"How are things with Eden''s case?" Mr. Thompson Sr. asked coldly.


    "The investigation is nearlyplete. Thewyers say he''s looking at a minimum of ten years,” Frank replied honestly.


    Eden had been incredibly reckless, smuggling arge quantity of illegal contraband. Since the investigation hadn''t implicated the Walker family, Eden was positioned as the mastermind, with all previous intercepted shipments now being pinned on him.


    If not for the Thompson Group''s legal team pulling strings behind the scenes, Eden would be facing far more than ten years.


    "Eden didn''t give up the Walker family?" Mr. Thompson Sr. asked.


    Mr. Thompson Sr. knew exactly what Eden was—and wasn''t-capable of.


    He was keenly aware of the capabilities of all his grandsons, not just Eden, but Noah and Bet as well.


    At the time, he''d felt a pang of regret over Noah''s car ident. And when Bet initially chose to study music, Mr. Thompson Sr. had nearly died from sheer frustration.


    Fortunately, Bet eventually came to his senses and joined the military.


    But Eden was the least capable of his three grandsons, spoiled rotten and misguided by his grandmother and Carol.


    He had struggled to run even a smallpany. The shipping firm he was given went bankrupt in no time. How could he possibly have had the connections and channels to smuggle so many illicit goods? It was all thanks to the Walker family, a ''perk'' of his marriage.


    "Eden never mentioned the Walker family," Frank said, shaking his head.


    "He doesn''t dare to turn on them. It seems they have some leverage on him as well," Mr. Thompson Sr. snorted.


    Eden wasn''t a genius, but he wasn''t aplete fool either.


    He had been caught red-handed with the smuggled goods. Ratting out the Walker family wouldn''t do him any good.


    Besides, implicating the Walkers would only open a new can of worms.


    As Vincent''s son-inw, Eden had done his fair share of dirty work for him, not least


    of which was orchestrating the assassination attempt on Bet.


    If Eden turned on the Walkers, they would surely retaliate, and he''d be looking at a lot more than a ten-year sentence. He''d probably never see the outside of a prison again


    "What are you going to do this time?" Mr. Thompson Sr. asked next.


    This wasn''t the first time Eden had caused trouble. Every time, Mrs. Thompson Sr. would throw a fit, and Frank would give in and clean up the mess.


    This time, Eden hadnded in a massive hole, and Frank had astonishingly pulled


    all sorts of strings and spent a fortune to get him out on bail.


    Now that Eden had been arrested again, Mrs. Thompson Sr., though on herst breath was still having doctors and nurses call Frank demanding he find a way to get Eden out.


    "Frank, my dear," she''d said, "I don''t have much time left. I''m begging you for onest thing. You have to save Eden. His child can''t be born without a father Frank for years, all your attention has been on Bet and his mother. You even gave thepany to Bet. But you''re Eden''s father too, and you owe him so much. I promise, this is thest time. Once I close my eyes, I won''t be able to meddle in your lives anymore."


    Frank''s resolve always crumbled the moment his mother started her practiced weeping.


    But this time, even though she had been rushed back into the emergency room, Frank hadn''t visited the hospital, only instructing the doctors to take good care of her.


    For so many years, Frank had tried so hard to be a good son, a good husband, and a good father. He wanted it all, but in the end, it seemed he had nothing.