Chapter 446
Barnard had genuinely forgotten how much Davina loved doing the unexpected. Who went through the trouble of decking the house out so festively just for a holiday? It wasn’t just Laura who found the bright decorations jarring; Barnard thought they were an absolute eyesore.
“Why?” Davina asked, her voice laced with grievance. “I spent all morning putting these up. Don’t they look nice? Shouldn’t we have a festive atmosphere? Why do I have to take them down?” Her good mood seemed to evaporate in an instant.
Barnard had zero patience to soothe her. “We’re not celebrating,” he snapped. “This family isn’t celebrating any holidays moving forward. Take everything down right now. Don’t make me say it a third time p>
Tears pooled in Davina’s eyes as she stubbornly pressed on. “Barnard, how can you say that? Do you have any idea how long this took me? You don’t care about my hard work at all p>
If she had paid the slightest bit of attention, she would have noticed how terrible both Barnard and Laura looked. Laura, in particular, had eyes puffy from weeping and lips completely drained of color, looking as if drawing a single breath was an insurmountable task. But Davina wasn’t paying attention to anyone else. She only cared about her ruined efforts.
Barnard shoved her away, his voice slicing through the room. “My dad is dead. Is that a good enough reason? We aren’t celebrating anything ever again. Get rid of all this trash and don’t let me see it again p>
Davina stood frozen, staring blankly from Barnard to Laura. “Really? You’re not messing with me p>
Laura, who had been completely silent, exploded the second she heard those words. She lunged forward, grabbing Davina by the collar. “Who would lie about something like this? Why the hell are you wearing red? Take it off p>
She yanked at Davina’s clothes with a sudden, fierce strength that left the younger woman struggling to break free.
“Mom! What are you doing?” Davina cried out. She had never felt much affection for Calvin, so upon hearing of his death, her immediate concern was her wardrobe. “Let go of me! This outfit is brand new, don’t rip it p>
Her protests only threw fuel on the fire. Laura lost her mind, and the two women quickly became entangled in a vicious scuffle. Sitting in his wheelchair, Barnard couldn’t even intervene. Someone accidentally bumped him, sending the wheelchair crashing sideways onto the floor with a heavy thud. The deafening noise startled the two women enough to make them stop, their shocked gazes snapping over to him.
Davina’s jacket had been torn off, and Laura’s hair was a tangled mess, but neither of them looked as pathetic as Barnard, who was trapped under the weight of his overturned chair.
Laura reacted first, rushing over to right the wheelchair and haul him up. Not wanting to be outdone, Davina rushed in to help. But the two women were still quietly warring with each other, pulling him in opposite directions until Barnard was swaying violently, unable to get his balance.
“Enough!” he roared in frustration. “Get out of my way! I’ll do it myself p>
He scrambled clumsily back into the seat, furiously barking at Davina to clean up the mess before wheeling himself toward the study, motioning for Laura to follow.
Despite the heavy grief weighing on him, dealing with Laura’s helpless panic left him no room to actually process it. He had never put Laura and Davina in the same category before, but today, he suddenly realized his mother was just as foolish, lacking even basic problem-solving skills.
“Where is his body?” Barnard asked, his tone clipped. “Where is Dad right now p>
Hearing the question triggered a fresh wave of sobbing from Laura. “They… they’re holding onto him. They said they’re making an example out of him, letting people gawk. They refuse to let him be buried. Oh, Barnard, what are we going to do? Your father was always so careful. How did he cross those people? How did they find leverage on him p>
Barnard hadn’t expected Zachary to stoop so low as to hold Calvin’s remains hostage. His jaw locked tightly, fury burning in his chest, while Laura’s relentless sobbing only amplified his suffocating frustration.
Beneath the anger, a heavy wave of guilt washed over him. Judging by Laura’s words, Calvin hadn’t told her a thing about the dirty work he had been doing for Barnard. Plain and simple, his father had died for him. The same man who had always looked down on him, who had shown him nothing but disdain, had ultimately sacrificed his life for his son’s ambitions.
The realization made his chest tighten painfully. “Mom, stop crying,” he said coldly. “I’m not letting this go. I will get revenge for Dad. I’ll make them pay p>
“Don’t scare me like that,” Laura pleaded. “Those aren’t the kind of people we can mess with! Forget about revenge, just figure out a way to get his body back, please p>
The very idea of retaliation terrified her. All she wanted was for Calvin to be laid to rest. She grabbed Barnard’s sleeve, her voice thick with desperation. “Barnard, go talk to Clement. Please. He respects you so much. Just ask him to step in and get your father back p>