Chapter 1
“Grandma, I know you have a fondness for antiques. This York Dynasty silverware with intricate carvings was something I went through a lot of trouble to get for you. It’s a gift for your birthday!”
“Grandma, this Jade Guanyin was blessed through a ritual using the moonlight from Du Yi Mountain. I know you’ve been practicing Buddhism lately, so I brought it especially for you!”
At this moment, the Nora family hall was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Lady Nora looked down at her descendants with a kind and gentle expression on her face, her face beaming with happiness.
“Grandma! I’d like to borrow two million from you. It’s cold now, and the children in the orphanage don’t have any cotton-padded jackets to wear. The roof was blown off by strong winds a few days ago. The children are living in very difficult conditions. I really want to help them…”
However, at that moment, a clear voice broke the peaceful atmosphere. Many people frowned slightly and turned to look at the person who spoke.
As soon as Wayne Sosie said those words, the entire Nora family was shocked.
Everyone looked at Wayne Sosie with disbelief on their faces.
This son-in-law who comes to live in the family is completely unacceptable. Not only does he fail to bring any gifts for the old lady’s birthday, but now he also demands money? And he wants two million! This is simply absurd!
Two years ago, the head of the Nora family did something utterly foolish. He insisted that his beloved granddaughter, Diana Nora, marry that good-for-nothing man named Wayne Sosie, who had no money or influence at all. No amount of persuasion from others could change his mind. Since then, the Nora family has become the subject of ridicule among the other prominent families in Carlisle.
Later, not long after Wayne Sosie and Diana Nora got married, Mr. Nora passed away. The Nora family tried every possible means to get rid of Wayne Sosie, subjecting him to various insults and humiliations. Yet Wayne Sosie remained calm, indifferent, and uninterested in anything. As a result, he continued to live with the family for two full years.
Today, Wayne Sosie spoke out of sheer helplessness. The orphanage where he grew up is now facing financial difficulties. Seeing those children, who are emaciated from hunger and lack even warm clothes in the cold weather, Wayne Sosie couldn’t bear it any longer. That’s why he acted as he did earlier.
“Bang!”
Old Lady Nora slapped the table hard with her hand. Her kind-looking face instantly turned gloomy. Her gaze toward Wayne Sosie was filled with contempt and disgust. “You wretched bastard! Are you here to wish me a happy birthday or to ask for money?”
When the old lady got angry, the rest of the Nora family enjoyed watching Wayne Sosie’s embarrassment. Meanwhile, Wayne Sosie’s wife, Diana Nora, became anxious and quickly stepped forward to explain, “Grandma, Wayne Sosie can’t speak. Today is your birthday, so please don’t take his behavior personally.” With that, Diana Nora glared at Wayne Sosie, then took him aside by grabbing the hem of his shirt.
“Sis, look at what your son has turned out to be! He’s nothing but a good-for-nothing! Today, on Grandma’s birthday, he didn’t even bring any gifts. All he did was keep asking for money. How ridiculous! Look at my Chassel instead. He heard that Grandma liked antiques, so he went out of his way to get some beautifully carved silverware as a gift. This guy is truly infuriating… Oh, no, how can I compare humans to animals? I must have said something wrong. Hehehe…”
Diana Nora’s cousin, Ruth Noray, raised her eyebrows with a cold smirk, speaking in words that were sharp and full of sarcasm.
“Wayne Sosie, you really are worthless. Is this how you wish your grandmother a happy birthday? As a son-in-law of the Nora family as well, I’m too ashamed to be associated with you!”
The speaker was Chasell Drayton, Ruth Nora’s husband and a direct descendant of the prestigious Drayton family of Carlisle.
Chasell Dryden had actually been coveting Diana Nora for a long time. Although he was now married to Ruth Nora, he still harbored feelings for Diana Nora. After all, Diana Nora was a renowned “goddess” of Carlisle, outstanding in every way. She was far beyond Ruth Nora’s comparison.
So Chasell Delayton has always held deep hostility toward Wayne Sosie. Every time he saw Wayne Sosie with Diana Nora, he became furious.
As for Ruth Nora, she’s always been extremely jealous of her cousin. From a young age, in terms of appearance, manners, education, and abilities, Ruth Nora was inferior to her cousin Diana Nora in every way. She’d long harbored resentment toward her cousin. Now that she believed she far surpassed Diana Nora when it came to her husband, she certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity to thoroughly humiliate Diana Nora.
“That’s right! I think someone completely worthless like him should just get out of our Nora family as soon as possible!”
“The entire Nora family has been brought shame by this scumbag. Nowadays, which of the prominent families in Carlisle doesn’t laugh at us Noras? I’m too ashamed to interact with people from other families!”
“In my opinion, this person with such wicked intentions is pretending to need money. The real purpose is to ruin the old lady’s birthday party. His actions are truly despicable!”
One sarcastic remark after another from the Norra family echoed in Wayne Sosi’s ears. Wayne Sosi clenched his fists tightly, his face turning ashen.
If it weren’t for those children in the orphanage, he would never have compromised with the snobbish Norra family. But when he thought of those poor children shivering in fear during the cold winter months, Wayne Sosie managed to suppress the anger boiling inside him.
“Grandma, those children in the orphanage are truly pitiful. Not only do they have no parents, but they also go hungry every day. Please, help them out. It’s a kind act to do so! Please…”
“Shut up! You wretched Soosi, get lost from here immediately! Stop acting like you deserve to be here. You’re not even worthy of stepping foot into my Nora family!” Diana Nora’s cousin, Harvey Nora, grew furious and rudely interrupted Wayne Soosi’s words.
“Grandma, Wayne Sosie has lived in the orphanage for several years. It’s only natural that he feels attached to it. Please, out of consideration for his sincere feelings, help him out…” Seeing that the atmosphere had become awkward, Diana Nora spoke up to ease the situation on Wayne Sosie’s behalf.
“Absolutely ridiculous! How can anyone help a good-for-nothing like him—a worthless piece of trash who’s good for nothing at all? A scumbag who has no mother to raise him properly! How dare anyone even think of helping him!” Harvey Nora sneered, his words filled with venom.
Wayne Sosie gritted his teeth tightly, with veins on his forehead pulsing. Facing the various humiliations inflicted upon him by the Nora family, a sense of humiliation welled up from deep within him.
“You want two million, right? I’ll pay!” But at that moment, Lady Nora’s voice suddenly rang out. Wayne Sosie immediately looked up. A sharp glint passed through Lady Nora’s cloudy old eyes. Then, with a sneer, she stretched out a finger at Wayne Sosie. “But I have one condition!”
“Take this money and divorce Diana. I’ve already agreed to El Spencer’s proposal to Diana. From now on, you have nothing to do with our Nora family!”
Upon hearing Lady Nora’s words, Wayne Sosie’s face turned ugly. Lady Nora was doing this nothing more than to embarrass him in public. If he were to foolishly agree, he would never be able to establish himself in Carlisle again.
In the words of the old man Nora, Earl Spencer was the eldest son of the Spencer family, one of the four major families in Carlisle. Earl Spencer had always pursued Diana Nora relentlessly. After all, the Nora family was merely a minor family in Carlisle. If they could marry into the Spencer family, the Nora family would surely rise to great heights in Carlisle!
So, using this as an excuse, Old Lady Nora got the idea that if she could take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Wayne Sosie, that would be great!
