Chapter 525

After a dozen attempts, the call still wouldn't connect. Chris' legs had gone numb. Evelyn, at 70 and paralyzed, was drenched in sweat. "Mom, maybe we should stop calling? Grandpa might be busy." "Foolish boy, you don't know your grandfather at all. He's angry. Keep calling," Evelyn insisted. The Sykes family had a vast lineage, governed by successive patriarchs with iron fists. Blood ties within the family were weak, making it operate more like a conniving medieval court. After all, the allure of absolute power and the privileges that came with it were too tempting for many to resist. In the Sykes family, Owen reigned supreme. His word carried more weight than the entire family council combined. He managed even his wives with the same authoritative control. Owen once had 12 wives. His last wife was a beautiful 20-year-old woman who married him when he was 80. However, this young woman couldn't bear the loneliness as Owen was too old to satisfy her needs. So, she ended up foolin