Chapter 48: Stingy Man

"It's enough." Seren Thorne looked over the materials Sebastian North had given her, pinched her fingers to calculate for a moment, and quickly reached a conclusion.

"The will in George North's hands is indeed real, but your grandfather didn't know the beneficiary listed was George when he signed it.

"The old man's original intention was to pass the North family to you, but George deliberately sent you away and swapped the original will. He coaxed your grandfather into signing it while the old man was in a confused state of mind.

"After your grandfather signed, George stopped his medication, and the old man passed away just a few days later."

Hearing this, Sebastian clenched his fists.

His grandfather suffered from severe heart disease and had been treated in the hospital for months before his death. At the time, the doctor said his grandfather had at least half a year to live. When George sent him on a business trip, Sebastian thought he would see the old man again upon his return; he didn't even have time to visit his grandfather before departing.

By the time he returned from his trip, all that remained was a cold corpse.

He knew in his heart that his grandfather couldn't have died of natural causes, and there was definitely something fishy about the will. Unfortunately, George North was the one in power, and Sebastian’s strength at the time couldn't compete with him.

For over a year, he had been investigating the truth of his grandfather's death and the authenticity of the will, but he faced constant obstacles from various factions and made no progress. Half a month ago, he nearly lost his life because of it, only surviving because Evangeline Frost happened to pass by and save him.

If not for Seren’s help, he didn't know when he would have uncovered the truth.

He expressed his gratitude to Seren before continuing: "All the people who looked after my grandfather back then were dealt with by George. I can't contact any of them now, making it even harder to gather criminal evidence.

"I wonder if Mrs. Vane has a way to help me solve this problem? There will be a heavy reward upon success."

Seren replied, "Your uncle has a mistress named Ingrid. She has been with George for several years and holds plenty of evidence of his crimes.

"She hid this evidence secretly just so she could blackmail him for a large sum if he ever tried to kick her out. As long as you can provide the money, you should be able to get something out of her.

"Follow this lead, and it won't be long before the truth comes to light."

As long as it could be proven that Old Mr. North was deceived when signing the will, or that he had lost the capacity for judgment at that time, the will in George's hands would be void.

Sebastian nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Vane. I'll have someone transfer the agreed-upon fee to your card this afternoon."

The price they had agreed on was one hundred million. A transfer of such a large amount would involve complicated procedures and required the bank's processing time.

Seren was a bit surprised by Sebastian’s decisiveness. "You trust me that much? Aren't you going to wait until the matter is settled before paying?"

She hadn't had much interaction with Sebastian before. The fact that he sought her out for a reading was surprising enough, but he was so straightforward with the payment, acting as if he wasn't afraid of being scammed at all.

Sebastian smiled and said, "I believe in your abilities, Mrs. Vane. Besides, Mr. Vane is so wealthy that even if you did scam me, I could just go to him to get my money back."

At the mention of Alaric Vane, Seren looked disgusted. "That man is stingy as a miser; he wouldn't help me clean up my messes.

"Forget a hundred million; even if I owed someone a single dollar, he probably wouldn't help me pay it."

Just as she finished speaking, a cold, ghostly voice came from the doorway: "I thought you fell into the toilet, but it turns out you ran off to talk behind my back to an outsider."

Seren turned her head toward the door and saw Alaric Vane’s handsome but chillingly somber face.

Despite being caught red-handed badmouthing him, Seren didn't feel guilty. "Am I not telling the truth? You are stingy."

Alaric gave a cold "Heh" and said, "I originally planned to take you to handle the villa transfer this afternoon. It seems there's no need now, since I'm a man so stingy I wouldn't even spend a dollar on you."

The villa Alaric referred to was the property he had previously promised to transfer to Seren.

Hearing that her soon-to-be-acquired villa was flying away, Seren immediately changed her tune: "Who said you were stingy just now? Why didn't I hear it?

"Tell me who said it, and I'll drag them out and give them a beating to vent your anger!"

Alaric sneered: "Haha."

Seren smiled flatteringly: "Hehe."

Sebastian watched the two bickering, his thin lips slightly pursed. "Mr. and Mrs. Vane have a very good relationship."

Seren said on the surface: "Of course, he's my favorite person."

Inside: {Dog man is a stingy miser. Only a blind person would like him.}

Alaric’s face turned even darker, while Sebastian couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Since Mrs. Vane loves Mr. Vane so much, I wish you a hundred years of harmony together."

Alaric felt Sebastian’s words carried a hint of sarcasm and gave him a cold sweep of his eyes. Sebastian didn't back down, meeting his gaze with a fake smile, showing not a hint of fear.

Alaric’s relationship with Sebastian hadn't been particularly good or bad in the past, but today, he found everything about Sebastian annoying.

He stepped into the room and took Seren’s hand. "Now that the business is settled, let's go home. Don't disturb Lydia’s rest."

Seren agreed. Lydia was reluctant to see her go, so Seren comforted the girl for a while, exchanged WeChat contact info, and told her she could message at any time before finally leaving.

Once outside the villa and inside the car, Seren reached out to tug at Alaric’s sleeve, a flattering smile on her face.

"There's still some time before lunch. How about we go handle that transfer first?"

Alaric glanced at her sideways. "Not calling me stingy anymore?"

Seren said righteously, "Our CEO Vane is the richest man in the country! Not only are the benefits for your employees the highest in the industry, but you're incredibly generous to your family. Giving your wife a hundred-million-dollar villa just like that—you're so magnificent!"

A great woman knows when to yield and when to stand tall. For the sake of her grand villa, Seren went against her heart to shower Alaric with several lines of flattery.

Sitting beside her, Alaric watched her praise him on the outside while her inner voice frantically complained about him being stingy and nitpicky. He almost laughed out of sheer annoyance.

A woman's mouth is a lying ghost.

However, he never intended to take back his promise. Ultimately, he had the driver turn around to find the agent to handle the paperwork.

Seren thought Alaric had changed his mind because he was floating from her flattery, and she grumbled in her heart about the dog man being conceited.

Alaric closed his eyes to rest.

Can't hear it, can't hear it.

An hour later, Seren held the freshly issued property deed. Seeing only her name on the owner page, her joy was beyond words.

Seeing her so happy, the corners of Alaric’s lips curled up unconsciously. He reached out to pinch her fair, soft little face. "We have some time left. I'll take you to see the house."

Seren had already seen photos and videos of the house on a tablet, but she hadn't visited it in person yet, so she immediately agreed.