novelraw Chapter 452 - 453: It’s Hard to Pacify the Daughter
Chapter 452 - 453: It’s Hard to Pacify the Daughter
Chapter 452: Chapter 453: It’s Hard to Pacify the Daughter
Sienna Johnson considered how to leverage this situation for maximum benefit. She meticulously reviewed every detail, intending to finally remove Sabrina Johnson, the thorn in her side.
Adrian Desmond summoned Aiden Howard.
Aiden Howard, sporting a flashy pink shirt, still carried his usual cynical and disrespectful air. The moment he entered, his eyes darted around impertinently, only settling after a stern, warning glare from Adrian Desmond.
"Sixth Master, Madam, you were looking for me?"
Adrian Desmond had just returned from Abyanabad and was uninformed about many recent events. Aiden Howard had merely told him about exhuming the Leland Family’s graves.
He asked, "Where did you dispose of the Leland Family’s remains?"
"I tossed them into the Mass Grave."
Adrian Desmond didn’t know what the Mass Grave was, but the name alone sounded ominous. "Retrieve them!" he ordered.
Aiden Howard hesitated. "Sixth Master, that won’t be easy to find."
While Adrian Desmond was unfamiliar with the Mass Grave, Sienna Johnson, having grown up in Sileria City, certainly knew of it.
The Mass Grave contained countless remains; tossing Master Leland’s ancestral bones in there would be like adding a single drop of water to the vast ocean. How could anyone hope to find that specific drop?
"Why did you throw their remains into the Mass Grave?" Sienna Johnson asked.
"Because the Geomancy Expert said that place has the densest yin energy. If an ancestor’s bones were buried there, their descendants would suffer from domestic unrest."
Sienna Johnson countered, "Nonsense! Several of our Johnson Family ancestors were also massacred and buried in the Mass Grave, and we’re doing quite well, aren’t we?"
"Yes, so well that the Johnson Family has resorted to marrying in a son-in-law..." Aiden Howard retorted.
Sienna Johnson had no desire to discuss such trivialities with him further. Her head aching, she turned to Adrian Desmond. "What should we do now? I promised Master Leland I’d help find his ancestors’ remains."
Aiden Howard interjected, "Just find any two sets of remains. Since I caused this mess, let me handle it."
Sienna Johnson, her headache worsening, asked, "And what exactly do you plan to do? There are countless remains in there. How will you identify which ones belong to Master Leland’s ancestors?"
Aiden chuckled. "How will we know if we don’t try?"
Adrian Desmond, having just returned, only wanted to spend some quiet time alone with Sienna. He had no interest in being disturbed by trivial people or their tedious affairs. He said to Aiden Howard, "I’ll leave this in your hands. Go and deal with it."
"Very well!"
Aiden Howard acknowledged the order and departed.
"Let’s go get something to eat. I haven’t eaten properly in days," Adrian Desmond said.
Sienna Johnson, however, didn’t move. She gazed towards the doorway and asked, "Aiden Howard is so treacherous. Are you really comfortable keeping someone like that around?"
Lucas Robertson, Kiki, Vivian, Tessa Harrington... The people Sienna Johnson trusted and kept close were all principled and loyal. She would never dare to have someone as vicious as Aiden Howard near her. He was so ruthless; who knew if he might turn on her one day?
"If I dare to employ him, I’m certainly not afraid of him stabbing me in the back!" Adrian Desmond retorted dismissively.
"Still, you should be careful."
Adrian Desmond walked over, took her hand, and pressed a gentle kiss to it. "I’ve noticed you’re becoming more and more concerned about me lately."
"You’re my husband and the father of my child. Is it so strange that I care about you?"
"I never dared to imagine this before."
Back in Abyanabad, Sienna Johnson had used all her cunning and intellect against him. Even her occasional moments of warmth or smiles concealed ulterior motives and schemes. Now, her heart was truly with him, and it felt wonderful.
"Well, you can indulge in those thoughts all you want now," Sienna replied softly.
「At the Johnson Family’s Dining Hour」
The matriarch’s health was poor, and her dietary needs differed from the others, so she usually ate in her own room. Pauline Briggs had been home infrequently of late and was absent from dinner this evening as well. Consequently, only Kiki, Lucas Robertson, and Curly occupied the vast dining hall.
"Kiki, where’s Mom?" Curly asked.
"Your dad is back. Your mom and dad have some matters to attend to, so they’ll be home later," Kiki explained.
Curly, precocious as ever, piped up, "Does that mean they’re on a date?"
"Curly, have some tomatoes. I added sugar; they’re delicious." Kiki wanted to feed her, but Sienna insisted Curly do things for herself.
"So, are they on a date?" Curly pressed.
"Maybe. I don’t know," Kiki replied evasively.
"Kiki, they’re so mean! Going on a date just the two of them and not taking me," Curly pouted.
Kiki chuckled. "And what would you do? Be a third wheel?"
"But you and Lucas always take me when you go on dates!"
Kiki blushed. Lucas Robertson glanced at Curly. He very much wanted to say that he didn’t enjoy bringing a third wheel on *his* dates either.
"Your mom and dad will be back soon," Kiki said gently. "If you miss them, you can call them."
"HMPH! I’m going to ignore him when he gets back!" Curly declared.
Seeing Curly still chattering instead of eating, her food growing cold, Kiki couldn’t resist picking up a spoon and feeding her. "Your dad is good to you, isn’t he? You bit him last time, and he didn’t even tell your mom."
"Tattletales are the worst!" Curly retorted.
"But biting people isn’t right either!" Kiki gently chided.
"Well, who asked him to bring George here anyway! This is *my* house! I won’t let him come! I heard Adrian Desmond on the phone—he actually wants to marry me off to George! Kiki, that’s just too much!"
"Curly, don’t just call him by his name! You shouldn’t use your dad’s full name like that!" Kiki corrected her gently.
"But I call you and Lucas by your names," Curly pointed out.
"That’s different," Kiki said.
"Kiki, you’re the nicest to me. Can I be your daughter instead?"
"You already are, in a way," Kiki said, hugging the clingy girl. She had to be careful not to poke her with the chopsticks in her hand.
"No, I want to be your *real* daughter..." Curly insisted.
Sienna Johnson and Adrian Desmond returned just in time to hear their "ungrateful" daughter declaring her intention to abandon her biological parents.
"Jayce Johnson, you’ve got some nerve!" Sienna Johnson said, feigning sternness. "If you want to be Kiki’s *real* daughter and not mine, then I guess you can’t have this chocolate cake either."
"Weren’t you two on a date? Why are you back so early?" Curly kept glancing behind Adrian Desmond, though it wasn’t clear what she was looking for.
Adrian Desmond walked over, scooped her up, and gave her a playful pat on the bottom. He chuckled. "Don’t worry, I didn’t bring George with me."
"HMPH!"
"Alright, alright. You bit me, so we’re even now," Adrian said, trying to placate her.
"HMPH!"
Daughters are certainly hard to please, Adrian thought. "I bought you a little red pony. Once it’s air-freighted here, I’ll take you riding, how about that?"
Curly was tempted but feigned indifference, looking away as she said with false nonchalance, "I couldn’t care less about some little red pony."
"You really don’t want it?" Adrian pressed gently.
"Nope, don’t like it!" she insisted.
"Alright then," Adrian sighed dramatically. "I guess I’ll give it to George. He really wanted one, you know, and I told him no."