Seeing Jonathan's grief-stricken expression, Matthew's heart tightened into a knot. "Sir, take this photo album home and look through it slowly."
"Mm, then... alright, okay. I'll return it to you after I've finished looking!" Jonathan couldn't help but choke up.
"No rush! No rush, take your time!" Matthew waved his hand and quickly replied.
"Sir, would you like me to remind Sophie to give you a call?" Matthew asked next.
Jonathan looked at Matthew with eyes full of hope, then lowered his head again. "No need. I think she doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. For the past four years, she must have been blaming me—blaming me for not taking good care of the woman she loved most, for letting her suffer immense physical and emotional pain, and ultimately die with resentment in her heart."
Clutching the thin, old photo album tightly, Jonathan appeared calm on the surface, but inside, his emotions were surging like stormy waves...
Now, apart from money, he had nothing left!
In recent years, even the superficial harmony with his estranged wife had completely vanished. His son Ned no longer showed him the admiration of a child; all that remained was distant respect...
His beloved Sarah had committed suicide by jumping off a building, leaving him not a single word, disappearing from his life once again—this time forever.
And Sophie, the most innocent one in the whole affair, had borne the greatest suffering. She knew nothing about the truth of everything, yet she had been forced to leave her home and go to America to live and study, refusing any financial support or job opportunities from him. It was hard to imagine what she had gone through these past four years...
Four years ago, his heart attack had caused a sharp decline in his physical condition. He no longer had the energy to spend vast amounts of time and effort managing the massive conglomerate, so a year after being discharged from the hospital, he retired from the business world and handed over all the businesses and the group to his son. Now Ned could stand on his own, and he was even doing better than Jonathan had.
The energy merger case that the Ministry of Commerce had initiated four years ago finally reached a successful conclusion today. The historic moment when both parties signed the contract would be forever etched in memory. This merger was extraordinarily successful—it truly made him see Ned in a new light. The real challenges would only begin after the merger's success, but he believed Ned would handle them perfectly!
Invited as a guest to the Harrington home, Yui's face radiated a happy and joyful smile.
"Auntie, hello! Sorry for the unannounced visit!" Yui bowed politely and gracefully upon seeing Victoria.
"Hello! Hello! I've been looking forward to you coming over! Before long, you'll have to start calling me Mom!" Victoria said with a beaming smile, standing at the door to welcome her precious guest—this would be her future daughter-in-law, Yamamoto Yui.
Yui shyly lowered her head, not knowing what to say.
Seeing her like that, Victoria couldn't stop smiling, her mouth nearly splitting with joy. Yui's dignified and gentle demeanor had always deeply won Victoria's heart.
Ned smiled, placed his hand on Yui's waist, and said to her, "Don't just stand outside—come in!"
"Yes, yes, come inside! Look at me, I felt so close to you the moment I saw you that I forgot to invite our guest in." Victoria walked ahead, leading Yui into the living room.
"Yes, Auntie, you're too kind." Yui followed beside Ned as they entered the living room.
"Is Dad not home?" Ned asked his mother.
Upon hearing this, the smile vanished from Victoria's face. "I already mentioned it to him, but he went out to play golf first thing this morning and hasn't come back." In front of Yui, Victoria restrained herself and didn't say anything sarcastic.
Four years ago, because Victoria had caused a huge scene at the hospital, indirectly leading to Sarah's suicide—and still unaware of her own fault, she had driven Sophie away, forcing her to flee to America, which resulted in Ned's car accident while rushing to the airport—Jonathan had moved to a small building behind the villa. He usually came and went through the separate gate there and had no communication with Victoria. Any important household matters were relayed through the butler.
Over the past four years, Jonathan had avoided attending any occasion where his wife might appear. Today, of course, he knew Yui would be visiting the house, and precisely because of that, he had chosen not to be present.
This "husband and wife," though living under the same roof, treated each other with even greater distance than strangers!
"Yui, make yourself comfortable. I'm going upstairs to change." Ned said to Yui before heading up.
"Okay!" Yui replied softly and obediently.
"Go on, go on! Hurry up. I'll take care of her here—look how worried you are!" Victoria teased her son with a laugh. "In a little while, I'll take Yui to the garden for afternoon tea. Come down quickly after you change. Don't neglect my future daughter-in-law."
Ned nodded at Yui before going upstairs.
He had always lived at home and had long grown accustomed to his parents' disharmonious relationship, so he simply turned a blind eye to it.
As for after marriage, he planned to take Yui and leave this house, buying a new place of their own. Recently, he had already instructed his assistant to start looking for a suitable property.
That day, Jonathan returned to the small building at ten o'clock in the evening.
As soon as he entered the living room of the small building, he was surprised to see his son sitting on the sofa, apparently waiting for him to come back.
"Where's Yui? Has she gone home?" Jonathan asked his son casually, as if nothing were amiss.
"I just dropped her off at C&C. I came straight here afterward." Ned replied just as casually.
"Living in a hotel all the time isn't as comfortable as living at home. If she doesn't mind, she can move in and stay here," Jonathan said, holding a glass of water as he sat across from Ned.
"Is that okay? We aren't married yet. Don't you care if she finds out about your situation with Mother?" Ned asked, his tone as cold as his expression.
Jonathan leaned back against the sofa, looking exhausted. "It's fine. You're about to get engaged, and she'll find out about your mother and me sooner or later."
"After marrying Yui, I plan to buy a separate house and live outside. I won't stay in the villa anymore."
"Will your mother agree to that?" Jonathan looked up at his son.
"I'm here today to inform you first. I haven't mentioned it to Mother yet."
"If she agrees, then I have no objection." Jonathan exhaled, closed his eyes, and gently massaged his temples with his hand.
"When I first arrived at the small building, the phone in your living room rang. I answered it for you," Ned said, his tone consistently icy.
"Oh, it's fine. If it were something important, they wouldn't call the house phone—they'd call my cell directly," Jonathan replied, maintaining his posture.
Ned stood up, one hand in his suit pocket. "It was a call from America. From the voice, it sounded like Sophie."
Jonathan froze, his hand stopping mid-motion. He remembered what Matthew had said—that he would have Sophie call him.
He stared blankly as Ned turned and walked away with an unusually calm expression...
"Ned!" Jonathan called out to his son, who had already reached the door.
"Is there something else?" Ned turned back, his demeanor cold and detached.
"When are you planning to get engaged?" Jonathan suddenly asked.
Ned looked at his father for a long moment. "I'm not sure yet, but it should be within this year," he replied.
"So soon?"
"Mom has been trying to set me up with Lara for the past four years. Now that she sees Yui and I are truly compatible, she asked Yui's opinion this afternoon." Ned answered unhurriedly. "I also think Yui is an excellent partner. There's no need to delay something like this."
"But you only just met her through the arranged introduction this year. Getting engaged so quickly seems too rushed—"
"As long as it's the right person, it's fine. Dragging things out only makes them more complicated."
"What do you mean by 'the right person'?" Jonathan said earnestly to his son. "I don't want your marriage to be based solely on interests!"
"It won't be just about interests!" Ned replied calmly. "Besides interests, my marriage will definitely have passion!"
Jonathan said nothing. He silently glared at his son.
"I like Yui. She is the woman I've liked the most in these four years." Ned said to Jonathan word by word. "Since I like her, there's no need for further consideration. As I just said, dragging things out only makes them more troublesome!"
Jonathan frowned.