In the Welch family living room, Eleanor had just returned home and vented her frustrations about the incident in the hospital to her parents.
“Dad! Mom! Ezra Swanson is despicable! He not only wanted to call off the engagement but also wanted to break ties with our family. He even physically assaulted me when I asked a few questions!
“Look at my face; he beat me black and blue. I don’t care; you guys must avenge me this time!” Eleanor roared; her blood was boiling. As a daughter of a prestigious family, for her to be dumped and physically assaulted was intolerable.
“Calm down, Eleanor.”
Alistair raised his hand to calm her and asked, “This is unlike Ezra; he’s usually mature and composed. Did you two have a fight?”
“How would I know?” Eleanor pouted.” I heard he got injured last night. So this morning, I went to the hospital to visit him.
“But when he saw me, he went berserk, hurling insults and even physically attacking me. It’s just outrageous!”
“That’s strange.” Alistair rubbed his chin, puzzled.
“Ezra is not the type to act recklessly. What happened to make him change like this? What’s going on?”
The families have always had a good relationship. Even in the case of minor disputes between the couple, it wouldn’t usually escalate this far.
“Alistair, call Barry and ask what’s going on,” Joanne said firmly.
“They’re not even married yet, and he dares to use violence against Eleanor. What will happen after marriage? Our daughter can’t be bullied for no reason.
“We should check.” Alistair nodded, taking out his phone and dialing Barry’s private number. After several attempts, there was still no answer.
“He’s probably busy and doesn’t have time to take calls,” Alistair tried to reason.
“Busy my ass! What could they be busy with at the hospital? I think they’re intentionally avoiding our calls!” Eleanor declared without hesitation.
“Joanne, what do you think?” Alistair turned to his wife.
“This situation is peculiar. If what Eleanor said is true and the Swanson family is really severing ties with us, there must be more to this. We need to find out what happened.”
“Severing ties? How is that possible?”
Alistair furrowed his brow.
“Our families have been working together for years, and breaking such ties would cause both sides heavy losses. I can’t believe Barry would do something so foolish.”
“If it were under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t. But if the Swanson family is threatened, they might have no choice but to betray us,” she replied calmly.
“Threat? Who could threaten the Swanson family in South City?” Alistair was growing puzzled.
Joanne didn’t answer Alistait but looked at her daughter and asked, ” Eleanor, did Ezra explain the reason to you or give any hints about what’s going on?”
“He did say a few strange things before leaving. He warned me and told us to return what we owe to Dustin, or disaster will strike soon.” Eleanor recalled.
“Wait a minute! Dustin? Could it be that bastard causing trouble?” Alistair doubted.
“It’s likely because of the pressure from the Dawson and Camron families, right? I mean, how else would Dustin get that kind of influence?” Eleanor added.
“That makes sense.” Alistair rubbed his chin. With the Dawson and Camron families pressuring and the Dew Balm as a lure, the Swanson family chose to betray and sever ties with the Welch family. It all made sense now.
“It doesn’t matter what the reason is; we can no longer trust the Swanson family. We need to find a new ally!” Joanne declared.
“Mom, I’m close friends with Elena from the Forrest family. Our relationship has always been good. If we get support from the Forrest family, the Welch family will remain strong,” Eleanor suggested.
“The Forrest family? That’s indeed a good choice.”
