodded shyly.
As soon as Adeline got into the car, Curtis told her with a torn expression, "I'm sorry, but I don't have that much money right now. I just gave you seventy thousand dollars. I'll definitely give you the rest later."
Adeline shook her head quickly before he could finish his sentence.
"That's not necessary. The money you just gave me is enough for me. I know you're doing this for my sake because you don't want my family to look down on me in the future. I sincerely appreciate your help. Never in my entire life has anyone defended me." Adeline said.
Logan never helped her get back at her family.
Logan was a stereotypical nerd who was obsessed with archaeology. Every time he heard her complaining about her situation, he told her to put up with it and that things would get better once they were married.
Adeline had never been happier than she was right now, as she felt all the resentment she had built up for years had disappeared.
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