Chapter 2: Argument
1049 Words
Richard Bourne: "Fire pit? What fire pit? I've found you someone with a good temperament, do you want him? No, you don't!! Now, being able to marry Crowley is your good fortune. He's rich and powerful, said to be captivating, like a work of art that an art master poured his heart into. What more do you want?! He's been mingling in New York since he was eighteen, traveling through various countries in Northern Europe. He's only been back to Los Angeles once in the past ten years, if it weren't for his family being in LA and his parents occasionally seeing you, thinking you're somewhat good-looking. Do you think such a great opportunity would come to you?!"
"Huh, opportunity? Why don't you marry him yourself! Is being rich impressive? Is being good-looking impressive? Let me tell you, Richard Bourne, Lillian Bourne has seen plenty of rich, powerful, and good-looking men! Do you think I care?! Oh, I forgot, you have an icy-faced one by your side, barely qualifying as rich, powerful, and good-looking. Seeing me with eyes colder than poison ice chips, I find such trash nauseating. From now on, get as far away from me as possible!"
"Shut up!" Richard felt smoke coming out of his seven orifices, "He's your brother, your brother!! You ungrateful daughter, hurry up and get married!! I don't even want to look at you anymore!!"
Lillian Bourne: "Do you think I want to see you?! Ever since you threw me into the wilderness and went to flirt with someone else when I was only eight years old, I haven't considered you my father. You don't want to see me; do you think I don't feel disgusted when I see you?!!"
Richard's eyes reddened instantly when he heard Lillian's words. He didn't expect Lillian to even say she hadn't considered him her father. A chill ran through his heart. "I won't tolerate such an unfilial daughter who keeps exposing her father's scandals in public. Get out!! Right now!!" Richard smashed all the glassware on the table with a loud crash.
Lillian raised an eyebrow. "You want me to leave, so I'm leaving now. As for jumping into the fire pit of marrying Crowley, you can find someone else to do that. Bye." With that, she strode outside.
Richard Bourne collapsed onto the sofa, trembling with anger. "Severing the father-daughter relationship, I'm going to sever it with her, this unfilial beast!!"
After a while, Richard Bourne's anger subsided somewhat. He turned to Reno Bourne and spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Reno, your sister has been spoiled by her grandparents since she was little, and it's also true that I've wronged her. She's harboring resentment towards me, so she acts out sometimes. Don't take it to heart."
A cold smile flashed across Reno Bourne's lips. Spoiled? It was more than just being spoiled—it was outright lawlessness. If it weren't for Victoria Bourne's persecution back then, how could he and his mother have suffered so much? How could his mother have died outside? How could he have experienced so many terrifying things? All the inhuman torture had a perpetrator, and Victoria had enjoyed many years of prosperity before ending up as an imbecile in a car accident. It was too easy for her. He couldn't help but hold a grudge. The debt owed by the mother would be repaid by the daughter, and the rest would be left to Lillian Bourne to slowly repay.
But wouldn't it be too easy to just kill Lillian Bourne?
Richard Bourne saw Reno lowering his head to read the newspaper, and he even noticed the cold smile at the corner of his son's mouth. It felt particularly piercing to him, as if mocking his incompetence. But there was nothing he could do. Over the years, Lillian Bourne has regarded him as a thorn in her side, constantly watching him. Whenever he secretly met a woman, the news would embarrass him the next day.
At first, Richard felt guilty and couldn't bring himself to scold her too much. But later, he found that Lillian was just trying to wear him down. She wasn't afraid of his scolding. If he made her cry, she would go outside to vent her emotions, and then she would confront him again. For the past ten years, the only sound in this house was the arguing between him and Lillian. He was somewhat intimidated by his daughter's cunning and defiance, but the parents adored Lillian. In fact, he liked his daughter too; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Victoria be the Bourne lady for so many years. But no matter how much he liked her, he couldn't stop Lillian from constantly exposing his secrets in public.
Richard Bourne's greatest wish now was to quickly sweep this little troublemaker out of the house. He thought that if Lillian Bourne got married, she might become closer to him as a father and show him more respect. But ever since he had this idea, he carefully selected over a dozen candidates for Lillian to date, only to have each one of them turned into a laughingstock by her. It made him particularly embarrassed.
Now, with Reno helping him, he contacted the rising star of the underworld, the notorious mob boss Leonard Crowley. Richard was determined to marry off his daughter, and he figured this underworld connection might just be the solution to taming Lillian Bourne.
Richard turned to Reno and asked, "Reno, do you think Leonard Crowley will treat Lillian like he treated his previous women, tearing her apart?"
Reno Bourne lazily replied, "Why would he? Lillian is so smart, she definitely won't provoke Leonard Crowley. Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Crowley seem to like Lillian, right? The women Leonard Crowley tore apart before didn't have the protection of the Crowleys. Plus, by marrying off your daughter, you're giving them fifteen percent of the mineral rights, which is worth several billion. They'll surely be pleased with that, and their happiness will only benefit Lillian. You can also use Leonard Crowley's reputation to expand your own industry. If you want to enter the European and African markets in the future, you'll need strong backing. With Leonard Crowley supporting you, few people would dare to challenge you."
Richard nodded. "Makes sense."
- Writer
