Chapter 131: In the Shadows

Since early morning, Henry had bombarded Wendy's phone with messages. They all centered on whether he could visit to wish Mandy a happy new year—and, conveniently, see Wendy. His tone carried a hint of resentment, almost as if he were tattling. He wrote, "I was already at your doorstep, and I didn't even get to see you. Is Mr. Goodman upset or something? From now on, do I have to go through him just to see you?"

That passive-aggressive guilt trip was unmistakable. Wendy would have to be a fool not to see it.

Wendy replied, "There have been people at home lately, including my mom… maybe another time. I'm heading out of town for work on the fourth, and won't be back until the tenth. Let's talk after I return."

Henry wrote, "Working on Christmas too? That's so lonely. Let me come with you."

Wendy responded, "Work's not really something you should get involved in. Besides, how about you sort things out with Franklin first?"

If he intended to use Franklin to pressure her, she'd let him suffer the consequences.

Henry replied, "Wendy, let me explain. Franklin genuinely had a scheduling conflict, but I'll sort it out immediately. It won't affect your plans, I promise."

That's where Wendy stopped replying. When it suited him, he had time. When it didn't, suddenly her work was tossed aside? Who did he think he was?

To be honest, Henry's game wasn't up to par. Perhaps it was because he'd been excluded from the Harrison family's core affairs for years; he'd become disconnected from the business world. With that lack of awareness, she couldn't imagine what future the Harrison family could possibly have in his hands.

She still believed Mario was the better bet. Typhoon Corp only ran so smoothly under Caesar because of Mario. She'd actually heard the name Peter Parker long ago, back when Caesar hadn't yet reclaimed control of the Meyer family. During that early power struggle, she already knew who Peter Parker was, even though, at the time, he was just a low-level department manager in Meyer Group. Mario was clearly Bruno's son; their tactics were nearly identical.

That evening, they met Mario for dinner.

"Finally got out," Caesar sighed with relief as he and Mario arrived at the restaurant. Home had been unbearable. As Caesar's partner, Mario naturally spent Christmas with him—but the Meyer family's treatment was appalling. The ridicule, the sarcasm… nothing was off-limits. Some even tried to sound supportive, saying things like, "You can be together, sure, just keep it discreet. No need to bring him into the company, and definitely don't go parading him around."

Then, and Bruno genuinely wanted to marry Mario's mother and make it official. But the Harrison family wouldn't allow it. To protect her, Bruno had no choice but to keep her hidden. And now they wanted Caesar to do the same with Mario.

"My mother already spent her life living in the shadows just to give birth to me. Since I'm alive, then for the rest of my life, I will live in the open. I will be seen. I will be acknowledged," Mario stated.

At the Watering Hole, Wendy and Ash double-checked the menu before sending it to the kitchen.

Chase said to Mario, "They're just trying to provoke you. Don't let it get to you."

Mario gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I'm not mad. They don't know who I really am. If they knew I was the illegitimate son the Harrison family's been searching for all these years, they'd probably tie me up and personally deliver me to the Harrison mansion."

Not that they had the power to do that anymore.

Caesar said, "I'm planning to marry Mario abroad next year. Let's see what they say then."

Stuff like that was totally normal overseas. Both of them had studied abroad, so of course, they were open to it.

"Caesar, you have to understand, the Meyer family rejecting Mario has nothing to do with who he is. It's all about you," Wendy said.

Caesar nodded. "Exactly why I want Mario to be seen, to be treated with dignity. Speaking of which, how's the Harrison side of things?"

"Henry showed up at my place on Christmas, said he wanted to wish my mom a happy new year. Chase stopped him at the door. He was still whining about it to me last night," Wendy said. Chase glanced at her. She added, "Go look up the chat logs. He messaged me, asking if you were mad at him."

Mario shook his head helplessly. "The Harrison family's done for if they leave it to someone like him. From what I've heard, my father was never like this."

"I still think Henry's adopted," Wendy said.

The whole table burst into laughter. Sammy came in with Zynn, followed lastly by Waylon and Lemon. The look on their faces said it all; they were probably exhausted from dealing with their families all day. One could already see it when they met up with Lemon earlier.