Chapter 222
Effie paused, then said, “Alright. If you want me to come home, I can on one condition.”
Shepard’s face lit up instantly. He knew it-Effie would never give up on a father as generous as him!
“If that’s how you feel, that’s wonderful. Name your terms. Don’t just stop at one, I’d agree to several if you wanted…”
Before he could finish, Effie cut him off, her lips curling into a sly smile. “Kick Vera and Suzan out, and hand over your shares in The Bagnold Group to me.”
Shepard’s smile froze. The nerve! She was asking for far too much-did she want his car next?
Those shares belonged to her mother by right!
“Absolutely not! No way!” Shepard ground out, his jaw clenched.
Effie just smiled. She’d expected this-there was no way he’d ever agree.
“So that’s my only condition. If you can’t even manage that, how am I supposed to agree to your request?”
“Get out.”
Shepard could keep up the act no longer. His voice dropped, cold and sharp. “Effie, if you push me away now, you’ll regret it!”
“You know perfectly well why Mitchell abandoned you. Mrs. Lloyd never cared about you at all!”
The words spilled out in his anger, careless and cruel.
Effie’s gaze darkened. Once, those words would have stung, would have left her aching for days. But Lyman’s presence in her life had slowly begun to heal her. Now, she could finally let the past go.
“They’re the ones who aren’t worthy.”
Lyman appeared in the doorway, catching everyone off guard. He’d been in the kitchen, busy cooking-Effie had mentioned she’d like some sweet and sour pork after seeing a pineapple delivered to the house, and Lyman had immediately offered to make it for her.
Her grandmother had been stunned. The mighty Lyman Etheridge, a man with so much power and status, was actually in the kitchen just to make Effie happy.
Effie caught her grandmother’s wide-eyed, almost comical expression and couldn’t help but laugh. “Grandma, he makes me breakfast every day. Sometimes even dinner too. He’s actually a great cook.”
Her grandmother nodded, her eyes crinkling into narrow slits as she smiled. “Very nice, very nice.”
Even though Lyman had been busy in the kitchen, the thin walls meant he’d heard every word Shepard had said.
Now, Lyman strode over to Shepard, his voice icy. “My wife doesn’t need a safety net. She’s worthy of love for who she is.”
“How would you know who we like or don’t like? You’re not one of the Etheridge family!” Shepard shot back, desperate.
Lyman’s eyes narrowed. “And you’ve never once acted like a real father. So spare us the lectures-you have no right to judge a daughter you abandoned for over a decade.”
“Such hypocrisy.”
Shepard’s expression flickered with panic. He hadn’t realized Lyman was right there, and now he scrambled to explain himself. “Mr. Etheridge, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant, I just…”
Before he could finish, a group of old men and women stormed in, wielding
brooms and mops, one of them even brandishing a trash bin.
“Come on, everyone! Let’s drive this shameless man out of here!”
Shepard froze in shock but quickly snapped out of it and began backing away in fear.
“Where do you think you’re going? If you ever show your face here again, I’ll stick this mop—fresh out of the bathroom-right in your mouth!” one of the old ladies shouted, hands on her hips.
Shepard sputtered, “You people are absurd!”
He barely managed to escape, practically tripping over himself in his haste.
But he wasn’t done yet. Just wait-he’d make sure these meddling old folks paid for this!