Chapter 3 Two Secrets

First, she was entangled with a man in her dreams every night, and now she had transmigrated to the year 1980. Juliana felt like the world was a bit surreal. But she didn't have time to dwell on it, as the original Juliana's grandfather, Henry Roberts, was gravely ill and on the verge of death. She needed to go and see him one last time. Inside the room, Juliana's sister, Leilani Roberts, was sitting by the bedside, sobbing. The house had poor sound insulation, and it was clear that Henry Roberts and Leilani had heard Kinsley's earlier rant. Seeing Juliana enter, Leilani's tears flowed even more. "I'm sorry, Juliana. It's all my fault for being so useless, for not being able to protect you..." Henry, lying on the bed, began coughing, his cloudy eyes filled with sorrow for Juliana. He had some connections with the Cox Wolfpack and had seen William before. The thought of Juliana being paired with that short and ugly man was unbearable. Moreover, the Cox Wolfpack had a history of mental illness and a notorious reputation for being violent and obsessive. Juliana could not marry into such a family. "Juliana... cough, cough, cough..." The thought of Juliana being targeted by William made Henry's blood boil, and he coughed violently. Juliana knelt by the bed, tenderly helping Henry catch his breath with one hand while tightly holding his hand with the other. "Grandpa, don't worry. I won't go see William." Juliana, having inherited the original's memories, also had no affection for William. The first time he saw her in the village, he tried to make advances. Ugly and lecherous, he was clearly not a good match. Under Juliana's comforting, Henry gradually regained his breath. However, his breathing had become labored in recent days, and his time was running out. Once he passed, the family members would undoubtedly resort to dirty tactics to force Juliana to marry into the Cox Wolfpack. Certain things needed to be told to Juliana soon. Henry turned to look at Leilani standing nearby. "Leilani, go to the kitchen and make some potatoes for lunch." "Okay, Grandpa." Leilani wiped her tears and left the room with red eyes. After she left, Henry looked at Juliana. "Juliana, I fear I don't have many days left. There are two things I need to tell you." "First, you are the chosen mate of the future Alpha of the South Continent's Myers Wolfpack, Ethan Myers. The token of your engagement is sewn into my pillow. Take the token and go to the South Continent. Even if the Myers Wolfpack doesn't honor the marriage, they will provide you with a job." In his early years, Henry had saved Brandon's life. Brandon was escaping the chaotic and impoverished North Continent to the developed South Continent, with most of his assets already transferred there. Unexpectedly, an accident occurred on the way, and Henry saved him. With nothing else to repay him with, Brandon arranged an engagement between his grandson and Juliana, leaving behind a token and a photo of his three-year-old grandson, promising that Juliana could go to the South Continent to get married when she came of age. Henry hadn't told Juliana about this engagement before because he didn't want her to marry far away, and their family backgrounds were vastly different. But now, with the current circumstances, Henry would rather Juliana attempt to marry up than be ruined by the Cox Wolfpack. Juliana was utterly stunned. She never expected to have an engagement, let alone a chosen mate in the South Continent. She looked at Henry in shock, momentarily at a loss for words. "If you don't want to go to the South Continent, there's another option," Henry paused before continuing. "The Cox Wolfpack has a secret. In the southwest corner of the pond in their ancestral home, a box of gold bars that should have been handed over to the Lycan King is buried. You can report the Cox Wolfpack to the werewolf court, and they could be sentenced to ten or eight years." Exerting his last bit of strength to say these words, Henry was nearing the end. His gaunt face still bore a look of concern for Juliana. Juliana felt a pang of sorrow and gripped her grandfather's hand tightly. Finally, the last glimmer of light in his eyes faded, and he slowly closed them. Juliana sensed something and began to cry, gently shaking the old man in bed. "Grandpa, wake up, Grandpa..." Outside, Leilani dropped the cup she was holding with a clatter, splashing a few drops of hot water on her foot, causing her to yelp in pain. Ignoring the burning sensation, she rushed into the room, crying as she threw herself beside Henry's bed. "Grandpa..." With Henry's passing, besides Juliana and Leilani, the rest of the Roberts family breathed a sigh of relief. The old man had been bedridden, constantly needing money for medicine, and his sons and daughters-in-law had long been complaining. Juliana was already 19, old enough to be considered for marriage and bring a dowry to the family. But the old man had been protecting her, not allowing anyone to interfere with her future. Now, with the old man gone, the family members could truly take control. The Roberts family wouldn't miss any opportunity to make money. Henry's funeral would be a chance for them to collect condolence money. The sons set up a makeshift mourning hall at the entrance of the old house, borrowing a large speaker from the village to play funeral music. The daughters-in-law each set up a table, busy recording the money they received from mourners. The younger members of the Roberts family gathered together, watching the commotion, showing no signs of grief. Only Juliana and Leilani, dressed in mourning clothes, stayed by Henry's body. As evening approached, with no more visitors coming to pay respects, the Roberts family members retired early. Naturally, the task of keeping vigil fell to Juliana and Leilani. "Leilani, get up and sit for a while. I'll go make us some pasta." They hadn't eaten all day, and Juliana wasn't one to neglect herself. She headed to the kitchen to cook something. In the kitchen, Juliana opened the cabinet where they stored food, only to find it empty. A cold smile spread across her face. Her grandfather's body wasn't even cold, and the Roberts family had already divided up the household assets, not even sparing the food supplies. If they were dividing the family assets, Juliana and Leilani should have received a share of the farmland since they had contributed to the labor. Why had they received nothing? Angrily, Juliana decided to confront her uncle's family. With her grandfather gone, her uncle had naturally taken over as head of the family, so she needed to speak with him. Juliana reached Isaac Roberts' door and raised her hand to knock but paused when she heard murmured conversation inside. She instinctively lowered her hand and pressed her ear to the door.