The Mafia Godfather's Doting Wife

Chapter 8: Study Abroad

Richard furrowed his brow. Lillian was always most concerned about her mother, who had become a vegetable, so she chose a school in Los Angeles for her college years. Why suddenly the desire to go to Russia? Moreover, Lillian was about to marry Leonard, who resided mainly in the Americas and occasionally traveled to Europe and Africa, with the least affinity for the northern Asian region.

Listening to Lillian's words, Reno couldn't help but frown. His sister didn't seem like a fool, knowing where the most favorable conditions for survival lay. But unfortunately, Lillian hadn't truly realized who her real enemies were. Richard wasn't the one truly pushing her into the fire pit; her marriage, after all, was orchestrated by her brother.

Russia's authoritarian regime had been criticized by countries worldwide, known for its rampant corruption and complex networks of relationships. It was a place where high-ranking officials abounded, making it difficult for the underworld to intervene. The few underworld figures who could operate there were actually operating within legal bounds.

Just from the recent series of policies, it was clear that it wasn't Leonard's preferred place. Or rather, the true power wielders there were from the military.

Leonard, a bloody figure, disliked such an atmosphere, though he wasn't afraid of it either. Around Leonard, there were truly those who could manipulate power, like Vincent Thorn.

Lillian looked at Richard. "Dad, let me go to school in Moscow. You've never really cared about my mother. She once said she always wanted to see Saint Basil's Cathedral. I think maybe if we change her environment, she might wake up."

Richard: "Lili, it's not that I don't want you to go, but in two weeks you'll be getting married. Leonard Crowley doesn't like that place. Are you going there to defy him?"

Lillian: "Dad, I'm only eighteen, and you're already thinking about marrying me off?!" Her voice unintentionally rose. "You just want me out of the house, don't you?! Fine, I'll try my best to stay out of your sight from now on! Just cancel this damn marriage, and I promise you can do whatever you want with any woman in the future, and I won't ruin your affairs anymore!!"

She had thought it through. With Richard, she had no choice left. Over the years, she had spared no effort in ruining all of Richard's affairs, driving him crazy, yet she still couldn't stop his philandering ways. Now, at this point, she didn't want to sacrifice her entire life. Whatever Richard wanted to do, let him do it; she wanted to draw a clear line with him.

Richard frowned unhappily. "Lillian, what's your attitude towards your father?! Let me tell you, this marriage, you must go through with it!!"

"Richard! I'll sue you!"

"You've got some nerve! If you have the guts, go ahead and sue me. If you win, I'll write my name backward!" Richard exploded. "I've raised you for nothing all these years, I might as well have raised a guard dog. You've never made me happy!! Now, Mr. and Mrs. Crowley have both agreed, and you can't act arrogantly here anymore!!"

Reno, looking on like a spectator, chimed in, "Miss Lillian, I forgot to tell you about your fiancé's personality. He's classified as a first-tier bloody figure on the streets, ruthless and bloodthirsty, with a bad temper. So be careful when you marry into the Crowley family. You can act as wild and unruly as you want in the Bourne family, but if you act like this in front of Crowley, you might end up torn to pieces by his pet wolf. Anyway, considering we share some blood, I thought I'd remind you, so you don't accuse me of being heartless later."

"Get lost!" Lillian roared. "I'm talking to my dad, who asked for your illegitimate child to butt in?! People from the slums have no manners, have they? Didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt others when they're speaking?! Oh, I forgot, your mother's dead!!"

Reno heard Lillian's words, and his face turned extremely ugly, as if he had crawled out of a pile of corpses, with even more sinister emotions in his icy eyes.

In an instant, Lillian felt like she smelled the scent of death, her whole body stiffening.

"Lillian Bourne!" Richard exploded. "Is this how you talk to your brother?! You talk about others having no manners, but do you have any?! Do you? It's infuriating! Let me tell you, Lillian, if I don't marry you off, I might as well die!"

Lillian's stiff expression was brought back to reality by Richard's shouting, and she looked at Richard's angry face, tightly biting her lips without saying a word.

Seeing Lillian's silent response, Richard instinctively felt that he might have been too harsh with his words, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize in front of his son. In the past, whenever Lillian caused trouble, he always felt guilty, and eventually, whether directly or indirectly, he would initiate the conversation with Lillian. But since his son appeared, he saw the disdainful look in his son's eyes, which greatly hurt his pride.

Especially since Reno was so capable, even Harrison Black treated his son with respect, making Richard feel that Reno was unfathomable. Instinctively, Richard didn't want his capable son to look down on him, so he wanted to demonstrate his authority as a father even more.

And indeed, after every time Richard scolded Lillian, Reno's contemptuous gaze seemed to lessen slightly.

"If you want to die, go ahead and die!" Lillian shouted back, "Richard, let me tell you, if you don't treat me as your daughter today, I won't treat you as my father! Who do you think you are to be so fierce here?!"

Richard looked at Lillian, who was accustomed to shouting back at him without hesitation, and now was yelling at him without any regard for him as her father. His image was once again shattered in front of his son, and he trembled with anger for a moment. He slammed the bowl he was holding to the ground and suddenly stood up and said, "Lillian! You are ruthless! I raised you for eighteen years, and now I've raised an enemy!!" With that, he turned and strode out of the room.

The door of the ward slammed shut.

Mary, accustomed to seeing Lillian and Richard quarrel, was not surprised, but every time, she was still scared by their momentum. She felt fortunate that she didn't have a heart condition, or else such anger would have sent her to the afterlife long ago.