Chapter 426
Victoria Cooper said, “A lot of the assets were moved out just three hours before we filed the lawsuit. Most of George Cooper’s properties were transferred into his stepdaughter Lina Gordon’s name. And he actually had the nerve to say Lina is so filial, so that money was her dowry gift p>
“Attorney Liu is still helping us fight for that part of the property, but it’s going to take more time p>
Lisette Cavendish let out a cold laugh, her eyes turning sharp. “Guarding his wealth from his own biological kids, then handing it all to his stepdaughter as a wedding package? Wow. George Cooper is really out here putting on some ridiculous live drama. What, did he get water poured straight into his brain?” She paused, then suddenly had an idea. “Victoria, I’ve got a plan p>
Lisette said, “It’s about time George Cooper got a taste of what it feels like to be stabbed in the back by someone he trusts p>
By now, Victoria had long since given up on George Cooper.
Back then, he wrongly believed Jacob had caused the death of the baby Jenna Reid was carrying. In the dead of winter, without even listening to a single word of explanation, he threw their family of four out of the house.
Because of that, Caleb ended up with a burning fever, and a brilliant boy was pushed into autism.
Jacob’s temper got worse and worse after that. In those early years, he even showed mild violent tendencies.
But the one who suffered most was their mother.
To raise the three of them, she had worked every kind of job she could find, wearing herself down until illness took root in her body. Whenever the weather changed, her joints would ache so badly she could barely stand it. Still, she hated spending money on treatment. She would hide away by herself and secretly take painkillers.
And Victoria herself, after living for years in the dark, suffocating shadow cast by her father, had changed too. The bright, cheerful girl she used to be had slowly turned cold and distant.
She didn’t like dealing with people.
She lived like someone shut off from the world.
The tragedy of all four of them had been caused by George Cooper. So making the real culprit feel what it meant to be betrayed by someone he trusted—that was only a little interest on the debt he owed.
For everything he had done, for the kind of man he was, he deserved to be nailed to the pillar of shame and spat on forever.
Victoria looked at Lisette and asked softly, “What do we do p>
Lisette said, “Leave it to me. You don’t need to worry about a thing. Just stay with Aunt Laura and help her relax. Things will get better p>
“Lisette, thank you p>
“We’re friends. You really don’t need to be that polite with me p>
“Okay. Once this is over, I’ll cook for you myself and make you a whole table of good food. You can judge my skills then p>
“Deal. There’s a little one around lately, and I’ve been craving nonstop p>
“What p>
Victoria Cooper froze, eyes widening. “You’re pregnant p>
The second the baby came up, Lisette Cavendish’s whole face softened, almost glowing with that gentle, motherly warmth. “Yeah. Found out three days ago p>
“Congrats. Then I’ll look into some meals for pregnant women p>
“Thank you. If the little one gets to eat Aunt Laura’s cooking p>
She paused, then laughed and corrected herself naturally, “—your cooking, they’ll definitely be super happy p>
The two of them chatted a bit longer before Lisette finally hung up.
The moment she looked up, she met Bradley Hayes’s meaningful gaze.
Lisette instantly got alert. She was seriously worried that one day his weird sense of fun would kick in again and he’d grab her face and mess with it like it was some stress-relief toy. So she quietly shifted farther away and asked, “What are you looking at p>
“What are you planning p>
Bradley was honestly just asking out of boredom.
But more than that, he wanted to see whether two people with such similar features and aura would also think the same way—equally ruthless, equally bold, equally capable of going all in.
Lisette suddenly raised a brow, then asked in a sticky-sweet voice, “Brother Bradley, wanna experience what being in love feels like p>
“No p>
Bradley shut it down on the spot.
His tone made it clear there was zero room for negotiation.
But Lisette wasn’t about to give up. She kept tempting him, sounding patient and persuasive. “You really should go out more. Walk around, see things, get a feel for Aurelian. Meet different kinds of people—men, women, old people, kids. Everyone has something different about them, something interesting p>
“As long as you pay attention, you’ll find there’s a lot of fun stuff in this world p>
“Brother, you need to make your life fuller p>
That way, maybe he’d stop thinking about how to knead her face every single day p>
Lisette Cavendish was looking forward to it with real enthusiasm.
If Bradley Hayes would just stay at least a meter away from her, then go out, have fun, fool around, live his best life—she would gladly foot the bill for all of it.
But—
Bradley was stubborn as ever. “My only hobby is poking your face p>
Lisette got so mad her chest hurt. “You are seriously so boring p>
Bradley looked completely unfazed. “It’s fine. You being interesting is enough. I’m the one teasing you anyway. The more expressions you make, the more fun this game gets p>
Lisette went silent.
Damn it p>
So this guy was really treating her like some kind of toy p>
She forced herself not to fling a slipper at him. Her voice, which had started out all tempting and coaxing, now turned flat with frustration. “I’ve been trying this hard to create chances for you, okay? I wanted you to experience romance, a little love, the whole guy-meets-girl thing. And you? Not even interested. What a waste of my good intentions p>
“Stop p>
It was way too fake. Bradley truly could not listen anymore. “Just say it straight. You want to kill two birds with one stone—help Victoria Cooper get back at George Cooper, and at the same time get me out of your way p>
Since he had already seen right through her, Lisette simply admitted it without any embarrassment.
“When I asked Velton King to look into the Cooper family’s assets before, I also had him check on those people while he was at it p>
“George Cooper is soft-hearted when people whisper in his ear, but also ridiculously stubborn. If Jenna Reid blows enough pillow talk his way, she can sway his decisions p>
“Jenna Reid didn’t come from money, but she’s obsessed with living rich. After picking through a pile of trash men, she locked onto George Cooper, this perfect sucker. She schemed her way into his bed, secured her spot as the number one mistress, and after being spoiled by him for half a year, she got a clear picture of all his assets. Then she started eyeing Mrs. Cooper’s place, pulled every dirty trick she could, drove Victoria and her family out, and took over the whole Cooper household p>
“And Lina Gordon p>
Now they were finally at the point.
Lisette even stressed it specially to Bradley. “She’s exactly like her mother. She wants to marry into a wealthy family too. Only her ambitions are even bigger p>
“Her mother managed to marry into a third-rate rich household while dragging along a stepdaughter, so Lina thinks she’s some pure, untouchable goddess. The only men she sets her sights on are heirs from the absolute top-tier elite families p>
“But the real old-money families? Most of them care a lot about social standing p>
“Sure, they’ll date for fun, no problem. But those rich young masters would never actually marry the stepdaughter of some third-rate wealthy family p>
“After years of going in circles, picking and choosing, she finally realized last year that she wasn’t exactly a hot commodity anymore. So she shifted her target overseas, started throwing herself into elite parties at home and abroad, squeezing into every social event she could, all to hook a foreign rich husband p>
“So if, at a moment like this, a foreign investor suddenly appears—rich, handsome, charming—and just so happens to show interest in her, what do you think she’d do to marry into a top-tier family p>
The answer was pretty obvious.
“Now that Lina Gordon can finally see a shot at getting what she wants, she’ll cling to that chance like crazy. As long as the guy gives her even the tiniest hint, she’ll lay out every card she has in front of him and try to prove her value p>
“Someone who’s been obsessed with one goal for years won’t give up that easily, not when she’s this close to marrying into real wealth p>
After laying out her whole plan, Lisette Cavendish shamelessly hyped Bradley Hayes up a little, totally against her conscience.
“Bradley, you’ve got the money, the face, the charm. You’ve even got foreign nationality. And your background is mysterious enough that nobody can easily dig it up p>
“The more mysterious you are, the more Lina will assume you come from some insanely powerful family p>
“You’re literally the perfect fit p>
So yeah, go be a scumbag for once with confidence. I’m fully backing you p>
“Hold on p>
Bradley Hayes caught the tiny slip in her words and narrowed his eyes. “How do you know my identity is hard to investigate? Did you look into me p>