novelraw Chapter 422 - 424: Cousin, Why Do I Feel Like Caleb Bishop Looks a Bit Like You?
Chapter 422 - 424: Cousin, Why Do I Feel Like Caleb Bishop Looks a Bit Like You?
"The car crash and all the other ’accidents’ were all planned by those two, that illegitimate brother and sister. They wanted me dead and gone so they could take over our family’s fortune!"
"After you gave me that tip last time, I started investigating. Sure enough, I found something. I gave the evidence to my dad and grandpa, but they didn’t want to kick that pair out. Everything they said was just an excuse to protect them. But Nina, guess what happened..."
Chloe Murray couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Talk about getting what you deserve! That guy, Martin Murray, couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Not only did he use his position at the company to sexually harass female colleagues, but he wasn’t idle after work either. He was slipping drugs into people’s drinks at bars and quickly messed with the wrong person. The woman’s husband and brother caught him. Martin’s... lower body is ruined. He can’t have children anymore. Not only that, but they beat him so badly that several of his internal organs ruptured. His medical treatments are probably going to be endless."
"My dad and grandpa were devastated when they found out. But who doesn’t know what they were really thinking? They were so set on grooming a male heir, but in the end, their wish didn’t come true. Martin’s basically a eunuch now, and it’s uncertain if he can even take care of himself. My dad and grandpa’s attitudes changed in an instant. Once they saw Martin was useless, they decided not to protect them to the death anymore. With pressure from my mom and my maternal grandfather’s family, Evan Murray and Martin Murray were quickly kicked to the curb. That’s the scene you just saw."
Chloe laughed. "So satisfying! It’s just so satisfying! My dad’s been moping at home every day, refusing to go out. He’s definitely thinking about how he should have sown a few more wild oats back in the day. That way, even with Martin ruined, he’d still have a second son."
Naomi Kenway couldn’t help but laugh too, but then she remembered how ruthless Evan and Martin Murray were described in the book. She said worriedly, "It’s a good thing they’re gone, but... I’m a little worried they might retaliate in some crazier way later on."
Chloe said, "I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, Nina." Her playful expression vanished, her gaze sharp. "That’s not going to happen. Martin has gotten himself into a lot of trouble. That pair of siblings has been riding the Murray Family’s coattails for a long time, acting like tyrants and making plenty of enemies. They’ll suffer enough without me having to lift a finger. Besides, I’m the one controlling Martin’s medical funds. Martin is terrified of dying, and Evan Murray is such a good older sister who dotes on her little brother. If they really want to court death, I won’t stop them. I just wonder..."
Her eyes glinted. "How many years of medical bills can Martin rack up on my dime? As long as he’s breathing, I’ll pay for it. Sometimes, I think death would be letting them off too easy. Let them live with this huge drop in their standard of living. Let them keep living with their tails between their legs, hiding in the gutter."
Chloe seemed to realize something and looked at Naomi Kenway anxiously. "Was that too gruesome? Did I scare you?"
Naomi Kenway shook her head. "They don’t deserve any pity. They planned a car crash to kill you. That brother and sister have always been vicious. Like you said, they brought all of this on themselves!"
Chloe nodded, touched. "It’s so good to have you by my side. My mom has such a soft heart. Yesterday, she laid into me for being cold-blooded. But I was just thinking, if I’d been any kinder, I probably would have died in that crash, and they wouldn’t have even been able to piece my body back together."
*
Luke Lowell sat on a chair with his head hanging, watching the diverse crowd of people. Then he looked at his cousin, who was mingling with the crowd like a fish in water, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.
Business banquets were such boring events. Everyone here had a thousand schemes up their sleeve, and it felt like they could size you up with a single glance—your name, your family’s net worth, how many investment projects you had, and whether you were worth sucking up to.
This place was so boring he felt like he was losing years off his life just by sitting here for a second. Yet his cousin had not only survived but thrived in this environment for over a decade, handling it all with ease. Watching him, Luke could only express his feelings with complete and utter reverence.
Luke Lowell stood up and tugged at the sleeves of his suit. He felt the clothes were a bit tight, making his waist ache. His mom had specially prepared this suit, saying it would show off his figure and make him more popular with the young ladies. Originally, Pearl Chandler had picked out a deep V-neck suit and wouldn’t even let him wear a tie. Luke couldn’t stand it and had to beg her repeatedly before she let him change into what he was wearing now.
It was a little snug, but at least he wasn’t exposed.
’A man shouldn’t dress so revealingly, after all. It makes it hard to find a wife.’
After tidying his clothes a bit, Luke Lowell stood up and walked toward Ethan Shaw.
At that moment, Ethan Shaw was just finishing a conversation with an executive. He turned to look at Luke. "What’s wrong? Can’t stand it anymore?"
Luke Lowell scratched his head and grinned, revealing a set of pearly whites. "You know me best, cousin!" Luke glanced around and suddenly lowered his voice. "I can’t stay here another second. Cousin, just tell my mom I was at the banquet the whole time and that I even exchanged contact info with a few beautiful women. I’m gonna slip out."
Ethan Shaw nodded.
Not long after, Ethan Shaw saw someone walk back in, looking dejected and crestfallen.
"Why are you back?"
Luke Lowell gave a bitter laugh and pointed toward the entrance. "My mom is lying in ambush out there. She said if she saw me again, she’d ’take me out’!"
Ethan Shaw was momentarily at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. "Well, you’d better stay here a while longer, then."
Luke Lowell nodded listlessly.
Footsteps sounded as a person approached with a graceful stride. He had slightly long hair tied back and carried himself with a gentle, refined air. Caleb Bishop raised his wine glass with one hand. "Long time no see, President Shaw. I never expected to run into you here."
The smile in Ethan Shaw’s eyes vanished. He didn’t raise his glass, instead looking Caleb up and down. "I didn’t expect to see you here either."
It was that feeling of being humiliated again. Caleb Bishop forced himself to stand up straight, but the smile on his face had become very strained. He could tell Ethan Shaw disliked him. Acting as if nothing had happened, he took a sip of his wine. "There will be many opportunities for us to work together in the future. We’ll see each other again."
"So that’s Caleb Bishop? I hear he’s got some real skills, climbing so high so fast. Are his investments really as miraculous as they say?" Luke Lowell asked, watching Caleb Bishop’s departing figure.
"What do you think?" Ethan Shaw countered, throwing the question back at him.
Luke Lowell thought for a moment. "His rise has been way too smooth. I don’t believe for a second he didn’t use some shady methods. The only thing is, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. If that happens, it’d be a waste of that brilliant mind of his."
Ethan Shaw snorted coldly.
Only then did Luke Lowell realize something. "Cousin, you don’t like him?"
Ethan Shaw didn’t say a word, but Luke already knew the answer.
Ethan Shaw glanced impatiently at his watch. "Let’s go over there."
He had only taken two steps when he noticed Luke wasn’t responding. He stopped and looked back. "What are you doing?"
Luke Lowell snapped back to his senses, repeatedly studying Ethan Shaw’s face. "Something’s not right, cousin. I feel like..." He hissed in a sharp breath. "That Caleb Bishop looks a bit like you. At least thirty percent similar. No wonder I thought he looked familiar the first time I saw him."