DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 24
Chapter 24 Through the Good Times, Not the Bad
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Everyone else in the room looked as if they had been struck by lightning as they stood frozen, staring at Lucian and Jeff with their mouths agape. Did Jeff Froll just offer Lucian Gray ten villas in Maple Garden with a cumulative value of almost $500 million? Who would’ve thought that Lucian Gray had the ability to bring Jeff Froll to his doorstep and offer him ten villas for free? No one else in Sioux certainly had that sort of prowess. Who exactly was Lucian Gray?
Lucian could only smile sheepishly. Jeff went overboard with his theatrics this time. He had only requested one small villa not more than 2,000 square meters, not ten of varying sizes and styles. However, since Jeff had already offered the villas, Lucian decided to ask Freya to pick one of her likings. He turned to his wife. “Fay, choose a villa you like. We’ll move out right now.”
“Lucian, what’s going on?” Freya looked up at her husband, still confused about the situation. Annie and Frank were equally flabbergasted by everything that had just happened.
“Annie, Frank, just pick a villa you like,” Lucian told his in-laws. “We have to move out soon since we’re clearly not welcomed here. I’ll explain everything later.”
“Mr. Gray, you don’t have to pick one. It’s all for you!” Jeff offered, looking like he would be thoroughly disappointed if Lucian rejected him.
“One villa is good enough, Jeff,” Lucian did not see the need to own ten villas.
Since Lucian insisted on just one villa, Jeff did not dare to press further. He spread the ten agreements across the table for the family to choose. Finally, they decided on one of the smaller units that was about 2,000 square feet. The villa was tastefully decorated in a modern style and was in perfect move-in condition.
“Annie! Since Mr. Froll is offering you ten units, why don’t you pick a few more?” Carol whispered to her sister as she pulled her aside. “I’ve never lived in a villa all my life! You could pick another 3,000 square foot villa for my family too!”
“Huh…” Annie glared at her sister. “You’re kicking me out of your tiny 800 square foot apartment and asking me to give you a 3,000 square foot villa? Which part of that sounds right to you?”
“Sis, we’re one family after all. Do you have to be so calculative?” Frank chimed in. Next to him, Tammy covered her face in embarrassment at her parents’ shamelessness. When Freya’s family needed help, they only made things worse, but now that the family had a villa to live in, they wanted something for themselves too.
“You’re not family!!” Frank roared in anger. “You only treat us like family when we have a villa to live in, but you chased us out of this apartment when we had no other place to live!”
Patrick and Carol looked like they were about to argue back, but Tammy shushed them before they could say anything. They regretted not treating their relatives a little better, or they might have had a villa of their own too, but it was too late now.
“Hmph, you only want to be there during the good times. Take this as a lesson to treat people
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13:28 Fri, 18 Aug
Chapter 24 Through the Go…
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better when they need your help!” Frank sneered, practically giving them a slap in the face.
Even after Freya’s family had left, they still attempted to coerce Tammy into salvaging their relationship with Freya. “Tammy, return this money to Freya and try to convince them to give us a villa too! Imagine that, us living in a villa!” Carol told her daughter.
Patrick Lynn looked like a man who had just fallen off his high horse. His family was well and truly middle class, and no matter how hard he worked, he could not foresee himself living in a villa that cost millions of dollars.
Tammy was speechless at her parent’s attitude. “Well, you guys were the ones who insisted on chasing Freya out of this apartment. I’m sure as heck not going to be the one knocking on the door of their villa!”
“Tammy, I’m begging you! Do it for us just this once,” Tammy said as she stuffed the money in her daughter’s hands. “Just go and say you’re returning the money to them, and perhaps casually bring up the villa…”
Tammy could not deal with her parents right now. She hastily sna tched the money and left the apartment, heading for Maple Garden. She told herself she was just going to give her cousin the money and return home. Everyone in Sioux knew of Maple Garden and its exclusivity. Even Frank and Annie Harrison did not live in such a luxurious enclave back when they were still a part of the larger Harrison family. Even a well-respected third-tier family like the Harrisons did not have the means or status to live in Maple Garden.
Tammy was in awe as soon as she reached the villa. It looked large enough to house at least ten people, and even the front door and well-manicured lawn reeked of money. Tammy could understand why her parents wanted to live in a place like this so badly.
Inside the villa, Freya and her parents were still admiring the lavishly decorated living space rooms. When they had no further complaints, Lucian waved a hand to Jeff who took it as his sign to leave.
and
“Frank, Annie, once you sign the agreement, this villa will be under your names,” Lucian informed them as he slid the agreement across the table to them.
Frank and Annie instantly waved their hands in objection, afraid of the implications of owning such an expensive property. It was true that Lucian owed their daughter a lot, but it was not to the extent of a $20 million property. Even though Annie was always scolding Lucian for not providing for their family, she was not a materialistic person at heart.
“Lucian, don’t you think it’s time for you to give us an explanation?” Freya suddenly asked out loud. “Why did Jeff Froll offer you so many villas?”
Three pairs of eyes turned to Lucian for an answer. Freya had a point. Lucian was a mere war veteran who had been ostracized by the Gray family. Even if he hadn’t been kicked out by his family, the Grays weren’t powerful or influential enough to demand a villa from Jeff Froll, let
alone ten.
Lucian’s expression turned serious as he was about to answer. “I told you, I’m the Infernal War
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Chapter 24 Through the Go…
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G od. I only asked for one villa, to be honest, but I didn’t think he’d offer me ten. It’s a little much, don’t you think?”
Freya and her parents initially bore equally serious expressions, but they began to cr ack as soon as they heard Lucian’s explanation. Did the man really think they’d buy his lie if he said it enough. times? Tammy Lynn, who had slipped through the front door unnoticed, burst out into raucous laughter. She didn’t think of her cousin-in-law as the comedic type.
“Lucian Gray! Can you stop fooling around for once?” she burst out in anger, not knowing how to deal with Lucian’s antics.
Lucian sighed helplessly. Every time he had tried to come clean about his identity to Freya and her family, they always got upset, thinking that he was pulling their leg. He had no choice but to concoct another lie to placate them. “Back when I was in the army, I once saved Jeff Froll from danger. He promised to repay me once I was discharged from the army…”
13 28 Fri, 18 Aug DD
The Resurgence of a Warrio…