Chapter 9: The Life-Saving Grace
“Your sister? She always comes over to stir up trouble between us. Why should I welcome her?”
Daphne truly despised her husband’s sister. She was sharp-tongued, petty, and calculating. Every time she visited, she would take things without bringing any gifts in return. Worse still, she would deliberately badmouth Anne in front of Parson.
“Fine! If you don’t welcome my sister, why should I welcome yours? This is ridiculous!”
As she watched her husband grow increasingly unreasonable, disappointment surged through Daphne like a tidal wave. She glanced at the clock on the wall, then suddenly stormed to the door and flung it open.
Sure enough, her sister stood there with her two children, hands covering her mouth in shock.
Daphne instantly realized what was happening. She raised a hand to her cheek, her face burning with the realization—her husband had deliberately picked this fight at this exact moment, just so her sister would overhear.
She shot Parson a fierce glare, but he remained indifferent. He raised his chin arrogantly, sank into the sofa like a king on his throne, and casually tossed his suit jacket onto the floor.
“Wash this for me. And hurry up with dinner. I’m hungry.”
He didn’t glance at Daphne Finney or the two children who had just walked in. Instead, he pulled out his phone and started making a call, as if they didn’t exist.
Seeing this, Daphne Finney’s heart ached. She wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders and whispered, “Sister, don’t be upset. Maybe brother-in-law just had a bad day at work. We’re family, don’t worry—I won’t take it to heart.”
Her embrace was warm and strong. After comforting her sister, she turned to the children and said with a gentle smile, “Sweethearts, go to your room and do your homework. Auntie will make pine nut cake for you today, okay?”
“Yay! Auntie, you’re the best!”
The children cheered, hopping excitedly toward their room. Their laughter, like warm spring sunshine, momentarily dispelled the gloom in the house.
Ignoring Parson completely, Daphne Finney followed her sister into the kitchen. The two worked together; before long, they had prepared a feast.
Parson surveyed the table laden with dishes and nodded slightly. The darkness on his face seemed to lighten a little. In a hypocritically warm tone, he looked at Daphne Finney and said, “Finney, I wasn’t in a good mood today. I might have raised my voice—don’t take it personally.”
Daphne Finney gave him a faint smile, but her expression was strained. She replied apologetically, “Brother-in-law, everyone loses their temper sometimes. I understand that your job is stressful. I hope that in the future, when you speak to my sister, you can control your emotions a bit. After all, she works hard caring for the house and the children.”
As she spoke, she looked directly into Parson’s eyes. She would have liked to give him peace of mind if she weren’t living under his roof.
Parson’s lips curled into a sneer, but he dared not argue. He lowered his head and ate in silence.
The truth was, Parson feared Daphne Finney.
Once, he had purposely barged in while she was taking a shower, expecting to intimidate or charm her into submission. But she had been fully dressed and had grabbed a stool, hitting him squarely with it. She had even threatened to call the police if he ever tried anything again.
He had thought a beautiful sister-in-law like her could be easily manipulated, but she was fiercer than he had anticipated. Parson had a legitimate job—he couldn’t afford to go to jail for harassment. If that happened, the Milan family would surely kick him out.
Daphne Finney could tell that Parson wasn’t listening. She sighed internally. Expecting a man like him to change was a fool’s errand.
At that moment, only one thought occupied her: she needed to earn more money and become her sister’s rock. That way, if her sister ever wanted to leave this miserable marriage, she would have the financial security to do so.
Daphne had a nagging feeling that her sister’s marriage to Parson wouldn’t last much longer.
As she lay in bed that night, her thoughts were consumed by ways to make money.
Suddenly, she recalled a darknet job posting she had seen the day before. It was a recruitment ad for a biochemist to extract ephedrine. The pay was hourly. If she could last a month without getting caught by the FBI, she might just be able to afford a small 20-square-meter attic apartment in the West District.
Of course, darknet jobs were illegal.
She reopened her phone. The job posting was still pinned at the top, untouched. No one had dared accept it yet.
Her finger hovered over the “Subscribe” button. But in the end, she gave up.
If she got caught, it would mean a lifetime in prison. And then she would never be able to care for her sister and the kids.
Not to mention Maggie—her beloved friend. She couldn’t bear to leave her behind.
Finally, Daphne Finney drifted off to sleep, lost in tangled thoughts.
Koch Manor
Charles Koch was clad in a perfectly tailored dark suit, accentuating his tall and commanding presence. But today, his handsome face was clouded with worry, his brows furrowed deeply.
Ever since his grandfather had returned home, he had been refusing to take his medicine.
Charles sighed in frustration as he looked at the older man sitting proudly in his grand armchair. “Grandpa, you must be joking.”
“I am not. I, Ham Koch, never joke—at least not with someone who lacks a sense of humor.”
Ham pushed away the medicine and the warm water David had offered him, defiantly crossing his arms.
“If you don’t agree to my request, I’ll stop taking my medicine from now on! I’ll forget you ever existed, you disobedient grandson.”
“I’ll agree to anything, Grandpa, except marrying a woman I’ve never met! How do you expect me to say yes to that?”
“You can refuse me, of course.”
“And then?”
“Then I won’t take my medicine.”
Today, Ham was as stubborn as a mule.
“Grandpa, why do I have to marry her?”
“She’s beautiful.”
“There are plenty of beautiful women.”
“She’s kind.”
“I could recruit someone even kinder from the United Nations Volunteer Program.”
“She’s the girl from my dreams—the one your grandmother chose.”
“I… That’s ridiculous.”
“Did you just swear at me? You dare curse in front of Ham Koch?”
“I’m sorry, Grandpa, but this is absurd. I don’t believe it.”
“She saved my life today. Just half an hour before you arrived, a group of armed men opened fire on me. I was running through the West District when I saw her silhouette. I was about to reach for her when masked men kicked me to the ground. You know me—I never carry cash. They were going to execute me on the spot.”
“You didn’t mention this earlier?! Damn it! I’m going to hunt them down and wipe them out!”