Lake City
Campbell Family
The entire family was seated in the living room after an early dinner. However, there were no lovely conversations, and everyone looked like they were owed a billion dollars. The servants tiptoed as they served tea.
"What are those old people thinking? How can they send someone unrelated to live here with us? Do they think this is a hotel?" Mr Campbell asked with anger.
This man was called Isaiah Campbell. He was not the patriarch of the prestigious Campbell family in Lake City, but he was considered one of the top rich people in the area after establishing a successful entertainment business about twenty years ago.
Unfortunately, he was never truly happy because he felt that he was less successful than his two brothers. His eldest brother was the patriarch while his youngest brother was a prominent politician with connections around the country, including the Imperial City.
As for him, he just had money without power.
His wife, Charlotte Lawson, sighed lightly as she looked at her angry husband. If the truth were spoken, Isaiah was a good husband. He was reliable, present, and faithful to her. But he could not handle setbacks.
When things did not go his way, he would become insecure and irritable.
"Dear, it is just one extra mouth to feed. My parents have never asked anything from us except this. We should try to accommodate them in this case." Charlotte said with the gentleness of a perfect wife.
Mr Campbell looked inflated from the anger. "But you know that girl…"
"Yes, I know my parents value her very much. We cannot afford to neglect her. So, we have to give her everything that we give our daughters. What they have, she must have." Charlotte interrupted him before he carelessly spoke about Leila's origin.
Isaiah realized that he had almost said something inappropriate before their children. And it was their deepest and darkest secret. If it was exposed, the consequences would be dire.
"How can that be?" Their second daughter shouted immediately. "You want to treat an outsider the same as us? She is from the village and probably has never seen good things in life. You know how stingy people outside the city are in terms of luxuries."
"Holly, do not speak like that. Your grandparents raised her. Therefore, you have to treat her like your sister. It would not be good if they heard things like that." Charlotte censured her capricious daughter.
"It is exactly because they raised her, but they have never come to see us even once," Holly shouted again. "And do not think that I do not know that they are extremely rich, just because they live like paupers."
The eldest Campbell daughter was not as loud and unreasonable as Holly, but she was surprised to hear that the maternal grandparents were wealthy. After all, she had always looked down on them.
She once went there to visit during a school holiday when she was around eight years old. She did not remember much about that trip, but she knew it was so unpleasant that she asked the driver to take her home after three days.
The old people not only lived in a humble house, but they also grew their own vegetables. When they needed meat, they would exchange things with their other neighbours. Simply speaking, it was like returning to a time before civilisation.
Strangely, she did not remember meeting a girl her age during those days.
"Is it that true, Holly?" Amelia asked with narrowed eyes but calmly.
Holly snorted inelegantly. "I once saw the dowry list of the things that they gave Mom when she got married. If they are poor, none of us can afford a glass of water. They could probably fill a swimming pool with gold."
Charlotte's face turned red with anger. "Have you been going through my stuff, Holly?"
Holly realized that she revealed an incriminating secret she managed to keep for almost a year to avoid angering her mother. She never minded keeping the secret because she believed the things would eventually be passed down to her.
Now, she had exposed herself because of that damned girl.
"It was just an accident, Mom. I just wanted something to borrow something pretty for the Powell birthday party, and I saw it by accident. I did not mean to say anything. It is just that I feel bad since they are our relatives, but they prefer an outsider." Holly lowered her head.
Amelia was not like Holly. She did not think it was fine to just get the dowry that their mother had. If her maternal grandparents had anything, it belonged to them, the direct descendants.
Charlotte sighed. "I know what you are all thinking. But I can assure you that you will not be able to get anything from my parents if they are not willing. You can ask your father. Even my dowry cannot be used by him."
"What do you mean?" Amelia frowned, but she kept her expression free from anger and greed.
"My parents are not only rich, but they also have a lot of power. They choose to live their lives that way because they are stubborn. They decided to give each of their children some wealth for personal use, but it cannot be used or given to their partner or spouse." Charlotte explained.
"What would happen if it were given to someone else?" Amelia asked.
"About three-quarters of it is regulated in a trust. If any of it is given to a spouse, the trust automatically shuts down." Charlotte sighed, but she did not explain how much that trust was capable.
Twenty years ago, she tried to use some of her dowry jewellery as collateral for a loan for her husband's business, and she received a first warning before she could even enter the loaning institution.
"That's so inhumane!" Holly shouted. "What happens if a spouse has no money for anything?"
Charlotte laughed bitterly. "The restrictions do not apply to providing shelter, food, transportation, and other basics. Support is not one of the conditions. It is all about the possibility of a spouse taking the assets and money and running away."
Isaiah stood up abruptly and walked out of the room.
Charlotte realized she said something inappropriate, considering he was her spouse. She was just being candid about the situation. She knew this decision by her parents came up because they heard about a certain niece who committed suicide after her husband took everything and ran with a mistress.
She did not think her parents were exactly wrong because Isaiah's company almost went bankrupt at that time. He was the one who asked her to pawn her dowry jewellery, and she almost lost all her wealth.
As a wife, she could try to stick with him in poverty, but she did not want her children to be left with nothing. So, she was a little thankful that the trust existed to protect her assets in case of anything.
Still, she quickly followed Isaiah to apologise.
"Those people are so cruel." Holly spat out in disgust.
Amelia did not agree.
Given a choice, she would take the deal that her mother got without hesitation. She would rather keep her money than support a useless man. Moreover, she would never marry an incapable man who could not earn enough to maintain her lifestyle.
Her mind spun with the possibility of getting a share of the maternal grandparent's wealth. Unfortunately, she did not know how she could befriend her grandparents with no past warm contact.
She was also reluctant to go to a backward village to bond with them.
"Instead of you two plotting against other people, why don't you think about earning your own money?" The youngest child finally spoke.
Mason was only eight years old, and he barely had any presence at home. He was taciturn. As the only boy, he should have been treasured as the heir. However, no one valued him because he had little practical value to either parent.
The father liked the girls because they could marry well and bring him the power and status he desired. The mother did not care about solidifying her status with a son or worry about wealth because she had enough assets.
Mason was also an accident that occurred when the couple had already closed the chapter on having children. He was an inconvenience since his parents just wanted to enjoy their peak age when he was born.
So, they mostly ignored him like he did not exist.
"What do you know about making money as a child?" Holly asked with derision.
"You are a boy, Mason, so you are bound to inherit the family company. You do not know the insecurity of being a girl." Amelia said with more gentleness, but her tone was still condescending.
The two girls left Mason in the room alone.
"Who cares about a broken company?"