Chapter 294 Everything Is Over The recording sent by Finnegan shattered Berniceâs beautiful illusions about her family members, leaving her devoid of any sleepiness.
After freshening up, she left the room.
Inside the dining room, Millicent and Sapphire were having breakfast.
Seeing her come out, Sapphire feigned friendliness and said, âBernie, youâre up. Come and have some breakfast first. Letâs go shopping once Queenie wakes up.â
Berniceâs eyebrows slightly furrowed.
If it werenât for the recording sent by Finnegan, she would be very pleased with Sapphireâs attitude.
After listening to that recording, Bernice felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that Millicent and the others had a hidden agenda.
Seeing that Bernice made no move, Sapphire called out to her again, âBernie, whatâs wrong? Come here!â
With a quiet sigh, Bernice adjusted her mindset and walked over.
Instead of sitting down, she took out her phone and, under the puzzled gazes of Millicent and Sapphire, she played the recording. The conversation between Queenie and Sapphire was heard.
âTake advantage of Berniceâs absence to sleep with Finnegan. Once thatâs done, Finnegan and everything else will be yours, and your grandpa will change the decision he just made.â
âMom, I donât like Finnegan.â
âWhat are you saying? You need to consider your father and your brother, not just yourself.â
As the recording played, the expressions of Millicent and Sapphire gradually stiffened.
Once the recording had finished playing, they still hadnât fully reacted, their faces just a bit paler than before.
Bernice, struggling with discomfort, said, âGrandma, Aunt Sapphire, I initially thought you had changed, and from now on, we would be a loving family, free from quarrels and scheming. But it seems Iâve idealized human nature too much!â
Clutching her phone tightly, Bernice turned around in disappointment. âBut rest assured, I wonât give this recording to Grandpa, nor will I let anyone else know. You ought to behave yourselves from now on!â
With that, Bernice departed in sorrow, no longer holding any hope for those family members of hers.
âMom, Finnegan gave the recording to Bernice. What should we do?â Sapphire asked.
Millicent opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she could only let out a long sigh. âAs expected, Finnegan did give the recording to Bernice. Itâs over, everything is over now!â
After her plan failed the night before, she still thought of buttering Bernice first and then devising a new strategy. But now, Bernice holds the recording in her hand, which is equivalent to her having control over all of us. What else can we do?
Sapphire anxiously said, âMom, are we really giving up Just because of this recording?â
âWhat else can be done?â Millicent said irritably, âCanât you figure out why Bernice didnât directly give the recording to your father?â
That recording was being used as leverage to blackmail them.
If they behaved themselves in the future, Bernice wouldnât hand over the recording to Bruce, as if the recording never existed.
However, if they refused to behave, Bernice would hand the recording over to Bruce.
Bruce was a prideful man.
If he were to learn about it, it wouldnât just be Bishopâs family whoâs in trouble. Even Millicent, his wife of nearly fifty years, might be driven out of their home.
Sapphire was unwilling to accept it. âMom, is there really no other way? Are we going to be at the mercy of Berniceâs family from now on?â
âUnless your father has passed away, you should behave yourself now.â Millicent shook his head with a bitter smile. âSo our plan last night was like shooting ourselves in the foot!â she uttered. Who knew that Finnegan was just pretending to be drunk? Who knew that the b*stard was actually setting a trap to catch us off guard? Who knew he would turn around and hand it over to Bernice?
Of course, Millicent wasnât too surprised by this. She just didnât expect it to happen so quickly that she hadnât had time to prepare a response.
Otherwise, she would have sent Queenie to find Finnegan the night before, trying every possible way to destroy the recording.
At the same time, she also knew regretting it was pointless.
Hence, she said, âHowever, there is still a chance for things to turn around. That is to slacken Bernice and Finneganâs vigilance and find a way to ruin the recording. If thereâs no evidence, then itâs just hearsay. We have nothing to fear!â
There was no response from Sapphire.
Millicent frowned and asked, âDid you hear what I said? Go and tell Bishop, his son, along with Queenie, to behave themselves. First, find a way to destroy the recording!â
Suddenly coming back to her senses, Sapphireâs eyes sparkled. âGot it.â
Meanwhile, after leaving the Zimmerman residence, Bernice did not return home. Instead, she drove to Dragon Bay, Finnegan, who was just about to head to Jerome Medical Clinic, paused in surprise. âDarling, what brought you here?â
Bernice bit her lip and said, âLetâs talk in your room.â
âSure!â
Upon entering the room, Finnegan was about to ask Bernice how she had handled it.
No sooner had the door closed than Bernice threw herself into his arms, clinging tightly. Her stunning face was tinged with bitterness, and bright tears streamed from her eyes. âFinnegan, why canât family get along? Why does it have to be like this?â
All along, despite the numerous targeted actions from Millicent, Bishop, and his family toward her, she always maintained a calm and composed attitude.
She would strive to think positively without harboring ill thoughts about those loved ones.
Yet, that recording sent chills down her spine, a coldness so intense it frightened her.
Finnegan sighed lightly, holding her and gently patting her back to comfort her. âEven ordinary families have their internal struggles and sibling rivalries. For a wealthy family like the Zimmerman family, with assets over tens of billions, itâs even more unavoidable. Shouldnât you have understood this already?â
Bernice lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears. âBut the Zimmerman familyâs assets are enough to be divided between two families!â
Finnegan gently wiped away her tears. âHave you ever heard of an ancient emperor willing to give away half of his kingdom? Have you ever known a feudal lord from the past willing to share his territory with others? Have you ever seen a wealthy man willing to share his wealth with others?â
At this point, Finneganâs tone became serious. âNone!â
Everyone would do whatever it took, by any means necessary, to claim everything as their own.
That was what happened the night before when Millicent and the others tried to get Queenie to sleep with Finnegan. Essentially, they were just trying to use him to monopolize the Zimmerman family while conveniently pushing Bernice out of the picture.
Bernice shivered slightly, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. âBut my father and Uncle Bishop are both my grandmaâs sons. Why does she favor Uncle Bishop and his family so much to the point of having no boundaries?â
Seeing the pain and struggle on Berniceâs face, Finnegan wondered whether he could break his promise to Bruce and reveal the truth to her.
Before he could make a decision, his phone began to ring.
Bernice wiped away her tears and said, âYou should answer the phone first.â
Nodding, Finnegan pulled out his phone. It was a call from Romona.
A thought crossed Finneganâs mind, and he moved to the window to answer the call.
âFinnegan, the person youâre looking for has been located. The location is at a hotel in Colstrax.â
Finneganâs eyes lit up when he heard that. âSend me the address, Iâll head over now.â
After ending the call, Finnegan gave Bernice an apologetic look.
The latter forced a smile. âGo ahead if you have things to do.'â
Finnegan gently kissed her on the lips and said, âDarling, will you wait for me at home?â
âGo ahead. I donât feel like going back these next couple of days, anyway. Itâs better to avoid my parents noticing anything.â
âAll right. Iâll come back to be with you as soon as possible!â