"Just do as Marianne suggests," Amanda declared with a stern voice that carried the weight of years, "Take back Perry's house and kick his wife and kids out. Suspend people from the Brown family without pay and never let them get their jobs back until Perry shows up."
She paused, her gaze hardening before continuing, "The Brown family's city house also belongs to the Clark family. Take it back. Let them roll back to the countryside."
Laverne burst into tears. "My parents are old, and they’ve sold their country home. Where will they live if you force them out?"
Amanda was unsympathetic. "They can live wherever they please. They didn't care about Ryan's well-being, and why should I care about theirs?"
Ryan wasn't going to stand up for Laverne this time. He even rubbed it in.
"Grandma, Uncle Perry went down to Vegas and blew three million. Mom has covered for him without telling you. We need to get that money back."
Amanda rounded on Laverne with a tirade. "You little tramp, you’ve been sneaking and funneling our money to your family, huh?"
Inside, Marianne felt a twisted sense of satisfaction, the thrill of delivering a fatal blow to enemies.
"My advice is to go to court right away. We can blacklist Perry and freeze his credit cards so he can't afford a hotel stay. He'll have to call the Brown family for help, and then we'll know where he's hiding."
Amanda nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, let's sue him. Make him pay."
Laverne was in a dilemma and torn between her only son and her beloved brother.
"Don't push too hard," she pleaded. "This is about giving out a kidney, not giving blood. Losing a kidney is a big deal. Anyone would be scared. The more you press Perry, the more resentful he'll become and the less likely he is to come forward."
Quentin gave her a scornful look. "You didn't have that attitude when you requested Marianne to donate a kidney. You cried and wailed in front of me and Mom, saying you'd tie her up if necessary to get a match. Why the change of attitude with your brother?"
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