Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 26: Unwilling to Please Him, All Her Efforts Are Spent on Others

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Unwilling to Please Him, All Her Efforts Are Spent on Others

A fierce argument erupted between Adrian Lancaster and his father over Julian Lancaster joining the company, and the atmosphere grew incredibly tense.

CRACK! The sound of a teacup shattering on the floor echoed from the study. Brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone were scattered across the ground.

Hearing the commotion, Claire Sterling rushed over.

The scene before her terrified her, and her heart leaped into her throat.

"What are you two doing?"

Adrian Lancaster said nothing, his face cold as he started to walk out.

Ms. Sterling stopped him. "Son, what on earth happened? Your dad is furious."

Theodore Lancaster pointed at the door and roared, "Let him go."

Adrian Lancaster looked disdainful and left without a backward glance.

Ms. Sterling walked over to her husband, rubbing his chest to help calm him down.

"Alright, now. You’re too old to be stooping to a kid’s level. He won’t talk, so you tell me. What exactly happened?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Theodore Lancaster’s biggest regret was handing over full control of the company to Adrian Lancaster so soon.

He admitted that Adrian’s business acumen was superior to his own. He was capable and shrewd, building an indestructible, unparalleled business empire in just a few short years.

As his father, he felt immense honor and pride.

But Theodore Lancaster had overlooked human nature and Adrian’s ambition. That boy clearly wanted to usurp his authority now, to force him into retirement.

’I’m not dead yet!’

"I told him to arrange a position for Julian in the company, but he refused. Tell me, isn’t that infuriating?"

Ms. Sterling wasn’t the least bit angry. "All this over such a small thing?"

"A small thing?!" Theodore Lancaster stared at his wife in disbelief.

Ms. Sterling explained patiently, "Adrian has his reasons for disagreeing. I support you wanting to cultivate Julian’s skills. Let’s register a new company for Julian and let him manage it himself. Wouldn’t that be more fulfilling than working under his brother?"

Theodore Lancaster frowned deeply, disagreeing.

"They’re both sons of the Lancaster family; they should be pulling in the same direction. That’s how the company will thrive. What’s this talk about him starting his own business? The Lancaster family never splits up."

Ms. Sterling fell silent for a moment, not refuting him directly.

"You have a point, but I think you need to ask Julian what he thinks. He might be happy to run a new company. In that case, we should respect our son’s choice. I’ll provide the money to register it."

"It’s not about the money. It’s..."

"Whatever the issue is, let’s not bring it up again today. There are too many people around. If word gets to Grandma, this small matter will turn into a big one."

Theodore Lancaster couldn’t bear to worry his mother, so he finally dropped the subject, though he was still seething.

「 」

Wren Sutton slept until five in the afternoon. She stretched languidly and got out of bed.

Her mouth felt dry and unpleasant. She brushed her teeth and drank a glass of warm water, which made her feel much more refreshed.

Once she had freshened up, she left the bedroom and went downstairs.

Just as she reached the landing, she heard the clatter of mahjong tiles.

Grandma, Claire Sterling, Adrian Lancaster, and Lucia Lancaster were all gathered around the mahjong table, chatting as they played.

Each person had a small end table beside them, holding tea, pastries, nuts, and sliced fruit.

Wren Sutton froze. That familiar feeling of unease washed over her again. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt so awkward, but she stood there quietly for a moment to compose herself before heading down.

Adrian Lancaster heard her footsteps, turned to see Wren Sutton, and motioned for her to come over.

"Sister-in-law, you’re just in time. Grandma doesn’t want to play anymore. You can take her place."

A maid helped Grandma to her feet.

"Wren, come play. Your winnings are your own, but your losses are on me."

Wren Sutton smiled, not wanting to spoil the mood. "Okay."

Lucia pouted. "Grandma, you’re playing favorites."

Grandma chuckled, her tone indulgent. "Oh, is Lucia jealous? Fine, fine. The same goes for you and your sister-in-law. Winnings are your own, and any losses are on me."

Lucia danced with glee. "Thank you, Grandma! You’re the best!"

"You all play. I’m going to go watch some television."

Wren Sutton sat down, taking Grandma’s place.

She was sitting directly across from Adrian Lancaster, and when she looked up, she met his dark, intense gaze.

’He doesn’t look too happy. I wonder if he’s lost a lot of money, or...’

The image of that bowl of noodle soup flashed through Wren’s mind.

’He probably had too much salt.’

She suppressed a smile and avoided the searing gaze from across the table.

A maid brought out a freshly brewed pot of jasmine tea, and the fruit, pastries, and nuts were all replaced with fresh ones and set on the end table beside Wren.

The automatic mahjong table quickly shuffled the tiles, stacking them into neat walls.

The four players expertly drew, examined, and played their tiles.

No one spoke; there was only a quiet, unspoken battle of wits and the crisp clack of tiles on the tabletop.

Before a few minutes had passed, Wren Sutton pushed her tiles forward.

"Mahjong. Self-drawn. A full flush pure straight."

Adrian Lancaster’s expression didn’t change as he took the required amount of chip cards from his drawer and placed them in the center of the table.

"Nice hand."

Claire Sterling rolled her eyes. It wasn’t that she was a sore loser; she just couldn’t stand seeing Wren win.

Lucia gave a surprised thumbs-up. "Wren, you’re incredible! A real dark horse."

Wren Sutton smiled humbly as she collected the chips from the other three players.

"Just lucky."

Lucia said with envy, "I want some of that good luck, too."

"You’ll get it."

The next round began.

It was as if Wren and Lucia were telepathically linked. Whatever tile Lucia needed, Wren would discard for her. Even when Wren could have won herself, she’d break up her own hand to feed Lucia a tile.

She did it for no other reason than that Lucia had defended her more than once that day. Looking at Lucia was like looking at a little sun, and it filled her with a pleasant warmth.

Unsurprisingly, Lucia won the round.

Adrian saw right through it but said nothing, letting out a knowing laugh.

’She’s certainly clever. All that craftiness is spent on currying favor with others, just not with him.’

Lucia looked at Adrian.

"What are you laughing at, big brother? I won! See? All pongs."

Adrian didn’t even look, simply opening his drawer. "Yep, a very nice pong. Here are your chips."

Lucia, being simple-hearted, didn’t think much of it.

For the next few rounds, Wren continued to let Lucia win, allowing her to have a winning streak.

Lucia’s chip cards were starting to fill her entire drawer.

"Wren, you’re my lucky star! I kept losing before you sat down, but as soon as you joined, I started winning!"

"I’m just glad you’re having fun."

The two exchanged a smile and tapped their teacups together.

Claire Sterling looked happier than if she had won herself, and she used the opportunity to take a jab at Wren. "At the mahjong table, skill is more important than luck. You can only rely on luck to win once."

Wren put down her teacup, gave a faint smile, and began to draw her tiles.

’Who said I only win by luck?’

’Since she looks down on me, she can’t blame me for not holding back.’

Wren had played mahjong with Claire Sterling before. In an effort to please her mother-in-law, she had always intentionally fed her tiles and thrown the game.

In the end, she’d lost her money and hadn’t even gotten a single kind look from Ms. Sterling for her trouble. ’How stupid I was,’ she thought now.

From this day forward, Wren Sutton would not be that fool again.

’If I can’t win her approval, I might as well win something tangible.’

In the rounds that followed, she stopped holding back. She dominated the table, winning nine rounds in a row.

"..."

Forget Lucia and Claire Sterling; even Adrian was stunned by her skill at the game.

’Winning once might be luck. But how could winning nine times in a row still be luck?’

’I never expected Wren to be so good at mahjong. How many other surprises is she hiding from me?’

Adrian’s eyes softened, a smile playing on his lips. He was losing money, but he felt happy about it.

"Mrs. Lancaster, you really are full of surprises."

Wren raised a triumphant eyebrow, her mood soaring. "A loss is a loss."

"I am utterly convinced."

Watching their flirtatious banter, Claire Sterling felt even worse than she did about losing. She angrily pulled out her chip cards.

Just then, a maid walked over.

"Ma’am, dinner is ready."

"I know."

Before leaving the table, the debts had to be settled. No one could back out of paying.

Claire Sterling had lost the most—nearly two million.

Wren had won over one and a half million.

At the dinner table, Wren had a hearty appetite and ate with great relish.

Adrian placed some food on her plate, and she didn’t refuse. ’It’s just an act, playing the loving couple. So, let’s act.’

Claire Sterling couldn’t stand to watch them.

’I absolutely cannot let Wren be this smug!’

A woman knows best how to wound another woman.

"Wren, you’ve been married into the Lancaster family for four years now. How is it that your belly is still so quiet?"

"As it happens, I know a renowned gynecologist. I can take you for a check-up another day. No need to be embarrassed. If there’s a problem, it’s best to deal with it early, don’t you think?"