Free Web NovelChapter 164: Chapter 164: You Can’t Even Lie Straight
Cecelia Archer had already arrived at the real estate transaction center. Mrs. Vaughn had called ahead, so everything was sorted out on her end. She was just waiting for her brother to show up with the property deed.
But she waited for over half an hour, and in total, it had been more than an hour since she’d first called, yet her brother still hadn’t shown up.
Cecelia knew he was busy and probably couldn’t get away right away. She hadn’t wanted to rush him, but the bank was closing in an hour.
She was afraid the funds wouldn’t transfer in time, so she had no choice but to call her brother again.
Her brother was being held back by his wife, who was interrogating him endlessly. Just as he was feeling helpless, his phone rang.
When he saw Cecelia Archer’s name appear on the screen, his heart leaped into his throat.
’If Cecelia tells her the truth and my wife finds out I own a property worth 20 million, all hell will break loose!’
He reached for the phone, but his wife snatched it away before he could.
"What are you grabbing for? Can’t I even answer a call from your sister? Or is this not really Cecelia, and you just saved someone else’s number under her name?"
Her brother was so angry with her he was about to explode.
"When you have nothing better to do, could you please watch less of that garbage television? What goes through your head all day? It’s really Cecelia. The hospital must be rushing her. Let me talk to her."
But his wife wouldn’t let go. "Don’t move! If it’s really Cecelia, I can talk to her too!"
His wife answered the call, but she was clever. She connected the call but didn’t say a word.
Cecelia was on the other end. "Brother, I’ve been waiting for so long. Why aren’t you here yet? When can you get here? Are you really busy today? Can you please hurry up a little? The bank closes in an hour, and I’m afraid we’ll be too late."
"Why aren’t you saying anything? Can you hear me? Hello? Brother?"
After speaking for a while without getting a response, Cecelia assumed the signal was bad and hung up.
His wife stared at the phone screen, a sinister smile spreading across her face.
"’Can you please hurry up a little? The bank is closing.’ What for? What kind of illness does Candy have that requires you to go help out at a bank?"
"June Archer, you’ve got some nerve. And you said you weren’t hiding anything from me. Helping out all the way to the bank? You son of a bitch, and you still say you’re not hiding anything from me!"
Her brother was speechless and furious, looking at his wife with a heart full of ashes. ’This marriage is impossible,’ he thought. ’If it comes to it, let’s just get a divorce. I’ve had enough of this tigress.’
"Chloe King, search your conscience and tell me, in all the years my sister lived with us, did she ever treat you unfairly?"
"We gave her and Candy a room to live in, but didn’t she pay rent? Didn’t she help with the mortgage? Didn’t she always jump to do chores? When she lived with us, she did every task she could. Now that she’s married, has she ever been stingy with you?"
"She has never asked us for anything, except for today. Candy is sick, and she’s short on cash. She just wanted to borrow some money from me. Is that so hard to understand?"
He felt he was being perfectly reasonable, and the more he thought about it, the more his heart ached for his sister. But to his wife, it was all complete nonsense.
"What do you mean, ’help me with the mortgage’? ’Help me with chores’? So I, Chloe King, was born indebted to your family? It’s my duty to do all this, but when your sister does it, it’s considered ’helping me’?"
"Don’t you have a stake in this family? Doesn’t her nephew? Is this house all mine alone?"
June was speechless.
His wife continued her tirade: "You’re so incompetent you can’t even pay the mortgage yourself and need your sister’s help, yet you have the nerve to criticize me? June Archer, you’re shameless! And don’t even get me started on your sister’s marriage!"
"You think the 180,000 she brought back as a bride price was a lot? Look at the kind of man she married! If she had 100 and gave you 50, that would be her showing she has a conscience and respects us as her brother and sister-in-law. But now she has a million and still only gives you 50—and you’re supposed to be grateful for that? How pathetic can you be?"
"180,000 can’t even buy half a tire on her husband’s car! Her husband is that rich, and you’re telling me they can’t afford some medical bills? Can’t hire a nanny for the kid? And they still need *your* help? Are you kidding me? If you two siblings are going to lie to me, at least use your brains!" freeweɓnøvel.com
"Besides, didn’t you say you have no money? So why is she asking to borrow money from you? Have you been hiding a secret stash of cash from me?"
Her brother was mentally and physically exhausted. He really didn’t want to argue with her anymore.
"You know better than anyone whether I have money or not. It doesn’t matter what I say, you’ll twist it to be right. Say whatever you want; I don’t want to fight anymore. If I can’t help her with money, can’t I at least help with my time and effort? I have to go. She’s waiting, and it’s really urgent."
As he spoke, he tried to push his wife’s hand away, but she gripped him tightly and wouldn’t let go.
"No! You’re not leaving this house until you explain everything!"
She suddenly threw the phone aside and plunged both hands into his clothes.
"Did you hide money in these pants? Why else would you insist on changing? Let me search you!"
Her brother dodged. "You’re being ridiculous. You’re the one who washes the clothes, wouldn’t you know if there was money in them?"
"What if you hid it somewhere I don’t know about? Let me search!"
Her brother didn’t dare let her search him.
He didn’t have any money on him, but he did have the property deed. He couldn’t let her find it. The two started to struggle.
Meanwhile, Cecelia checked her phone’s signal. It was fine, so she called again.
Watching the phone buzz on the coffee table, her brother could feel her anxiety. He tried to grab the phone while dodging his wife.
But his movements were a bit clumsy. His wife hadn’t worked in years and had been well-fed, becoming plump and strong from frequently carrying their child. She was as strong as an ox. With a sudden leap, she brought him down like a falling mountain, pinning him to the floor.
June Archer lay on the floor, clamping his arms tightly to his sides. He clutched his collar with one hand while trying to push her off with the other.
"Haven’t you had enough? If you keep this up, I’m going to get angry!"
"You have the nerve to get angry? You should be glad I’m not the one who’s furious!"
SLAP! His wife slapped him across the face.
"You’re definitely hiding something, or you wouldn’t be fighting me off like this! Let go!"
"I won’t! There’s really nothing! If you keep this up, you’ll rip my clothes!"
"So what if they rip? Our life is already falling apart, you think I care about a piece of clothing?"
His wife tried to pry his fingers open, but for all her strength, she was still a woman and lacked that last bit of force.
Seeing she couldn’t break his grip, she opened her mouth and bit down on her husband’s hand.
"AH!"
Her husband cried out in pain and let go.
His wife seized the opportunity, throwing his jacket aside and pulling open his T-shirt.
A bright red property deed, already bent out of shape from being pressed against him, was exposed.
His wife snatched it out and saw the neat, gleaming gold characters: "Certificate of Real Estate."
"A property deed? Whose is this?"
Forgetting the pain in his hand, her husband reached up to snatch it back.
"It’s Cecelia’s! She just left it with me for safekeeping! Give it back!"
But his wife dodged, leaping up from on top of him and running to the kitchen doorway.
She quickly flipped open the booklet. The two words "June Archer" leaped into view.
"Cecelia’s? Do you fucking think I can’t read? Am I blind? Does this name say ’Cecelia’?"
"You actually bought a whole apartment behind my back? And in this neighborhood? June Archer, you..."
