Chapter 438

"Now you've seen how things are with the Black Family. With Wade in this condition, I really can't be at ease without someone to help him." Bruno said, leaning forward with a serious look.

"I raised you, Richard. You're like a son to me. The only difference between you and Quentin is the title, but with Elodie, as my son-in-law, I'll give you the authority you deserve."

Richard stayed quiet for a long time.

Bruno's eyes drilled into him. "What? You don't want to marry Elodie?"

Richard let out a deep sigh. "I've always seen Elodie as a sister. With her legs paralyzed, I'm willing to take care of her for the rest of her life, but marriage..."

Bruno's face darkened, his tone getting more intense. "Richard, you're the one I trust the most. If you don't help me, Quentin will go wild. The Black Family's business can't fall into the hands of an outsider. Or are you still hung up on Nina in Lakina?"

Richard shook his head. "No, it's not that."

Bruno pushed, "Then what's the problem? Tell me, and I'll help you fix it."

"Nothing," Richard said, though his heart felt heavy.

Bruno sat down, his voice firm. "I'll have someone pick an auspicious date. Hold the wedding soon. Richard, don't let me down."

Richard lowered his gaze, his voice barely a whisper. "Yes."

In Lakina, at Nina and Isabella Jewelry, Amy knocked and came in.

"Ms. Miller, Ms. Murphy is here, waiting for you in the guest room," she said with a complicated look.

It seemed like she had more to say but held back.

Nina guessed something had probably happened to Ophelia.

She finished her current work and told Amy to bring some snacks and coffee to Ophelia.

When Nina finished her work and walked into the guest room, she was shocked at the sight of Ophelia.

Unlike their last meeting, Ophelia was in a terrible state; she had been splashed with red paint, which looked like a pool of blood from a distance, and up close, Nina could smell the paint.

Her hair was a mess, and her hands were covered in wounds.

Amy whispered to Nina, "She's been sitting like this the whole time. I tried talking to her, but she didn't respond, and she didn't drink the coffee."

Nina nodded. "You can go now."

"Okay," Amy closed the door and left.

Nina walked into the bathroom, grabbed some wet wipes, and handed them to Ophelia.

Ophelia seemed to snap out of it, then turned her head to look at her blankly.

Nina knew that for someone like Ophelia, who loved dressing up, to look like this, something big must have happened.

But Nina didn't ask directly. She used the wet wipes to wipe the red paint off Ophelia's cheeks gently with patience.

Ophelia was moved as her lips trembled, "He wants to divorce me!"

Nina's fingers paused, but she kept her face neutral. "Then divorce him."

Ophelia's eyes filled with rage and despair.

"That bitch is pregnant, and Nathaniel wants me to leave with nothing. He wants to marry her. It's shameless!"

Nina discarded the soiled tissue into the trash bin. "If something dirty messes up your life, you get rid of it. If you can't let it go, you'll just end up dirty yourself. Don't you think?"

Ophelia's eyes flickered with a mix of anger and helplessness. "But I don't want them to win."

Nina asked, "Got a better plan?"

Ophelia's voice turned cold. "Today, I carried a bucket of paint to her place and doused her from head to toe. I had a knife hidden in my pocket, and I intended to end it all with them both."

Ophelia's hand reached into her pocket, feeling the knife through the fabric.

Her heart felt as if it had been pierced by a needle, radiating a sharp, fine pain. "I truly wanted to kill them, to send them to hell! But then, my son suddenly called me."

Nina felt a pang of relief for Ophelia. "Be grateful for that call. Otherwise, you've might've ended up with nothing and facing jail time. You'd be truly ruined then."

Ophelia's eyes showed a hint of confusion, and then she smiled bitterly.

"Yeah, I've hit rock bottom. From the moment I was born, I was someone others envied. They envied my background, my family. Later, they envied that I didn't have to work, that I had a good husband and an excellent son."

"My whole life has been smooth sailing, and I gave all my defenses to outsiders, never expecting to be betrayed by my own family."

Ophelia shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. "To end up like this, it's really something."

Nina reassured, "Good and evil in this world aren't absolute. Such things are hard for anyone to bear. But no matter what, you must remember that you are the victims."

"You have already been hurt; to place such blame upon yourself would be exceedingly unjust."

Ophelia stayed with Nina for several hours.

After a good cry, Ophelia's emotions finally began to calm down.

Amy, waiting outside, saw Nina come out and asked, "Ms. Miller?"

Nina instructed, "Prepare a set of clothes and let Ms. Murphy bathe in my office."

Amy asked in confusion, "Ms. Miller, I don't understand. Everyone is saying Ms. Murphy is getting divorced and will be kicked out. And we don't have any business dealings with her. Is it necessary to be so kind to someone like her?"

Nina frowned slightly, "I don't judge people by their value. She's just very helpless right now, like I once was. The difference is, I had Bella back then, but Ophelia has no one to rely on. She's hanging on the edge of a cliff, and I'm the only one who can pull her up. Should I just stand by, or help her?"

Amy nodded slowly. "You're right. I was being narrow-minded."

Nina smiled. "You're just inexperienced. Go prepare the clothes."

"Right away," Amy answered and went to make arrangements.

After finishing her tasks, Nina returned to her office.

Just then, Amy brought in some cut fruit. Nina reached out to take it.

Nina carried the fruit into the lounge, which Richard had insisted on building. She was usually too busy to use it much.

Ophelia was still in the shower.

Nina walked over and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight pour in.

The phone buzzed. She turned around and saw the phone on the bed.

The screen lit up, showing a call from Mosterwania.

The contact name was Alvin Nelson.