The Rich and Furious Son-in-law - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: He Must Have Stolen It
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Standing beside Raymond were a few other collateral descendants of the Mears family. They all hurriedly echoed what Raymond said. “Yes, it is stolen. He must have stolen it. Grandma, you must not condone such a scum. He has corrupted not only Lumi’s good name but also the entire Mears family’s.”
Anthony, the second uncle of Lumi, sneered as he stroked his beard. “It was not until now I realized who you are. A leopard never changes its spots!”
Lilian, Lumi’s aunt, pulled Lumi aside. “You should stay away from such a person, Lumi. Or else, he will ruin your life one day.”
Lumi struggled internally for a while, thinking of what Ryan said.
Besides, at the bar yesterday, she saw Preston Parker with her own eyes. The timing of Preston’s appearance was too coincidental, and when Preston saw the security guards apprehending Ryan, he had ordered them to let Ryan go.
All of this might seem unintentional, but it had once again confirmed her suspicion.
Ryan must be keeping something from her.
Although Lumi did not have a positive view of Ryan in the past, she had started to re-examine her relationship with him since yesterday.
Everyone present here were Mears family members, but none of them genuinely cared about her.
It was Ryan, her in-name-only husband, who had been silently protecting her.
Now that everyone was accusing Ryan, she would not sit by and see her husband being attacked.
Thinking of this, Lumi shook off her aunt’s hand, walked quickly over to Ryan, and curled her hand around his arm. “You all shut up. Ryan is my husband. I will allow no one to discredit him!”
She protected Ryan as if a hen guarded her chicks.
Ryan was standing behind Lumi, feeling touched as he looked at Lumi’s petite shoulders. Did she make her entire family her enemy, for his sake?
When Lumi went ballistic for the second time, everyone shut up.
Before they could seize power from her, Lumi was still officially the president of the Mears Corporation. She was the sole heir appointed by her late grandpa and still had a say in the family.
Everyone’s eyes were on Grandma, the only person in the family who could check Lumi.
There was no expression on Grandma’s face. She did not respond directly to Lumi’s question but turned her gaze to Ryan. “Can you explain yourself, Ryan? Thirty million dollars are enough to fill the company’s funding gap. It seems that you can’t take out such an amount of money, can you?”
There was a strong scornful flavor in her words.
When Lumi’s grandpa brought Ryan home, her grandma had vehemently opposed it. But at that time, Lumi’s grandpa was the absolute authority of the Mears Corporation. As upset as Grandma was, she could do nothing about it.
But now that Lumi’s grandpa was dead, her grandma, together with Raymond, had no scruples about sidelining Ryan quietly.
But Ryan just shrugged it off. “There is nothing to explain. Isn’t Mr. Franklin here? If you think I have stolen the star ruby earrings, you can call the police.”
Ryan’s words reminded Raymond, Anthony and others, whose eyes lit up immediately.
“Right. It is time to call the police, and then let the police hand over him to Preston Parker.” Raymond did not bother to hide his elation.
If Ryan really stole the thirty-million-dollar earrings, then his life would be over.
“Call the police! Don’t you dare to flee, Ryan! I am calling the police right away!” While speaking, Raymond took out his cell phone and was about to dial the number.
Robert was standing next to Ryan. He could not help but let out a long sigh upon seeing Ryan’s nonchalant expression. When the old Mearses wanted Ryan to marry Lumi, nearly all his old friends, except him, had opposed it.
It was for just one reason: the look in Ryan’s eyes.
It was profound and bright.
As old as Robert was, he could still sense an abyss inside Ryan whenever he looked into his eyes. So Robert had known back then that this young man would be somebody someday.
Robert had once again seen that look in Ryan’s eyes just now.
“Wait a minute!” Robert frowned as he put up his hand to stop Raymond. “I know Preston Parker. Why don’t you let me call him to clarify things? If the earrings were really stolen, then call the police. It’s not too late, is it?”
Robert was looking at Grandma when he spoke.
Robert knew that, as unruly as Raymond was, he would not have been so daring if not for Grandma’s acquiescence.
The Mearses seemed to have lesser male descendants in the third generation. Lumi’s dad had three brothers. But in Raymond’s generation, Raymond was the only son, and the other siblings were females.
So Grandma had been fond of this only grandson since he was a child.
“That will be good. Since you know Preston Parker, it will be easier to clear up any misunderstanding.” Grandma nodded her agreement.
Robert called Preston without hesitation and put the call on hands-free mode.
“Hello, may I know who I am speaking to?” The forceful voice of a middle-aged man came through the hands-free. It was Preston Parker.
Robert cleared his throat before speaking. “Hello, Mr. Parker. This is Robert Franklin. It’s been a long time since we last met. I hope my sudden call won’t sound awkward to you. In fact, I have something that needs clarification from you.”
When Preston knew that it was Robert Franklin, his tone of voice softened. “Glad to hear from you, Robert. Please ask me anything. I am glad to help.”
Robert’s personal connection was no joke. Even Preston Parker had to talk politely to him.
“Here is the thing. I am at the birthday party of the old lady of the Mears family. I saw the pair of star ruby earrings that you bought at an auction last year. I don’t know if you have lost them.” Robert got down to business immediately.
There was immediate silence in the living room. Everyone was bated breath as they listened to the voice coming through the hands-free.
Lumi held Ryan’s hand, fingers locked with sweat in her palm.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Preston spoke again. “Oh, are you talking about those ruby earrings? I didn’t lose them, but gave them to Ryan. Ryan had done me a great favor before this. Yesterday, he told me he needed a gift for his grandmother-in-law. So I thought why not return him a favor?”
Raymond dropped his cell phone to the ground with a loud noise. He had entered ‘999’ on the phone, stopping short of pressing the call button.
And now, listening to what Preston said, he could not believe his ears that Preston had given the earrings to Ryan, and Ryan had done Preston a great favor.
What could a wimpy son-in-law who worked as a waiter in a bar do for Preston Parker?
Of course, unknowing to all, this was nothing more than a script agreed between Ryan and Preston in advance. Ryan still did not want to reveal his identity yet.
There was a dead silence at the scene. Everyone was looking at each other in disbelief.
Everyone knew what it meant by having a personal connection with Preston Parker.
He was one of the two major overlords of Saltband City. His return of favor was enough to do a lot of things in Saltband City.
“Oh, is that so? It is okay, Mr. Parker. I will leave you to it then. I will see you around.” Robert had confirmed the status of the star ruby earrings and was ready to end the conversation.
“All right. And please send my regards to old Mrs. Mears. I didn’t know the relationship between the Mearses and Ryan before this. I will pay a visit someday, for sure.”
