Chapter 226: Acknowledging Family
Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Acknowledging Family
In the living room, the remaining people lounged on the sofa, watching a comedy variety show and chatting casually. Kevin Keane, Blake Blue, and a few others had gone to the training room. These overachievers never missed a day of exercise unless they were out on a mission. The villa was warm and toasty, filled with laughter and overlapping voices, creating a harmonious and cozy atmosphere.
Not long after, the doorbell at the courtyard gate rang out with a sharp DING-A-LING. Aaron Palmer had just returned from walking Rollo. He was still holding the mutant beef Shane Shaw had given the dog. Before he could even step foot through the villa’s front door, he heard the bell ringing at the courtyard gate behind him. He frowned, opened the front door to let Rollo inside first, and turned to walk toward the gate.
A man and a woman stood at the entrance, both dressed neatly and cleanly. The man looked to be in his early thirties with a rather handsome, conventional face. Beside him stood an older woman. Both were completely unfamiliar faces. Aaron felt a bit puzzled. Figuring they might be staff sent by the base, he reached out, pulled the gate open, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the middle-aged woman acted like a cat that had smelled fish. She forcefully shoved his hand aside and charged into the courtyard, hollering loudly, "Where is Rhonda Dawson? Where is Hector Rhodes? Tell them to come out!"
Aaron reacted with lightning speed. He grabbed her arm in a vice grip. His face instantly darkened, and his tone turned cold and hard. "Ma’am! Who are you?"
Monica Bishop was yanked so hard she stumbled. She turned her head and glared viciously at Aaron, struggling with all her might to shake off his hand. However, Aaron’s grip clamped down on her like a pair of iron tongs, holding her firmly in place. Seeing that she couldn’t break free, her eyes darted around, sweeping over the entire villa. Her greedy gaze practically glued itself to the walls.
Dylan Rhodes’s gaze swept past the cream-colored stone exterior walls, slid over the carved pillars of the corridor, and finally landed on the massive three-and-a-half-story luxury villa. His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. He wondered how the Dawson Family could afford to live in such a magnificent villa when, in the apocalypse, he considered himself lucky just to keep his life.
Monica’s eyes shone even brighter as she let out an audible TSK TSK TSK. Her inner calculations were practically ticking away as she thought, "My goodness, this courtyard, this grand villa... it must be worth an absolute fortune! The Dawson Family only has Hector as a child right now. Won’t all of this belong to my grandson in the future? And since I’m his biological grandmother, shouldn’t I move in and enjoy a life of luxury?"
The more she thought about it, the sweeter the fantasy became. She gave her arm another violent shake and stood on her tiptoes to peer into the living room. She happened to spot Luna Dawson squatting at the entryway, busy petting Rollo’s head and playing with the dog. Monica’s eyes lit up. She tore her throat open and shrieked, "Rhonda Dawson! I’m your mother! Come out here right now!"
Her shrill, abrupt scream completely drowned out the sound of the variety show playing in the living room. The people on the sofa all turned their heads in unison to look at the courtyard. Upon hearing the noise, Luna stood up immediately, her icy gaze locked onto the two uninvited guests at the gate.
Aaron tried to hold back his temper, but he simply couldn’t suppress his rage any longer. Since this woman stepped foot inside, she hadn’t said a single sensible word. Her eyes were glued to the villa, oozing with undisguised greed. And now she had the audacity to screech Sister Wendy’s name at the top of her lungs? Did she really think this villa was her own backyard? He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more breath on this lunatic. Applying a sudden burst of force, he viciously slung Monica outward!
Monica had been fully immersed in her sweet dream of living in a grand villa and was caught completely off guard. She went flying through the air like a torn burlap sack and crashed solidly onto the stone-paved path of the courtyard, eating dirt in a spectacular face-plant.
"Ouch!" A pig-slaughtering shriek instantly echoed throughout the courtyard. Monica was knocked dizzy by the fall. Her nose had smashed against the stone slabs, bringing tears of pain streaming down her face. She was covered in a layer of dust, and her hair was a tangled, messy bird’s nest.
It took her a long moment to recover. Clutching her nose, she sat up. She looked at her dust-covered clothes, then at the magnificent villa in front of her, and instantly channeled her inner shrew. Slapping her thighs, she wailed, "Assault! Murder! You little beast, how dare you strike your elder! Rhonda Dawson, you heartless wretch! Are you hiding in the house playing dead? I am your mother! Are you really going to let an outsider bully me like this?"
Dylan’s expression shifted drastically. He hurried forward to help her up, glaring at Aaron as he did so, and harshly rebuked him. "What is wrong with you? How can you just hit people?"
Aaron sneered coldly. He rolled up his sleeves, his eyes as cold as ice. "Who the hell are you people? You trespass on private property and still dare to throw a tantrum? Do you want me to toss you straight to the base’s security patrol?"
Rollo joined in the commotion, letting out a series of ferocious BARKS at the pair. He scratched at the ground with his paws, looking as if he were ready to pounce and tear them apart at any second. In the living room, Luna stood up slowly. She brushed the dog hair off her hands and watched the farce at the gate with an icy stare, a mocking curve lifting the corners of her mouth. She thought, "Dylan, you useless waste of space. It’s the apocalypse, and you still dare to throw yourself right at the Dawson Family’s gun barrel? You really are throwing a party in the Underworld Court—you must have a death wish!"
The moment Rhonda Dawson heard that familiar voice, her face instantly sank. The chaotic, bridge-burning days of her divorce from the Rhodes Family exploded in her mind like scenes from a movie. With a darkened expression, she quickly caught up with Luna. The chilly aura radiating from her body was so cold it almost condensed into ice shards.
From a distance, Dylan spotted the figure stepping out of the villa’s front door. He froze in place as if struck by lightning, his eyes going completely straight. She was wearing an ankle-length, cream-colored knitted fishtail skirt, draped with an apricot crocheted shawl. Her waist-length hair cascaded down her back casually. When the breeze blew, the tips of her hair swayed gently—she looked exactly the same as she did when they first met in college! No, she was even more beautiful! Having shed her youthful naivety, she had gained a touch of mature charm. Her skin was so flawlessly smooth that not a single pore was visible, radiating a faint, luminous glow. She was the absolute spitting image of the woman who repeatedly appeared in his dreams!
"Wendy... I’ve finally found you..." Dylan’s voice trembled. Flustered and at a total loss for what to do, he released his grip on Monica. He was overcome with a wave of frantic regret. He thought, "If I had known Wendy was still this beautiful, I never would have brought my mother here to make a fool of herself!"
But Monica was cunning. She instantly read the look in her son’s eyes and immediately dropped her shrewish act. Dusting the mud off her clothes, she scrunched her wrinkled face into a blooming smile and trotted eagerly toward her. "Wendy, oh, Wendy! It’s your mother! You haven’t changed a bit! In fact, you’ve gotten even prettier! Who would have thought our Wendy would become so amazing and even join the base’s top combat team!"
Her gaze darted past her and swept over the members of the Dawson Family who had come outside. In a flash, she locked onto Wayne Dawson, who appeared to be the most honest and good-natured of the bunch. Her eyes instantly lit up like lightbulbs, and she greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Mr. Dawson! It’s me! It’s been so long!"
As she spoke, she viciously tugged at Dylan beside her, muttering in a low, exasperated voice, "Tsk! Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and greet them!"
Dylan finally snapped back to reality and nodded hastily. "Oh, right, right. Dad..."
"Don’t call me that!" Wayne’s face instantly darkened so much it could practically drip water. His gaze turned sharp as he rebuked him mercilessly. "I only have one daughter!"
Luna watched the entire scene with her arms crossed, her eyes frigid. Seeing the shameless mother-and-son duo put on this synchronized performance, she suddenly let out a loud SNORT of laughter. She laughed wildly and brazenly, as if she had just heard the greatest joke in the world. In the end, she even laughed until tears formed, wiping the corners of her eyes with exaggerated flair.