Revenge Against My Ex-husband
Chapter 96 The Search For Dave

Deborah didn't stop Lily from calling Margaret. Once the call was answered, Lily told Margaret in detail what had happened that night, "Aunt Margaret, how can Irene be so mean? She said that as long as Dad helps Edric, she would report him to the authority. Even Dad has to listen to her now. She's stirring things up!"

Upon hearing that, Margaret fumed with rage. "D*mn Irene! She's getting back at Edric! How can she be so cruel?" In complaining about Irene, she did not realize how cruel she had been in the first place. "Yeah, Mom and I were pleading with her, but she never let up... She even cursed us with nasty words!"

Margaret sighed. She was well aware of Irene's temper and eloquence. Back when Irene had confronted her, Margaret couldn't even get half a sentence in. It seemed that Steven couldn't be counted on from now onwards. Knowing that it wasn't Lily's fault, Margaret didn't harbor any ill feelings against her. Instead, Margaret noted sensibly, "I'll tell Edric about this and have him think of another way."

Deborah didn't expect Margaret to be so nice. Hence, she went downstairs to make tea for Steven in relief.

After she hung up the phone, Margaret gritted her teeth in anger and called Edric immediately. But even before she reached him, she heard the door open. Edric was back.

"Edric, you're back just in time!" Margaret threw the phone down on the coffee table. "I'm so pissed off!"

"Mom, your health is not in its tip-top condition. What are you angry about?" Edric seemed visibly tired.

"How can I not be angry? That b*tch, Irene, is making a fool of us behind our backs!" Margaret relayed what Lily had told her. "Edric, you can't count on Steven this time. You have to think of another way!" "I know!" Edric reassured. "I'll take care of the company. You don't have to worry about it."

Margaret initially had more to whine about, but seeing Edric's weary face, she forced herself to swallow her words. "Alright, you'd better go up and rest!"

Edric nodded and went upstairs. After entering his room and closing the door, he crashed onto the bed in exhaustion. He was surprised by what Margaret had just told him. As far as he could remember, Irene was never a vindictive person. Hence, why would she take it out on him?

As for the sports tournament, he had never expected Steven to do him any favors from the start. Hence, Edric had already approached the governor of the state, Owen Arnold.

Owen told him that the government took this sports tournament very seriously. Not only must the winning company possess strong financial resources and capabilities, but it must also produce an innovative design for the stadium. The government was hoping that the bidding companies would come up with some creative design works and that after the games, those locations could be converted into landmarks, forming a boutique area of the city. Therefore, only if those two requirements were met would there be a possibility of winning the bid.

After getting the news, Edric quickly had his men start a call for design proposals. Of course, the Reed family was also aware of the information Edric had received. Hence, Jordan's team was also on a tight schedule. Both the Myers Group and the Golden Age Group's strengths and capabilities were not in question. It was just a matter of waiting to see who could come up with a design that would convince the experts.

As for Margaret, after lazing around the living room alone, she finally returned to her room. Lying in bed, her heart itched uncomfortably. If she had known that Irene was Steven's daughter, she would never have tormented Irene.

If she hadn't done that, Irene would have given birth to Edric's child by now. With Steven as a strong backbone and a grandchild, Margaret would have been able to draw closer to Edric. How nice would it have been if they had a happy family? Yet, that could not happen now. In place of that, they had made themselves another enemy. She had made a wrong choice back then.

That night, Irene did not sleep well. She tossed and turned, thinking about Eden's condition. As she woke up in the morning, she found that her eyes were a little bloodshot. After drinking the bowl of cereal Maisy prepared for her breakfast, she hurried to the office. Meanwhile, Jordan had arrived early at the office and was talking to David.

"Edric went to Owen instead of Steven. It seems he doesn't trust his father-in-law!"

Irene was stunned. "Edric went to the state governor?"

Jordan nodded. "But it turned out to be a waste of efforts. The higher-ups clearly stated that the sports tournament should be fair and just. The participants must not only be highly skilled but also have to come up with creative designs."

At that, Irene smiled bitterly. No wonder Steven hadn't reacted to her threat the previous day. It turned out that he knew the outcome already. Out of a sudden, she felt slightly irritated. Watching as her face sank, Jordan was confused. "You don't seem too happy?"

"No, it's nothing." Irene forced a smile. "Is the focus now on replaceing a designer?"

Jordan nodded, informing, "Mr. Pedro called to tell that he received some intel that Dave Walker might be hiding in San Fetillo. He told me to put an effort into replaceing him."

"Is Dave a well-known designer?" Irene asked.

"He's not just a designer; he's a design genius. He won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious award in the architecture field, at the age of twenty-five. Many famous stadiums abroad at that time were designed by him," answered Jordan.

"In that case, he should be a very famous person, but why haven't I heard of him?" Irene was puzzled.

"He's not been in the industry for quite some time," Jordan replied.

Dave was one of the most internationally acclaimed figures in the history of architecture and was known as the design genius of architecture. All his designs were classics. However, he suddenly disappeared a the height of his fame.

According to the rumors, he had passed from a terminal illness. Meanwhile, others said that he had become a priest because of a woman. Whether the rumors were true or not, Dave's departure was a great loss to the architectural community. Irene had never dreamt that Thomas' real name was Dave Walker. "I always thought Dave was from Fransburg? But didn't everyone say he was dead?"

"He's not dead. Something happened in the past and he got discouraged, so he went into hiding in San Fetillo," Jordan explained.

"What was it?" Irene was surprised.

"Not many people know about it. It was my grandfather who told me. Back in the days, Dave was the darling of the Fransburg society. At the time of his rise to fame, many wealthy businessmen were his friends. Although Dave was an architect, he had a good knowledge of antique paintings. Because of that, many wealthy Fransburg merchants, who loved Haverland culture, loved to request him to be a connoisseur for the antique paintings they bought," said Jordan.

"For this reason, Dave had spent a lot of money on several antique paintings at the request of a wealthy Fransburg merchant during a trip to Haverland. However, all the paintings turned out to be imitations."

"The rich merchant took Dave to court for that, but it was later agreed that the matter would be settled privately. As a result, Dave lost all his money. Fortunately, the wealthy merchant was merciful to Dave. He recovered some money and then had the news blocked to save whatever was left of Dave's reputation. Therefore, only a few people know about this incident, and that is why although many are aware of Dave's sudden disappearance, no one exactly knows why," detailed Jordan to Irene.

"He disappeared just because of that?" Irene found it unbelievable." Since he was a genius in the architecture world, he mustn't have done such a thing because of money, right? After all, he can make a lot of money just by taking a single order."

"Not only that, there is another rumor that says that Dave's disappearance from the public eye has nothing to do with the painting, but because the woman he loved married to another man. He was so in love with that woman that he vanished completely, discouraged and disillusioned," Jordan added.

"Some people are really blinded by love in this world. Even a genius like him can't escape the bonds of love." Irene sighed.

"It's a pity that a design genius like him has fallen from grace!" Jordan also sighed along with her.

"Now that we're sure Dave is hiding in San Fetillo, let's spend our best efforts to replace him. If we can replace and convince him to design the stadium for us, what's there to worry about?" David interjected. "Since he's incognito, he must not be easy to replace." Irene shook her head. "So, I suggest we don't put all our hope and focus on him."

"I know. I'm going out of town to meet with some designers, and I won't be at the office for the next two days. I'll give you some time off to rest too," announced Jordan as he rose to his feet.

As Jordan and David left the company, Irene went back to her rented place. Thomas was happy to see her back. "I'm going to buy food to make dinner."

"Uncle Thomas, it's still early for lunch, there's no need to rush." Irene stopped him. "Let's chat."

Thomas took a seat and asked, "Did Steven and Margaret treat you well?"

"It was the usual," Irene replied. She then told Thomas about the incident at the Cook family, elaborating, "Steven acted so cool last night that I thought he felt humiliated. I didn't think he already knew what would happen. It's abominable!"

"If he wasn't abominable, he wouldn't have cheated on your mother back then," Thomas stated in all seriousness. "You must not believe his words. He is a man of many faces."

"I know. I didn't go back to catch up on our lost father-daughter time. I did it for the assets," explained Irene with a sneer. "Once Steven makes good on his promise, I'll leave immediately and never bother myself with their disgusting tricks again."

"But we don't know yet if Steven will give them to you. After all, those ancient paintings weren't his in the first place." Thomas was worried.

"Also, Margaret is very cunning," continued Thomas. "You shouldn't clash with them face to face. Otherwise, you'll easily fall into their trap. Steven is already biased, and he'll be even more so if you continue confronting that woman."

"Once upon a time, I used to think that forbearance was a blessing," Irene began. "So, I never fought for anything. But what did that get me in the end? God fooled me and allowed Eden to fall sick! I'm filled with hatred at this moment!"

A glint of ruthlessness flashed across Irene's eyes. "Didn't Steven want me to take part in a harmonious family reunion play? I'll never do as he says! My mother is dead and my son is seriously ill. Why should they be well when I'm not? I'll give them hell!"

"Irene, you have to think about it positively. Eden's illness is curable," Thomas reassured. "We still have time. Once we replace the bone marrow, things will be fine."

"That's true, but how easy is it to replace a matching bone marrow?" Irene sighed and then told Thomas what the doctor had suggested. "Uncle Thomas, not only did I come back for the property, but also to get Edric's sperm and have another child. That's the only way Eden will be safe."

Thomas was silent for a while. "I will support you unconditionally no matter what you choose. I'm sorry for being useless. I hate myself that I am unable to help you."

"Uncle Thomas, I only wanted to talk to you about my troubles. I don't mean to blame you in any way. You've done enough for me."

Irene held Thomas's hand. "I don't know why I've been so upset lately. I replace that I have become a different person. I don't want to see the Myers family in a better position than I am; I loathe to see that cheating mother-and-daughter duo enjoy such a good life. Uncle Thomas, am I a bad person?"

"Irene, you are not. I've watched you grow up since you were a little girl. I know you have a good heart like your mother. You are only doing this because you were forced by them! Even creatures as gentle as rabbits bite when they are forced to a corner, don't they? You're never like them!"

"I'm so mad at Margaret and Lily that I have the urge to beat them up! They try to win Myers the sports tournament project. Therefore, I threatened Steven so that he wouldn't dare to play favorites! Alas, Stever didn't have to make a decision in the end as the governors have already issued the papers. He got lucky this time!"

The more Irene thought about it, the more upset she became. "I can only pray now that Jordan's men will replace Dave!"