Chapter 214: Chapter 212: A Bountiful Harvest
After entering the room, Hannah Collins opened a photo on her phone and showed it to her.
At first glance, it was clear that it was an announcement.
The content was as follows:
An unidentified armed force attempted to sneak across our border, resulting in a fierce battle with our border patrol. Two of our personnel were killed, eight were injured, but we successfully annihilated the opposing force.
Upon investigation, of the fifteen members on the opposing side, five were foreign nationals, and the rest were domestic fugitives.
Among them, a charred body was identified through DNA comparison by our police, confirming it as the fugitive Shane Southwell, the mastermind of the 117 kidnapping case.
This news exploded like a bomb in Elliana Lyle’s mind. She looked at Hannah Collins incredulously and asked, "Dead?"
Hannah Collins nodded, "Yes, the police DNA comparison, it can’t be wrong."
"Okay, I understand." Elliana Lyle stared intently at the announcement, still somewhat unwilling to believe that Shane Southwell was dead.
It was odd because Shane Southwell was a person who cherished his life—why would he do something as reckless as sneaking across the border?
However, since it’s a police announcement, it must be accurate; she just felt it wasn’t quite satisfying enough.
Dead is good, an eye for an eye.
...
After the funeral was completed, the family gathered again. Joy Lyle took a nap, and looked visibly better.
"Elliana girl, come here, sit next to me."
For some unknown reason, the old Madame Lyle asked her to sit over, which inexplicably made her feel nervous.
But respecting her elders, she obliged and sat over.
The old Madame Lyle studied her closely for a long time, and for the first time, her wrinkled face became gentle in front of her.
"You’re not young anymore, and there’s been no progression with that Bennett kid, so why not cut it off? I think your Uncle Lee’s kid is pretty good—he’s some producer, and I hear from your aunt it wouldn’t interfere with your work."
The old lady spoke and also patted her hand, sincerely advising, "Consider it."
She finally understood the plot, now that it was laid bare she no longer felt so tense.
She confessed, "Grandma, Norman and I have already registered our marriage."
Once she said this, except for Shawn Lyle, everyone else was shocked, as if they heard something unprecedented.
Belle King paused, but upon seeing Ada Lee and her mother’s expressions, she immediately laughed, "Young people nowadays love that flash marriage thing."
Then she continued laughing toward the old Madame Lyle, "Mom, this is good news, maybe next year they’ll bring a great-grandchild to you, wouldn’t that be lively?"
The more Belle King spoke, the more excited she became. Phoebe Lyle couldn’t help but cough slightly, as it was evident that the old Madame Lyle was angry, so much so that her nostrils flared.
"You! Kneel down for me!"
This shout not only startled everyone in the room but also wiped the smile off Belle King’s face.
Looking at the pointed finger of the old Madame Lyle, Elliana hesitated for a moment but then knelt on the open ground in the center.
Considering the old lady’s high blood pressure, she feared agitating her to death. Besides, being of a younger generation, she was indeed expected to kneel.
"You disloyal, unfilial thing! Marrying someone behind the family’s back! Have you no shame?"
Upon seeing this, she immediately looked at Shawn Lyle with a face full of grievance, then burst into tears.
She said, "Dad told me to quickly marry Norman, and Dad knows about us registering the marriage. Dad said he needs the Bennett family’s money, so he made me marry Norman and then..."
She didn’t make this up; rather she learned from a conversation between Norman and Raymond Wood that the Lyle family was in serious debt, and Shawn Lyle was seeking money from Norman.
Hearing this, the old Madame Lyle became stunned and then stared directly at Shawn Lyle.
"Mom! Why are you staring at me like that? I really didn’t know..." Perhaps it was the old lady’s gaze being too ominous, causing Shawn Lyle to stutter.
After all, it’s someone he feared since childhood—even as a middle-aged person, the fear remains.
"Second Uncle, Elliana wouldn’t lie about marriage," Phoebe Lyle suddenly chimed in, bringing a direct shift in the situation.
With a face full of anger, Shawn Lyle swiftly approached the person kneeling on the ground, "I’m your father, you dare even to..."
Before he could finish, as Shawn Lyle got close, Elliana tightly protected her head, crying hysterically, "Dad, don’t hit me, I won’t speak, I shouldn’t have said it..."
"You..." Shawn Lyle was completely speechless, with no words to defend himself.
Everyone loved to put on an act for the old Madame Lyle; she also performed once more, just to see who could act better, and she watched everyone through the corner of her eyes.
Phoebe Lyle and Joy Lyle, no need to ask, their faces were full of pity for her, even Christopher Lyle furrowed his brow.
Vaguely, she felt a rather cold gaze, and upon looking, she found Ada Lee glaring at her.
Ada Lee, unlike before, was no longer stirring trouble; instead she was quiet, albeit her eyes were red.
"Grandma, how could Elliana lie about such a thing? Look how scared she is, Second Uncle must often hit her."
As soon as Christopher Lyle finished speaking, Shawn Lyle furiously glared at him and then quickly looked toward the old Madame Lyle, "Mom, what nonsense is this girl saying! I truly didn’t know."
Yet this time, the old Madame Lyle clearly did not believe him, angrily shouting, "No matter how mixed-up that girl is, she remains a pure and innocent daughter. Without your consent, can she just marry like that?"
"Mom, I...I really didn’t know."
Shawn Lyle finally experienced the silent suffering he often inflicted upon others—this time it was his turn, not Elliana’s.
At this moment, Belle King seemed to remember something, glanced at Shawn Lyle with gleeful anticipation of drama, "Mom, you know before Elliana didn’t want to marry Norman, even locked Ada and Norman together once, remember?"
Saying this further confirmed the matter; the old Madame Lyle bit her lip and pointed at Shawn Lyle, her face trembling, "You wretch! Selling even your own daughter! Is the Lyle family going to ruin or bankrupt, huh?"
Ruination isn’t likely, but bankruptcy is just a matter of time—a slow death.
Of course, Shawn Lyle remained blind to the situation, still believing the Lyle family could rise again, especially since the Bennetts were there holding it up.
At this point, it was no longer wise for Shawn Lyle to argue—some things just become more convoluted the more you try to clarify—so he knelt before the old Madame Lyle, saying, "Mom, I was confused at that moment, I was also angered by this girl, you really don’t know, this girl stayed out all night and went to such places, I just got a bit worried."
Elliana didn’t expect Shawn Lyle to admit fault this quickly?
But wasn’t she some easy target to manipulate?
So she widened her tear-stained eyes, in disbelief, "Dad! Wasn’t it you who made me stay with the Bennett family? You forced me, aah—aah."
The sound of her crying filled everyone’s ears, and with a final sigh, the old Madame Lyle remarked, "What a sin!"
Then she looked at her with a face full of love and pity, "Elliana girl, once a daughter is married she’s like water thrown out; since you’re married, live well with the Bennett family. Grandma knows you’re aggrieved; take a dowry along when you leave, then you won’t be defenseless, in case things don’t work out, just come back, Grandma will take care of you—not fear the Bennett family’s idle talk."
"I understand, Grandma, I’ll heed your advice." Things ended as she expected, the old Madame Lyle was most against women divorcing, no matter how much they were mistreated they couldn’t leave.
Just like her aunt years ago who even had divorce dramas, almost being kicked out by the old lady, but later she gave in and the old lady took her back to live together.
The meaning is you may not live together, but the marriage remains.