Chapter 2

“Madam, Earl Spencer, the young lord of the Spencer family, has sent over a painting from the Plantagenet dynasty, worth five million!” Just then, Nora’s butler shouted from the doorway. Upon hearing this, Lady Nora’s face lit up with joy. She quickly instructed the butler, “Bring it here at once so I can take a look!”

The butler presented a painting on silk. The painting was exquisitely crafted, with the ink and paper emitting a delicate fragrance. The scenery depicted in the painting was so lifelike that it resembled a heavenly paradise. The inscription was signed by Peter Riley, the court painter of the Plantagenet dynasty. The old lady couldn’t take her eyes off it, examining the painting carefully over and over again. Everyone in the Norland family was amazed by Earl Spencer’s remarkable talent.

“How about it? As long as you agree to my terms, two million will be transferred to your account right away!” Lady Nora looked at Wayne Sosie with a half-smile, though there was an unmistakable hint of coercion in her tone.

“Grandma, I disagree! I won’t divorce Wayne Sosie!” Before Wayne Sosie could respond, Diana Nora, who was sitting nearby, couldn’t stay silent. She spoke out stubbornly and firmly.

“Stupid! You really have no sense at all. Do you really want to spend your whole life with this good-for-nothing? What can he possibly offer you? He’s penniless, powerless, and completely worthless. He only knows how to live off others and wait for death. Such a scumbag doesn’t deserve to set foot in my Nora family! Get that trash out of here! I won’t allow him to attend my birthday party!” Provoked by Diana Nora’s aggressive attitude, Lady Nora became furious. She pointed at Wayne Sosie’s nose and started yelling insults at him.

Wayne Sosie smiled bitterly. He was utterly disappointed by the actions of the Nora family. He couldn’t bear to stay any longer and endure further humiliation. He simply turned around and left.

“Wayne Sosie, I’ll go with you!” Diana Nora grabbed Wayne Sosie’s arm and said firmly.

“You wretched fool! If you go with him today, never set foot in the Nora family again. You’re no longer my granddaughter!”

Diana Nora was stunned. She never expected her grandmother to say such cruel things to her.

“Diana, please stay here. Don’t worry about me.” Wayne Sosie shook his head at Diana Nora. He didn’t want to put Diana Nora in a difficult situation.

“My dear brother-in-law, did he just scurry away like a dog with his tail between his legs? He probably didn’t even eat anything. Don’t say I’m heartless as his brother. Here! Take this and eat something. Don’t starve yourself! Hahahaha…” When Harvey Nora saw Wayne Sosie turning to leave, he immediately threw a chicken bone that he had been gnawing on onto Wayne Sosie’s feet, wearing a viciously mocking smile, as if dismissing a stray dog with complete indifference.

Wayne Sosie gave Harvey Nora a cold look, then turned around and walked out the door without even looking back, leaving the room filled with laughter.

……

Wayne Sosie walked into the Future Welfare Institute with a heavy heart. To his surprise, he heard Uncle Warner, the director of the institute, speaking in a loud and cheerful voice.

“Oh, Wayne Sosie, you’ve come! It’s really a blessing from heaven. Who would have thought that someone so kind would be willing to donate money to support our orphanage? Now, the children’s future is secure!”

Has anyone donated?

What’s going on here?

Wayne Sosie looked slightly puzzled. Something felt odd to him instinctively. He knew well the situation at the orphanage. He had tried to raise donations there countless times, to no avail. So why, suddenly today, did good fortune seem to be on its way?

“Second Master, you… you’ve come!”

At that moment, a figure flashed behind Dean Warner. An elderly man dressed in a suit, looking very neat and tidy, leaned on his cane and stared at Wayne Sosie with an excited expression on his face.

“You’re… Otis Sawyer!” Wayne Sosie narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint appearing in their depths.

“Second Master, I never expected that you would still remember this old servant!” The old man, named Otis Sawyer, was in tears, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak.

“Heh, how could I possibly forget? I’ll never forget the great kindness shown to me by your Sosi family!”

Wayne Sosie snorted coldly, his eyes filled with an icy hostility that made people want to stay away. Otis Sawyer’s face stiffened upon seeing this, and he stood there awkwardly.

“Second Master, please don’t blame the Master for what happened back then. The Master deeply regrets it now. He often speaks of you. His days are numbered, and he really wants to meet you!” Otis Sawyer rubbed his hands together, carefully choosing his words as he spoke.

“Laughable. Back then, I single-handedly helped him build his vast empire. In the end, though, he killed me so that his son could inherit the family business. Now that he has no one of his own and is surrounded by enemies, he suddenly remembers me?” Wayne Sosie sneered, a look of disdain in his eyes.

In his youth, Wayne Sossi joined one of Kyoto’s four major families, the Sossi clan. He became the adopted son of James Sossi, the head of the family. Over the years, Wayne Sossi helped strengthen the Sossi clan’s power and expand its territory. He was truly the greatest contributor to the clan’s success and dominance. Yet, he met a tragic end. His achievements made him a threat to James Sossi, who resorted to violence against his own adopted son in order to promote his own biological son to power. As a result, Wayne Sossi was hunted down by many of the Sossi clan’s warriors. Eventually, he was forced to live in the small town of Carlisle.

Hearing Wayne Sosie’s cold words, Otis Sawyer’s face turned bitter. He rubbed his hands restlessly and said, “Second Master, I know you still hold grudges against the Sosie family. What the master did back then was indeed unfair. Now that the master realizes his mistakes and wants to make amends, you’ve suffered greatly over the years. Here’s a bank card with not much money on it—just ten billion. Please accept it for emergencies. I really must ask you to take it. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face the master.”

Wayne Sosie’s eyebrows twitched, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He hadn’t expected that the Sosie family would be willing to invest a hundred billion at once!

Although he’d stayed away from worldly affairs these years, the Sosi family’s situation has only gotten worse over time. They’re now in a desperate situation, with enemies on all sides. As a result, in an attempt to make amends for the sins they committed in the past, the Sosi family is willing to go to extreme lengths to do so.

“Second Master, this is all the old master’s decision. If you’re willing to return to the family, you’ll become the first-in-line heir of the Suo Xi family. You’ll have full control over all the family’s power and authority. But if you’re unable to let go of past grievances and refuse to return to the family, then this ten billion will be considered compensation from the Suo Xi family. You can always reach out to the Suo Xi family for help whenever you need it.”

Otis Sawyer carefully conveyed his master’s wishes to Wayne Sosie. It can be said that the Sosie family treated Wayne Sosie with great sincerity. The terms they offered were all beneficial to Wayne Sosie, with no drawbacks at all.

Wayne Sosie was utterly astonished upon hearing this. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted. After all, if he agreed to this request, the entire Sosie family would be at his disposal. No one could resist such a temptation.

And to put it another way, these things already belong to me.