Chapter 184: Felix Faulkner Returns to the Capital

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Felix Faulkner Returns to the Capital

By the time Vivian Lowell, Julian Faulkner, and Grandma Faulkner returned to the Faulkner family villa, it was already evening.

They had barely reached the door when the large Golden Retriever ran out of its doghouse. It rubbed against Grandma Faulkner’s legs, seeking affection.

"Good boy! After dinner, I’ll take you out for a walk!"

Grandma Faulkner patted the dog’s head affectionately before the three of them went inside.

Ms. Shaw had already prepared dinner.

Vivian was exhausted from the journey. Between the flight and the car ride, she was slightly motion sick. Her stomach felt uncomfortably tight, as if a breath of air was trapped inside.

"I don’t have much of an appetite. Just a little bit will do."

She sat on the sofa with Grandma Faulkner, waiting for the food to be served.

A few minutes later, Ms. Shaw brought out the dishes and brought up another matter with Julian.

"Ms. Faulkner woke up today," she said. "She’s much more clear-headed now. She asked about you and your wife, Mr. Julian, and said she never expected things to turn out like this. She swore she didn’t mean to harm anyone."

With a serious expression, Ms. Shaw added, "Mr. Julian, perhaps you could go see her after dinner."

"Mm."

Julian nodded, his expression equally solemn. He likely didn’t believe Rachel’s self-proclaimed innocence. He then called Vivian and Grandma Faulkner over to eat.

Vivian already had a poor appetite, and hearing Ms. Shaw mention Rachel only made it worse. She barely ate anything.

After dinner, she planned to go see Rachel with Julian. As they were about to head upstairs, the doorbell rang.

Vivian wondered who could be visiting at this hour.

Slightly surprised, she turned to see Ms. Shaw already at the door to check the intercom. The moment the housekeeper picked up the receiver, the person outside spoke first.

"It’s me. Open the door."

The voice belonged to none other than Felix Faulkner.

Ms. Shaw froze. Recognizing Felix’s voice, she was at a loss and turned to look at Julian and Grandma Faulkner for instructions.

Grandma Faulkner’s brow furrowed tightly; she had absolutely no desire to open the door for her unfilial son. Julian also frowned deeply. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Open it."

The door clicked open.

Several people walked in. Aside from Felix, Finn and Sylvia Drake were unexpectedly present. Two men who looked like bodyguards remained outside.

"Julian, we meet again."

Sylvia took the initiative to greet Julian as soon as she saw him.

Today, Sylvia was dressed in a short skirt and high heels, which accentuated her long legs. It was a stark contrast to her elegant demeanor in an evening gown yesterday, making her look much more playful and cute.

As for Finn, he was just like yesterday. His peach-blossom eyes seemed to be perpetually smiling, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to dislike him.

Felix, however, seemed quite displeased. He kept a straight face, looking as if someone owed him a fortune.

Well... that wasn’t exactly wrong.

Julian *did* owe Felix money. They had signed an agreement, and Felix had already returned the shares; the funds simply hadn’t hit Felix’s account yet. No wonder. It was hardly surprising for a creditor to have a sour expression when showing up to collect a debt.

Julian ignored Sylvia. He simply cast a faint glance at Felix and asked coldly, "What is it?"

"Julian!"

Felix had come prepared. He strode into the living room and plopped down heavily on the sofa, completely making himself at home, before immediately tossing the contract onto the coffee table.

Pointing at the document, he snapped angrily, "I had a lawyer the Drake family knows look this over. There’s a problem with your contract!

"You have no intention of giving me my money right away, and the amount isn’t what we agreed upon at the auction either, is it?"

Huh? Vivian was a little surprised.

She knew it. Julian was a shrewd businessman. The price Felix had demanded back then was significantly higher than the actual market value. If Julian had simply bought the shares as agreed, he would have taken a massive loss.

She hadn’t expected Julian to actually tamper with the contract.

With Felix’s limited intellect, he normally wouldn’t have spotted the issue. But he had wised up—instead of signing immediately, he had taken the contract away to have a lawyer review it first. And now that he had found the discrepancy, he was furious and had come knocking on Julian’s door to argue.

Tsk!

As a father, he had reaped countless benefits from Julian over the past few years. Now, he was trying to extort even more money from his own son, and he was acting entirely justified about it. Vivian had truly never seen anyone so shameless!

She looked at Julian, waiting for his reaction.

Julian merely maintained a calm expression. He glanced at Felix and said, "Yes. You’re right, there is a problem. But so what?

"These were the Faulkner family’s shares to begin with. When you were still abroad, we already agreed that they would be returned to me before I turned thirty.

"Even though I’m not thirty yet, you had no right to sell them without authorization. I might have used some underhanded methods to get them back from you, but... I did nothing wrong.

"You want money now, don’t you? Roll back abroad, stay in your old manor, and stop causing so much trouble. I can still give you five hundred million a year.

"That’s not a small amount. If you live a few more years, maybe you’ll even earn back a portion of the shares’ value, right? If that doesn’t work, you can always try begging heaven for another five hundred years of life.

"Then again, for someone like you to ask for another five hundred years... whether God would actually grant that request is hard to say."

Beg heaven for another five hundred years of life.

Vivian felt that if the situation allowed for it, she would have genuinely burst out laughing.

Julian usually looked so serious and meticulous; she had no idea his sarcastic comebacks were this sharp. To think he could say something like that!

Sure enough, Felix’s arrogant plan to use his status as a "father" to negotiate and pressure Julian had completely failed.

Felix’s face turned green. His eyes widened like saucers as he stared at Julian in disbelief, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Why do I have a son like you?!

"Julian, I am your father! Is there anyone in this world who treats their father like this? You... you..."

Felix was on the verge of losing control, pointing at Julian as he launched into a tirade.

Julian paid him no mind. He sat there looking as immovable as a mountain, as if he wouldn’t flinch even if the sky fell, watching Felix with complete composure.

The calmer Julian remained, the angrier Felix became.

After Felix had been cursing for a while, Grandma Faulkner suddenly approached from behind. At some point, she had retrieved her Dragon Head Walking Stick that was set aside earlier, and she brought it down hard right on Felix’s head.

Felix stumbled from the pain, tears nearly springing to his eyes. He spun around, ready to curse out his attacker, only to realize the person who had hit him was Grandma Faulkner.

"Mom, what are you doing?! That hurts!"

Felix clutched his head, terrified that she would strike him again.

Grandma Faulkner slammed the Dragon Head Walking Stick forcefully onto the floor and glared at him. "At the auction the other night, Julian at least gave you some face.

"If it were me, I would have beaten you off the stage with this cane!

"Get out! Julian’s words are my words! Stop trying to scheme for the Faulkner family’s assets. I don’t have a son like you, and Julian doesn’t have a father like you!

"Don’t ever come back. If you do, I’ll beat you every single time I see you!"

After she finished speaking, Grandma Faulkner’s chest heaved heavily.

Vivian’s heart ached at the sight. She quickly stepped forward to support the elderly woman, comforting her gently, "Grandma, please don’t be angry. It’s fine. Just leave this minor issue for Julian to handle."

Grandma Faulkner nodded and allowed Vivian to guide her to sit down off to the side.

Felix couldn’t take it anymore.

He was supposed to be the head of the family, yet he had absolutely no standing here. He swept his gaze across Julian and Grandma Faulkner before finally locking eyes with Vivian.

Perhaps he thought he could pick on the weakest link.

Pointing at Vivian, he spat, "This is all because of you! What kind of magic potion did you feed Julian and my mother? To think you actually married into the Faulkner family!

"I do not approve! I don’t acknowledge you as a—"

Felix didn’t even get to finish his sentence.

Grandma Faulkner snatched up her Dragon Head Walking Stick and hurled it straight at him.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the hallway. Rachel was coming downstairs.