To Be Yours Again novel (Alec and Jenny)

Octavius said nothing. He knew Gilbert thoroughly researched his standing in the Bradshaw family. He didn't have to worry about anything in that family, but he had not married into their family to simply not be worried.

"Are you sure that you can take control of the Bradshaws?" Octavius was moved, but he doubted Gilbert's abilities.

Gilbert smiled. Things seemed to be going smoother than he expected. He hadn't expected Octavius to go against the Bradshaws so easily. He thought he would have to work to convince him.

The corners of his lips curled upward. "I can't do it alone, but I have the Walters and the Fausts backing me up. With their combined forces, don't you think I'd be able to do it?"

"If you count them in, you'd be able to. But are you sure they wouldn't plunder the Bradshaws for themselves once everything is settled?" Octavius had heard that Gilbert was close with Jenny, but no one could be trusted in the face of profit.

Gilbert sneered, not taking him to heart. "This is my business. You don't have to think about it. You only need to be sure you obtain a large amount of money."

Octavius was stunned. That made sense.

"Alright. I'll work with you." After so many years of being a househusband, he had enough. Once he had the money, he wanted to live a luxurious life.

These years, Esther guarded him like a hawk, but she had a few lovers outside the household. Octavius had been unable to bear it for a long time now.

"That's it, then. You may go home now. I will have someone contact you to let you know what I need from the Bradshaws." Gilbert stood up, feeling that he had nothing more to say.

Seeing that he was about to leave, Octavius quickly said, "Do you...hate me?"

Gilbert paused in his footsteps. However, he didn't look back. "Hate you? Is there anything worth hating about you?"

To him, Octavius was merely a stranger.

However, they were conspirators now. They weren't exactly strangers.

Octavius turned pale. Perhaps he never in a million years would have thought that his missing son would turn out this way. He had imagined his son crying as he ran into his arms, but that never happened. Perhaps they just weren't destined to be together. Why else would he go missing back then?

At that thought, Octavius left Gilbert's company. He had to go back to gather intel on the Bradshaws. Since he decided to work with Gilbert, he was going back to ruin them.

He wasn't going to ruin them just because he'd had enough of being a househusband. It was also because he hated them.

All these years, no one in the family took him seriously. He wanted to see their faces after they collapsed and were transformed from haughty aristocrats to penniless commoners. It was going to be a delight to behold.

At the thought of that, his footsteps quickened. He began to look forward to it.

Gilbert didn't care what Octavius had in mind. After talking with him, he returned to his office and continued with his work. Perhaps because he had his dinner, he seemed energetic while working through the night.

He smiled in exasperation. He used to skip meals to work, but now it seemed that he preferred actually having something to eat. He couldn't help thinking of Marigold's face. He hadn't noticed before, but now that he thought of it, Marigold was actually very pretty. Her face was soft and alluring.

Gilbert remembered their kiss from that day. He unconsciously licked his lips, even yearning for it again.