Chapter 731
Jonathan returned to the mountain resort in Edenic Heights with people surrounding him in protection.
When they reached the mansion, Jonathan saw Emmeline and the others waiting for him at the entrance.
Standing beside Emmeline were Josephine and the former's parents, Connor and Margaret.
Seeing Margaret, who needed other people's support to stand, Jonathan felt his heart skip a beat.
Before the car could even come to a complete stop, Margaret had struggled out of Emmeline's hold and rushed over.
“Jonathan, give me back my daughter!”
As Margaret was Jonathan's mother-in-law, the bodyguards did not dare to stop her.
Slap!
Following a crisp sound, everyone looked away in avoidance.
“Jonathan, I thought you're Asura, the almighty figure who can solve all problems? Why don't you bring my daughter and
grandchild back to me? What does the Osborn family want? Why don't you just give it to them?” Margaret cried out while
grasping Jonathan's collar.
Emmeline and Connor could only hold Margaret up from the side and did not dare to pull her back.
Since the time Jonathan married Josephine after being abandoned by the Goldstein family and coming to Jadeborough,
Margaret often made things difficult for him.
In fact, Jonathan had left to join the army three years ago because he couldn't stand the Smith family treating him like an
outcast.
Although Jonathan had never retaliated physically against Margaret even when she looked down on him and constantly picked
on him, he would sometimes intimidate her by unleashing his powerful aura.
Yet now, Jonathan stood still and took in Margaret's slap.
Margaret may be snobby and utterly rude toward Jonathan, but this time, she was acting out of genuine concern for Josephine
and the baby in the latter's womb.
It was also true that Jonathan failed to protect the two of them, allowing the Osborne family to have things their way.
Had Jonathan sent Josephine and the others to the headquarters of Asura's Office, the respectable families wouldn't have been
able to capture them except for the core members of Asura's Office.
Jonathan had overestimated himself, causing the situation to come to this point.
Looking at Margaret, who continued to hit his arms and chest, Jonathan lowered his head and fell to his knees.
Upon seeing his action, Emmeline and Connor turned their faces to the side.
Since the day Jonathan married Josephine, it was the first time he had ever done this in front of Margaret.
“I'm sorry, Mom. This is my fault,” Jonathan choked out.
“I'm sorry, Mom. This is my fault,” Jonathan choked out.
For a few seconds, Margaret froze. She then reached out and struck Jonathan's head weakly.
“What is the use of apologizing? I want my daughter back... I want her to come back!” she wailed.
The next moment, she staggered backward and collapsed.
“Mom!”
Jonathan waved his hand, and immediately, a soft cloud of spiritual energy wrapped around Margaret and set her down on the
floor slowly.
“Jason!” yelled Jonathan toward the back.
Jason's figure appeared in a flash. He crouched down and felt Margaret's pulse before reporting, “Mr. Goldstein, there is nothing
wrong with Mrs. Smith's health. She's just too stressed. This is the third time she has fainted this week.”
After Jason's words fell, a few doctors in white coats ran over and swiftly moved Margaret onto a stretcher. As they brought her
away, Connor looked at Jonathan with tearful eyes.
“Dad, I...”
In the entire Smith family, Connor was the only one who took care of Jonathan and comforted him in private.
At the sight of Connor's exhausted countenance, Jonathan was at a loss for words.
Connor patted Jonathan's shoulder and reassured him, “It's okay. What matters is that you're back. I'll go check on Margaret. Go
ahead and get back to your business.”
As usual, Connor treated Jonathan nicely and did not blame or scold the latter at all.
However, that made Jonathan feel even worse.
Emmeline merely glanced at Jonathan before turning to leave without a word. Unlike before, she did not look excited at all to see
him.
With the family gone, Jonathan hung his head low, trying to hold back his tears and regain his composure.
From the moment he found out that Josephine had been abducted by the Osborne family, he had been thinking about how he
should explain things to the Smith family.
Just then, Zachary approached him and murmured, “Mr. Goldstein...”
“I'm fine.” Jonathan lifted his head, his tears now dry. “Call Lauryn. I'm going to hold a meeting.”
The first floor of No. 8 Villa in Edenic Heights had been entirely cleared.
Currently, only a huge makeshift conference table stood in the middle of the place.
Jonathan sat at one end of the table, sweeping his gaze across the five people before him—Zachary, Jason, Yasmin, Lauryn,
and Donald.
Among them, only Lauryn had yet to experience such a formal meeting.
When Jonathan looked at Lauryn, his sharp gaze glinted murderously.
“Lauryn, I know you're here under the instruction of your family. Sirius had helped me while I was in Remdik, so your family
couldn't be doing this for no reason. Tell me. What is the Blackwood family's real motive?”
“Motive?” Lauryn looked at Jonathan in bewilderment.
At that, Jonathan narrowed his eyes. “You're unaware of it?”
“No. I'm just helping you so that the Blackwood family has a way out,” Lauryn hurriedly explained.
“I see. So you're not part of the Blackwood family's decision-makers,” remarked Jonathan with a frown.
He continued, “Contact the decision-maker of your family right now.”
“Okay.”
Without any hesitation, Lauryn whipped out her phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, Lauryn. Why did you suddenly call me?” a cold voice sounded from the other end of the line.
“I'm Jonathan, not Lauryn,” Jonathan interjected while taking the phone from Lauryn's hand.
“With the ongoing turmoil, I want to know the Blackwood family's plans.”
As Harvey stood on the Blackwood family's ancestral land, a smile crept across his face.
“Asura, you finally called.”
“I don't have time to beat around the bush. If I'm not mistaken, the Blackwood family has probably formed an alliance with the
Gray family and the Welsh family now,” said Jonathan calmly. “Among the four forces stemming from the respectable families,
only your group has no military support. Not only that, but you're also much weaker than the other three forces. I know you
placed Lauryn here to establish a connection. Tell me what your true motive is.”
Harvey grinned again upon hearing Jonathan.
“Indeed, you're very straightforward. If the Blackwood family continues to act secretive in this case, we'll look petty. Asura, have
you ever realized that the respectable families are like capitalism? Even if you wipe out the eight families who are currently in
power, new forces will replace them. They will never be gone. I think it's better to straighten things out instead of stopping them.
Rather than obliterating the respectable families, why don't we make something new and associate ordinary humans with
cultivators? This is what the Blackwood family wants. We want to be the founder of a new world!”