Jonathan called his assistant, handed him a photograph, and said he wanted it edited. “Sure thing, Mr. Lynn. Just let me know which part of the image you want to keep.” Jonathan’s fingers brushed over Teresa’s face in the photo. “You know what I mean. Get it done. Bonus if it’s done well,” he added.

Not long after, the photo was edited. Now, it showed only Jonathan and Teresa. His head leaned toward hers; her smile was radiant and beautiful. Jonathan pulled out the engagement ring he’d been saving, murmuring to himself, “Before I leave, if I give this to you, would you accept it?”

After the engagement ceremony, Evelyn went to Teresouth Group to see Teresa. It was her first visit, and seeing Teresa looking sharp in her suit, Evelyn commented, “Guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you. You actually look pretty impressive.”

Teresa’s lips twitched with a smile. She’d waited so long for a little recognition, and now that it finally came, her feelings were complicated. But the next second, Evelyn said she was there because of Jennifer.

“I started a small business and made some money while I was abroad. This is for Hannah’s dowry,” Evelyn said, handing Teresa a bank card. “There’s 300,000 dollars in it. Give it to Hannah for me.”

Teresa pressed her lips together, something suddenly coming to mind. Evelyn seemed to know what she was thinking. “You were right before. I was biased. I felt guilty toward Hannah, so I gave her everything. I thought I’d already done enough for you, so when you married Jonathan, I didn’t give you a penny.”

“I figured you had your dad, and to be honest, I was just being stubborn and still bitter about him. Looking back, it was childish. After I remarried and had Isabel, I wanted a clean slate. A new life. A new family. So I stopped paying attention to yours.”

But what Teresa didn’t know was that on the day of the engagement, after she left, Jonathan had a long private talk with Evelyn about her. That day, Jonathan told Evelyn, “Teresa really loves you, and she craves your approval. She’s tough, but no matter how hard things get, she always handles it herself.”

He continued, “People say that parents should love their children equally, but I hope you can pay more attention to Teresa’s feelings. You didn’t come to our wedding, but you’ll come to Jennifer’s. That must have hurt her.”

“My story with Teresa is over. There’s 2.7 million dollars in this card. If Teresa ever remarries, please give it to her and tell her it’s from you, as her dowry. I think she’d be happy to accept it that way.”

Evelyn refused. “Jonathan, you don’t have to do this. And that’s way too much money. I can’t take it. If you really want to give it to her, do it yourself.”

“If I gave it to her, she wouldn’t accept it. I’m leaving Nareigh, and I probably won’t be back. We were married once. I just want her to have a better life than me, never have to worry about money, just live however she wants.”

“Jonathan, you still care about Teresa. If you want to get back together, make sure your mother accepts Teresa first.”

“Evelyn, to be honest, Teresa doesn’t love me. That’s why we divorced.”

“Is that so?” Evelyn snapped back to the present and looked at Teresa. “Let me ask you something. Did you divorce Jonathan because you didn’t love him?”

Teresa froze for a second and thought, Why is she suddenly asking this? She replied, “It’s none of your business. You don’t need to get involved. Jennifer already lectured me enough. Now you too.”

“Alright, I won’t meddle,” Evelyn sighed. “Hannah’s happy now, and like I’ve always said, I just want my daughters to be happy.”

“I’ve still got some savings, and I’ll try to put away more. When you remarry, I’ll make it up to you and give you the same dowry as Hannah.”

Teresa’s eyes turned a little red. If only she’d heard these words when she first got married, would things have turned out differently? She didn’t know. Would she marry again? She had no idea.

Teresa said, “Just hearing you say that makes me happy, Mom. You don’t have to give me anything. I’m not short of money anymore.”

“It’s what I owe you, and I’m giving it,” Evelyn said, standing up. “Right, I have to go pick up Isabel. Just give the card to Hannah for me, okay?”

“You really know how to make things difficult for me.”

“Hannah’s your real sister. What’s the big deal? It won’t take you too much time.”

Teresa didn’t argue further. She walked Evelyn out. Evelyn was driving her old Range Rover—the one she’d finally gotten back from a friend. She mentioned she was thinking about giving the car to Hannah. Even during the toughest times, she just couldn’t bring herself to sell this car.

Teresa said, “She’s got 300,000 dollars. You keep the car. Hannah already has one. The Mercedes she’s driving now was from me. Isn’t that enough for her dowry?”

“If you give the car to Jennifer, what will you drive?” Teresa shot back.

Evelyn let out a sigh. “Alright, just help me give the money to her. You can head back now; no need to see me off.”

“Yeah,” Teresa said. She actually had something she wanted to say to Jennifer.

When Teresa handed the card to Jennifer, Jennifer pressed her lips together. Knowing it was her dowry from Evelyn, she accepted it.

Jennifer said, “This is Evelyn’s way of paying me back for all the pain I went through as a kid. She owes me, so of course I’m taking it.”

Teresa frowned. “Everyone knows your childhood was rough. But that’s all in the past. You have a good husband, and you can finally be happy—happier than anyone else.”

Jennifer didn’t continue the topic. “How about having some tea before you go?”

“No. But I have a question for you,” Teresa said. “Your engagement went so smoothly, so you still haven’t told Donald about the DNA test, have you?”

“That’s right,” Jennifer answered without hesitation. “It’s the only way we can keep the peace.” She glanced at Teresa. “By the way, your ex-husband is leaving Nareigh tomorrow. Donald told me.”

Teresa suddenly went quiet and thought, Tomorrow, huh?

Teresa said, “He said a long time ago that he’d leave after your engagement party.”

“Good,” Jennifer said with a relaxed smile. Now that she was Donald’s fiancée, once Jonathan left, she wouldn’t have anything to worry about anymore.

Teresa continued, “Oh, and one more thing. That classmate of yours who came back from Shaville—does he know Jonathan?”

Jennifer raised her eyebrows. “You mean Sanford? He asked me about Donald and Jonathan. He said his family is friends with Jonathan’s dad, so maybe they know each other. He’s from Nareigh too.”

Chapter 379