They''d been petty and critical their whole lives, finding fault in everything. If they weren''t so good at tormenting Wendy, Joanna wouldn''t even want to acknowledge them.


    "Mom, you know I can''t take care of them," Joanna said, exasperated. Lately, the project with Nora had run into problems. Although the deal was signed, they were facing production issues, and she was already swamped. And she was due to start filming in a few days.


    Wendy''s eyes glinted. "Then what should we do? You know your grandparents. If no one is there to entertain them, they''ll throw a fit."


    "We have maids at home, Mom. Don''t worry about it. You just focus on Dad. I have to go." Joanna stood up abruptly. It was gettingte, and Sebastian still hadn''t called. He was paying less and less attention to her, and she knew she had to do something to win him back.


    Wendy watched her leave, shaking her head slightly. How had she been so blind to Joanna''s clumsy maniptions for all these years? Sometimes, you can know a person your whole life and never truly see them. She had lived with Nathan for over twenty years and had only just begun to understand the man he really was.


    Wendy gently helped Nathan lie back down, and heplied without a word. A flicker of hatred crossed her eyes. "Nathan, your parents are here. They''re upset because you didn''t send them their allowancest month, so they''vee to make a scene. You need to get better soon. Aren''t you the filial son? If you stay like this, I''ll have no choice but to sell yourpany to pay for their retirement."


    "No!" Nathan shot up, his eyes darting around nervously. Thepany might not look profitable on paper, but only he knew that he had been funneling its assets to his other wife and son. He started to wonder if Wendy was onto him. Did she know something?


    Wendy knew he was faking. It seemed Nathan was getting suspicious of her, too.


    "You shameless man," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "You don''t recognize your own daughter, but you certainly recognize yourpany. Are you really sick, ofis this all an act? Since you''re fine, you can go home and wait on your parents hand and foot. I''ve served them for over twenty years, and I''m tired. I''m too old to be ordered around by your mother every single day."


    "You''re my husband," she continued, her voice rising. "If you cared about me at all, you wouldn''t let your mother treat me like that. The


    With that, Wendy stormed out of the room.


    Nathan watched her go, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. What she said was true. She had shouldered the burden of thepany for years, and it had been


    hard on her. But wasn''t it a child''s duty to respect their parents?


    He nced down at his groin, a sharp pain piercing his heart. The doctor had told him that due to the medication, he would likely be impotent for the rest of his life. What


    was he going to do? And what had todo?


    happened earlier? For a moment, he genuinely hadn''t recognized Joanna. Was he really sick? His memory had been failing himtely, and he was constantly seeing things that weren''t there.


    He pped his own face, hard. The sting was real; he wasn''t dreaming. But why


    was he having these hallucinations?