Chapter 226

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 226

"Ivana, I'm happy that you're here. I'm truly happy that you're my daughter," Emmanuel weakly sobbed. He honestly didn't know when everything had gone so wrong.

His mother, brother, and in-laws were currently rotting in prison. His eldest son was a complete bum. Even his wife was utterly useless.

Fortunately, Ivana was a reasonable daughter who actually respected her father.

"Thank you, Ivana."

Ivana didn't know the exact details of what was happening lately. Her mother was depressed and impossible to talk to, constantly disappearing to gamble. As for her brother, she didn't expect anything good from him anyway.

At least back when Karlos was still around, the household had seemed stable. She stared at her father, who was quietly sobbing on the couch, and couldn't help but feel a deep pang of pity.

"Your mother... Where's your mother?"

"Delilah isn't in the house. She's probably out gambling again." Ivana had lost every shred of respect for her mother, seeing her as a terrible parent.

"I see..." Emmanuel didn't press any further. He knew Delilah was also spiraling into depression, so he decided to just let her be.

"Do you need some water?"

"Yeah, please bring me a glass of water and something light to eat," Emmanuel groaned as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Ivana hurried into the kitchen and prepared a simple meal for her father. Emmanuel thanked her softly and ate at a slow, painful pace.

As Ivana watched her battered father, her heart ached. She might not know the full story, but it was painfully obvious their family was falling apart... After giving it some thought, she decided to secretly reach out to her brother. They desperately needed Karlos right now.

She managed to find Karlos's address from her parents cabinet and planned to send him a letter. It would have been much faster if she had his phone number, but an address was the best she could find. She figured it would take a week or two for the letter to reach him.

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Tonto staggered heavily into the grand mansion, clearly intoxicated and nowhere near his right mind. The head butler stepped forward to steady him, only for Tonto to shove him away violently.

"Don't fucking touch me!"

"My deepest apologies, Young Master."

The butler quickly stepped aside, maintaining a respectful distance as he followed Tonto inside. The young man wobbled dangerously, nearly tripping over his own feet before the butler subtly caught his arm to prevent a fall.

"...Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Don Heneral and Doña Allyson are currently staying at the First Young Master's residence. They are spending quality time with your nephew and the in-laws," the butler answered smoothly.

"I see..."

It was fortunate they weren't home, as Tonto had no desire to let them see his pale, panicked face.

Tonto finally reached his bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress, staring blankly up at the ornate crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"It's not true... I'm the Third Young Master of the Alejandro family. I'm the real deal."

He muttered drunkenly to himself. Memories of his conversation with Emmanuel replayed on a loop, and his entire sense of identity slowly crumbled the more he thought about it.

Emmanuel had explained that their original plan was to wait until Caesar Alejandro passed away before stepping forward with the truth. That way, Tonto would have already secured his share of Caesar's massive inheritance, giving him the financial power to cleanly sever ties with his fake family.

However, things had spiraled out of control on Emmanuel's end, forcing him to approach Tonto early to beg for help getting their imprisoned relatives out of jail.

At first, Tonto had dismissed the whole story as a sick joke and walked away with a pale face. Yet as time passed, the horrifying truth refused to leave his mind. No matter how desperately he tried to deny it, the pieces fit too well. Deep down, he had always felt out of place, like he didn't truly belong in the billionaire Alejandro family.

So, he had hired local thugs to beat and threaten Emmanuel into absolute silence. He couldn't care less that the pathetic man was his biological father.

"So all I have to do is wait for Grandpa to die, huh... Why bother waiting?" he thought darkly. Tonto had never been a decent human being, and now that the truth of his birth threatened everything he took for granted, he lost all sense of rationality. The toxic mix of alcohol and drugs in his system planted twisted, lethal ideas into his mind.

"As for the real son, Karlos Alejandro... He's living down in Una Town," Tonto recalled Emmanuel's exact words.

It looked like two people needed to be eliminated to secure his future. He had never liked Caesar anyway, that old man was far too controlling. And as for Karlos... Even though they had never met, Tonto already despised him simply for being the legitimate heir. Karlos had to die before the truth could ever surface.

As for his biological family, he would deal with them permanently once his inheritance was safely in his hands.

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"Papa! Mama! Look, I swim, swim!"

Arabella paddled happily through the shallow water, waving one hand excitedly toward her parents.

"...She learned how to swim remarkably fast. She's a total natural," Maya remarked, thoroughly impressed as she watched her daughter effortlessly navigate the gentle waves.

The family was relaxing at a quiet, less-crowded stretch of the beach, soaking in the peaceful coastal scenery.

"I heard the local government plans to expand the beachside development, starting right around here," Karlos told his wife as he ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Really? Then what are they going to do about the cliff? Are they planning to blast it away?"

"I suppose so."

The coastline was actually quite long, though only the northern end currently had houses and commercial buildings. Everything beyond that point was untouched trees and dense vegetation. The biggest geographical obstacle preventing southward expansion was a massive rocky cliff that split the beach in two. Furthermore, the shoreline consisted of dark black sand, which wasn't particularly appealing for mainstream tourism.

"Papa, swim, teach me too!"

Iñigo called out to his father, clearly jealous that Arabella had picked up swimming so quickly. He couldn't believe his twin sister beating him. 

"Alright, alright, buddy. Come here, I'll teach you."

Arabella had been begging to go swimming at the beach for weeks, though her parents had always turned her down out of caution. Her relentless persistence had finally worn them down, leading to this relaxing family beach day.

Maya sipped on a cold drink while watching Karlos and the twins splash around in the surf... Her gaze lingered appreciatively on Karlos's toned, muscular physique, and she subtly licked her lips.

"Arabella, don't swim out too far! Stay close to me," Karlos called out, keeping a watchful eye on his daughter.

[Thank you for reading this novel.]