708 Chapter 707

Oliver immediately looked over at Selena, concern filling his eyes.

Tears welled up as Selena cried, “It’s nothing, really. I’m fine.”

Seeing her trying to hold back her emotions only made Oliver feel worse. “What happened? Tell me now!”

Clearly upset, Selena looked at him, her voice trembling. “It’s just… my mother-in-law keeps bringing up my background. She says I’m just an illegitimate child, and marrying her son was the luckiest thing to ever happen to me. She even told me to learn from my mom, be more tolerant, let my husband have other women, and have more kids… And she also said…”

Marisa quickly interrupted, anxious. “And what else did she say?”

Selena’s voice cracked as she continued, “She said that when I have kids, they’ll have to be raised by her. Having children with my illegitimate status would just be embarrassing! How could I ever live with that?” She sobbed harder now.

Marisa’s expression turned to anger. “How could she say such things? This is all my fault! I ruined your future because I was the other woman. My poor daughter, you’re suffering because of me…”

Selena gently replied, “Mom, I’m okay. I don’t care about those things. But lately, I keep thinking about it, and the idea of being separated from my children someday makes me really sad.”

Marisa sighed deeply. “Is that why you seemed so upset in front of Grandma today? Is that why she kicked you out?”

Selena nodded, her eyes red from crying. “That’s part of it. Uncle taking over Great-Grandma’s care didn’t help either. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by happy family members? But really, it’s fine.”

She wiped her tears. “Dad, I’m okay. Tomorrow, I’ll smile more, I promise.”

Marisa, though, was inconsolable. “If you force yourself to smile like that, it just breaks my heart even more. How can we continue like this, trying to care for Grandma when we’re this miserable?”

Both mother and daughter began crying again, and Oliver, feeling helpless, started to panic. “Stop crying, Selena! You’ve been through so much all these years, and I had no idea how much you’ve suffered because of your background. That’s it! I’ll divorce Melissa right now! I’ll marry your mother, and we’ll see who dares to speak ill of you ever again!”

Hearing this, Selena exchanged a glance with Marisa.

“Dad, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Selena said quickly. “Jake is still your son…”

Marisa nodded in agreement. “Yes, exactly. We’re fine. If you do that, how will Jake ever feel comfortable coming back home?”

Oliver, who had been frustrated just moments ago by their tears, now felt a strange sense of relief when they opposed his suggestion. He had expected them to take advantage of his offer, but their reluctance made him feel oddly at ease.

“It’s settled!” he said, feeling confident. “I’ll talk to Melissa tomorrow, and we’ll get a divorce.”

Without waiting for a response, Oliver walked off. “I’m calling her now!”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Marisa and Selena exchanged sly smiles.

Selena lowered her voice. “Mom, once you marry Dad, I’ll finally have my share of the Horton family stocks.”

Marisa nodded with satisfaction. “Exactly. I’ve waited patiently for this day all these years, and now it’s finally happening!”

Selena paused before asking, “But… did you ever actually love Dad?”

Marisa pushed her hair behind her ear, letting out a cold laugh. “Love? What does that even mean? Sweetie, remember this: the only thing that truly matters is the money you have in your hands. As for men… they’re just tools. If they have money, sure, maybe you can talk about love. If they don’t, what’s there to even talk about?”

Marisa glanced at Oliver as he made his call.

Selena grinned. “I get it, Mom.”

Just then, Oliver came back. “It’s done. We’re heading to the courthouse tomorrow.”

Marisa smiled. “Good.”

Neither of them had any idea that, just a short distance away, Keira had overheard everything.

She chuckled quietly to herself before turning to leave.

Oliver couldn’t see through Marisa and Selena’s true intentions right now. But that didn’t matter. His arrogance didn’t matter either…

Because the day Grandma was no longer around would be the day he was kicked out of the family.

Once he lost everything, he would finally see everyone’s true colors.

Keira wasn’t in any rush, nor did she have any intention of interfering with the drama between the Hortons. She quietly turned and walked back to old Mrs. Horton’s house.

Lewis was standing nearby, trying to calm himself down.

Keira approached him and asked, “Are you really going to let them see Grandma?”

Lewis lowered his gaze. “Grandma never says much, but she enjoys having her family around. So, they should come and pay their respects. But just how sincere they’ll be… who knows?”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Besides, Grandma’s no fool. Don’t worry.”

Keira understood immediately.

Grandma wouldn’t give up her shares just because of a few weeks of forced affection from these people. On the contrary, they would have to jump through hoops trying to win her over for their own gain.

Making Grandma happy was Lewis’s top priority at the moment.

No wonder he was willing to let Oliver’s family come around.

As Keira pondered all this, her phone suddenly rang.

She frowned, seeing an unknown number on the screen. She hesitated before answering, and on the other end, a voice came through. “Bunny? Hey, it’s Lion.”