Chapter 69
Chapter 69
In places like A city, especially for the gentry, if a woman married a man and couldn't be recognized in the family tree, although she was legally registered as the lawful wife, in reality, everyone knew that she was only the concubine. That fact had long been a consensus.
How could the man in charge of the family have no wife on the family book? Unless he only loved her in his life, or else, he would definitely marry someone who would be recognized in the family tree.
If the relationship with the woman failed in the end, or if the woman could not give birth to a son in the future, for the sake of his family's interests or about the continuity of his descendants, the man could marry another woman, get registered in another country and bring her home. As long as she was acknowledged by the elders, she could become the rightful wife. In the end, the first wife would become the de facto concubine, after all, she was not acknowledged in the first place.
Everyone knew about the risk. Aria was not a fool. How could she not know?
Although the gentry were very generous and open to concubines, a concubine is still a concubine. They couldn't compromise on the interests of the mistress.
People in the gentry were always the backbone of society, and many rules had long been changed by them. Although the state advocated a monogamy system, the rule had long failed to satisfy the need of the gentry to expand their families. They would start another family outside and give birth to other children. As for the problems that were brought to the society, it was not in their consideration. After all, money could solve most problems.
Hansen was a progressive thinker and was never interested in marrying a concubine, which was a popular practice among the gentry. He always thought of following his father's footsteps, to marry one wife and have a happy marriage. Since he chose to love a woman, he should give her the best.
It would be irresponsible of him if his wife were to live a shady life. He had witnessed countless conflicts within women in a family. He disliked it and he felt that it would affect his quality of life.
It was precisely why Hansen had resented Jenna. He hated her for taking away his wife's position, which cast a shadow over his future love.
It should be noted that if a woman married a man without the family's acknowledgment, it was something very embarrassing in A city.
Even if the man had married her, it would be dishonorable and disgraceful to the woman's family, not to mention the prestigious Richards family. Everyone knows the rules about concubinage set by the gentry. Therefore, no one with a good family background would like their daughters to be married as a concubine.
"No, Grandma said that you can marry me as the first wife. Hansen, you are divorced and we can become a lawful couple. Besides, Mom has promised that she would let me live in the Richards Manor," Aria's face began to turn pale and tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Aria, as I said, I have no say in this. Please make it clear to your parents as well," Hansen helplessly shook his head.
Aria's heart was aching and she was very uncomfortable. She knew that if Hansen only married her, they could be free of those worldly things. However, if Hansen married another woman in the future, it would complicate things in the future.
However, she had Marissa's support. After Grandma Richards passed away, she would have the chance to move into the Richards Manor. Of course, all of those were based on the premise that Hansen loved her and supported her.
However, was Hansen still in love with her? She did not know what lay in store for her, especially after Jenna appeared!
Jenna stayed in the Collier Manor for two days and did not see Hansen at all. He did not answer her calls which annoyed her. When she wanted to go out, she was stopped by Larry, saying that Hansen wouldn't let her go out because he didn't want her to have any more accidents.
She stayed in the Collier Manor with Larry keeping a close eye on her. She had no chance of going out at all.
Even Jenna, who had a good temper, was full of grievances. What was Hansen thinking? Was she placed under house arrest?
The longer she stayed, the more annoyed she became. Did Hansen really have something to do with her father's death? Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Since he had been living in the apartment for so many years, if there really was something, he would have left some clues behind. After thinking for a while, Jenna decided to investigate first and headed towards Hansen's study.
There were six rooms in the apartment. She had been into Hansen's bedroom. It was simple and there was nothing special, but she had never been to his study. Usually, it was kept locked. These days, after staying in the apartment, she knew where he kept the keys.
A bunch of spare keys were put in a storage room. Jenna walked over, found the keys, and opened the door to the study.
It had been some time since someone stepped into the study. The room was filled with the smell of mildew. There was a thick curtain and light could barely get in.
"Isn't this a study? Why is it so dark?" Jenna felt more and more strange about the place. She murmured and became curious.
When she opened the thick curtain, dazzling light came in. Jenna slightly squinted her eyes and opened the window. The fresh air flew in and she felt more comfortable.
There were several rows of black wooden shelves, and there were indeed a collection of good books. There were some books that Jenna wanted to read, and unexpectedly she found them there. Some of the books were limited edition and were hard to find. Some were unique and were of extraordinary significance.
There were only books in the study, and she could not find anything suspicious. She could not help but be a little disappointed. However, she was delighted to see so many good books.
Jenna was browsing through the bookshelves, and an entire morning had passed before she knew it.
She didn't find anything suspicious. When she was about to leave the study, she saw a shelf that was covered with a piece of red cloth. She wondered why he had to cover it with a piece of red cloth. Was there anything strange?
When she walked towards the shelf, she felt her heart thumping for no reason, as if she would discover some unknown secrets, which made her feel mysterious.
She slowly unfolded the red cloth and gasped. It turned out that the stack was not ordinary books but a stack of hardcover notebooks. They looked like diaries, some of which were already old.
Could those be Hansen's personal diaries?
She suddenly became curious. Things written in the diaries were their personal and true thoughts. If her father's death had something to do with him, something might have been written in those
diaries. She might as well have a look.
Her hands were trembling.
It was unethical to read another person's diary. However, she had to do it as it could be related to her father's death! She picked up one of the diaries and flipped through it. A photo suddenly fell out of it. She was stunned!
The photo fell to the ground. Jenna looked down and was dumbfounded.
The photo on the ground was a picture of her when she was in university. She was wearing a white dress and her hair was long. She had a bright smile, which made her look cute and lovely.
Why was her photo in his diary? It was from such a long time ago!
Jenna felt a little incredulous. She barely had any interaction with Hansen in university. The only time she met him was in the library. During that time, the smile on his face was bright and gentle. Her memory of his slightly shy look was still fresh in her mind!
When she was still young, she had seen him several times when she went to visit Grandma Richards in the Richard Manor with her father. However, Hansen's eyes were always on someone else and he didn't even look her in the eye.
Even when Grandma Richards asked him to introduce himself to them, his eyes were also indifferent. Usually, it seemed that he didn't care about her at all and didn't even look at her.
How did he get a photo of her in the university?
Jenna was confused for a moment. There was an album below. When she opened it, she saw a young and handsome boy. He looked just like when she saw him as a child. He was charming and handsome, with a smile on his face and a little shyness in his smile. Jenna was in a trance when
she touched the photo. Suddenly, she took a trip down the memory lane as she indulged herself in her thoughts.
A lovely smile spread across her face.
The album was filled with Hansen's photos from elementary school through to university, including his university graduation photos. Since they were from the same university, there were some shared memories between them.
Touching the photos, Jenna seemed to have returned to her university days. At that time, she was so happy to have her father's protection, but now!
Thinking of her father, the tingling pain in her heart began to spread within her. She closed the photo album and slowly opened the diary. The diary was thick, and Hansen's memories from junior high to university were recorded in it!
It was wrong to peep at others' privacy. Jenna had a feeling that she was committing a crime. Her face was burning hot, but if she found what she needed, she would not care much.
[One day...
The night was dark and bottomless, but it didn't prevent me from seeing the truth that should have been clear.
I stood in the dark and watched her making out with Norton. They were still on campus, and they were so blatant and unscrupulous. They were simply adulterers. She looked like an innocent woman, but how could she be so sl*tty? Yesterday, she was cuddling another boy, but now, she was doing such a thing with Norton. I even overheard Norton saying that he would pay her after that. What a sl*t!
Everything was just an appearance. From now on, I will never believe that woman again. The woman who looked innocent on the outside but was actually unsophisticated and good at disguising herself.]