Isabelle tidied her hair and slowly headed downstairs. Instead of walking out to meet Elder Mr. Bailey, she decided to take a seat on the living room sofa.
Leaning onto the sofa, she looked a little dazed. Since when did she first notice something wrong with Elder Mr. Bailey?
Technically, she had first noticed the signs from Old Mr. Bailey. After that, through her observation and eavesdropping, she realized that her dad was only acting on the orders of her grandfather.
Distressed, she covered her face but could not think of anything else. Sometime later, Elder Mr. Bailey returned from his walk. One could tell that after some walking, his spirits were lifted even though he was worn out by it.
Seeing that, she quickly invited him to take a seat for a chat. The main reason she did so was out of fear that he would go upstairs and accidentally find out about the security safe incident.
Without much thought, Elder Mr. Bailey took a seat following her suggestion. She took the chance to ask him about how to deal with Dexter’s funeral proceedings. Although he passed away young, they still needed to observe some long-held customs for his passing.
The old man turned his head and stared out for a long time before saying, “Just place his urn at the funeral home. He’s too young, so it’s not the time to bury him yet.”
Based on traditional customs, since Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey were both alive, Dexter should not be buried before the elders. Isabelle had no clue about these customs, nor did she care. They didn’t treat Dexter well when he was still alive. What’s the point of obsessing over the details after he’s dead?
She simply grunted an agreement and suggested that her grandpa advise her dad whenever possible. According to her, her dad would not listen to anything coming from her. But he had always respected Elder Mr. Bailey, so he would likely accept any advice from him.
Elder Mr. Bailey took a glance at her and appeared both relieved and satisfied. “You’re the most filial, and I’ve not misjudged your character. You’re such a good kid.”
She stared at him momentarily and slowly looked down. “It’s my duty.”
After they stayed in the living room for a while, a servant came down from the second floor to report that Mrs. Bailey was going through another meltdown. Powerless, Isabelle stood up and followed the servant up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, she stood still and slightly turned around to take a peek at Elder Mr. Bailey. He placed both of his hands on his walking stick and was deep in thought. A while later, he took out his phone from the pocket. However, he didn’t send any text or make any calls. It seemed that he was only checking something.
Seconds later, Isabelle turned around and proceeded to her mom’s room. Mrs. Bailey was indeed traumatized so much that she started babbling nonsense, claiming that she could see Dexter searching for her and crying.
Right now, Mrs. Bailey was sleeping separately from her husband. Both were in bad condition and could not be placed in the same room out of fear of trouble.
Isabelle went up to give her mom a hug. In a low voice, she comforted her mom, “Think of Dad. If you keep acting like this, how is he supposed to live the rest of his life?”
Upon hearing that, Mrs. Bailey promptly burst into tears. “Why would I care about that? He forced my son to take his own life!”
She continued crying hysterically. “If he had not pressured Dexter, would Dexter be forced to commit suicide? My son would have still been alive. It’s all his fault! It’s their fault!”
Isabelle helped to comb her mom’s hair. “There’s no point crying about that now. From now on, you need to take good care of yourself. We can’t have another family member harmed. Do you know that I’m at the brink of breaking down?”
Mrs. Bailey looked up at Isabelle, tears strewn across her face. Finally, she reached out to hug Isabelle and started sobbing. Soon, Elder Mr. Bailey came up from the living room, passed by Mrs. Bailey’s room, and peeked in.
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