At this moment, the King Family was facing a complete mess.
Ever since several brothers realized the old man valued family ties more as he aged, they started playing the emotional card, constantly trying to make their presence felt in front of Grandfather King.
Especially the eldest and second brothers—their families were large, with plenty of children and grandchildren.
The second brother’s family, in particular, had already produced a fourth generation!
Everyone was going all out having kids, relying on sheer numbers to win the biggest share.
Julian King, the youngest son, was the most isolated—he currently had only one legitimate son, Ryan King.
So the current matriarch of the King Family was so anxious she had blisters on her lips.
“Isn’t this just infuriating?” Mrs. King, who was Julian King’s mother and not even sixty yet, slammed the table in frustration and said to her trusted housekeeper, “The old man’s lost it! He’s actually going to split the inheritance based on headcount, without caring who’s who! That means my Julian will lose out the most, right? Just look at the eldest, second, and third brothers—they’re all parading their grandchildren in front of Grandfather King. Isn’t that just mocking my Julian for only having one child?”
“Madam, please don’t take this the wrong way,” the housekeeper replied calmly. “You’ve always missed the point. You may only have one son, but your daughter-in-law is worth a dozen of theirs! As long as you keep your daughter-in-law happy, half the Monroe Family will support Ryan. With the Monroe Family’s backing, even Grandfather King wouldn’t dare be too biased.”
Mrs. King scoffed, clearly unconvinced: “What are you talking about? Sophie is already part of our King Family—what mother-in-law goes out of her way to please her daughter-in-law? All these years, she’s only given Julian one child. I haven’t even confronted her about that yet! Look at her attitude—just because I invited a few young ladies to dinner, she dared to give me attitude and left for England with Ryan without saying a word! Does she even respect me as her mother-in-law?”
Yes, Madam." The servant turned and left.
Sure enough, after hearing this, the King Family’s eldest master led his bustling family straight to his father’s side.
This year, Grandfather King was already over eighty.
At his age, it was only natural to enjoy the company of grandchildren and the pleasures of family.
So when the eldest master’s family arrived, Grandfather King was delighted.
“Wonderful, wonderful, everyone’s here,” Grandfather King beamed. “Your second brother’s family just left, and now you’ve arrived.”
“Dad, the second brother’s already been here?” The eldest master’s face flashed with alertness. “That’s outrageous! As the eldest, I haven’t even paid my respects yet, and he came first? Dad, you should say something to him. Our family may live in Country Y, but we’re an old aristocratic family—we can’t break tradition.”
“That’s right, Dad. The kids are always saying they miss you and beg to come see you. If you didn’t mind the noise, we’d be here every day, keeping you company.” The eldest master’s wife, elegant and dignified, stepped forward. “We have good news for you, too. You’re going to be a great-grandfather again! The third brother’s wife just found out she’s pregnant—and it’s twins!”
“Wonderful!” Grandfather King grew even happier. As people age, they love seeing the family grow.
Grandfather King raised his hand, and someone behind him brought over a brocade box.
Grandfather King nodded, and the servant handed the brocade box to the third child of the eldest master’s family.
Thank your grandfather for his gift!' The eldest master’s wife smiled and urged her child to accept the present. 'Your grandfather is happiest when the family grows—don't let him down!
Thank you, Grandpa!' the grandchildren replied in unison.
Grandfather King didn’t seem to notice the children’s probing questions. No matter what they asked, he just nodded and smiled.
Seeing he couldn’t get any answers, the eldest master left with the children, disappointed.
Standing at the gate, the eldest master instructed his children, “Remember, from now on, come early to greet your grandfather. Never let your second uncle beat you to it!”
Also, you need to expand the family as quickly as possible—it doesn’t matter if the children are legitimate or not, just have them first.' The eldest master’s wife reminded her sons and daughters, 'Grandfather’s health is declining every day. The sooner we get the inheritance, the sooner we can relax! I heard Julian has been meeting a lot of young ladies lately. It’s obvious what the matriarch is planning.
Uncle Julian wouldn’t dare betray Aunt Sophie, would he?' the third child asked.
Ha! He wouldn’t dare while Sophie Mo is around. But now that she’s returned to her home country, who knows? The matriarch is really pushing her luck, even daring to mess with the Monroe Family heiress.' The eldest master sneered. 'Still, the more she stirs up trouble, the better for us! Julian only has one child, but our family and your second uncle’s are huge. When it’s time to divide the inheritance, Grandfather will definitely favor our two families!
Yes, we understand.' the children replied in unison.
By afternoon, Julian King returned home.
As expected, there were two more young and beautiful girls in the house.
Julian immediately felt a headache and tried to leave.
Before he could turn around, his mother called out to him: "Stop right there! Where do you think you’re going?"
Standing next to Julian, Leon King tried to run away.
Leon, you stop too!' the matriarch called. 'Call your father and tell him yourself that you refuse to marry—it’s your own decision, not mine!
Grandmother!' Leon turned back reluctantly and looked at Julian, his uncle and fellow sufferer. 'Dad’s causing you trouble again.'
Hmph! I know exactly what your father and his brothers are up to,' said the matriarch. 'All of you, come in here.'
Julian shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to follow Leon inside.
Mom, what are you doing? Sophie Mo left for her family because you upset her!' Julian said, exasperated. 'If our marriage really falls apart, will that help the King Family?
Hmph, she’s already had a child—what’s she afraid of, running away?' the matriarch insisted. 'Back in high school, didn’t you get along well with Dale? I checked, and she’s still single. Maybe she’s been waiting for you. If you have a child with Dale, I won’t interfere in your affairs anymore!
Mom! Are you out of your mind? If I ever betray Sophie Mo, do you think the Monroe Family will let me off?' Julian’s headache worsened. 'Since you’re feeling fine, I’ll head back to the office—there’s a mountain of work waiting for me!
With that, Julian started to leave.
If you dare walk out that door today, I’ll hang myself on your doorstep!' the matriarch threatened.
Leon immediately took a step back, preferring his uncle face the music: "Grandmother, you’d better talk things over with Uncle Julian. I have something to do, so I’ll leave first."
Leon, don’t go either! Your mother has arranged a match for you too—they’re all inside. Go in together!' the matriarch said. 'If your mother weren’t so filial, I wouldn’t bother with your affairs.'
Leon had a bad feeling: "Grandmother, you’re not planning to give me the women Uncle Julian doesn’t want, are you?"
What, you’re picky? I wish you were! If you don’t marry and have kids, Julian will get a bigger share of the inheritance!' the matriarch said.
Leon and Julian both saw the despair on each other’s faces.
When did things get so chaotic in the King Family?
Unable to resist, Julian and Leon followed the matriarch inside.
Sure enough, several young and beautiful girls were inside, all eagerly watching them.
Both Julian and Leon were the King Family’s hottest prospects, and both were direct descendants.
Now everyone outside knew the King Family was locked in a power struggle, using the number of descendants to compete for the inheritance.
So Julian, who only had one child, and Leon, who was still unmarried, became the targets of many.
Especially Leon—if he tried hard enough, he might become the third branch’s young matron!
When Dale saw Julian enter, she immediately stood up, a little nervous. "Julian, it’s been a long time."
It’s been a long time.' Julian’s eyes lit up when he saw Dale.
Dale seemed even more beautiful than before.
Back in high school, rumors swirled about Dale and Julian. Julian was a famous playboy, surrounded by admirers, so he never bothered to clear things up.
Dale seemed to accept it and never explained.
After graduating high school, they went to different universities and gradually lost touch.
Who would have thought they’d meet again after more than ten years?
The matriarch was very pleased with her son’s meeting with Dale. Seeing her son wasn’t as resistant to Dale as he was to others, she quietly began to plot.