Chapter 397
James was genuinely bursting with frustration.
âŠ.
He felt that every single person in this family had some sort of grave illness!
Ellis had azoospermia, yet he married a woman who was pregnant!
As for Uncle Olsen⊠he was hopelessly in love! Keera even brazenly brought a gigolo home, and he still indulged her!
Uncle Olsen then frowned and looked at Ellis.
Why did Jamesâs words seem to confirm that Maryâs child wasnât Ellisâs? Was there something he didnât know?
Ellis was burning with anger and turned his gaze directly to James, extending his hand!
âSlap!â
He slapped James across the face. âShut your mouth!â
James was stunned; although he had always been thick-skinned and bold, the atmosphere at home had always been good. With Uncle Olsenâs personality, at most, he had grabbed James when he was little and spanked him. The seven brothers were close and never distinguished between those who were born of the same parents and those who were not.
Now, Ellis had slapped him⊠for two women?!
James was utterly furious. âGreat, Iâm here speaking out for you, and youâre hitting me? Ellis, Uncle Olsen, youâve disappointed me!â
After uttering these words, James turned around and ran outside.
Charles couldnât help running after him. âJames, whatâs wrong?â
Ellis looked at his hand.
Although confident that the child wasnât his own, he had just instinctively tried to defend Maryâs reputation again. How contradictory he was!
His gaze dropped, and he looked dazed.
Uncle Olsen stared at him and suddenly said, âCome with me!â
This family banquet was definitely not going to happen now.
The rest of them gradually dispersed, and Mr. and Mrs. Olsen looked worriedly at Ellis but said nothing.
Ellis had always been raised under Uncle Olsenâs watchful eye, as he had been grooming him to take over the family business in the future.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Olsen were his parents, they had taken a hands-off approach with him, so now that Uncle Olsen clearly intended to chastise Ellis, they remained mostly silent.
Ellis followed Uncle Olsen into the study.
Uncle Olsen asked, âTell me, whatâs all this about?â
After a long silence, Ellis finally said, âI have azoospermia.â
Uncle Olsen was taken aback but showed little reaction, asking only, âAre you sure?â
In truth, he didnât have a great longing for offspring. If Keera and Keira werenât his daughters, he would have been content without children in his lifetime.
So, when it came to the condition of azoospermia, he was pretty accepting.
Ellis sighed. âI went to three hospitals, and all of them diagnosed me with azoospermia.â
Uncle Olsenâs brow furrowed. âThen what about that child?â
âMary insists the child is mine,â Ellis spoke with clenched teeth. âNo matter what I say or do, she insists itâs mine! Whoâs the father of that child? Does she love him so much that she has to have this child for him?â
Uncle Olsen coughed. âKeeraâs attitude doesnât seem fake.â
Ellis took a deep breath. âThen Keera has been deceived by her too! Just now, did you see that? Her demeanor was as if Iâd wronged her, but in reality, Uncle Olsen, Iâm the one whoâs suffering inside!â
In front of Uncle Olsen, Ellis finally let go of all his pride and facade. He slumped into the sofa and collapsed there. âI might have fallen for Mary. I asked her to choose between the child and me and to have an abortion. She decided to have the child and then divorced meâŠ
âUncle, tell me, what am I to her? Just a tool to obtain her childâs birth certificate?â
Uncle Olsen coughed and reminded him harshly, âNowadays, you can get that without a father.â
Ellis was speechless.
He dejectedly lowered his head. âI just wanted to keep her. Without that child, there would have been no connection between her and meâŠâ
Uncle Olsen sighed softly. âEllis, you need to understand that sometimes, the tighter you hold on, the less you have. If you let go, you can have the whole world.â
Ellis stood there, stunned, when he heard these words.
James ran to the parking lot, getting ready to drive around and get some fresh air.
Charles followed, jumping into his car. âJames, whatâs gotten into you? I see Uncle and Ellis are fine. Why are you taking up their cause here?â
James was indignant. He glanced back at the brightly lit house and couldnât help but say, âWell, I can let it slide with Ellis. After all, he tried to force his wife to have an abortion today, but do you know what the most outrageous part is?â
âWhat?â
âItâs our uncle! Thereâs a family reunion banquet in four days. Do you know what kind of reunion it is?â
âNo.â
Charles was still young and attending university, and he wasnât very informed about family matters.
James gritted his teeth and said, âWe are about to have a new aunt!â
âWhat?!â
Charles was extremely excited. âThen why are you angry?â
âThe new aunt is Keira. Did you notice the man with her when she came in today?â
Charles nodded, his expression confused.
James chuckled coldly. âThatâs her kept man, her gigolo!â
Charles was stunned. âWha⊠what?!â
James snorted. âSurprising, isnât it? Uncle is such an astute man, and to think at his age he fell for such a woman. And to make matters worse, sheâs playing him while seeing another man, even having the audacity to bring him home todayâŠâ
Charles stuttered, âThereâs got to be some misunderstanding here, right?â
âWhat misunderstanding could there be?â
Charles thought for a moment. âWhy donât we go ask Uncle and clear things up?â
âHa!â James scoffed. âWhat good would that do? Ellis got physical with me today just because I said something!â
Charles said, ââŠThen weâll ask Keira for the truth!â
This suggestion made Jamesâs eyes light up. âYes, weâll talk to Keira and clear things up. Make her choose between the gigolo and Uncle!â
âAlright.â
The two agreed and drove straight to Keiraâs residence.
At the Olsen residence.
Keira had just gotten home, having escorted Mary upstairs. Mary was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and wanted to be alone, so she expressed that she was fine and asked Keira to leave.
Keira understood and left the room but couldnât help sighing as she turned to Lewis with a question. âWhat do you think, did that idiot Ellis ever get a full check-up for his own health?â
Lewis was about to respond when there came a knock on the door.
He and Keira went downstairs and saw James and Charles standing outside.
At that moment, James had an aggressive look on his face as well as a clear imprint of a slap. He sneered. âKeira, between this gigolo and my uncle, who do you choose?!â
Keira was perplexed. She was completely bewildered. âWhy would I have to choose?â
James said, âIf you donât choose, how can you do right by my uncle? If you want to be with my uncle, then you should be faithful and clean up all these rotten flings of yours!â
Keira was confused. She instantly realized what was happening, and at that moment, she thought back to Ellis calling her âauntâ at the Freeman SectâŠ
She couldnât help but feel both amused and exasperated as she said, âHave you misunderstood something? My relationship with your uncle isnât what you think!â
âThen what kind of relationship could it be?!â