Chapter 391: Martin Reed Hung Up the Phone

Martin Reed hung up the phone, grinning from ear to ear. Hands clasped behind his back, he hummed a tune as he strolled home.

Villagers greeted him along the way: "Mayor Reed, what's got you so cheerful?"

"Nothing much," he waved them off, though inwardly he was delighted. Not only were Nolan Brooks and Rose Jackson thriving in the city, but his own daughter was benefiting too. That clever girl had become a seamstress there, and by all accounts, business was booming.

Thinking of his daughter's letter, Martin couldn't help but chuckle. She'd always been deft with her hands, far surpassing the village women at needlework. Now, under Elena's wing, her life was flourishing.

He was just pondering how to share the news with his wife when someone came rushing toward him in a panic. "Mayor! Trouble! The Ward household is at it again!"

Martin's head throbbed instantly. That family never knew peace!

"What now?" he asked, frowning.

"You'd better come quick—it might turn deadly!"

With a sigh, Martin followed the messenger toward the Ward residence, grumbling internally: The Wards had caused nothing but chaos all year.

Back in spring, they'd scrambled to gather dowry money for Caleb Ward's wedding, sinking deep into debt. The bride's mother, Mrs. Wilson, had fixated on the payment, refusing to let her daughter Tessa marry until every penny was accounted for. In the end, Calvin Ward had borrowed desperately to bring Tessa into the family.

But Tessa Wilson proved even more troublesome. The moment she crossed the threshold, she'd demanded the household split—insisting she and Caleb leave to find work, claiming they could earn a fortune elsewhere.

Caleb, spineless as ever, obeyed his wife without question. The couple stirred up such a storm that the entire Ward household was thrown into disarray.

Eventually, they discovered the brutal truth: Neither the house nor the land actually belonged to Calvin Ward. If they split now, they'd have nowhere to go. Tessa suggested moving back to her parents' home, but Caleb flat-out refused.

The scandal had spread like wildfire through the village.

Tessa finally quieted down—because she got pregnant. Now five months along, she was being treated like royalty in the Ward home.

Martin shook his head as he walked: That family truly never knew peace.