CHAPTER 371: CHAPTER 371: YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I REPAY KINDNESS

"You seem to treat your brothers quite well."

Eleanor Hollis nestled in his embrace, speaking softly, surrounded by his scent.

Hugo Quinn held her tightly, hearing the sounds of fireworks outside.

Since midnight, people outside had been setting off fireworks, and they hadn’t stopped yet.

In the countryside, there were no bans on fireworks, and every household could set them off. Every year around this time, people set them off as a gesture to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one, so the sound of fireworks usually lasted for about half an hour.

Hugo and Eleanor naturally couldn’t sleep, so they stayed under the covers and chatted.

"They treat me well too; it’s mutual."

At Hugo’s level, he hardly ever made friends anymore. Most people wanted to befriend him just because of who he was, but those few were different; they had struggled together and knew each other inside out.

Eleanor’s eyes flickered. What left her speechless was that her friends were entangled with Hugo’s friends, and it seemed there wouldn’t be a good outcome.

She called Samantha Sullivan and Gloria Galloway, wishing them a peaceful new year, before finally closing her eyes in peace.

"I hope Samantha can be with Evan Yancy, and Gloria with Julian Sterling. Although there will still be many hardships, that’s my New Year’s wish."

Buried in Hugo’s embrace, she murmured these words and drifted off to sleep.

Hugo looked down at her, eyes filled with amusement. Her New Year’s wish didn’t mention anything about herself, and he didn’t know what to say about that.

He gazed outside, pondering his own New Year’s wish, then hugged Eleanor even tighter.

The following days were quite peaceful, but on the morning of the first day of the new year, Hugo received a call from Simon Quinn saying the old man’s condition had suddenly worsened.

He put down the phone, feeling antsy.

Going to visit the old man meant letting Eleanor down, but standing by idly felt like betraying the old man’s many years of upbringing.

Caught between the two, he felt utterly distressed.

"Go back to Serenford, the old man may owe me, but he doesn’t owe you anything."

Eleanor spoke softly, patting his shoulder.

"I’ll be fine. You’re the one seeing him, I’m not going."

Hugo looked at her, then nodded.

The three of them quickly got into the car to head back, bidding a hasty farewell to Bridget Sutton.

Bridget Sutton saw them off all the way to the village entrance.

Eleanor sat in the car, and through the rearview mirror, she could still see the elderly woman standing at the village entrance, unmoving, suddenly feeling sad.

Her eyes instantly reddened. She actually wanted to stay and accompany the old lady for a few more days.

"Mommy, eat this, it’s from great-grandma."

Marcus took out some fruit and placed it in front of her.

Eleanor, feeling sentimental, saw him and her sadness vanished instantly.

"Thank you, Marcus."

She took the orange and quietly peeled it.

Marcus’s eyes flickered, and suddenly, he burrowed into her arms.

"If you miss great-grandma, you can come often, daddy is busy with work and won’t accompany you, but I will."

Eleanor was completely warmed by his words, and she reached out to pinch his cheek.

If only this child were hers, so sensible and obedient.

She held Marcus in her arms, and the two of them leaned against the backseat, soon falling asleep.

Hugo played the role of the driver, hearing the sound of their breathing from the back, his heart softened.

By the time they arrived in Serenford, it was already evening. He was exhausted, but still summoned the strength to go to the hospital.

The old man was still struggling on the hospital bed, seemingly waiting to swallow his last breath. Seeing Hugo arrive, he relaxed his body and beckoned him over.

"Hugo, come here."

He patted the space beside him, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.

Hugo hurriedly sat down and held his hand.

"I wronged you, Hugo, I was wrong."

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t say what he did wrong. He originally wanted to tell Hugo about Marcus’s background so he could be at ease with Eleanor, but the strength in his body was gradually slipping away.

His mouth remained slightly open before it finally closed slowly.

Hugo’s heart shook, wanting to grasp his hand, but the warmth in it was quickly turning cold.

The old man just passed away like this, didn’t even hold on for a month.

He stared blankly at the man who had closed his eyes, feeling extremely troubled.

Simon Quinn stood by, stunned, and finally sighed with relief. He was an unfilial son, feeling relaxed only after the old man truly passed away, as if only then did his body and mind become his own.

In the days that followed, Hugo was very busy, busy preparing for the old man’s funeral.

Eleanor had great disdain for the old man and didn’t participate in any activities until Hugo prepared a memorial service at the old house. After dropping Marcus off, she was about to leave when Marcus called out to her.

"Mommy, aren’t you coming in with me?"

Marcus stood quietly outside the car, his eyes filled with curiosity.

He didn’t understand the situation between Grandpa and Mommy, only that Mommy didn’t seem to like him.

Eleanor hesitated for a moment before slowly getting out of the car. At least, she didn’t want the child to think she was a petty woman. After all, the old man was already dead, so why should she hold grudges against the deceased?

However, at the memorial service, she saw Rachel Lynch.

Rachel saw her from afar, nodded slightly, and slowly walked over.

Eleanor’s face instantly turned stiff, and she lowered her head to pat Marcus’s head.

"Marcus, go find your daddy first."

Marcus glanced at Rachel once and left obediently.

Left with just the two of them, Rachel hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"Is my son’s situation related to you? Eleanor, you weren’t like this before; you used to be very kind-hearted."

Rachel couldn’t believe that Eleanor would do such a thing.

"Before?"

Eleanor’s tone was full of sarcasm, and her lips curled up.

"Does Mrs. Lynch really know what I was like before? What I did was forced by some people’s dirty tactics. Your son might just be unable to walk temporarily, but I lost a child and will never have another one!"

Seeing her eyes filled with resentment, Rachel suddenly took a step back, all her accusing words stuck in her throat.

Only then did she realize just how estranged she had become from her daughter, who now saw her as an enemy.

"I am your mother, giving birth to you was the greatest grace one can give."

Still making excuses, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t at fault, that she too was forced.

Eleanor took a step forward, her gaze as sharp as a knife, scraping over Rachel’s face.

"You should be grateful I’m someone who repays kindness, otherwise, what your son would have lost is his life. If it weren’t for some small remaining affection, do you think he would still be alive now?"