"M-Mandy? Why..." Joseph''s chest tightened. His expression changed in an instant.


    Despite their past animosity and Mandy pping his face, seeing her still stirred something in him. His heated gaze lingered on her captivating face.


    "With everything that''s happened, you must be overwhelmed and haven''t had time for Dad."N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Mandy set down the bowl and picked up a napkin to wipe Edgar''s mouth. Without ncing at Joseph, she continued, "Even though I''ve married Winston, and you may not readily ept him, I am still a Lovce. It would be heartless of me not to return at this time."


    Joseph frowned, feeling suspicious.


    "Mandy... Thank you foring to see me..."


    Edgar''s eyes glistened with tears as he tightly squeezed Mandy''s hand. "I''ve been too harsh on you before and caused us to misunderstand each other for so many years. We were at odds for so long. I don''t know if I''ll ever have a chance to make up for my mistakes..."


    "Dad, it doesn''t matter anymore. Everything''s in the past," Mandy reassured him gently. "Besides, blood is thicker than water. You''ll always be my dad, and we''ll always be family."


    "Blood is thicker than water." Those words sounded unbearably harsh to Joseph.


    In this family, ultimately, only Mandy was Edgar''s biological child. Their sudden reconciliation during this critical moment made him feel even more like an outsider.


    "Mandy, you''ve had a long day. You should go home now. I need to talk to Jo," Edgar said softly.


    Obediently, Mandy got up. She shot Joseph a cold re as she passed by. Her gaze was piercing and unsettling.


    Once the door closed, the fleeting peace in the room vanished.


    "What are you going to do about Aidan?" Edgar asked in a trembling voice.


    Joseph gritted his teeth and


    answered seriously, "Dad, with Aidan


    caught and all the evidence agains


    him, there''s nothing we can do. Lovce Group must immediately sever ties with him. We must deny any involvement in hoarding illegal drugs."


    Edgar paled in disbelief. "W-What did you say? You want topletely abandon Aidan? He''s your son!"


    "He''s my son, but his actions have


    ??


    severely harmed Lovce Group''s interests. He''s a ticking time bomb! If we don''t cut him off, the entire Lovce Group will go down with him," Joseph''s tone was resolute, as if he were talking about a mère pawn instead of his own son facing prison time.


    Utterly shocked, Edgar stared wide-eyed at Joseph, who had a grim expression.


    This child, whom he had nurtured for 40 years, looked like a stranger to him at this moment.


    "Jo... I have one question for you. If you still consider me your dad, you''ll answer me truthfully." Edgar


    strained to maintain hisposure. "Do you know about Aidan hoarding drugs? Were you involved? S


    Joseph remained unfazed. Without hesitation, he replied, "No, it was all Aidan''s doing. He made greedy decisions and went down the wrong path. I had no knowledge of his illicit activities."


    "How dare you still lie to me?" With hisst ounce of strength, Edgar grabbed the bowl from the bedside table and chucked it at Joseph. Unable to dodge, Joseph''s suit got drenched in soup. First, he was pelted with rotten eggs and then soup. This day couldn''t get any worse for Joseph.


    Joseph erupted in anger. His face flushed with fury. "Dad! What are you doing?"


    "For the past six months, Aidan has been transferring money to your ount every month. Shortly after, the same amount appears in thepany''s ount!


    "And Aidan has only been in the business for a few years. How would he know about that warehouse where the drugs were hidden? Isn''t it because you approve of him doing this?"


    Since his actions were exposed, Joseph dropped all pretense and emitted a sardonicugh.