Chapter 347: Dismissing a Beggar for Real

Chapter 347: Chapter 347: Dismissing a Beggar for Real

For a moment, Mrs. Gallagher’s expression stiffened, but she quickly acted as if nothing had happened.

She feigned a look of pleasant surprise. "That’s right, that must be it. The Old Master dotes on our Howard the most. He must have heard about Howard’s car accident somewhere and sent Mr. Wealth to find out what’s going on."

As she spoke, Mrs. Gallagher turned to Arabella Donovan and her family, her expression growing even more arrogant. "Mr. Wealth isn’t as reasonable as we are. The Old Master will be furious when he finds out you put Howard in this state. You’re all dead meat!"

Arabella Donovan, however, had other ideas. The timing of this Mr. Wealth’s arrival was far too convenient. Besides...

’I literally just called my great-uncle to ask if he knew anyone in the Gallagher Family with real authority, and now this guy shows up. From the looks of it, this Mr. Wealth can definitely pull rank on the people in this room. He hasn’t arrived yet, so we still don’t know whose side he’s on.’

Her family exchanged glances, thinking what Arabella Donovan said made a lot of sense.

The main thing was, even if this Mr. Wealth was here to back up the Gallaghers, they weren’t afraid.

If worst came to worst, they’d risk mutually assured destruction. They would not let their child be bullied!

The man was already downstairs, so it only took him a few minutes to come up.

When Mrs. Gallagher heard the knock, she rushed to open the door, only to find it wasn’t Mr. Wealth standing outside as she had eagerly expected.

"What are you doing here?"

"Grandfather told me to handle things here." Genevieve Gallagher adjusted the glasses on her nose and stepped aside, revealing Mr. Wealth, whom she had been accidentally blocking.

A look of delight appeared on Mrs. Gallagher’s face. "You’re here! Please, come in, come in."

This Mr. Wealth looked to be in his early sixties. He wasn’t tall and was slightly stooped, with a faint, amiable smile on his face that made him seem very approachable.

But judging by the Gallaghers’ earlier reaction—a mix of delight and reverence—this man was no simple character. He was far less approachable than he appeared.

"My poor boy... He goes out for one trip and gets hit like this. We don’t even know how long his recovery will take. And these culprits are using their numbers to bully our family, showing no respect for the Gallagher Family whatsoever. Mr. Wealth, you and the Old Master have to get justice for Howard!"

It just goes to show, you have to be a real thespian to survive in a complicated family like this. A moment ago, Mrs. Gallagher had been so imperious toward Arabella Donovan’s group she looked like she wanted to skewer them with her chin.

Now, in front of Mr. Wealth, she was weeping like a damsel in distress. Anyone who didn’t know better might actually believe she had suffered some terrible injustice at their hands.

Mr. Wealth threw a cool glance at Howard Gallagher, who was playing dead on the hospital bed. His gaze then swept, smiling, across everyone else in the room before finally settling on Mrs. Gallagher.

"I was briefed on the general situation before I arrived."

A flicker of smug delight appeared in Mrs. Gallagher’s eyes, and her gaze toward Arabella Donovan’s group became laced with gloating and schadenfreude.

"My apologies, Young Madam."

"Wha-what?" Mrs. Gallagher was stunned.

Before she could process it, a slap landed squarely across her face, snapping her head to the side. Angry red finger marks instantly bloomed on her heavily powdered cheek, a testament to the sheer force of the blow.

The sudden development stunned everyone in the room. The three members of the Gallagher family never imagined that Mr. Wealth would strike one of their own.

The others were simply astonished. The Gallaghers really were a ruthless bunch—they’d resort to violence without a moment’s hesitation.

"You hit me! Are you crazy? How dare you hit me!"

Mr. Wealth ignored Mrs. Gallagher’s hysterical shrieking, simply stating with a faint smile, "These are the Old Master’s orders."

Mrs. Gallagher clutched her swelling face, her eyes full of disbelief. "The Old Master’s orders? How is that possible?"

"May I ask which of you is Miss Donovan?"

The moment Arabella Donovan saw Mrs. Gallagher get slapped, she’d already made a good guess as to why the man was here.

Hearing his question, she immediately raised her hand. "That’s me. Were you looking for me?"

"Miss Donovan, our Old Master sends his regrets. He says our unfilial descendants have caused a great offense and have been incredibly rude. He intended to come and apologize to you in person today, but he’s currently fishing with an old friend in Norwall. It would take him at least two hours to get here, so he sent me to apologize on his behalf and to discipline the younger generation. He hopes that you will be magnanimous and not stoop to the level of these imbeciles."

As he spoke, Mr. Wealth shot Genevieve Gallagher a look. She immediately stepped forward and offered a black card to Arabella Donovan. "This is a VIP black gold card for supermarkets under The Gallagher Corporation. With this card, all your purchases at any of our affiliated stores are completely free, with no upper limit."

When the Gallagher couple saw the card, their eyes went red with envy. They had been part of the Gallagher Family for years and had always coveted that card, but their wish was never granted.

Now, the Old Master was giving it to an outsider—and the very person they had just threatened with retaliation. How could they not feel bitter and resentful?

However, what shattered them completely was that Arabella Donovan stared at Genevieve Gallagher and the card in her hand for a moment before shaking her head. "Take it back. I won’t accept it."

The smile on Mr. Wealth’s face froze. He asked, slightly unsettled, "Does this mean you’re unwilling to forgive them? To forgive the Gallagher Family?"

Arabella Donovan shook her head again. "We hit him. We’ll own up to it. And we won’t short you a single penny of the compensation we owe. It just seems the young master of your Gallagher Family is a bit more precious than the average person. Monetary compensation isn’t enough for him. He demanded that my cousin and I kowtow in apology before he’d let us off the hook. Otherwise, he was going to make sure we couldn’t survive in Jarden."

At her words, Mr. Wealth’s gaze toward the Gallagher couple grew razor-sharp. But when he turned back to Arabella Donovan, his expression instantly softened again.

"You’re joking, Miss Donovan. Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law; there’s no such thing as noble or common. Rest assured, no one will lay a hand on you or your family today. As for the matter between you and Young Master Howard, everything will be handled according to the law. We will base the compensation entirely on the traffic police’s official liability report."

"As for you two," he said, turning to Howard’s parents. "The Old Master has given his orders. Starting today, you are not to return to the main residence. All assets in your names—including property, vehicles, and bank accounts—will be temporarily frozen. You are also suspended from your duties at the company. You may return, and your assets will be unfrozen, only when you’ve spent some time out in the world, reflected on your mistakes, and truly mended your ways."

"What?" The Gallagher couple was aghast. ’The Old Master is kicking us out of the family and revoking our positions at the company?’

’Their branch of the family already held a marginal position in the company. Wouldn’t a scandal like this get them kicked out of the line of succession for good?’

’And in the dead of winter, no less! No money, no car, no job, and kicked out of their home... Was the Old Master trying to make them beggars on the street?’

Arabella Donovan clearly realized this too, and her eyes lit up.

’My great-uncle is a badass! He said he’d turn them into beggars, and he’s actually doing it. This is perfect. Now my cousin’s hundred thousand yuan really is just spare change for a beggar.’