"But I don't think you like my brother, do you? He's always been your underling. No boss marries their underling."
"Marriage is less about liking someone and more about whether the person is suitable."
Joanna smiled self-deprecatingly. "Take me, for example. You know how much I loved a certain man in the past? And how did that work out?"
"It's hard for me to become close with someone, especially men. Liam has been by my side all these years – helping me, supporting me, warming my heart. He makes me feel at ease. I don't think there's anyone in this world more suitable for me than him."
'The reason you would think he's suitable for you is because he suppresses his own nature to appeal to you… no, that's not entirely right."
Clara frowned as she searched for the right words. "It's like he's hiding his sharp edges to cater to you. In truth, my brother is extremely cocky. He has lots of ideas, lots of ambition and he's very capable. Otherwise, he wouldn't be notoriously known as the "Little Demon King" in the City. He's not the cute little obedient puppy that he appears to be in front of you."
"I know."
Joanna said, "After all, your family earns money through the gray industries. Without some degree of ability and courage, how could you possibly keep the people in those industries in check? As the child Mr. Blackwood values the most, Liam will take over the Blackwood family one day. Of course he's not a cute little obedient puppy."
"If you know that, then don't joke with him…"
Clara was rarely this serious. She earnestly pleaded with Joanna, "My brother's feelings for you are sincere. He might look carefree and heartless, like nothing could bother him… but he's actually very loyal. When he falls in love, he falls in love for life. If you're not sure that he's the one for you, don't give him hope. I'm worried that he might spend the rest of his life trying to forget you."
Although Liam and her were always fighting, they were born together, so they knew each other very well.
No one knew better than Clara how much Liam loved Joanna.
And no one could say for sure whether Joanna had really gotten over Ace.
If Joanna got involved with Ace again, then her brother would get hurt!
"Don't worry, I know what you're worried about. The things you're worried about won't come true."
Joanna was very clear about what choices she should make. Her voice was firm. "Maybe Liam is not my Mr. Right, but he's definitely the man I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with. Our relationship has already transcended a normal relationship between a man and a woman."
"I'm glad to hear that. Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Clara nodded.
Although she had received assurances from Joanna, deep down in her heart, she still did not have high hopes for them. She could not help feeling like something would go wrong somewhere.
They soon arrived at the Pierce Residence.
There were always stories about the place being haunted, and it even burned down some time ago, so all the inhabitants nearby had moved away. The area had become a wasteland overgrown with weeds.
From a distance, the house looked gloomy and desolate. It was still cordoned off.
"Look what happened to the house I grew up in!"
Joanna frowned looking at the desolation before her.
This place carried the joyful memories of three generations of Pierces. It had a very special significance to her.
Seeing one's home in ruin was like seeing the most precious thing in one's heart being tainted. It was painful.
"Yeah. After the big fire, this place has become a forbidden area for the City's inhabitants. It's been abandoned for a long time and should be quite difficult to rebuild. You're better off just buying a new house…"
Clara sighed with a regretful look on her face.
To think that this place used to be known as a wealthy area. You really couldn't predict what would happen in life!fast update
'There can be many houses, but there's only one home. I'll definitely rebuild the Pierce Residence, no matter how difficult it is."
Besides dealing with some matters related to the Stellar Group, the main focus of Joanna's trip back to the City was to rebuild the Pierce Residence.
They pulled the cordon up, wanting to go in to take a look.
Suddenly, someone ran over and yelled at them. "Who are you people? You can't trespass on private property!"
"Private property?'
Joanna glared at the man with a frown.
The man was wearing a security guard uniform. He should be a staff member responsible for guarding this area.
"What are you talking about? This is my friend's house. How could it be your private property?"
Clara, who was notorious for her violent temper, yelled at the security guard, "We're going in right now. Get out of the way!"
"I don't care who owns this house, this land has been included within the scope of expropriation, which makes it a private property. Our boss said that no one can enter without his permission."
The security guard straightened up and replied fiercely.
"Hey, do you understand human language? Do you want me to beat you up?"
Clara rolled up her sleeves, looking like she was about to fight with the security guard.
She was not that good at fighting, but she knew Joanna was. With Joanna by her side, she was afraid of no one!
'You can beat me up, but even if you kill me today, I can't let you in. This is my job. If you keep causing trouble, I'll call for backup."
The security guard took out a walkie-talkie and said into it, "Headquarters, come in. Someone's causing trouble. Please send backup immediately. Over."
"Stop being unreasonable! I told you, this house belongs to my friend! How can you chase her away from her own house? This is preposterous!"
Clara could not stand it anymore. She walked up to the guard angrily. She was going to hit him for real.
Joanna was much calmer. She stopped Clara and spoke politely to the security guard. "Sorry, I'm the owner of this villa. I've been away for several years. Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
"Oh, so you're the homeowner that our boss couldn't reach…"
The security guard's expression softened a little. "Like I told you, this piece of land has been expropriated for the construction of a garbage treatment plant. Construction is planned to start at the end of this month. You came back just in time. You're the only homeowner who hasn't signed the expropriation agreement. Please sign it when you have the time."
Joanna's expression immediately turned serious. She asked, "This is a high- end residential area. Why would a garbage treatment plant suddenly be built here? Who made the decision?"
'The higher ups, of course. The garbage treatment plant is a municipal engineering project, designed based on reasonable city planning and layout… This area used to be a residential area, but everybody has moved out in recent years. The direction of the city's development plan for the next 10 years is "expanding to the north and the west", so the land here will no longer increase in value. That's why a garbage treatment plant will be built here."
The security guard spoke confidently.
Although he was only a common folk, he had the chance to hear about things like national affairs and urban planning, so he knew more than the average person.
Clara had heard enough. She said angrily, "If I understand correctly, you're saying that you guys are gonna demolish the house my friend grew up in that contains countless precious memories, then build a garbage treatment plant on top of it."
'Yup, that's right."
The security guard nodded and said, "This area is now closed to the public. No one can go in without permission. If you really are the homeowner, you better sign the expropriation agreement before it's too late. That way, you can at least get some compensation."
'What if I refuse?"
Joanna asked coldly.
'Then we would have no choice but to treat your house as an illegal building and demolish it by force."
The security guard spread his hands, indicating that there was nothing he could do about it.
After all, the power of the Municipal Planning Department would always be greater than the power of homeowners.
"I see."