Owing Christopher Too Much

When Christopher first heard that I had accepted Sean, he came to me immediately and told me he was heartbroken. But after that, he resolutely declared that he would follow me to the end, boldly announcing his involvement in my entrepreneurial venture. At that time, he was about to graduate. Instead of attending campus recruitment events, he accompanied me in our efforts, visiting every hospital in NorthSea City and earning my first significant amount of money.

That's how Denfeng came to be. Honestly, Christopher laid the foundation for Denfeng. Without Christopher, there wouldn't be the Denfeng we have today.

To me, Christopher is like the dearest and most cherished family member, like an older brother. He might be the one who has sacrificed the most for me. He's been with me all along, witnessing every step of Denfeng's growth, yet he ended up in such a miserable state. I owe him too much.

I really wanted to slap myself. How could I have been so blind and foolish to get involved with someone like Sean, who almost cost the lives of my most cherished family members?

If I don't vent this anger, I, Chloe, am not worthy of being human.

I pulled myself together, took a sip of coffee, and returned to reality.

The urgent task now is to dismantle the Deng family to reclaim Denfeng. This isn't just for myself.

After finishing my coffee, I checked the time and was about to leave when I accidentally spotted John outside the window. I immediately paused and sat back down.

I thought to myself, what is he doing at school at this hour? I couldn't help but think of Ryan. An inexplicable suspicion formed in my mind.

I steadied my curiosity and watched through the window. I saw him stride purposefully to the entrance, call a teacher over, say something, and soon after, Ryan came out.

I raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, he was there to pick up Ryan.

John lifted Ryan and placed him on his shoulders. As he turned, I saw a contented smile on his face, radiating affection.

I quickly opened my phone's camera and snapped a photo. With this picture, I was sure to make good use of it.

To be honest, I was stunned by the scene and doubts arose in my mind. Ryan was indeed a treasure. Whose child was he? The Deng family, without exception, favored boys. But John's expression just now was clearly that of a father looking at his son.

John is married. His wife is named Katherine, a very timid woman. I've only seen her a few times, let alone seen her with John. Even during holidays, John rarely took her to his parents' house. When she occasionally visited the Deng family, she was always helping in the kitchen without any complaints.

John and Katherine have a daughter who is two years younger than my Caroline. Because she's a girl, she rarely shows up at the Deng family gatherings. I've probably not seen her in four or five years since I fell ill.

But this was the first time I'd seen John show such fatherly affection.

Ryan sat on John's shoulders, laughing happily, his little hands tightly clutching John's head. It was clear they were very close.

I wanted to take a few more photos, but I was too slow. John had already walked out of sight with Ryan on his shoulders.

I grabbed my bag, hurried downstairs, and walked out of the coffee shop, but they were long gone.

Oh well, one photo was enough to prove a point.

When I picked up Gage, he ran to me excitedly, telling me that he got perfect scores in all four subjects in his finals.

I quickly praised him and asked what he wanted to eat. He cautiously asked, "Mommy, can I have steak?"

"Of course!" I felt a pang of sadness. I was certain he had never had steak in the Deng family.

I took him to the best restaurant, and after dinner, we bought many of his favorite things. When we got home, even Delilah asked, "Madam, why did you buy so much?"

"Delilah, my Gage got perfect scores in all four subjects this term. He deserves these rewards!" I said proudly, winking at Delilah.

Delilah immediately understood, turned to Gage, and showered him with praise, saying, "Gage, you're amazing! You're the smartest child I've ever seen!"

Gage's pretty face lit up with pride, smiling with newfound confidence.

Delilah, though not talkative, was perceptive. She had quickly understood the situation at home and was very sympathetic towards me, taking extra care of everything.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a message. I wiped my hands with a tissue and checked it. It was from Arya, telling me something I didn't know yet.

Sean had taken Owen and Luke to attend a state conference, and Elena had gone with them.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit annoyed. Well, well, they were really being blatant about it.

They shouldn't blame me for being unkind.

I thought for a moment and replied with a few words, "Pass this information to your sister."

Arya quickly sent back a mischievous emoji and then went silent.

I intended to test Arya, see her reaction, and then entrust her with more responsibilities.

After putting the kids to bed that night, I was exhausted. As soon as I picked up my phone, I saw a video from Arya.

The camera angle wasn't great; it was obviously a covert shot.

In the video, Arya lay on the living room sofa, her legs crossed, taunting Anna, "Dear sister, it's time to cook, isn't it? I'm starving. How about making pork ribs with green beans today? Don't make it too greasy, and just add some cucumber salad with chili oil!"