Chapter 007: Bastard

After James left, O'Connell plopped down on the sofa and said to Wang Bo and the others with a wry smile, "Sorry you had to see that."

Jonathan asked in confusion, "What the hell is going on?"

O'Connell said, "James is my wife's brother, but he's a bastard and a gambler. The first time I saw him, he was about to sell his own sister to a gang boss for money."

"What?" Jonathan's mouth fell open in shock.

Karen smiled bitterly on the side.

Alex held his mother's hand and said nothing.

O'Connell continued, "I had just parted ways with you not long before. When I saw that, I gave James a good beating, saved Karen, and then we got to know each other, fell in love, and eventually got married."

"Not long after the wedding, we had Alex."

"But in the third year, James showed up at our door, crying and begging us to save him. He was up to his ears in debt, and if we didn't help him, the debt collectors would tear him limb from limb."

Jonathan said, "You saved him."

O'Connell nodded. "Yes, we saved him. He was Karen's brother after all, so I gave a large sum of money to help him pay off his debts. Then he said he had no money, no house, not even a place to live, so we took him in."

Jonathan was about to say something when Evelyn shot him a fierce glare, and he promptly shut his mouth.

O'Connell went on, "For the first year, he behaved himself. He found a job and worked late every day, seeming to have reformed. We gradually accepted him sincerely."

"But not long after, he relapsed. This time, though, he hid it well, so we never noticed. We thought he was still working hard."

"Gradually, though, I noticed something: things would go missing from the house for no reason."

"At first, it was unimportant items, so we didn't think much of it. But later, the wedding ring I gave Karen disappeared too. I became suspicious and set a trap, and the fool walked right into it."

"We found out he had started gambling again. He tearfully claimed he only gambled small amounts at first, but before he knew it, he was in deep. Karen and I were both distressed, but we couldn't keep helping that bastard indefinitely—he was a bottomless pit."

"So Karen and I paid off his debts one last time, gave him some money, and kicked him out. I think we've done more than enough."

Jonathan couldn't help nodding. "Yes, you've done more than enough."

Evelyn agreed. "If my brother were a gambler, I might consider cutting off all ties with him."

Jonathan said, "I know it's a hypothetical, but that really hurts."

Evelyn gave a cold laugh.

Wang Bo said, "From the look of it, the story isn't over yet."

O'Connell nodded. "Yes. After we kicked him out, he disappeared. But two weeks later, Alex was kidnapped."

"What?" Jonathan exclaimed. That was too abrupt a turn.

O'Connell said, "The kidnappers demanded a huge ransom. But we didn't have that kind of money—helping that bastard James pay off his debts had already cost us a lot. We couldn't scrape together the ransom. And even if we had the money, we wouldn't cave in to a bunch of kidnappers."

At this, O'Connell became spirited. "So I had to take a risk. After a struggle with the kidnappers, I knocked them all down and saved Alex. Then I interrogated them about why they kidnapped Alex, and I found out they were hired to do it. The mastermind behind it all was James."

Jonathan couldn't help cursing, "Kidnapping his own nephew? That guy really is a bastard."

"Yes, he's a complete bastard," O'Connell said. "When I got Alex settled and went to settle accounts with him, he tried to run. But I caught him and gave him a thorough beating, telling him never, ever to come near my family again."

Wang Bo said, "You should have punched him in the face just now, not patted his back."

O'Connell gave a wry smile and turned to his wife. "What did that bastard want from you?"

Karen said, "He wanted to borrow money from us."

"No way," O'Connell said.

Karen nodded. "I already refused him."

Wang Bo narrowed his eyes at this, because he knew Karen was lying.

When he arrived at the hotel earlier, he had overheard Karen and James's conversation. Karen had asked James to help her retrieve something, but James demanded more money.

So Karen had called him a bastard, and they started arguing.

But since it was between siblings, Wang Bo decided not to expose it.

Jonathan clapped his hands. "Alright, let's stop talking about these unpleasant things. We should head back to the manor first, then prepare a big dinner to welcome Wang Bo back. What do you think of my suggestion?"

O'Connell clapped his hands. "Sounds good."

Karen saw her husband agree and smiled without objection.

Evelyn nodded too. Everyone looked at Wang Bo.

Wang Bo casually opened a portal to the manor. "After you."

Jonathan straightened his clothes and strode through, followed by Evelyn, then O'Connell, pulling his child and his incredulous wife.

Wang Bo was the last to return to the manor, closing the portal behind him.

"Lina, we're back!" Jonathan bellowed as he entered the manor hall.

The head maid hurried in at the sound. Seeing the extra people in the hall, her eyes narrowed slightly. Having witnessed Wang Bo and Jonathan leave earlier, she could accept their return.

"Welcome back, Master, Mr. Jonathan, Miss Evelyn, and guests."

Jonathan said, "Lina, could you brew us some tea and prepare a nice dinner?"

Lina turned to Wang Bo, remembering he was the master here.

Wang Bo smiled. "Don't listen to him. You go rest, Lina. We've got this."

He waved his hand, dismissing Lina.

Jonathan said wryly, "Even if we skip dinner, at least some tea would be nice."

Wang Bo pulled the Gourmet Tablecloth from his fourth-dimensional pocket and laid it on the table. "Let me show you a little magic trick. What would you like to drink?"