Cornelius asked, "Thatdy from the Beckett family has a mental condition?"


    "That''s right, Grandpa." A vicious look shed across Zoe''s gleaming eyes. She continued, "She and


    the entire Beckett family have been hiding Lauren''s condition from you all along. She actually has


    severe autism. In other words, she is mentally disabled.


    "I was in the same middle school as her. At that time, other ssmates would call her ''dumb'' and ''idiot''


    behind her back. She also quit her tertiary studies halfway because of her condition."


    "No wonder I''ve always felt that there was something strange about her every time I met her. Despite


    being 21... or is it 22? Her mind is still like a child''s. Turns out that it''s because of her mental problem!


    "As expected, Sophia''s offspring is indeed problematic! Even though she died, she still left her retarded


    daughter to wreck my precious grandson!"


    Cornelius started coughing. He was so consumed by anger that he started to feel unwell. He coughed


    continuously until his face had flushed red.


    Zoe helped to soothe his back immediately. "Deep breaths, Grandpa. Watch your health!"


    "Landon. Does he know about that woman''s condition?"


    "Landon is well aware."


    Cornelius became even more enraged. More than that, he couldn''t wrap his head around it. "He still


    wants to marry her even though he knows about it? He''s out of his mind! Isn''t he afraid that their


    children would also be mentally impaired?


    "I really don''t understand it. As my grandson, he can have any woman he likes. Why is he so fixated on


    a dumbo?"


    "Landon is being tricked by Lauren''s naivete. He has had so much fun with morous women in the


    past that he''s now unable to stop himself after getting a taste of something in," Zoe remarked in a


    scornful tone.


    Cornelius'' eyes became bloodshot from fury. He hit his palms against the couch''s armrest repeatedly.


    "The entire Beckett family is a bunch of swindlers! They think that they can shove their undesirable


    daughter into our family. In their dreams!


    "As long as I''m around, I will never let that woman marry into our family! I will go and meet Newton first


    thing tomorrow morning and break this marriage off!" "I''m afraid that won''t be a good idea, Grandpa."


    Zoe knelt down on one knee next to Cornelius. She held his trembling hands andforted him. "If


    you go to Mr. Beckett Senior in such haste, Landon will hear about it immediately.


    "You should already know what his personality is like. If he finds out, he will surely cause a ruckus. He''s


    also such good friends with Mr. Beckett. With him siding with outsiders, we will end up being the ones


    at a loss."


    "My dear granddaughter, you''re so thoughtful! How smart of you!"


    Cornelius started to calm down. He then pressed on, "How about if youe up with an idea for me?


    How should I handle this?"


    "Lauren and I used to be schoolmates. Let me find time to speak with her face to face."


    When Zoe spoke, her voice was gentle and the look on her face was kind. "I''ll tell her how I feel and


    reason with her. In that way, I hope that I can convince her not to cling to Landon any longer. They will


    not have a future together."


    Cornelius thought about Landon, who had fallen head over heels in love. He couldn''t help but feel


    worried. "What happens if you''re not able to convince thatdy?"


    "Then, I will use the second method—one that is a little cruel and vicious. That said, it is a method that


    can make them have a clean break."


    Zoe smirked slyly. "You just have to wait and see."


    After a short period of recuperation, Lauren resumed her school life as usual.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    She had experienced such an enormous crisis at school. However, no matter how great themotion


    was, it would die down quickly when it happened in such a structured environment.


    The surveince footage had been deleted and there were no bystanders during the incident. Due to


    the pressure from the Harpers and Lauren''s identity, the school kept silent about the incident where she


    was held hostage.


    Lauren was able to live a peaceful life thanks to all that Landon had built for her.


    If possible, Landon would have loved to build a wless ivory tower so that he could keep and protect


    her within it, like a flower in a closed terrarium.


    Nheless, what he didn''t know was...


    That night, she was outside the study. She had overheard the conversation that sent chills down her


    spine. That conversation had be like a fine yet barely discernible crack along the wall of the


    closed terrarium.


    Perhaps, just like that, this would be the end.


    Maybe, eventually, the crack would spread slowly and be like an extensive web. In the end, the


    entire terrarium might be covered in cracks.


    Every day, Angelina kept Laurenpany and watched her like a hawk.