Recently, Stefan has been busy with legal formalities to distant himself from his family and establish his own household. He employed the excuse of preparing to register their children abroad.

The Clifford family rule allowed members to set up their households once married, but few chose to leave Aurora.

In Aurora, the Clifford family wielded power and offered plentiful opportunities. It was easy to achieve almost anything. Those who opted to establish their own households elsewhere were truly making life difficult for themselves.

However, Stefan's views were fundamentally different from theirs.

The Clifford family members were naturally sly and deceitful, with a tendency for aggression. In the early days of the Clifford family's establishment, nearly half of their belongings were stolen.

The founding members of the Clifford family were outright bandits who, over time and through many conflicts, eventually rebranded themselves as sophisticated, wealthy elites.

At its core, the Clifford family would resort to any means, including arson and murder, if it furthered their interests.

Stefan refused to partake in such corrupt acts. Leaving the Clifford family was something he had longed for, and it was also his mother's dream.

Stefan's mother came from an educated family but was married off to Stefan's father against her will. After Stefan was born, she wasn't favored among the other wives, and Stefan's father naturally abandoned her.

Stefan's mother lived in constant sorrow until she took her own life with a silk scarf when Stefan was eight years old.

The night before her death, she told Stefan, "My only wish in life was to leave this family, and soon I will fulfill it. Don't hold it against me. If you find no happiness here when you grow up, be brave and leave. I will always support you."

The following day, Stefan understood that his mother's method of "leaving" was through her tragic suicide.

Stefan sat next to his mother's lifeless body, while his father barely gave them a glance. At that moment, he vowed to one day escape the family's grasp.

As Stefan grew up with his male relatives, he never stood out. That was because he chose to hide his true capabilities and pursue a career in education.

In truth, Stefan wasn't just a brilliant student but also shrewd, adept at handling international trade and thriving in various domains.

His father, always a daring and decisive man, showed little interest in nurturing Stefan, who had become a mild-mannered scholar. So, he barely cared when Stefan decided to forge his own path.

In his father's view, what could Stefan possibly achieve away from Aurora? Just teach and make a meager income? Was that enough to support a family? He assumed that once Stefan encountered difficulties, he would return to Aurora to rely on him.

His father had modest expectations for Stefan, yet he was curious about Stefan's wife and her elder brother.

The Foster family was quite prominent in Swynborough, and although Landen didn't attend the wedding due to poor health, he was eager to discuss expanding the shipping business with Stefan's father.

Partly to honor the Foster family, Stefan's father turned the wedding into a lavish event, also subtly expressing his interest in his new daughter-in-law. This way, no one in Aurora would dare trouble Raegan.