章節 263: Ch 263 - The Family Home
Debbie and Alex stepped out of the car and looked at the house in front of them. Debbie was struck by the realization that this was the place where her mother grew up, and that she would soon come face to face with the man who had caused her death. The thought of her grandfather Jessop made her agitated, and she couldn't calm herself.
"Let's go inside," Rufus said. He walked up the steps to the door, opened it and stepped across the threshold into the Clifton family mansion. Alex and Debbie followed him.
Once they had gone through the first hallway of the house, they found themselves walking through a long corridor. It twisted and turned between the rooms of the house.
After a little while, they came upon an inner courtyard. Its pathways ran in-between decorative stonework and greenery. All around them there were beautiful flowers, bushes, and small trees.
Rufus ordered one of the men to take the Moon girls to a room adjacent to the courtyard, where they could rest and freshen up.
A middle-aged woman was planting flowers in the garden. When she saw Rufus, she immediately stopped what she was doing and came over to greet them.
"Hello, Ruth," Rufus said casually. He gestured to Alex and Debbie. "These are new interns we've hired at the company. I've brought them here to discuss some things."
The woman greeted them with a friendly nod. Rufus led them over to the other side of the courtyard, and they went further into the house.
Alex could not help but feel that Rufus' behavior was strange. On the day before, he had had no qualms about revealing Debbie's lineage in front of everyone. But now he was hiding it from his own employees.
Of course, Alex remembered, Rufus also threatened the others into silence about what they had learned last night. I wonder what the big secret is.
While Alex was trying to think things through, Rufus led them into a second courtyard. It was similar to the first in size and appearance, and the air was filled with the smell of freshly cooked food.
They walked across the courtyard, and Rufus pushed open a red wooden door that led into a large living room. Alex and Debbie walked in after him.
There was a table full of delicious food in the middle of the living room, and at the table sat an old man with white hair and a beard. His face was majestic, and his eyebrows were like sharpened swords, but he looked quite relaxed. When he saw Debbie come in, he gave her a stunned look, and his body quivered slightly.
This man was Jessop Clifton, and when Debbie saw him, she froze. Despite her feelings about her grandfather, she felt strangely close to him.
Rufus immediately closed the door and gestured to Debbie and Alex. "Please, sit down." Debbie and Alex sat down at the table.
Jessop was in a heightened emotional state. When he looked at Debbie, it was as if he was looking at the daughter he had lost.
"Debbie," he said and stopped. He did not know what to say.
After the strange connection she had felt when she had first laid eyes on him, Debbie's anger at her grandfather returned. "Why did you want my mother dead?" she asked without really meaning to.
"Debbie, things aren't what you think they are," Rufus interjected. "When that happened, your grandfather took it very hard. Do you really think he'd be so cruel as to arrange your mother's death? No one loved her more than he did."
Jessop raised his hand and motioned to Rufus to be quiet. He looked at Debbie and said in a warm voice, "Debbie, come and look at these photos."
As he said it, he picked up a stack of photos he had held under the table and handed them to Debbie.
She took them from him. The first was a picture of a man holding a baby. The man looked just like Jessop, but he was much younger. The timestamp in the corner of the photograph said "May 24, 1974."
Debbie flipped through the photos. They were all pictures of Jessop and his daughter. From the way she looked, Debbie could tell that it must be her mother, Cynthia.
A picture from 1977 showed her sitting on her father's shoulders, smiling happily.
The next one was from April 25, 1982. Cynthia had become a little beauty dressed in green and pink. She was standing beside Jessop and comparing her height to his.
In a photo from June 4, 1990, Cynthia was as tall as Jessop's chin. She was wearing sportswear and standing in what looked like a middle school playground. In her hands was a trophy that said "School High Jump Champion," and beside her stood Jessop. He was glowing with obvious pride.
The last photo was from July 9, 1994. By that point, Cynthia had grown into a beautiful young woman. She was holding Jessop's arm and resting her head on his shoulder. Both of them were smiling sweetly.
From these photos, Debbie understood that Cynthia had a good relationship with Jessop Clifton all throughout her childhood. Looking at them, Debbie couldn't help but burst into tears. She wiped them away and looked at Jessop. "If you and my mother were so close, why is she dead? It's your fault!"
"Some things are out of our control," Jessop answered. "I admit that I was wrong then, but please believe that I loved your mother too much to wish her any harm. I didn't expect such a terrible thing to happen."
He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Debbie, won't you please call me 'grandfather'?" His voice trembled as he spoke.
Debbie didn't know how to feel. She had no idea what could have caused Jessop to do the things he had done, but she was starting to believe that he really had loved Cynthia. The photos were all the evidence she needed.
"All right," she said. "Grandfather."
Jessop broke into tears, and he bowed his head and tried to wipe them away.
"Forgive me, my dear," he said. "I've been waiting for you to call me that for the last twenty years, and my wish has finally come true."
Then he suddenly perked up, as if he had remembered something. "Come now, eat! I know that you have suffered outside all these years. But you're a Clifton, and you must be hungry. I didn't know what you like to eat, so I had the chef prepare a table of all of Cynthia's favorite dishes. Let's see if you like them, too."
Debbie took some casserole from the nearest bowl and put it on her plate. When she put it in her mouth, the flavor overwhelmed her. It was absolutely delicious. Knowing that her mother had loved it made it taste even better.
"Please, grandfather," she continued. She needed to find out why her mother had died. "Tell me what happened to my mother. What happened between you?"
Jessop Clifton sighed, and his eyes moved from Debbie to Alex.
This was the first time that the old man had seemed to notice him, and Alex immediately sat up straighter to introduce himself. "Hello, Mr. Clifton. My name is Alex."
"You don't have to be so polite, son. I know your family very well. Your grandfather Lincoln is a great man, and I've heard about you as well. I've heard you defeated Cliff Munson and Paul Novak. And so young, too. You have a bright future ahead of you."
Jessop knew more than he let on. Since the day before, he had learned from Rufus what had happened at the wedding, and he had also learned that Alex had been cut off by his family.
"My family has disowned me," Alex said. "My future doesn't involve them at all."
"I can't believe that Lincoln Ambrose would throw such a promising young talent out of his family," Jessop protested with feigned surprise. "In that case, what are your plans for the future?"
Alex thought for a second. "Mr. Clifton, to be honest with you, I don't know. Me and Debbie were supposed to get married yesterday. But Rufus said that when a Clifton gets married, they need your consent. That's why I'm here. You should know that Debbie and I already consider ourselves husband and wife, but we would like your blessing."
Jessop looked at them both with hesitation, while Rufus looks nervously at his father.
"Grandfather, I really like Alex. Please give us your blessing," Debbie said.
"Debbie, you've finally returned to us, and I'm very happy," Jessop answered. "I can see that this young man cares for you. But I can't judge his character in such a short time. What if he changes his mind? Then it's you who'll get hurt."
Alex and Debbie looked at each other. They couldn't understand why Jessop was so hesitant.
"I think it would be best if I got to know you better first," Jessop continued. "Let's give it three years. If I decide that he's worthy of being my son-in-law, I'll be happy to approve your marriage."
Neither Alex nor Debbie thought they could have heard him correctly. Three years seemed like an unreasonably long amount of time.
Jessop could see the doubt written on their faces. "We're a cautious family, and we have our own ways of doing things. We like to make these kinds of assessments over three-year periods. If you're truly right for each other, it'll seem like nothing compared to the rest of your lives."
"Besides, you're still very young," Rufus added. "You should finish school and get married once you're out of university."
Alex and Debbie smiled at each other. This comment from Rufus made the whole thing seem like a more reasonable request.
"All right, I agree," said Alex, and Debbie nodded.
"You're a bright young man," Jessop said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to having you for a son-in-law."
"Grandfather, you haven't answered my question," Debbie reminded him. "I need to know why you pushed my mother so hard."
Jessop's eyes darkened, and he shook his head. "I can't tell you right now. I hope you can understand."
"No," Debbie protested. "Tell me. Whatever the answer is, I'll accept it." She clenched her fist under the table.
"Debbie!" Rufus cried. "You don't understand. All your grandfather has ever done is to protect you. You need to stop asking these questions, or it could be very dangerous. Not only for you, but for the whole family."
Rufus' words took Debbie and Alex by surprise, and their curiosity mingled with fear. Debbie's mind was filled with questions about these people who were now her family, but she did not ask any more. She nodded silently at Jessop.
"Thank you for understanding, Debbie," he said solemnly. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I still have something I must ask of you. From now on, you must never reveal your true identity. Not even in front of other members of the family."
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