Ch. 1286..1290: Powerful Papa with Triplet Babies Chapter 1286-1290

Chapter 1286

“…Thank you.” Ashlynn was having an extremely difficult time adjusting to Beth’s enthusiasm.

“Has Corentin mistreated you after you headed back? Has he bullied you?” Beth

asked.

“No.” Even if Ashlynn wanted to seek the Hiltons’ help, she could never bring herself to mention the videos of her. “Can you even work with your arm in that state? Isn’t it better to rest at home?”

Beth felt a lump in her throat and took two deep breaths to hold back on her tears, feeling both grateful and guilty that her daughter cared for her despite not being raised by her.

“It’s fine. A wound like this will heal in no time. If you are worried, why don’t you stay for?” Beth desperately wanted Ashlynn to stay with her, but what Ashlynn wanted was more important. Even if she asked for the stars in the sky, Beth would have agreed to take them down for her.

“I can come by occasionally…” Ashlynn muttered.

“I see…sure!” Beth held onto Ashlynn’s hand joyfully, torn between the urge to remain with her daughter every minute of the day and the concern that she might scare Ashlynn.

Aunt Cher returned with glasses of juice and stared at the joined hands in envy.

In the end, Beth did not seek revenge for being injured, as Corentin had foreseen.

At noon, Ashlynn stayed for lunch and even Marshall and Jeremy were called home as the two were unaware of Ashlynn’s visit.

By the dining table, Jeremy continued to serve her passionately and even his parents acted very caring, the endearing looks in their eyes were undeniable.

After lunch, Ashlynn and Jeremy went outside and she could not help but ask, “Is everything alright with your parents?”

“What, do you feel insecure because they are treating you well?” Jeremy teased.

“I…no one has ever treated me with such kindness,” she said.

When Beth came outside with a fruit platter in hand, a sharp pain pierced through her chest at the realization of how much her daughter had suffered throughout the

years.

“We will all take care of you from now on,” Jeremy promised.

“Come have some fruits.” Beth calmed herself and walked over.

Jeremy immediately reached for the fruit platter and Beth moved it away from him.” Your sister gets it first.”

Ashlynn was surprised and frantically grabbed a piece of fruit from the platter, while thinking to herself, ‘She called me his sister? Is it because Beth is seeing me as her daughter now? It almost feels like she values me more than Jeremy.’

“Sigh. The Hiltons favor daughters over sons!” Jeremy propped his hands behind the back of his head and stared up at the sky.

“Exactly,” Beth admitted, “Ashlynn, have another piece.”

Ashlynn took another piece.

Marshall walked out with a smile. “Don’t eat too much. She will get sick if she’s too full. Let’s take a walk.”

The four took a leisurely stroll down the trail with Ashlynn and Jeremy walking in the front and Beth and Marshalls behind them.

Beth could not help the urge to sob as she looked at her children. Their family was finally whole again after waiting for over twenty years.

Not daring to stay too long, Ashlynn had to go home after the stroll, Beth and Marshall could only agree as they could always see her again as long as they were in the same city.

Jeremy was the one who sent Ashlynn back. He glanced at her and asked, “where did this watch come from? A gift from Corentin?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

When the car stopped before a traffic light, he grabbed her wrist to study the watch. ” Why does this feel so weird? It looks like human bones.”

 

Chapter 1287

She jolted as fear filled her face.

Jeremy noticed her reaction. “Wait, really?” He said jokingly, not wanting to scare her.

“Of course, not…” Ashlynn pulled her hand back, disgusted by the possibility of it being true.

As soon as she returned to her room in the mansion, she hurriedly tried to remove the watch, but it would not come off.

‘How is this possible?’ She thought, ‘Corentin seemed to put it on with such ease, why can’t I take it off?’

She kneeled before the nightstand and tried to cut the wristband open with a pair of scissors, but it still would not come off.

“What are you doing?” Corentin appeared out of nowhere, his shadow looming over her.

Her hands stilled as she panted, not daring to look up.

He crouched and grabbed her by the wrist, before pulling forcefully.

“Umph!” She was dragged up to look into his eyes; her upper body stretched in the kneeling position as he pinned her in place before him.

“Who told you to take it off? Is it because you met with Jeremy Hilton?” His face twisted with rage.

Unable to contain her own rage, she questioned sharply, “What is the wristband made of?”

“Who told you about it?”

“You…you…you really used human bones on this?” Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“They were your dog’s bones. Happy?”

“…” She gasped as tears scrolled down her cheek. The fury that boiled within her burnt away her senses and she slapped him across the face with all her might.

His face tilted to the side. The corner of his mouth twitched as he tightened the grip around Ashlynn’s wrist.

“Ah…” The bone-crushing pain drained all strength from her body.

“Had anyone else done that, they would have lost their hand!” He growled.

“Just…kill me!”

“Don’t worry, even if I am to kill you, I will make sure that your videos and photos will go online before your death so that the world can see just what a wh*re you are!”

Ashlynn sobbed as she looked at the monstrous man before her.

“You loved your dog, right? You should be pleased to wear its bones around with you, right?” Pleased by the pain in her expression, he said, “Wear it and never take it off. Remember that.”

After he left, Ashlynn sat on the ground in tears.

She had never been someone who would seek death whenever she encountered difficulties, it was the same kind of perseverance that was commonly found in people who grew up in the slum, but she had been pushed to the point that she no longer wanted to live.

She sobbed as she lowered her gaze at the wristband of her watch and thought to herself, ‘What has he put my dog through? He’s a monster!’

She remained on the ground with the watch around her wrist dazedly until someone

knocked on the door.

It was the servant calling her to eat. “Mr. Lloyd asked you to go down for food.”

Ashlynn did not want to see Corentin, but knew that she had no control over anything.

Once she went down the stairs, she spotted Corentin on the couch watching television.

She had no interest in what he was watching and only wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. However, when Luton was mentioned in the show, she came to a sudden halt.

Chapter 1288

The Pinnacle Academy had been placed in the middle of a storm and the show host mentioned words like ‘bribery’ and ‘abuse of power’.

Ashlynn knew about the academy because she had heard about it from the triplets. The triplets called the principal ‘Daddy’, which meant that Anne must know the

principal in person.

‘Why would an academy like that face such a crisis? It’s not your usual school,’ she thought.

“Anthony is far worse than me, isn’t he?” Corentin did not look back, but knew that Ashlynn was behind him.

“How do you know that Anthony has something to do with this?” Though Ashlynn knew that there was more to the story, she was reluctant to link this to Anthony, or it

would mean that Anne was suffering.

“For an academy with influence to face an issue like this and not being able to resolve it, there is only one possibility to this, that someone with more influence is targeting the academy,” Corentin said, “who exactly possesses the influence to target the Pinnacle Academy? It’s an academy that has remained standing for

decades.”

“Why would Anthony go after the academy?” Ashlynn asked.

Corentin stood to face her. “Because of Anne, of course.”

“You know about it?” She asked.

He walked over calmly. “I know everything.”

When he walked past her, she instinctively tensed and relaxed once he was gone.

She kept her eyes on the television. The principal of the Pinnacle Academy came out

of a car and was instantly swarmed by reporters.

Ashlynn knew that man. It was Lucas.

He was seen wearing glasses and appeared extremely mature. He did not lose his temper despite the probing questions directed toward him and headed into the academy calmly.

What happened to the Pinnacle Academy was no longer a secret and soon became the talk of the entire world.

‘If this is Anthony’s doing, what is going to happen to Anne? She won’t be able to stand idly by…’ Ashlynn thought.

Ashlynn headed to the dining room and Corentin’s phone started vibrating as soon

as she took her seat.

He glanced at Ashlynn before answering the call. Just as Ashlynn wondered why he had looked at her, she heard Anne’s voice saying, “Uncle, are you busy at the moment?”

Corentin had put his phone on speaker. “I’m free. Why are you calling?”

Ashlynn glanced at him. Even she could guess why Anne was calling, so she was certain that Corentin was aware as well.

‘Anne doesn’t sound so good…’ She thought.

“Do you know about the Pinnacle Academy?” Anne asked.

“No. What happened? Tell me,” Corentin said.

Ashlynn scowled at him.

“Anthony is going after the Pinnacle Academy. Is there a way that you can help me?” Anne asked.

“How is this related to you?”

“Anthony thinks that I’m too close to Lucas…no matter what I do, he refuses to let Lucas be.”

“I will send my men to look into it. Don’t panic.”

“Thank you, Uncle. I am really running out of options. If you manage to help me, I owe you,” Anne said.

“I will help you, but you need to be prepared. Anthony isn’t that easy to deal with. You should know that he is the king of Luton and I’m all the way here in Athetin.”

“Yes, I understand. If it’s out of your power, just forget I said anything.”

After the call, Anne set her phone down and stared outside the balcony as she listened to the news describing the latest updates on the Pinnacle Academy.

 

Chapter 1289

The Pinnacle Academy had faced crises before, but had survived all of them.

However, it had not been long since the last crisis. Anne did not know if what happened the last time was an accident, but this time was definitely caused by Anthony because he had mentioned that Lucas would pay for what he did.

She had reached out to Lloyd immediately for help, because she knew that begging Anthony for help would not do. She was the one who put Lucas in this situation,

when she never wanted to owe Lucas anything.

‘Anthony is going to push me over the edge at some point…’ She thought.

When the door opened, she immediately switched channels.

Anthony walked into the bedroom and saw Anne switching between channels on the television with no reaction to his appearance at all. He walked over and sat down next to her, before wrapping an arm around her wrist. “In a bad mood? I’m in a great mood, though. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you see it on the television?”

She froze and started trembling, knowing that he had seen right through her.

He grabbed her by the chin and forced her to turn and face him. “You know that begging for mercy won’t help, so you decided that you just won’t say anything, hm?”

“Yes. I know that you will do whatever you want in the end. Why bother talking about it with me? Do you think I would feel great about putting someone in that situation?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I will never forget what I owe him!”

“Are you trying to say that you will remember him for life?” Storm gathered within his eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you are saying?”

Tension in the room rose and her blood ran cold.

“If you are scared, you should think before you speak!” He tightened his grip.

She scowled in pain and paled as she panted. “Master…have mercy…”

“Calling me Master won’t help you anymore.” He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Master…” Tears scrolled down her cheek. “Let him go and I will be forever grateful. I won’t ever do anything that upset you again.”

*Are you sure that you want to plead for another man?” Anthony became increasingly agitated.

“You know that’s not what I mean…” Her chest tightened with sorrow and despair.

“Then shut up!” He moved closer and roared.

She quieted down in fear.

Anthony was a living minefield and anything could trigger an explosive reaction.

“I told you that Lucas won’t escape and has to pay the price for what he did.” He studied her face intently. “And you are going to watch as he suffers.”

She stared at him in tears. “You won’t let him go no matter what I do, will you?”

“If you dare to hurt yourself, I will make sure that you wish you were dead!” He warned viciously.

“…I get it,” she said hoarsely. “Don’t worry. I won’t mention a single word from today onward.”

“Good.” He stared at her intently.

Anne did as she promised and had not pleaded for Lucas from that moment onward as she anxiously waited for updates from Corentin.

The longer she waited, the more desperate she became. She did not dare to urge Corentin as he might be finding a way to help her.

As she waited, she stayed in the Royal Mansion with the children. Anne was about to check on any news regarding the Pinnacle Academy on her phone when…

“Mama!”

“Mama!”

 

Chapter 1290

“Mama!”

Along with the shouts came the triplets. The three ran into the room and threw themselves at Anne on the couch.

Chris anchored himself on Anne’s leg, Chloe sat on Anne’s lap while Charlie climbed up the couch from behind to wrap his arms around Anne’s neck.

“Why are you in the room, Mama? We came to find you as soon as we are done with our lessons!” Chloe said.

“We know everything the teacher said, so it’s boring,” Chris said.

“We might as well play with Mama!” Charlie added.

“You know everything?” Anne asked.

“The teacher said we are smart!” Chloe leaned onto Anne and said, “Mama, let’s go outside to play!”

“Sure.”

The triplets took lessons in the morning for hours, so Anne knew that they needed fun. She took them out of the room and headed down the stairs.

Shortly after she exited the room, her phone in the room rang. It was a call from an unknown number.

Once they were out in the yard, Charlie chased after his football excitedly, before balancing himself on the ball. “Mama! Look!”

Anne called out, “I see you. Don’t fall.”

“I won’t!” Charlie managed to balance himself, and Anne knew that he must have had a lot of practice.

“Mrs. Marwood, your phone keeps ringing. I don’t know if it’s from Mr. Marwood.” Mia came over with Anne’s phone.

Anne unlocked her phone to check the call history and noticed that it was an unknown number. It should not be a spam call as the same number had called four times, with only a few minutes in between each call.

She walked back to the room and called the number.

‘Is it a man calling?’ Mia thought. ‘If Mr. Marwood finds out that it’s a man, this is going to be fun.’

The person who called answered right away. Before Anne could say anything, the person asked hastily, “Is it Anne?”

Anne recognized the voice and was stunned.

“I’m Lucas’s mom, Joanne. Do you remember me?”

“I do.” She knew it was Joanne right away, but had not expected Joanne to call her.

“The Pinnacle Academy is closing down. Do you know that?”

“What?” She gasped.

“I didn’t want to call you at first. Lucas wouldn’t let me. I am just calling because I don’t want to watch what my husband and my son work so hard to turn into dust,” Joanne said, “I know that it all started from you, isn’t that right? No one else is capable of something like this other than Anthony Marwood here in Luton. I know that it’s all Lucas’s fault for falling in love with you.”

Anne’s heart sank. Anyone else would have cursed at Anne, but Joanne had merely begged for her help, so Anne could not bring herself to refuse.

Joanne was right about how Anne was the reason behind everything that was happening, so she was equally as guilty as the person who did this.

“Is the Pinnacle Academy closing down? It’s just a big academy…and it’s just going to close down like that?” Anne asked nervously.

“Anthony is too ruthless and he has no intention of giving us the chance to survive. According to what we’ve been informed, the academy is going to close down tomorrow,” Joanne explained gloomily, “Anne, can you help us? Talk to Anthony for us, will you? As long as the Pinnacle Academy can keep standing, I will pray for you for the rest of my life.”