Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Courting Death
Gavin Lynch’s words were quite blunt, even cold enough to hurt.
Rosalind Lynch’s slender body trembled violently, biting her lip, and almost inaudibly said three words: "I get it."
She always thought she was the typical winner in life.
Great family background, harmonious parental relationship, her parents always fulfilling anything her sister and she wanted.
Until today, when trouble hit the family, she realized it was all just an illusion of happiness.
All that talk of cherishing daughters; when faced with family interests, a daughter like her could be discarded or rejected without hesitation.
And supposed marital harmony was also a farce.
Dad could directly kick open mom’s door in front of outsiders, not leaving her any dignity.
Rosalind Lynch couldn’t control her tears, which kept streaming down like golden beads.
Besides feeling aggrieved and sad, she also hated Ashley Shaw.
If it weren’t for Ashley Shaw, she wouldn’t have known the disgraceful scene beneath the family’s glossy surface.
Rosalind Lynch cried heartbreakingly; Gavin Lynch glanced at the rearview mirror but had no intention of stopping or comforting.
The more pitiful and wretched Rosalind Lynch seemed, the more it could stir a man’s protective instincts.
At this moment, Rosalind Lynch’s eyes were all red, tears welled up, and her appearance was one of pitiful tenderness.
Men, no matter their age, always like this kind of thing.
Warren Prescott was no exception.
At the banquet that day, he carefully observed the girl named Ashley Shaw.
Indeed, she was a budding beauty, having a purity that men liked.
More rare was the unselfconscious beauty within that purity, even more appealing.
Not to mention Warren Prescott, even he found her pretty at first glance.
Yet beauty aside, she had a poor background, and her temperament was far inferior to his meticulously groomed eldest daughter.
She lacked the noble aura that came from a lifetime of pampering.
She was more like the prettiest nameless wildflower on a hillside, while his Rosalind was like a well-cultivated greenhouse variety.
It was normal for Warren Prescott to be temporarily bewitched by the hillside wildflower; it’s a man’s nature.
But in the long run, rare and precious things are ultimately the best.
Soon, the car arrived at the Prescott family’s villa gate.
"Please go in and announce me, I am Gavin Lynch,"
Gavin Lynch courteously said to the servant sweeping the yard.
The servant recognized Rosalind Lynch beside Gavin Lynch, seeing her red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face, momentarily surprised, then said: "You can go straight in, no need for formality."
Rosalind Lynch was a regular, so there’s no need for introduction.
"Thank you."
The two stepped inside the house, just as Elder Prescott finally understood the moves of the chess game.
From the midway point, Warren Prescott switched from an upper hand to a defending position due to placing a wrong chess piece.
Moreover, it was a very elementary error.
This made Elder Prescott suspect that the piece was possibly placed wrongly on purpose.
Considering Warren Prescott’s recent changes, Elder Prescott frowned deeply.
This boy, could it be...
"Mr. Prescott."
Gavin Lynch’s voice interrupted Elder Prescott’s thoughts.
...
Two minutes later.
Warren Prescott’s door was knocked with a "bang bang bang."
Warren Prescott opened the door to find none other than Elder Prescott standing outside.
"Grandpa?"
Didn’t he not even want to deal with me?
Why now...?
"The Lynch Family is here," Elder Prescott said directly: "Here for you. Tell me, what have you done."
Warren Prescott furrowed his brow slightly, then began to speak, laying everything out openly.
He had no reason to hide anything from Grandpa.
His father wouldn’t support Ashley Shaw, but Grandpa surely would.
Sure enough, after he finished speaking, he saw Elder Prescott’s face turn as foul-smelling as if he’d eaten crap.
"Doing such disgusting things and still daring to show up here! No wonder the Lynch girl cried so sadly; I truly misjudged her! Thought she’d matured a bit after all these years, turns out she was just hiding well, still as domineering as ever!"
"Domineering? I thought you always liked her."
"The only one I like is Ashley; that girl is merely a facade due to the good relations between the families! Even when she was young, I saw her as malevolent, always up to no good... But back then, I thought she was just too young to understand. Didn’t expect she’s still the same now!"
Warren Prescott chuckled bitterly.
Grandpa had seen through it long ago, while he only recently, like a blind man, could "see again."
He took a deep breath, said: "Should I go down and drive them away now?"
"Up to you!"
Elder Prescott was now filled with anger.
But he wasn’t a child, after two seconds he added: "I’ll pretend I don’t know anything; you handle it yourself! But don’t say anything too harsh, still need to save face, your dad is planning to cooperate with them, tearing the face won’t make us look good either."
"Understood." He responded, but couldn’t guarantee what he might say later.
"Then go down!"
Elder Prescott led the way ahead but suddenly remembered something, turned back.
"Wait, your face..."
Elder Prescott hesitantly pointed at the handprint on his face, asked: "Should I have the attendants find some flour to cover it up?"
The old patriarch was not familiar with cosmetics, so he called "foundation" as "flour."
But perhaps he thought it was simply flour packed in prettier boxes.
Warren Prescott found it amusing; his grandpa was indeed a character.
He held back his laughter, shook his head: "No need."
Going down with the handprint on provided a talking point.
"Suit yourself! Quickly drive them away, interrupting my chess game, annoying!"
Elder Prescott turned and headed downstairs.
He came upstairs merely to inquire in advance for easier handling.
Now knowing the reason, he preferred not to see the Lynch Family.
Dare bully his Ashley, utterly courting death!
He even thought, his grandson’s actions were too lenient.
Ah, being a child is better; one can say whatever they wish without worrying about formality.
The two descended the stairs one after another.
Still on the spiral staircase, they saw Rosalind Lynch kneeling on the floor, crying.
Beside her, Mrs. Chase frantically tried to help Rosalind Lynch up but was stopped by Gavin Lynch.
"Leave her be, let her kneel! She has wronged, and should kneel!"
As Gavin Lynch spoke, he’d already caught sight of the grandfather and grandson descending the stairs.
He did not say this for Mrs. Chase to hear, but for the teenager on the staircase.
Perhaps because he graduated from high school, Warren Prescott appeared more mature than before.
Wearing a suit, the rebellious youthfulness seemed to fade; he appeared slightly thinner, face lines retreating, contours more distinct, making his features more solid, somewhat reminiscent of Lars Prescott and Elder Prescott in their younger days.
Gavin Lynch inexplicably felt a bit nervous.
Yet, evidently, the other was merely a child the same age as his daughter.