Who Cares About Him When I'm Married to the Richest Man?-Chapter 87: The Welfare Home

The Palfrey Clubhouse.

In a private room on the top floor, dynamic music with a beat, thumping like the surging of a main artery, struck at people’s hearts. In the lounge area of the karaoke room, the luxurious European-style coffee table was filled with beer and fruit platters.

Rosalind Jacobs and Haylie Sommers each sat surrounded by a few male models. The models wore patterned vests and black trousers, exposing their muscular arms and the curls of black hair on their chests.

The entire room was filled with an intense atmosphere of luxury and ambiguity.

Rosalind leaned against one of the male models, feeling the iron-hard chest beneath her, lazily picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked at Haylie.

"Are we really going to let the Elara Hale thing go just like that?"

They had initially backed Jade Fisher to trouble Elara Hale at her company, but unexpectedly, Ivy Jenkins fell, Jade was kicked out of Northgarde by The Sommers Family, and they were also strictly prohibited by their families from interfering with Zenith Medical Company.

Unable to deal with Elara Hale, Rosalind felt unsettled, yet she couldn’t find an opportunity to do anything further.

Elara had that lawyer Brandon White protecting her and that pretty boy by her side. They had tried several times to move against him, but were always thwarted, so her brother forbade her from interfering again.

She had thought Jade could help her vent her frustration, but in the end, it turned out like this.

Thinking of this, Rosalind cursed angrily, "That bitch, how does she have such good luck!"

Haylie snorted, "How did your brother ever take a liking to her?"

Rosalind looked disgusted, "Don’t mention it, I don’t even know why she was a must back then, and my mom didn’t even stop it."

A cold glint flashed in Haylie’s eyes, "She’s now like a thorn in my flesh. If I don’t deal with it, I feel stifled."

Rosalind was about to speak when her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller with little interest and picked up, "Cece, what’s up?"

"Rosalind," Joanne Carter’s voice came through, gentle and soft, "I just got home and saw an adoption notice from the orphanage on the table. There’s no one at home right now, so I wanted to ask if it was delivered to the wrong place?"

Rosalind replied impatiently, "What adoption notice? Maybe some advertisers snuck it in? Cece, you don’t work and stay home all day, you should keep a good watch, don’t let anyone come running into our fancy neighborhood."

On the other end, Joanne bit her lip. Ever since The Warner Family incident, the Jacobs Family’s attitude toward her had been worsening by the day. Rosalind had initially stood by her, but now, for some reason, was also indifferent.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil inside, and continued softly, "I also thought it was an advertisement. It’s just that I saw Brother Mason’s name on it, so I thought to ask you. Since it’s an ad, I’ll just throw it away."

Pausing, she added, "Anyway, I’ll let you get on with things. I’ll hang up now."

But Rosalind suddenly stopped her, "Hey, wait, did you say the adoption notice had my brother’s name on it?"

Joanne nodded, "Yes, we already have a child together. He shouldn’t be adopting another one, right? And if he was, he would have told me. Since he hasn’t mentioned it, it must be fake."

Rosalind remained silent for a moment, "Bring that notice over so I can take a look."

She suddenly remembered that before her brother divorced Elara, they had indeed planned to adopt since Elara couldn’t conceive, and even in-vitro didn’t work, so they prepared to adopt.

The adoption process was cumbersome; she didn’t really know what happened afterward.

But from Joanne’s description, it indeed seemed like that matter.

Seeing her hang up with an unpleasant look, Haylie sneered, "What kind of stunt is your little sister-in-law pulling?"

She had been chasing Zayne Warner all along, so when rumors emerged about Zayne and Joanne Carter, she wanted to mess with Joanne. How dare someone try to entice her man!

Yet, because of Rosalind, who assured her repeatedly that Joanne and Zayne were nothing, she refrained from taking action.

Even so, she didn’t have a good impression of Joanne, and she made no attempts to hide it in front of Rosalind, berating her as she saw fit. Consequently, over time, Rosalind’s demeanor toward Joanne soured.

Hearing Haylie’s words, Rosalind explained, "That bitch Elara, she registered adoption procedures with my brother before, and now that they’re divorced, she still wants to use this to get close to him. She’s relentless."

"An adoption notice sent to your place? That’s definitely too much. Your brother’s getting married soon, and she’s pulling this..." Haylie’s eyes suddenly lit up, "Does she really want to adopt that child?"

Rosalind hesitated, "You mean..."

The two exchanged knowing smiles after meeting each other’s gaze.

Unaware of all this, Elara carried on with her routine of work and home, and soon it was the weekend.

Zion Fitzwilliam knew she was going to the orphanage and had prepared some food and supplies ahead of time, helping her load them into Dalton’s car, reminding her, "Remember to have a good lunch and come back early in the evening. Call me if anything happens."

Elara smiled, "Zion, your boyfriend power is at maximum. Girls love that. Be careful not to get noticed by some lady wanting to take you home as her husband."

Zion’s dark eyes were deep and he smiled slightly, joking, "Having you is enough for me."

Elara shivered, "Oh my, that’s so corny."

Beside them, Zara Dalton also shivered silently. You think that’s cheesy too?

Poor him, caught in the middle of this as a single guy, his heart suffered greatly. He made a mental note to ask Grandma Fitzwilliam whether this could count as emotional trauma.

Elara waved goodbye to Zion and got into the car.

Dalton had specially brought a seven-seater SUV today, the back seats and trunk filled to the brim with supplies. Although they regularly deposited money into the orphanage account, bringing supplies each visit always brought extra joy to the children.

Spending extended time in the city made one miss the pure smiles on the children’s faces.

After a drive of more than four hours, they reached the village at the border of Northgarde and Fluvina just in time for noon.

Fluvina was mountainous, and this village was nestled in the mouth of a mountain pass, requiring the crossing of three peaks to reach the nearest town.

The orphanage was converted from an abandoned school, with its rusty gates and peeling walls barely showing the faded letters of the word "orphanage."

Dalton drove the car inside. The ground hadn’t been paved, and recent rain left puddles everywhere. The children at the orphanage were joyfully jumping around the puddles.

They wore tattered clothes, and their faces were dirty, but their smiles were pure.

Elara and Dalton got out of the car, and a child spotted them, excitedly shouting, "Brother Dalton and Sister Elara are here! I’m going to call Mom!"

Mom was how they addressed the director of the orphanage.

The other kids gathered around, excitedly and expectantly looking at the rear of the car.

The director of the orphanage quickly came over, wearing a noticeably washed-out short-sleeved denim outfit, her shoes filthy from stepping in the mud. She was in her fifties, with a head full of white hair, wiping her hands on her clothes as she walked, smiling and saying, "Dalton, Hale, you’re here, come in and have a seat."

Zara smiled and stepped forward, "Mrs. Langley, we’ve brought some books and daily necessities, and some food as well. Let’s have the two older kids help move them down and distribute them."

Mrs. Langley didn’t stand on ceremony, promptly calling over two children to arrange everything.

She glanced at Elara, smiling, "I figured you’d come along, let’s go to the classroom and talk."

Elara nodded and asked, "Mrs. Langley, why haven’t I seen Jasmine?"

Mrs. Langley said, "Jasmine wasn’t feeling well a couple of days ago and went to town for an IV drip. If you’d come one day later, you would’ve caught her return."

Upon hearing this, Elara quickly asked, "What’s wrong with her? Is it serious?"

Mrs. Langley waved her hand, "Not serious, just a cold, with slight pneumonia and a persistent cough. I was worried it might damage her lungs and insisted she see a doctor."

Elara finally exhaled, "As long as she’s okay. Is there enough money? If needed, I can cover these costs."

Mrs. Langley smiled and waved her hand, "No need for that. With your donations in the past two years and the subsidies allocated, the orphanage is doing much better."

As they spoke, they walked into the classroom.

The so-called classroom was actually a row of old, cramped flats, serving as dormitories, activity rooms, and washrooms, meeting all the children’s needs for food, clothing, and accommodation.

The classroom contained some worn-out tables and chairs, with walls lined with various vibrant, handmade crafts out of red paper, lively and pretty.

Mrs. Langley invited them to sit down, brewed some water for them, and once she handed it over, she asked Elara, "Hale, why didn’t you bring Mr. Jacobs with you today?"

Elara paused, then casually said, "Mrs. Langley, he and I are already divorced."

Mrs. Langley froze for a moment, somewhat incredulous, "You’re divorced? What about the adoption of Jasmine..."

Elara quickly explained, "It won’t be affected, rest assured."

"Oh, that’s good, that’s good. I told the child about it that day, and she’s been looking forward to it. If the adoption doesn’t happen, I don’t know how disappointed she’d be." Mrs. Langley sighed in relief, paused, and then seemed to remember something, slapping her thigh, "Oh no, I sent the adoption notice to the Jacobs Family, wouldn’t that be a mess!"

"You sent the adoption notice to the Jacobs Family?" Elara froze; she truly hadn’t anticipated this.

Mrs. Langley said in frustration, "I didn’t know you divorced and thought it was the previous address."

Elara consoled her, "It’s okay. The Jacobs Family currently isn’t interested in adopting Jasmine, they’ll probably treat it like scrap paper once they see it. It’s just a notice, doesn’t affect anything."

Mrs. Langley sighed, still somewhat remorseful, "I should have given you a call ahead of time."

Afraid Mrs. Langley would dwell on it, Elara quickly changed the topic, "Mrs. Langley, this time I came both to visit Jasmine and to ask, how much longer will the adoption process take?"

She’s been waiting for almost a year.

Hearing this, Mrs. Langley’s face lit up with a smile again, "Rest assured, the fact that I’m reaching out means it’s soon, at most another half month, and you can come pick her up."

Domestic adoption procedures are strictly regulated; only after complete processes, investigations into the background and conditions of the adoptive parents, and repeatedly confirming suitability can approval be granted.

Hearing there were only two weeks left, Elara felt a bit of joy; she was soon going to have a daughter.

Jasmine was someone she had sponsored long ago, back before she married Mason Jacobs. At that time, during a graduation trip with roommates, while hiking in the Fluvina area, she encountered Jasmine’s honest parents, who were gathering pig grass with their two-year-old Jasmine.

Jasmine was tied to her mother’s back, her big eyes curiously observing them. Elara felt her heart melt, and after conversing with them she realized that making a living in the mountains was incredibly tough—barely making ends meet, and during natural disasters, even filling their stomachs was difficult.

Although Elara’s family wasn’t particularly wealthy, being a city-raised only child, she’d never experienced such hardship. Upon leaving, she left Jasmine’s parents’ contact information, and from that point, sent them a thousand yuan each month.

She always remembered Jasmine’s big eyes, looking at the world with innocence and curiosity; even when faced with a drastic change in her family, during the most difficult time, she never interrupted the sponsorship.

Later, she married Mason Jacobs and was physically unable to conceive, while Jasmine’s parents were claimed by a landslide while on a mountain trip. Jasmine lived with her frail grandmother, but shortly after, her grandmother passed away, leaving her an orphan, sent into this orphanage.

Upon hearing this, it felt like a huge twist of fate. She needed a child but couldn’t conceive, while the Jasmine she supported was now alone, needing a mother.

Elara discussed it with Mason Jacobs and decided to adopt Jasmine.

Prior to that, she’d only met two-year-old Jasmine once and didn’t know what the little girl had become. Later, due to preparing for adoption, she visited several times, finding the eight-year-old Jasmine had grown into a little girl, albeit somewhat timid and not very talkative.

Nevertheless, Elara eagerly anticipated having Jasmine live with her.

Knowing everything went smoothly, Elara felt relieved. As Mrs. Langley went to attend to matters, Elara and Zara took a casual stroll outside.

A few bold kids surrounded Zara, asking numerous questions, Zara smiling like a sunny neighborhood elder brother, patiently answering.

Elara walked a bit further, and from under a large banyan tree, a child suddenly emerged, seeing her and abruptly halted. Elara smiled at her and was about to continue when the child suddenly asked, "Are you taking Jasmine to a big city for the good life?"

Elara was taken aback. The child’s hair was short and tousled, her clothes dirty and boyish, but her voice was distinctly feminine.

Elara probed, "Are you... a little girl?"

The child nodded, "Yeah, I’m a girl."

Heart tender, Elara squatted to look at her, smiling and asking, "What’s your name, how old are you?"

"My name is Joanne Carter, I’m seven years old." The little girl answered her questions confidently, without a trace of shyness.

Elara couldn’t help but pinch her cheek, "What a good little girl."

Joanne hesitated, looked at her, and after a while reluctantly said, "Why don’t you take me too, I’m very, very good."

Elara chuckled, "I’m sorry, sister’s means don’t allow it right now; I can only support one at the moment."

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Joanne lowered her head, softly saying, "But sister is so good, she ought to pick a good child to adopt, Jasmine isn’t good at all."

Elara didn’t quite catch what she said, smiled, and after ruffling her hair, walked away.