Chapter 143 Why Should I Give Up
As they were talking, Alicia came home with the children.
“Mommy!”
The moment Tina saw Courtney, she plunged into her embrace and cheered. On the other hand, Jordan looked exhausted. Dragging his feet, he went straight to the sofa and sank himself into it. He clung to Courtney’s arm, looking as if he was going to fall asleep on the spot.
“This kid is too weak. We only ran for a while. How can he be so tired already? He has been spoiled.” Alicia appeared to be disappointed by his performance.
Slightly speechless, Courtney patted Jordan’s head and explained, “It’s not his fault. He has been weak since young. After that high fever he got when he was younger, he couldn’t speak anymore. Ever since, his physique has been particularly weak.”
“He couldn’t speak because of the high fever?” Alicia put her drinking glass aside and stared at Jordan thoughtfully. “He never spoke after that?”
Courtney knitted her brows. “He didn’t stop talking completely. From what I heard from Alexander, he spoke twice this year.”
“I think there’s more to it.” Alicia gave her a long, deep look. “The Duncan Family is prestigious, and Alexander is the only child. If the family becomes extinct after Alexander, many people will benefit from it. I don’t think this kid can grow up safely.”
Upon hearing that, Courtney was dumbfounded. She looked at her aunt in disbelief.
In the past, her grandfather told her that Alicia had had a child before, but no one knew how she lost it. However, after that incident, William and Stephen, whose families had been close to each other, stopped seeing each other. It was only until Stephen’s divorce and remarriage that both families reconnected.
Courtney did not know much when she was young. Nevertheless, when she looked back at what happened back then, it sent chills down her spine.
Most people would lose their rationale in the face of huge amounts of assets.
She realized that her aunt was trying to warn her that the high fever Jordan had during his childhood might not have been an accident. It was highly likely that this kind of ‘accident’ would continue to occur more frequently in the future. Instantly, she remembered the first time she met Jordan when a chandelier smashed down on him.
“Take precautions in advance and don’t trust anyone.” Alicia’s voice pulled Courtney back from her thoughts.
She stared at her aunt. Although Alicia was standing in her sportswear drinking coffee in front of the kitchen counter, her posture was upright even though she was in her fifties. Her aura was extraordinary, and the words she said went straight into Courtney’s heart.
After chatting for a while, Courtney left with her two children.
“I’ll leave with the kids, then. I’ll bring them back to see you again when I have the time.”
“Wait a minute.” Alicia came over and handed her a key. “Don’t forget your things.”
“I can’t accept this.”
“You were the one to talk when you came asking for your mother’s inheritance before! This is only a small part of your mother’s inheritance that has been left with me so that you would have a place to live when you came back. Don’t go boasting around like Lucian. Why learn to become a wolf in sheep’s clothing from him? Don’t tell me. The Hunter Family didn’t leave any money for you, so he’s trying to make you inherit his sheep’s clothing?”
Not only was Courtney being scolded by Alicia, but the whole Hunter Family was being criticized as well. Although she did not use any four-letter words, Courtney felt chills on her neck, and her scalp prickled. Alas, she could only take the keys from her aunt.
When they left the Hunter Residence, Jordan was sleeping as he leaned into Courtney’s embrace. However, Tina was wide awake. Curiously, she asked, “Mommy, why does Great-Aunt Alicia hate Grandpa so much?”
“Didn’t she tell you the reason?”
“She did. She said she has a deep-seated grudge toward Grandpa, and she even scolded him in front of me. I didn’t understand what she was saying, but she was quite scary.” Tina blinked. “But, you said we can’t only listen to one person’s words, so I decided to hear it from you too.”
Smiling helplessly, Courtney flicked her forehead softly. “What a kid. What I said was not to listen to only one side of the story. This is an adult problem; kids shouldn’t ask too much. And kids shouldn’t carry too much of the burden too.”
“What is ‘burden’?”
“Burden is…” Courtney was tongue-tied. After a moment of hesitation, she continued solemnly, “Burden is the things in the small school bag you carry to school every day. You need to carry some of the snacks you like to eat and you also need to carry some books. These books are things you don’t like, but you have to carry them anyway. Let’s say that you’re too tired one day, and you have to give up part of the things in your bag; what would you give up?”
Despite her young age, Tina gave the question some serious thought. After thinking for a while, she looked back at Courtney and questioned, “Why do I have to give them up? I can ask Mr. Alexander, Mommy, and Jordan to help me carry some of them!”
Courtney was startled by her answer. In the end, she caressed Tina’s head with a wistful expression.
Tina was right. When one didn’t think that it was difficult to make a choice, or there was even no such choice to be made, it was because there was someone else carrying the burden for them. Courtney did not have much hatred for the way her father had abandoned her mother because no one had ever told her about that when she was young. It was her grandfather, William, and Alicia who were carrying that burden.
It was just after 11 AM when Courtney and the children arrived at the Duncans’ ancestral home.
When Courtney got out of the car, she was amused by the greetings.
There were a total of twenty servants standing in two rows. Ten men and ten women lined up on each side and bowed in unison.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hunter, Little Master, and Little Miss.”
Courtney tensed up at the sight of them. Holding onto her children, one on each of her sides, she was afraid to take another step.
In the meantime, Alexander came out of the house. The moment he noticed her expression, his face stiffened. Gruffly, he huffed, “What are you guys doing? Don’t you have work to do? What are you doing here?”
The two rows of servants exchanged glances with one another. Like a mouse confronting a cat, they scattered away.
After everyone left, Courtney let out a chuckle. As she walked into the house with Alexander, she asked, “Did your family start their business in the underworld? I thought your family was trying to show me who’s the boss from the earlier greetings.”
When she mentioned that, Alexander grimaced.
“Those putting up an act at the entrance were the servants picked by Grandpa. They are usually loud and clumsy, and they never do things seriously. They only know how to spread rumors and look for drama every day.”
Courtney looked back and her eyes met with a little girl, who was hiding behind the bushes in the garden as she peeked at her. She waved her hand at her. Rather than shying away, the girl waved back.
“Hannah, if you take another peek, I’ll have the butler send you back to the orphanage tonight.”
The girl behind the bushes shrank back and ran away, vanishing in a flash.
Courtney tugged Alexander’s elbow. “You scared her. She was just curious. Why were you so mean to her? She looks like she’s only twelve or thirteen.”
“Is she scared?” His brows knitted and impatience was evident between his brows.
“Hey, I thought no one is allowed to hire child laborers. That girl is not your servant, right?” Courtney suddenly remembered something, and she looked toward the direction where the girl had run away, but there was no one to be seen.
The butler, who was leading the way in front of them, turned around and explained with a smile, “Miss Hannah is a student from the orphanage sponsored by Mr. Alexander. She came here six years ago and took the Duncans’ last name. She’s very quirky, and Old Master Scott is very fond of her, so he decided to adopt her. Considering that, Mr. Alexander technically should address her as his aunt.”
