”What a fool!”<fn8939> Get full chapters from find·novel</fn8939>


    Jacob felt a wave of panic wash over him as he heard Charlie Wade’s words.


    Nervously, he blurted out, “Charlie Wade… Your Aunt Matilda ising straight to my house to invite me, right? If ine finds out your Aunt Matilda is back in China, and I’ve kept it from her for so long, she’ll be furious!”


    Charlie Wade, having seen through Jacob’s anxiety, shook his head. He understood that Jacob would never truly escape ine’s influence, so he said, “I can’t say for sure if they’ll invite you or not. If you’re worried, just tell Aunt Matilda you don’t want to go to the wedding.”


    Jacob sighed, “That’s just a temporary fix. Even if I don’t find out this time, eventually it wille to light. Many of our ssmates are aware of your Aunt Matilda’s return. You were at the party too, but everyone avoided ine, so she never knew.” <h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Charlie Wade smiled, “The timing of my aunt’s return was quite sensitive. If I recall correctly, it was around the time my mother was caught up in that pyramid scheme and went missing.”


    During that time, ine had stolen Charlie Wade’s bank card and transferred all of his money to herself, subsequently imprisoning and torturing him. Yet, ine never dared to share the specifics of that ordeal, merely iming it was a pyramid scheme.


    When ine was suffering in captivity, Matilda happened to return to China. Jacob was ted at the time, as his greatest desire was for ine to disappearpletely.


    If ine had known Matilda was back, she would have been furious. Instead of seeking ine, Jacob had weed Matilda and even invited her to dinner at his home. This decision could have dire consequences for him.


    Charlie Wade reminded Jacob to wake up to his reality. Since he couldn’t rid himself of ine, he should stop worrying about the opinions of others. Otherwise, he’d be trapped in a cycle of stress, too afraid to confide in ine or ire, eventuallymenting his woes to Charlie Wade, who wasn’t interested in being his sounding board.


    Indeed.


    As soon as Charlie Wade brought up the situation, Jacob grew even more anxious and quickly asked, “Good son-inw, I need your advice. That woman ine is unpredictable. What if she finds out? She might just sneak into my room one night and stab me! You know how ruthless she can be when she’s angry. My mother, my elder brother, and Souna—they could all be at risk. Would she really go that far?”


    Charlie Wade replied, “I can’t help much here. If news reaches Mom and she doesn’t know, that’s fine. If she does find out, I can only try to talk to her while she’s holding the knife.”


    He continued, “Here’s a thought: Dad, you should probably stop going to the Elderly University. Draw a clear boundary with Aunt Matilda and focus on your calligraphy and painting club. If Mom discovers Aunt Matilda is back, I’ll do my best to cover up the fact that you picked her up and invited her for dinner. That way, if Mom confronts you, you can im there’s no connection between you two. At least it leaves room for negotiation.”


    Jacob sighed, “But what if she learns about the exchange in South Korea?”


    Charlie Wade chuckled, “Just tell her the truth. Say Aunt Matilda is with her boyfriend, and my friend Professor He went with them. An old couple going to South Korea for an exchange is like Aurous Hill City inviting them to travel at their expense. You’re just a light bulb trying to make a few bucks. This way, Mom will feel better. She has no way to check when we actually got together.”


    Listening to this, Jacob felt uneasy but could only admit, “I guess there’s no better option…” Afterward, he quickly turned to Charlie Wade, “Alright, son-inw, if you can avoid picking up jobs for a while, do it. If Mom goes off the rails one day, you can help me deal with it.”


    Charlie Wade readily agreed, saying with a smile, “Don’t worry. ire will be back in a couple of days. With both of us here, even if Mom finds out, you won’t be in serious trouble. At worst, you’ll just be seen as a cheater.” He then added, “But if Mom ends upshing out at you, just take it easy and endure it for a while.”


    Jacob felt utterly defeated and grumbled, “What is this? If I had known, I would have just gone to court and divorced her outright! Then I could have pursued Aunt Matilda without any problems.”


    Charlie Wade replied bluntly, “Dad, you’re thinking too simplistically. If you file for divorce, do you have any idea how Mom would react?”


    Jacob scoffed, “She’d just beat me, yell at me, and throw me out of the house. It doesn’t matter if I leave; the house belongs to you anyway. ine and I have no shared property. Worst-case scenario, I just live outside.”


    Hemented, “I should have made this decision sooner! As a vice president, I have a decent ie. Matilda has some wealth too; why can’t we be happy together? Now look at me! If I make a mistake, I’ll regret it forever!”


    Charlie Wade shook his head, “Dad, you’re underestimating Mom. If she can publicly humiliate you with that cuckold stunt, she’s not someone who lets things slide easily.”


    ”If you sleep with Aunt Matilda and they get wind of it, she will definitelye to your workce to make a scene, and she’ll st you at Aunt Matilda’s workce too. No matter the facts, she’ll spin it to paint you as a man who abandoned his wife and portray Aunt Matilda as a vixen who seduces other people’s husbands and wrecks families.”