Chapter 5 - The Drama Begins

"Do you still think she's pretending to be a fool?" Once dressed, Ethan asked his best friend with a stern face. Brevard, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, appeared somewhat embarrassed. "No, I don't." Just earlier, the woman had nearly stripped him to check whether he had what he claimed to have... "I've told you before, I've had people investigate. She's been like this for several decades. Don't engage in such nonsense again." "And remember this, whether her mental age is that of a five-year-old or a seven-year-old, she's my wife, in name at least. Your comments earlier can be considered sexual harassment." "Are you serious, Mr. Benton? Never mind... Are you sure she won't spill the beans about your recovery?" "I'll have to come out eventually when the time is ripe. Let's keep it under wraps for now. It won't be long before we can wrap things up." "The Benton family may be ready to wrap up, but what about the Swain family? Howard Swain fooled you with his mentally challenged daughter, and you're just letting him off the hook? That's not your style. Remember, they were willing to marry their daughter to you in your time of need, and Kaysen Benton gave them quite a hefty benefit!" "Hmph," Ethan Benton sneered, "Does that pest think he can lay his hands on the Benton family's assets?" … Ethan's bedroom was a grand, luxurious suite, complete with a study, bathroom, and living room. At this moment, Ethan and Brevard were in the enclosed study. They had left the “simpleton”, Vivian Swain, in the living room. What they didn't know was that when Vivian first followed “Mr. Handsome” into the study, she had purposely left her Peppa Pig children's watch on the bookshelf. Her watch was packed with features, one of which was a listening device. She could hear every word the two men were saying. When Vivian heard Ethan refer to Howard as a “pest”, she felt a surprising kinship with this man. But they said Howard even received a hefty benefit from Kaysen Benton?! Well, if there were any benefits to be had, they should go to her, shouldn't they? After all, it was Vivian who married the “vegetative” Ethan, not Howard, and certainly not Fiona Bennett or Yolanda Swain. They thought they could enjoy the fruits of her without her consent?! While Vivian was scheming on how to make the Swain family pay their debt, Fiona, the foolish woman, walked right into her trap. … Fiona Bennett, under the guise of caring for her daughter and wanting to take her out for a breath of fresh air, led Vivian out of Ethan's mansion. As she sat in Fiona's car, Vivian was growing more and more excited. What was Fiona up to? She couldn't wait to square off with this evil woman. In truth, she could easily tamper with the car and stage an accident. If luck was on her side, Fiona might die on the spot. If not, she might end up paralyzed in bed for the rest of her life. But that wouldn't be satisfying enough! This woman had used so many disgusting tactics over the years! She had driven her mother to a mental asylum, where she suffered until her cruel end! As her mother's only daughter, how could she let Fiona get off so easily? Besides, tampering with someone's vehicle was against the law. She was not like the Swain family's pests, she was a law-abiding citizen. Meanwhile, Vivian was playing the fool in Fiona's car. Back at the mansion, Ethan was watching the surveillance video with a furrowed brow. He had installed cameras in the mansion's main hall. "Do you ever feel that Fiona Bennett has two faces?" Ethan asked Brevard, who was watching the surveillance playback with him. "Indeed, when Jean Thompson is around, Fiona is quite polite to your seemingly simple wife. But the moment Jean leaves, her true colors are revealed," Brevard replied. "But it's hardly surprising. Even some biological parents wouldn't love a foolish child, let alone Fiona who is only your silly wife's stepmother, not her real mother." Upon finishing his sentence, Brevard noticed a chilling gaze from the side and couldn't help but shudder. "Why... why are you looking at me like that?" "Brevard," Ethan's voice was dark and foreboding, "I've told you before, regardless of anything, she is my wife in name, stop calling her silly." "Alright, alright, I got it, my DEAR Mr. Benton!" Ethan's expression eased slightly. "Now go, follow her. If her stepmother tries anything, don't hold back." "Me?" Brevard pointed to his own nose. "Who else?" Ethan shot Brevard a glance. "You want me, a paralyzed man, to go?" … Fiona Bennett took Vivian Swain directly to the Swain Group office tower. It was safer to handle certain things in her own territory that wouldn't stand the light of day. However, while parking in the underground garage, someone who shouldn't have been there suddenly appeared. Recognizing the person, Fiona immediately got out of the car and rushed over. "Yolanda, what are you doing here? Didn't we send you abroad to study? You need to lay low with the Benton family situation unresolved!" "Mom, I don't want to study abroad. My French is terrible, I wouldn't know how to communicate there!" So Yolanda hadn't boarded the plane at all but had been hiding in a hotel. After two days of boredom, she had returned. "Mom, who's in your car? It's not that simpleton, is it?" Yolanda looked towards the car. "What are you bringing her here for?" Yolanda was upset. "This stinking simpleton became the lady of the Swain family as soon as she arrived, not only took my position but now you're bringing her to the company! To announce to everyone that she is the lady of the Swain family?" "Shh, don't be so loud, others will hear!" Fiona advised. But Yolanda was filled with jealousy and nearly screamed, "You parade her around the company, while sending me overseas to hide, and I'm not even allowed to complain. Are you out of your mind, mom?" "Yolanda! Why are you so impulsive?" Fiona tried to calm her daughter, pulling her aside to explain in hushed tones. After listening, Yolanda quickly wore a smile. Looking back at Vivian in the car, she was full of schadenfreude. "Mom, so you and dad had a trick up your sleeve all along. You guys are so cunning. Hahaha, she's so stupid." Well, it's still to be seen who the real fool is. Vivian, with her sharp gaze fixed on Yolanda and Fiona's retreating figures, slowly rolled up the car window. The real drama was just about to begin...