Chapter 3640

Holden silently cursed Clarissa, knowing he had no choice but to return. As long as Clarissa remained alive and the matriarch, he would follow her directives without question; if she told him to go east, he would go east, and if she instructed him to go west, he wouldn’t dare venture north.

Despite the dangers that loomed over tonight’s banquet, he felt compelled to face them alongside her. “Tonight’s dinner is undoubtedly fraught with peril,” Holden remarked.

“You three should stay close to Kathryn. I can guarantee your safety. Your mother will ensure nothing happens to her only daughter, so as long as you stick with Kathryn, you will be safe.”

Marco frowned. “Dad, that’s just your opinion. We’re all your sons. If there’s real danger, why would Mom call us all back? Don’t overthink it.”

Holden shot Marco a glare. “You never listen to me. If you had and returned to our Janzen family, I wouldn’t have to worry tonight. Yet here you are, still not listening. Your mother despises me.”

She typically avoids seeing me, and now she suddenly wants me to come back? Do you really think it’s merely for the family to be together for the New Year? Why hasn’t she called back all your siblings? Even if your mother plans to take me with her when she dies, I would still return.

I’m over seventy; I’ve lived long enough. I want to see what Mr. Jimenez, who has occupied your mother’s heart for all these years, looks like. Mr. Jimenez has always been superior to me, holding a cherished place in Clarissa’s heart for decades.

Now, as everyone ages, Mr. Jimenez still holds a unique significance in Clarissa’s life. If those from Wiltspoon possess evidence, tonight’s dinner will undoubtedly be explosive. Holden was eager to witness how everything would unfold.

Clarissa would feel devastated when Mr. Jimenez, along with others, accused her of murdering her sisters to seize power. Being accused and scorned by the man she loved most would be more painful than death itself. How could Holden overlook such a dramatic scene?

“Anyway, listen to me. If you don’t, don’t blame me if something happens,” Holden warned before leaving his three sons and returning to his guest room.

He turned on the light, walked to the bed, and sat down. As he glanced at the bedside table, he noticed the family photo he kept there. He picked up the frame and revealed a hidden picture behind the family portrait.

It was their wedding photo, taken on the day he and Clarissa got married. Most photographs from that time were in black and white, and he had preserved this one in perfect condition.

However, Clarissa had never kept their wedding photos. After their marriage, Holden wanted to hang their wedding photo in their room, but Clarissa refused. There wasn’t a single wedding photo displayed in the entire house.

Holden knew she didn’t value it. So, he kept the wedding photos himself, holding onto them for decades. But what did it matter? Someone who didn’t love him never would. Now, Mr. Jimenez was back, intent on killing Holden and destroying all his cherished memories.

Holden opened a drawer, took out a lighter, and set fire to the wedding photo of him and Clarissa. Their relationship had ended when she caught him cheating and gave him an ultimatum.

Though their marriage was over, they stayed together for the sake of their interests, children, and grandchildren. Or perhaps there was never truly a relationship—only his own wishful thinking. He watched as the photo burned.

Even after treasuring it for a lifetime, he realized he was never the one in Clarissa’s heart.