Chapter 55: The Clarkes’ Foolish Dream
“What?” Malik was stunned.
Molly, trembling badly, looked up at the sound, feeling a mix of despair and confusion. How could there possibly be a marriage between her and Enrico now?
“Don’t keep it from me. I’ve got all the details. When your daughter was kidnapped, Mr. Gustin left a dinner at the presidential palace and blew the kidnappers’ hideout to pieces.”NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.
Mr. Abbott continued, “Remember? Mr. Gustin didn’t even react when his own brother’s fingers were chopped off, but now he’s furious for your daughter. It shows how much he cares for her.”
Malik finally understood that now everyone outside believed Enrico went into the kidnappers’ den to save his daughter.
“Ah, haha, yes, Enrico does care deeply for Molly.” Malik used Enrico’s first name, trying to sound as close as possible.
“Well, about that sponsorship you mentioned, I’ll transfer it to you tomorrow.” Mr. Abbott said and then hung up.
Molly sat on the bed, listening to every word clearly. She looked up at Malik, “Dad, how can you still say that?”
“Molly, whether or not Enrico went to save you, we need to claim it. This will only benefit us.” Malik said, “Look, we’ve already got a sponsorship coming our way.”
“You’re still thinking about the benefits? Paige has hooked up with Enrico; we’re done for!” Molly shouted, trembling.
“If that little brat Paige could really get Enrico to come after us, would we still be sitting here talking? Our house would have been leveled like that hideout.” Malik said sternly.
Hearing this, Molly was stunned and began to think clearly: yes, if Enrico wanted to take down the Clarkes, would he wait until tomorrow?
“First, the person you saw Enrico carrying might not even be Paige. You could have been too frightened and mistaken. Second, even if it was Paige, the fact that Enrico isn’t saying publicly that he didn’t save you and isn’t coming after us means what? It means Paige isn’t important to him. He went to the hideout to assert his authority.” Malik analyzed.
Hearing this, Molly gradually stopped trembling and her eyes brightened. “I get it.”
“Get what?” Kathy asked, puzzled.
“That bitch Paige was sent to the slums by us. She’s got nothing. How could she possibly get involved with the Gustin Group and the Lautner family?” Molly’s eyes flashed with jealousy. “She must have sold her body. That bitch, using her innocent face to get by, she must have done it!”
Malik and Kathy exchanged glances, thinking her analysis might be spot on.
“That must be it. That’s why Kevin helped her, and Enrico saved her in the hideout just because she was there, not because she’s important to him.” Molly said, gritting her teeth. “A man like Enrico doesn’t lack women.”
“What you’re saying isn’t impossible.” Malik nodded. “As long as the Gustins don’t deny it, you can enjoy the reputation of having Enrico’s protection, which will benefit us both.”
Exactly. With Enrico’s aura around her, everyone would look up to her, and those rich kids would bow before her.
“I’m about to give my final speech at your school. Once the votes come in, I’ll keep rising, and many problems will solve themselves, right?” Malik said.
“Right. As long as Dad keeps climbing, the Clarkes will get better and better. But…” Molly looked at Malik nervously. “What if someone tries to kidnap me again?”
“The hideout has been blown up. No one would dare mess with Enrico for a while,” Malik reassured Molly. He sat down by her bed and said, “Just rest well and don’t talk too much about the kidnapping details to others.”
With Malik’s reassurance, Molly gradually calmed down and obediently lay back on the bed. Whether her eyes were open or closed, she kept seeing the image of Enrico carrying Paige through the blood-soaked scene.
Paige. That damned bitch!
…
Paige woke up in Enrico’s arms, nearly suffocated from how tightly he was holding her. She couldn’t understand why this big man had to hold her so tightly while sleeping, as if afraid she would run away.
She wriggled uncomfortably, only to be held even tighter. Enrico opened his eyes and looked at her, still half-asleep. He pulled her back into his arms and nibbled softly on her ear.
“I’m hungry.”
“Mm.” Enrico responded but continued to hold her tightly.
After a while, he finally let her get up to wash.
As they entered the dining room, the aroma of breakfast greeted them.
“Mr. Gustin, Miss, breakfast is ready,” Olivia and Susan said respectfully. Seeing their hands intertwined, they exchanged a knowing smile.
These two maids, after everything-kidnapping, abuse-still shipped her and Enrico together. Paige couldn’t help but be amazed.
Enrico sat Paige down at the dining table and then took a seat across from her. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked at her with a teasing smile. “You were cuter when you ate the way you did before.”
He was referring to when she pretended to be mentally ill and purposely made a mess while eating. Embarrassed, Paige paused for a moment before picking up her spoon to eat her porridge normally.
As they were eating, Jaden walked in with a stack of documents. “Boss, everything has been done.”
A brand new identification card was placed beside her. Paige looked down at it, seeing her birthdate, the address of Rose Estate, and the name Joss Lautner.
“So fast?” Paige was surprised.
“Yes, this identity is now in this country’s system. It’s completely real,” Jaden said, standing by.
Paige put down her spoon and picked up the ID, staring at her photo on it. She was lost in thought.
“Why are you staring at it so intently? Didn’t you choose the name yourself? Do you not like it anymore?”
“Paige, Joss, it’s just a name. It doesn’t matter what I’m called since I don’t even know my real last name.” Paige replied nonchalantly. She was an abandoned baby, unaware of her origins, so names didn’t hold much significance for her.
What she truly felt was that she finally had an identity of her own.
Enrico glanced at her before lowering his head to continue eating.
“Also, Miss Paige, I’ve arranged the enrollment at the university. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I didn’t disclose your relationship with the boss. Based on your age, you’ll be entering as a junior. Given that you spent three years in the slums, your education has likely fallen behind. But don’t worry, I’ve taken care of everything. No matter what exams you face, you’ll pass. Just learn whatever you can,” Jaden said, standing by.
That’s blatant cheating, Paige thought. To Enrico and Jaden, her attending Capital University was just a formality. They assumed she had learned nothing in the three years she spent in the slums. Although she didn’t like their attitude, she wasn’t going to university primarily to study anyway. She had a plan…
“Here are some majors for you to consider, Miss Paige. Which one do you want to choose?” Jaden added thoughtfully, handing her a document.
Capital University offered a wide range of majors, with detailed descriptions of each program’s content and a simple star rating.
“What do you like?” Enrico asked.
“I don’t know.”
Paige sat there for a while before looking up at him seriously, “Which major would teach me the skills to turn the slums into a normal city?”
Jaden was taken aback by her question.
Enrico’s eyes also fixed on her. He looked into her clear eyes and then laughed, “So naive? Do you still have such grand dreams? To change the slums? A Country practices an elitist system. People who can’t contribute and have no support don’t deserve to live here. Why waste resources on them?”
She had heard this sentiment countless times in the slums. Everyone thought this way, and so did Enrico. It seemed everyone believed that people from the slums should just die silently and not trouble others. No one saw them as living, breathing beings.
For some reason, Enrico noticed that after he finished speaking, her gaze towards him became unfamiliar.
“What, do you think I’m not compassionate enough?” Enrico sneered, staring at her.
“No.” She was just tired of hearing such words.
“Survival of the fittest, natural selection-that’s the rule of this world,” Enrico’s voice was low and unforgiving. “You just spent three years in the slums and start sympathizing with those people? You’re different from them. Your job is to adapt to this rule.”
Clearly, as the owner controlling sixty percent of A Country’s economy, he also believed in the principles of survival of the fittest.
Paige looked up at him, realizing she and Enrico were fundamentally different. She wasn’t on the same wavelength as most people in this world; she was an outsider. Screw survival of the fittest!
Thinking this, Paige kept a compliant expression on her face. “Got it.”