“Lorelai, you have one duty that you must fulfill. Your life can never be yours if you don’t fulfill it,” said Lorelai’s father.
“Dad, why am I not allowed to go back to the country? I want to see him. I miss him.”
“No, you can’t. You must quell your feelings and bide your time to appear in front of him.”
“Lorelai, he’s going to get married. You should come back to the country to attend his wedding.”
Lorelai closed her eyes as tears streamed
down her cheeks.
Money was the root of all evil.
Had the Presgrave Family not amassed such abundant wealth, there would be no ideas about them. Who wouldn’t turn into a green-eyed monster when Elliot
alone owned a fortune that was equivalent to that of a small country?
Still, there were strict family rules that restrained the Presgraves. As though the rule-maker had been through the affliction of being surrounded by voracious family and friends, he had drawn up a customary system that was passed on generation by generation.
In order to avoid complicated situations and power struggles, working in the Presgrave Group was off-limits to the Presgraves. Therefore, it was reasonable to say that Elliot possessed every penny the family had, whereas the others could only establish their own business. They couldn’t enjoy one bit of the money that the Presgrave Group brought in.
Even though they had achieved success in every industry thanks to the family’s influence, a shining star was undeniably pale in comparison to the bright moon.
The greedy frog in them had been fed little by little as the days went by, hence the strong desire to own everything. Like the avaricious ministers of the country, they were approaching closer and closer to the throne to take over it and hog everything.
Nonetheless, the family and the family honor had always been one; the comprehensive system had included rules that could protect the other members of the family. Thus, they were. never neglected despite the rigid rules.
It was Elliot’s wedding, where all of the elderly family members-the greedy snakes-were present, and beneath the harmonious facade were calculative schemes.
In a white suit, Jared, the little prince, dashed into Anastasia’s make-up room. He hugged his mother before sizing her up. “Mommy, you look so pretty!”
Due to the train of the wedding dress, she wasn’t able to return the hug, so she crouched down to stroke his head. Her eyes were smitten with warmth as she gazed at the face that resembled Elliot. “Jared, are you happy?”
“Totally! Daddy and Mommy can love me together forever!” There was no reason for him to be upset, as he wished to have a younger sibling accompany him.
“Yeah, we’ll love you forever. Anastasia’s eyes reddened because of the sudden sadness. Is Jared going to be like Elliot in the future? When the time comes, will he be crushed by the weight of the responsibilities he has to bear as the head of the family?
She thought Jared could grow up happily without worries and marry someone he loved in the future. Given his intelligence and capability, it would be a no-brainer for him to get a decent job like a doctor or lawyer. Yet, those little shoulders of his were already bearing the weight now.
Perturbed, Anastasia pulled him into her arms before giving him a kiss on the head.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Jared sensed the tinge of sorrow in her.
“It’s nothing. Just let me hug you for a while. I haven’t hugged you these last few days.” She gently caressed his hair.
Before long, a staff member came in to inform them that it was about time.
“Mommy, I’m going to be the page boy with a flower girl!”
“That’s so lovely of you.” Anastasia pecked his cheek.
Right then, two graceful women walked into the room. It was Kendra and Elliot’s grandaunt, Elira.
“Mrs. Presgrave, it’s time. Allow us to escort you there.”
