Chapter 21 But just at that moment, Vicente called, and the first thing he did was unleash a torrent of abuse: "Theodore! Why haven't you been answering your phone? You ungrateful son, what have you done to your brother? You're nothing but a monster who harms his own flesh and blood!" Theodore had heard such accusations more times than he could count over the years. Ever since it was confirmed that he had a congenital heart disease, the power-hungry Vicente had excluded him from the line of succession. He had found many lovers and fathered numerous illegitimate children. Although Blanche loved the child who was her own flesh and blood, Theodore was not her only child, so naturally, she didn't care much about him. From childhood to adulthood, aside from this group of friends, the only one who had steadfastly stayed by his side was Katherine. After gaining power and believing he could control everything, Theodore once thought that Katherine could stay with him for a lifetime. He never expected it would last only five short years. On the other end, Vicente continued to fan the flames: "You walked out of the wedding that day on a whim, clearly not caring about the partnership between our families." "Fortunately, Cecelia was able to take charge and found someone to stand in for you and complete the wedding. Hur- ry back and register your marriage with her. If you do, I'll let bygones be bygones." Ever since Theodore had forcefully taken all of Morgan's assets, Morgan was no longer Vicente's favorite son. Everyone could guess that Vicente's call to hold Theodore accountable was just a pretext to achieve some ulterior mo- tive. But no one expected that the Acrea family would be so bold as to have Cecelia take Katherine's place in marriage. Thinking back to the investigation, Katherine had never been favored since childhood, while Cecelia, the illegitimate daughter, had become a well-known lady of high society. This made everyone furious. But compared to everyone's righteous indignation, Theodore seemed as emotionless as a wooden puppet. He hung up the phone, moved his back that ached so much it had gone stiff, and got up to head to the Acrea's villa. When the Acrea family received the news, they thought Theodore had agreed to the arrangement with Cecelia and were overjoyed. 0.0% 09:45 55.4 % ፡ They never expected him to stride in with dozens of bodyguards, exuding an overwhelming presence. Meanwhile, the disheveled Winifred was being forced along at the back by the bodyguards. Henry had a bad feeling in his heart, but Cecelia still wanted to take one more gamble. She walked toward Theodore, shy and timid. Cecelia and Katherine bore a fifty percent resemblance to each other. Although Katherine had never lacked food or clothing as a child, no one had ever cultivated her, so her bearing was somewhat lacking. After Maverick's death, she lost half her spirit, so she always seemed cautious and as if her soul had left her body. Cecelia, on the other hand, had received Henry's wholehearted guidance since childhood, taking classes, learning makeup, and undergoing cosmetic treatments. There was not a single flaw on her, and she was the picture of nobility. Recently, hearing about how Theodore had gone mad for Katherine, she had gained some confidence. After all, what Theodore liked was that face. If Katherine could do it, why couldn't she? But Theodore suddenly grabbed her by the neck and effortlessly lifted her up. Tears of fear streamed down Cecelia's face as her legs kicked helplessly, her fingernails digging deep into the back of Theodore's hand. Blood flowed from the wounds, but Theodore seemed completely unaware. Pinned to the ground by the bodyguards, Henry was frantic. "Mr. Bagnall, Mr. Bagnall, let's talk this out. Cece is your wife, you..." "My wife?" Theodore laughed coldly. "My wife has always been Katherine and only Katherine. What does the Acrea family or Cecelia have to do with it?" As he spoke, he looked indifferently at Cecelia, whose makeup was ruined from crying and whose eyes had rolled back. Seeing that her tears were about to fall on his hand, he finally threw Cecelia to the ground in disgust. 09:44 Chapter 23 With a boud crash, all the bodyguards surged forward and smashes the Astara illa into pieces. Only then did Theodore realize that all the things Henry had tok him aisut katherine's preferences were actually just Cecelia's hikes, cleverly substituted. No wonder that day, after Katherine disappeared, the Acrca family calmly let Cecelia take Katherine's place. No wonder not a single person questioned whether it was wrong for him in suddenly swap his wife. It turned out that ever since the Aerea family told him what style the wedding should be, the trap had already been set. Bast... how did the Aerea family know for sure that Katherine wouldn't be able to attend the wedding? Theodore made a gesture: "Go investigate the relationship between the Aerea family and Morgan." It was only upon hearing this name that the Acrea family finally began to pante. Just as they were about to say something, their mouths were all simultaneously gagged by Theodore's men. Not long after, the connection between the Acrea family and Morgan was laid out before Theodore. It turned out that when the Bagnall family and the Acrea family were discussing a marriage alliance, the Acrea family had prepared for two possible outcomes. And the original intended couple for the alliance was Morgan and Cecelia, But just then. Theodore's illness worsened, and his grandfather strongly insisted on the marriage to bring good for- time, hoping to secure his grandson's position. The Acrea family was unwilling to let Cecelia marry the sickly Theodore, so they switched her out for Katherine. And during the recent kidnapping, the Acrea family played a part, intending for Cecelia to marry Theodore while car- rying Morgan's child. After the assistant finished speaking, Henry struggled free from his restraints and hurriedly clarified, "That's not true! The child was just a lie to trick Morgan, How could someone as useless as him..." "Take them all away and prosecute them. Say they're accomplices in the murder of my beloved. Make sure they get the beaviest sentence." Theodore completely lost his patience and turned to leave. But behind him, Cecelia burst out laughing, "Theodore, you're the real fool!" "Katherine never loved you. The only reason she agreed to marry you was because we tricked her into believing your 00% 09:45