Chapter 2 Hypocritical Relatives

Avery trembled with anger. Was this really her own brother and mother?

They were worse than strangers!

Avery huffed, "Mom, I'll say it one more time—I'll never divorce Jeremy."

Stella sneered, "Fine, if you won't divorce him, then you can get out with him. Now!"

Teddy stepped forward, ready to shove Jeremy's wheelchair.

Avery quickly shielded Jeremy. They couldn't stay in this house another minute.

The two of them were unceremoniously kicked out. They didn't live there regularly anyway; the family had long since forced them out, thinking Jeremy's disability was a nuisance.

Behind the door, Teddy grumbled, "Mom, if Avery doesn't marry Mr. Johnson, we'll miss out on that thirty million dollars."

He had been seduced by the idea of thirty million dollars long ago, not to mention the 100 pounds of gold.

Once the money entered their household, it would all be Teddy's in the end!

Moreover, if Orion became his brother-in-law, Teddy could act with impunity in Dreamville.

Stella scolded, "Teddy, think about it, If Jeremy, that cripple, dies in our house, what will people say about us? No one cares about him. Even if he dies, no one will mind."

Teddy's eyes lit up and responded, "Mom, I get it. I'll handle it. I'll even buy some insurance on him first so we can make some money off it later."

Teddy had a lot of experience with insurance fraud; he had done it numerous times before.

After being thrown out of the Thomas Mansion, Avery pushed Jeremy's wheelchair and muttered, "Jeremy, we can't delay Grandma's treatment any longer. Maybe we should go see my sister!"

Her eldest sister worked at the Thomas family's company in a mid-level management position, earning several thousand dollars a month.

Moreover, Avery's sister had always helped them privately. If they went to her, she surely wouldn't treat them with the same harshness as Avery's brother and mother.

Jeremy shook his head and murmured, "No need!"

After a moment's pause, Jeremy continued, "Can't you see? Your sister's salary is probably already gone. The money she gives us is what she saves up."

Although Jeremy had mobility issues, he was acutely aware of their indifference.

In the Thomas family, only Avery's eldest sister, Anna Thomas, was bearable to interact with. However, Anna had a birthmark on her face, and despite her good figure, no one was willing to marry her.

She was nearly thirty and still unmarried. Stella kept her at home only because of the salary Anna earned from working at the family company.

With an expression of guilt, Avery whimpered, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If I hadn't agreed to give your compensation money to my mom, this wouldn't have happened."

She truly felt remorseful. She had thought that keeping the money with her mother would ensure its safety for the family.

In hindsight, it was clear that Stella had intentionally schemed to get the money from her.

Jeremy held Avery's hand and said softly, "It's all right. It's just a few million dollars, not a big deal."

In his perspective, a few million, tens of millions, or even billions of dollars were just numbers. Once, as the head of StormDragon, his assets were worth several trillion dollars.

He simply couldn't reveal his identity for fear of being discovered by his enemies.

Moreover, he couldn't be certain how many of those who had once followed him had now turned traitor, potentially involved in the incident three years ago, and how many still remembered him as the formidable StormDragon.

"But what about Grandma's surgery costs?" Avery's face was filled with worry. Some things could be postponed, but not the surgery payments.

Despite Jeremy's filial intentions, she felt helpless, blaming herself for being useless.

Jeremy reassured her, "It's all right, let's go to the hospital first."

In the Inpatient Wing from Dreamville CarePoint Hospital!

As soon as Jeremy and Avery appeared at the doorway of the hospital room, a few individuals surrounded them.

"So, did you get the money?"

"Your grandma's illness can't be delayed; it was no small feat for her to raise you!"

"Jeremy, with all that compensation, you can't be unwilling to spare this bit of money, can you?"

These individuals were all relatives of Jeremy.

They had been eyeing Jeremy's compensation money for a long time.

The $100,000 required for the surgery was an amount any of these three families could easily afford, yet they insisted it was Jeremy's responsibility since his grandmother had raised him, pressuring him to pay.

"Everyone, we will definitely cover the surgery costs; can you first advance the money? We promise to repay you later," Avery pleaded with Jeremy's relatives.

"We have no money!"

"Neither do we, my son just got married, and we spent tens of thousands of dollars; I had to borrow money from others!"

"My daughter just bought a house; she's carrying a mortgage of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Where would we get the money?"

"Jeremy, if your grandma passes away because there's no money for the surgery, it's all your fault. She raised you, and this is how you repay her?"

They even tried to shift the blame onto Jeremy.

Jeremy shouted, "Silence!"

"Shame on all of you! When Grandma's old house was acquired and compensated with all that money, I didn't take a cent. You took all of it. And now, when Grandma is sick, you begrudge even the $100,000 needed for her surgery. You still have the nerve to talk about me!" Jeremy snapped.

Frustrated by his time at the Thomas Mansion and seeking an outlet for his anger, Jeremy was on the brink of an outburst.

His politeness towards the Thomas family was solely due to Avery, who had selflessly cared for him for three years; he owed her that much respect.

As for his own relatives, they had always despised him since childhood. Without his grandmother, he would have starved long ago.

Moreover, Jeremy was no longer the person they once knew. He had become the formidable StormDragon, a man who had risen through slaughter and bloodshed.

Facing these people, he naturally harbored no affection.

"Jeremy, how dare you say that!"Jeremy’s aunt, Cinda Taylor, sneered, "Your grandmother gave you everything she had to raise you. It's your turn to pay it."

"You such a cripple, your grandmother still secretly took care of you, even giving you all her savings. You think we don’t know that? Now that she's ill, if you don't take care of her, who will?" Cinda babbled with anger.

Jeremy's uncle, Zack Taylor, added indignantly, "Exactly, now you're losing your temper at us. You should've died on the battlefield. If it weren't for you burdening your grandmother, making her work at her age to support you, she wouldn't have gotten sick."

A cold glint flickered in Jeremy's eyes as Avery grasped his hand, gently shaking her head to prevent him from speaking, fearing an endless argument.

She understood Jeremy's anguish; these past three years, his efforts to regain his strength had indeed drained a considerable amount of money.

At that moment, a nurse emerged, addressing the group, "Family of Kassy Baker, the patient is awake. Who is Jeremy? She wants to see Jeremy."