Chapter 237

People like this are the most terrifying.

Anthony Johnson snorted coldly. "Even if Richard knows, he'd keep it from us. Every time we bring up Emily returning to the city, he stays silent. Since when did he become like this?"

"Now that he's married, he has his own family to think about."

Anthony thought of his brother-in-law, whom he'd never met. "Catherine, what kind of man do you think Michael is? Mom said Emily doesn’t work in the fields, yet they built a brick house and wear new clothes?"

Catherine had seen her sister-in-law before she was sent to the countryside.

Though spoiled, Emily had been simple-minded—just like her foolish husband. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been manipulated into such a dire situation.

"He probably isn’t ugly. Emily would never marry an unattractive man, no matter how desperate. Being able to build a brick house in the countryside and raise three children—he must have been involved in that business for a while."

Black-market dealings.

"Now that policies have loosened, he can operate more freely. If he’s the type I’m thinking of, Emily’s family might be wealthier than ours."

Private businesses did make money.

But one needed connections—and guts.

"No way!"

Catherine chuckled. "You never know. Why don’t you write and ask?"

She remembered her mother-in-law mentioning that Emily had bought sleeper tickets for their return trip.

In the past, only officials could afford those.

"I’ll write as soon as we get back."

"Mom wants to give her job to Emily. What do you think?"

"I don’t mind. But Victoria will definitely object."

If they’d given the job to Emily back then, she wouldn’t have been sent to the countryside.

"Of course she’d object. After all that scheming, she won’t let it go to waste. Let’s hurry home—it’s freezing."

"Alright, let’s go."

——

At the Johnson residence.

Victoria’s room.

"How did Emily end up married in the countryside?"

Richard wasn’t sure either.

But he vaguely understood—if Emily hadn’t been sent away, she wouldn’t have married a rural man.

"Is Mom planning to give her job to Emily?"

"I don’t know. Let’s sleep."

——

Stone Village.

John Stone Sr. and his men had been crouching outside Amy Bright’s house for so long they were nearly frozen stiff when movement finally stirred.

"They’re coming..."

John signaled Michael to go first with a club.

The others followed.

"Take him away!"

Michael obeyed his uncle, dragging the man off without hesitation.

"What are you doing?"

Doing?

They hauled him to the wilderness.

"Stealing from our village? Straight to the police."

The man panicked when he recognized John. "No, I didn’t—I wasn’t!"

Everyone in nearby villages knew Stone Village handed thieves over to the authorities.

"I swear! I was just looking for someone!"

Looking for someone?

At Amy Bright’s house?

"Dad, should we make him tell the truth?" Emily narrowed her eyes. If not for this man, would she be freezing out here in the middle of the night?

"Emily, forget it. If we cripple him, we’ll have to pay compensation."

Cripple him?

Who was this man?

And who was this woman?

Why was she so ruthless?