For 22 years, Rex had led the family. Forcing him to kneel in the ancestral hall for the same number of years could end his life prematurely. Should he refuse, he would be expelled from the family. How would he manage without his family around?
Though many wanted to defend Rex, fear of upsetting Landen kept them silent. In response to Rex’s protests, Landen scoffed and retorted, “You only resist now that you’re cornered. Why didn’t you show this fight when your wife and daughter were cornering Tiffany?”
Rex said, “Sansa is volatile and mean. She loses control during arguments, even scratching my neck until it bleeds. I was too scared to set her off!” Crying and sniffling, Rex looked very much like a pitiable coward, which made Balthasar feel sorry for his son
Balthasar admitted to himself that he might be partly to blame for Rex’s shortcomings. Brian had always been the capable one, shouldering the family burdens from a young age. This allowed his younger siblings to lead easier lives under his wing. Balthasar had focused too much on Brian, neglecting to guide his other sons. When Brian vanished, Balthasar had hesitantly chosen Rex as his successor, hoping he would step up. Unfortunately, Rex fell short of expectations. Reflecting on these things, Balthasar deeply sighed and said, “Landen, I get why you’re upset, but he’s still my son, your uncle. I can’t let him be driven to his death. Please, show some mercy.”
“I think Grandpa has a point,” Marissa suddenly said, stepping forward from the doorway. Upon Marissa’s appearance, every member of the Nash family tensed up. Today, she had made as strong an impression as Landen. No one could have predicted that the girl they once dismissed as a failure would rise to become an outer disciple of Riss’ team and procure the A Pill of MindEase Elixir
Their curiosity piqued, everyone wondered how she came into possession of such a rare pill. As they couldn’t fathom the true story, they attributed her success to something legendary and profound, which garnered Marissa newfound respect
“Tiffany, you’re back? Come and sit here.” Those who had previously snubbed her now greeted her with open arms. Even Gerry, whom she had embarrassed, and his son, whom she had slapped, approached her with friendliness. Balthasar smiled, patting the spot next to him. “Tiffany, take a seat right here beside me.”
Casting a glance at the seat, Marissa sensed the irony. That seat had once been Ayla’s. Indeed, how fortunes had shifted! She chose to ignore Balthasar and instead took a seat next to Landen. Leaning towards him, she murmured, “You’ve got a good heart, and my support for you wasn’t misplaced.”
Landen merely smiled, reveling in his newfound authority within the family. Balthasar, feeling slighted, forced a smile and said, “Tiffany, you just agreed with what I said, right? Maybe you could convince Landen to go easy on your Uncle Rex.”
Marissa nodded and replied, “Grandpa, I get where you’re coming from, but Landen is the future leader of this family. His decisions matter. So, maybe we could consider this…”
After Marissa proposed her idea, everyone was left speechless. Was this girl a monster?
Marissa suggested, “It would be far too harsh to expel Uncle Rex from the Nash family or have him kneel in the ancestral hall for more than twenty years. Instead, I propose he kneels for just two hours each day. He’ll still be free the rest of the time and receive his monthly allowance.” Rex was overwhelmed with gratitude at her words, his eyes brimming with tears, and he opened his mouth to express his thanks. But Marissa quickly continued, “However, Uncle Rex has committed many serious errors in the past. Merely kneeling for two hours a day is quite lenient. He should kneel on dog poop.”
Everyone stared at her in disbelief. Rex looked at Marissa, completely bewildered and unable to react for a long while. Balthasar cautiously asked, “Tiffany, what do you mean by kneeling on dog poop?”
“I mean exactly that,” Marissa replied. “Have a servant collect fresh dog poop daily. It must still be warm. Before it cools, Uncle Rex should kneel on it for precisely two hours each day.”
The suggestion shocked everyone present. Rex, once the patriarch, might not have contributed much in his role, but he deserved respect in retirement. The idea of kneeling on dog poop daily was seen as excessively degrading, a punishment only the cruelest would consider. “Eww!” Rex vomited immediately after hearing the proposal
“Hahaha…” Landen couldn’t contain his laughter. “Uncle Rex, you’re reacting too soon. You haven’t even started yet.”
Sergio and Hannah glanced at each other, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Nonetheless, given Tiffany’s past suffering within the family, they understood her need for some form of reparation and found it hard to fault her. Balthasar felt uncomfortable, as if sitting on pins and needles, trying to reason with Marissa. “Tiffany, isn’t this approach a bit too harsh?”
“Is it?” Marissa paused to think. “Fine, change the dog poop to iron nails. Make sure the tips are sharp. When he kneels on them, his knees will bleed, and he’ll experience severe pain.”
Everyone was speechless. Rex, having stopped vomiting, imagined kneeling on sharp nails and shuddered. Balthasar adjusted his crutch, seeming about to speak but then hesitating, clearly torn. Landen pressed his hand against his forehead, struggling to suppress his laughter
The others showed various reactions, creating an awkward atmosphere. With a slight smile, Marissa gazed at Rex and added, “Uncle Rex, it’s your choice: disgust or pain. Remember, it’s a punishment. It’s not meant to be comfortable. I doubt you’re so shameless, right?”
“Haha,” Landen couldn’t keep his laughter in any longer. Chuckling, he advised, “Uncle Rex, you might want to go with the dog poop. It’s gross, but it won’t kill you. If you choose the nails, I doubt you’ll make it to Christmas.”
Once deemed the most worthless by the whole family, Tiffany and Landen now had risen to the top, demonstrating their wicked and childish sides. Every word they uttered tested everyone’s patience, yet no one dared challenge them. Even Balthasar, the most revered member of the family, could only sigh deeply after a long silence. Realizing no one would come to his defense, Rex resigned himself to his fate and muttered, “I’ll take the dog poop…”
“Hahaha…” Landen roared with laughter. “Good choice, Uncle Rex.” Embarrassed beyond measure, Rex suddenly stood up and bolted outside. Shortly after, they heard this middle-aged man sobbing loudly in the yard. Marissa and Landen glanced at each other, untroubled by guilt. Given their own harsh experiences, this level of humiliation seemed trivial
No one could persuade them to show compassion. Those who hadn’t endured their hardships had no right to judge them
At that moment, Sergio feigned anger and scolded, “You two are too mischievous!” Hannah said, “It’s my fault. I haven’t guided them well. I’ll keep a closer eye on them from now on.” After a pause, Balthasar asked, “Tiffany, can you now honestly tell me how you got the MindEase Elixir?”
As soon as Balthasar finished speaking, all eyes turned to Marissa, filled with curiosity and concern. Landen was also intrigued. At Balthasar’s birthday party, he had thought Marissa was just boasting, but now it seemed she actually had the MindEase Elixir. Knowing it would be hard to believe any ordinary explanation, Marissa lied, “Connor gave it to me.”
“Mr. Connor Daniels?” Everyone found it hard to believe
“Tiffany, Mr. Connor Daniels does have access to such resources, but wouldn’t he rather give it to his grandma? And since Mr. Connor Daniels isn’t fond of you, why would he offer you something so precious?”
Marissa explained, “Here’s what happened. Connor had two A Pills. His grandma was inclined to share one with me, but Connor, who doesn’t like me, picked the less desirable one for me.” It was a reasonable scenario. Arabella’s affection for Tiffany might lead her to offer a MindEase Elixir. To avoid conflict with Arabella, Connor would likely hand over the less desirable pill to Tiffany. However..
“Tiffany, we heard that Dr. Riss only made one batch of the MindEase Elixir pills. How come Connor had two A Pills?”
Marissa responded, “Actually, that’s not true. Riss did make a second batch of MindEase Elixir pills later on, though it wasn’t made public. The second batch is far better-looking, even though the effects are identical.”
This new information clarified things for the Nash family members. Filled with remorse, Balthasar repeatedly sighed and said, “Why did I throw it away that day?” The other family members also sighed, mourning as though they had lost something invaluable. Marissa just smiled and kept quiet
Then, the butler said softly, “Mr. Nash, I didn’t throw that pill away.”
The room fell into stunned silence. Balthasar’s hands shook with excitement. “You didn’t? Where is it?”
“I’ll get it for you right now.”
“No need. I’ll get it myself!” Before the butler could react, Balthasar was already on his feet, charged with excitement, with the rest of the family trailing behind him. Feeling slightly embarrassed, the butler led the way to the storage area. The family followed closely behind. Marissa and Landen exchanged looks before joining the group
Arriving at the storage area, the butler pointed to a blue trash bin and explained, “Tiffany instructed that this bin shouldn’t be discarded that day. Worried something important might be inside, I decided to keep it here.”
The butler was about to search the trash can for the pill. However, Balthasar gently pushed him aside and began digging through the bin himself. The scene was so amusing that everyone remembered what Marissa had said at the birthday party: “Grandpa, don’t throw away that trash can. You might find yourself searching through it someday.” Yet, nobody laughed at Balthasar’s eagerness, understanding they would likely do the same in his shoes. What a prophecy!
Concerned Balthasar might injure himself, Sergio and Hannah quickly joined to assist him. Thankfully, the trash can only contained waste paper. After they emptied it, they soon found a simple small wooden box. Balthasar held the small wooden box in his hand, opened the lid, and smiled happily at the treasure he had lost and regained
“Mr. Nash, congratulations on recovering this treasure. With the MindEase Elixir, here’s to many more years!” the butler said. Sure enough, Balthasar’s smile grew even wider. He waved his hand and said, “I’m doubling your salary!”
“Thank you, Mr. Nash!” The butler couldn’t hide his delight. With the wooden box securely in hand, Balthasar said to Marissa with a smile, “Tiffany, join me in the study. I have something to tell you about your sister.” This was precisely why Marissa had returned. She followed Balthasar upstairs
Once inside the study, Balthasar didn’t rush to speak with Marissa. Instead, he sat on the sofa, absorbed in the MindEase Elixir. Previously addicted to Longevity Soup, he now seemed entranced by this new pill
Initially, Marissa waited patiently, but eventually, her patience wore thin, and she asked humorously, “Grandpa, how long will you keep examining it?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply