Chapter 1028
Lara wore a light blue dress and high heels, her wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, making her appear even more delicate and endearing.
Her beautiful face had only a light touch of makeup, but her eyes were filled with a shimmering gaze as she looked at Franklin.
There was a hint of shy hesitation in her eyes.
Suppressing the amazement and attraction she felt towards Franklin's handsome appearance, she spoke in a melodious voice, "Mr. Maskelyne, I didn't really want to go on this blind date or meet you. But my family has been pressuring me. After all... I'm already twenty-five. They are eager to marry me off to a wealthy husband."
As she spoke, she observed Franklin's expression. "I'm just being forced. You don't need to be hostile towards me. I heard you already have a wife?"
Franklin's expression remained indifferent, and his tone did not soften despite her explanation. He spoke coldly.
"Miss Fox, I don't care about your reasons or methods; they have nothing to do with me. I won't cooperate with you in any pretense of friendship. I'm married, and I maintain a certain distance from other women. That's the basic standard of behavior for a husband."
Lara was stunned, feeling as if someone had struck her heart with a heavy blow.
She had intended to use a gentle approach to slowly get close to Franklin, staying by his side under the guise of friendship.
Given enough time, she believed she would eventually have a chance with this man.
But Franklin was completely unresponsive to her tactics.
Her chest tightened with anger, but she held it in.
At a previous banquet, she had fallen deeply for Franklin at first sight.
She had even lowered herself to approach him, but he had coldly distanced himself from her.
The more he acted this way, the more interested she became in him.
No man had ever been indifferent to her; after all, she was the daughter of an oil tycoon!
Her family background, looks, temperament, and personal qualities were unmatched.
She was a favored child of heaven!
Who was this Sylvia anyway? How could she deserve such an excellent man?
Not to mention that this man was the president's son.
A future presidential heir.
A man of such caliber was practically made for her, Lara.
Although her face showed some displeasure, she maintained her composure and raised the flower basket in her hand towards Franklin. "Regardless, I brought a gift. Won't you invite me in?" Franklin glanced at the flower basket. The flowers were blooming brightly and emitted a faint fragrance.
However, he had no interest whatsoever.
"There should be appropriate boundaries between men and women. These flowers are nice; you should take them back and enjoy them yourself."
With that, Franklin stepped back and closed the door.
Lara was shocked!
She stared blankly at the closed door in front of her.
She had actually been turned away?
She, Lara, a woman adored by many, had received such treatment?
Her beautiful face twisted with anger, losing all the grace and elegance she had shown in front of Franklin. Her eyes glinted with malice as she stared at the door. One day, she would have him! The woman who would spend her life with him and bear his children could only be her!
Thinking of this, Lara suddenly smiled. She had heard that Sylvia had been with him for a long time.
Yet they hadn't had any children. Could it be...
The thought brought a smug smile to Lara's face. It seemed necessary to investigate further.
Feeling pleased, she turned and left, not staying to humiliate herself further.
Hearing the sound of high heels fading away, Franklin's expression also darkened.
The president was truly up to no good.
Always causing trouble.
As he was about to put his phone on silent mode, it rang.
The president's voice came through angrily, "What's wrong with you? Do you have any gentlemanly manners? Can't you properly entertain a young lady? Aren't you afraid of offending the Fox family with such neglect?"
"You are the president, the leader of a nation. Are you afraid of the Fox family?" Franklin's cool voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
The president was momentarily taken aback and awkwardly retorted, "What do you know? The Fox family controls nearly half of the world's oil supply. That's energy! Energy!"
Forget it; continuing this conversation with this stubborn boy would only infuriate him further.
He took a deep breath. "Tomorrow night, I'll host a banquet for you to acknowledge your heritage. The nobles of Aettosa will attend. Don't give me that sour face then, understood?" He had heard that Sylvia and Clare were not in Aettosa but had returned to H Rovirsa.
So he quickly arranged this banquet. Otherwise, if Clare brought Sylvia back later, wouldn't he be creating opportunities for Franklin and Sylvia to meet?
Thinking of this made him feel pleased. Even if the blind date failed, it didn't matter.
Tomorrow night, Lara would also attend the banquet along with the Fox family members.
With both families present as witnesses, wouldn't things progress smoothly?
Franklin coldly responded, "I'm not going!"
"Heh-Franklin, you are my heir. Understand your position. I chose you out of all my sons; it's your honor. If you continue to disobey me like this, I can still replace you with another son."
The president's voice was sinister. He had many children, none of whom were raised by his side. Outsiders thought he was a solitary figure when in fact all his children were sent away by him.
"Suit yourself." With that, Franklin hung up the phone.
He had no interest in the presidency or staying by the president's side.
At the Kaur family mansion.
As soon as Oakley entered the house, he ordered two bodyguards holding Mrs. Kaur to tie her up.
Mrs. Kaur screamed in fear, "Husband, what are you doing! Ah! No!"
"Husband, I was wrong. I won't gamble anymore."
"I really won't gamble anymore."
Two thick ropes bound her tightly and hoisted her up to the ceiling beam.
Suspended in mid-air, she turned pale with fear. Her already bruised face now showed an expression of terror. Her shrill screams startled Nola, who rushed out of her room and saw her mother hanging from the ceiling beam.
She hurriedly ran over and hugged Mrs. Kaur. "Mom, Mom, what's going on? Mom? What happened to your face?"
Mrs. Kaur cried bitterly, "Nola, your dad has gone mad! Beg him to let me down."
Nola quickly turned to Oakley, whose face was extremely grim. "Dad, no matter what mistake Mom made, as long as she changes, it's fine. Why do you have to treat her like this?" "After all these years together! Dad."
Oakley pushed Nola aside and took the whip handed to him by a servant. He began lashing Mrs. Kaur fiercely "I told you not to gamble! You lost over ten million dollars and now another few million! You wasteful woman!"
"Gambling?" Nola's face changed dramatically. "Dad, did Mom lose money gambling?"
She felt dizzy and lightheaded.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
Gambling never ended well; many wealthy people had lost everything because of it.
"Mom, why did you do something so foolish?" Nola couldn't help but cry out in pain. "Mom, why are you so stupid? Why did you gamble?"
"Ah! Ah! I was just playing!" Mrs. Kaur screamed as the whip tore into her flesh.
Oakley was determined this time and showed no mercy, beating her until she nearly passed out from pain.
But being suspended from the beam meant she couldn't even roll on the ground; she had to endure it all.
Oakley eventually grew tired after dozens of lashes and handed the whip to a bodyguard. "You continue!"
Nola had no choice but to message Dariel on Facebook: "Big brother, please come quickly! Dad is about to beat Mom to death!"
Dariel called her immediately. "Nola, what's going on?"
"It's too complicated to explain right now! Big brother, please come quickly and save Mom." Nola cried out. "I can't persuade Dad." Dariel disliked Mrs. Kaur but knew that if she died, it would be a scandal for the Kaur family.
No one would be able to escape responsibility then.
With that in mind, he hurriedly took Carley and ran towards Mrs. Kaur's quarters.
A few minutes later, as they entered the courtyard, they heard Mrs. Kaur's piercing screams.
"If you have guts, kill me!"
"Is this how you treat your wife?"
"So what if I lost some money gambling? It's not like I lost billions!"
"You stingy old man! What did I gain by marrying you?"
Mrs. Kaur had gone from begging for mercy to cursing loudly.
She was in excruciating pain now, covered in wounds.
Dariel quickly grasped the situation. "So she went out gambling?"
"Serves her right," Carley said unsympathetically. "Gambling is never a good idea."
"Let's go in."
Dariel led Carley into the living room and witnessed a horrifying scene.
Mrs. Kaur was hanging from the ceiling beam, blood dripping from her body onto the floor below in small puddles.
It looked... truly terrifying.
It was clear Oakley was genuinely furious this time.
"Dad, calm down," Dariel said as he approached. "You've beaten and scolded her enough. If she dies, we won't have a father anymore. What will we do then?"
"Beating her is one thing; we don't want to lose our father," Carley added as she walked over.
Seeing his usually neglected children softened Oakley's heart.
How could he have once thought Mrs. Kaur was beautiful and kind?
He must have been blind!
His eyes reddened as he looked at Dariel and Carley before slowly closing them.