"Hint?" Joanna listened in confusion. She gave Old Mr. Moran the black pearl in the hopes that it might bring him health and peace. What did she hint at him? How could she not know?
"As soon as I saw the pearl, I thought of how it symbolized fertility and childbirth…"
Old Mr. Moran's face turned grim. He sternly questioned Ace, who was kneeling on the ground. "You b*stard. Tell me honestly. Are the rumors true? Did you really knock up another woman behind Joan's back?"
Since the matter had digressed to this point, Ace found no reason to hide anymore. Although he was still on his knees, he kept his back straight and said with a cold and firm voice, "Now that you know, I have nothing to say. The child does indeed have the bloodline of the Moran family. It needs a legitimate identity and a competent father."
"You!" Old Mr. Moran held his chest and almost skipped a breath. Then, he slammed his cane on Ace's back with no mercy. "You fool!"
"That child needs a legitimate status and respect. What about Joan? Have you ever considered her feelings? She's your wife! Over the years, hasn't Joan n been devoted to everyone in the family, including you and me?"
"You're the closest person to her, yet you don't care for her or love her. Fine, but how could you hurt her?!"
Old Mr. Moran became angrier as he spoke. With authority, he ordered, "I don't care. Send this immoral woman to the hospital right now and get rid of your illegitimate child!"
"I'll only accept you and Joan's children to the family. I won't recognize anyone else!"
Ace kept his head down and outright refused. "I'm sorry. I can't comply."
Ace's reply was the last straw. Old Mr. Moran was seriously pissed.
"Great. You're so stubborn, aren't you? You won't even listen to me because of a woman. If this is it, I'll serve you with the family punishment!"
Old Mr. Moran opened the bookcase after saying that. He took out a long whip and struck it at Ace without warning.
"I haven't used this whip for years. I'll let it end your life today, or I won't be able to answer my dear friend!"
Old Mr. Moran was a soldier who didn't fool around with the whip. He hit so hard that Ace could feel the pain shooting into the bone.
Ace remained silent as excruciating pain split his back. Even so, his lips kept themselves shut without so much as a grunt or frown.
If this would ease Grandpa's anger, he was more than willing to accept the punishment!
Joanna stood by with no intention of intervening. After all, Ace was a grown man towering at nearly 190 centimeters. Taking a few lashes was no big deal. He would not die from it.
However, Joanna did not expect Grandpa Moran to beat his own grandson so severely.
After a few lashes, Ace's shirt was ripped open, and his open wounds bled. Even so, begged for no mercy, vowing to protect his child with Alice to death.
Joanna was Ace's ex-wife, but Ace's deep love for Alice and their child only made her seem pathetic and redundant.
Lurch, the butler, was anxiously sweating outside the study. He mustered his courage and tried to persuade Old Mr. Moran. "Master, stop it! If you continue this, he will die!"
"Master Dylan is already gone. If anything happens, that'll be the end of the Moran family!"
Old Mr. Moran did not soften up and whipped Ace harder. "So be it! It's better to end such heartless blood in the Moran family!"
After a while, Old Mr. Moran asked Ace again. "So, will you repent? Will you ask that woman to abort your child?"
Ace answered with nothing but silence. His face had turned pale because of the pain, and soon, his forehead became sweaty.
When Joanna saw that Old Mr. Moran was about to swing the whip again, she hurried in front of Ace and pleaded, "Grandpa, don't hit him! He's not at fault. I don't blame him!"
"Joan, what are you doing? Move aside!"
Old Mr. Moran tried to withdraw the whip, but it was slightly slow. The whip left a bloody red mark on Joanna's arm, stinging her with pain.
Ace saw the situation and quickly pulled her over. He took a closer look at her injured arm and frowned at the red mark. "Don't meddle in my affairs!" he hissed coldly.
Just when Old Mr. Moran was about to praise his grandson for not being too heartless, he saw a little red book fall out of Joanna's shirt pocket…
The chaos in the room instantly came to a halt. Everyone was staring straight at the little red book.
"Sh*t!"
Joanna quickly crouched down and tried to hide the book. However, it was too late. The divorce certificate was clearly printed on the cover.
The message was blaring loudly despite the silence in the room. Ace and Joanna were divorced!
"You… You two…" Old Mr. Moran held his chest, looking in pain.
"Grandpa!"
Ace and Joanna both ran to help Old Mr. Moran at the same time.
Old Mr. Moran, however, shook Ace's hand away and chided coldly, "Don't call me grandpa. I can't accept it. You're all grown up, and you've stopped listening to me. How dare you sneakily divorce Joan! Are you trying to kill me?!"
"In that case, I'll do as you wish…" Old Mr. Moran suddenly pulled open the drawer and took out a loaded pistol. He said with a sad look, "This gun saved my life many years ago. Joan's grandfather gave it to me. I'm too ashamed to live anymore. I better go to meet Joan's grandfather and confess!"
After that, Old Mr. Moran pointed the gun directly to his head and appeared like he would pull the trigger at any time.
"Grandpa, no!"
Joanna and Acr were so scared that their faces turned white. They didn't dare to move an inch.
Ace appeared calmer than them. He said expressionlessly, "Grandpa, stop it. I made a mistake. You can punish me as you like, but don't fool around with your life. When Grandma does this, it works. But… this is really very childish."
When Ace was a child, he lived with his grandparents and shared a strong connection with them. He knew his grandparents' personalities and tricks like the back of his hand and could easily see through their deception.
"Fool around?"
Old Mr. Moran enunciated each word slowly with a stern face and a serious tone, "I'll give you three days. First, abort your child with that woman. Second, remarry Joan."
"If you don't do it in three days, you'll know how serious I can get!"
Old Mr. Moran was not kidding. A soldier was a man of promise, not to mention it was a promise made to his sworn brother.
Three years ago, he promised Joan's grandfather that the Moran family would be responsible for Joanna and that Ace would care for her for the rest of his life. Despite that, Ace broke his promise and made Joan suffer so much. It was only fair that he atone for his sins through death!
"I disagree!"
Joanna spoke before Ace could say anything. "I was the one who asked for the divorce. Remarriage is impossible."
"Silly girl. What are you thinking? Why are you still defending this brat?"
Old Mr. Moran said with distress, "I know you loved him so much. How could you be the one to initiate the divorce? He must have been bewitched by the evil woman and forcefully divorced you. Don't be afraid! I'll back you up!"
"Grandpa, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Although Ace and I were married, we had no feelings for each other. We divorced to pursue our happiness."
Joanna silently clenched her fingers, trying to stay sensible and maintain a sober look. "We both have someone else now. Being tied will only do us harm, so please give us your blessings."
"What…" Old Mr. Moran was flabbergasted to discover that Joanna was the one who initiated the divorce.
He had always believed that this silly girl was deeply in love with his grandson. How did her feelings change so suddenly? It was simply too bizarre!
"Fine, forget it. This brat has been cold and unloving since young. He only cares about his work. Now that he has cheated, he probably can't give you happiness. It's good that the divorce happened."
"However, you remain my good granddaughter despite being divorced. Come and spend time with me whenever you're free. If you need any help, just ask!"
Old Mr. Moran held Joanna's hand with a face full of kindness. However, it immediately turned grim as he turned to face Ace. "As for you, kneel in the family's memorial chamber for three days and three nights and reflect on yourself!"
"I understand!" Ace lowered his head and accepted the punishment willingly. Even so, his mood suddenly turned sour for some reason.