“Do you have 30 million?” Coral stood up from her chair, locking eyes with Leo.
Leo slapped the 30 million dollar check that Venus had given him onto the table.
If you’re a man, you can’t let a woman look down on you!
“This Saturday at 8 a. m., meet me outside the building on the ground floor. I’ll take you to an event where you can prove yourself,” Coral said as Leo was about to leave the office. She added, “Remember to change your clothes and wear formal attire.”
After leaving the Wilde Jewelry Company building, Leo drove straight back to the Henley family’s residence.
As soon as he entered the grand hall of the mansion, he saw Martin and Jessica arguing on the couch.
Leo didn’t want to know or care about their petty family matters. He greeted Martin and Jessica and was ready to go upstairs.
But Martin stopped him. “Leo, come here,” Martin said with an unfriendly expression on his face.
Leo turned around and walked over. Martin’s expression wasn’t pleasant.
“Leo, you’ve been part of the Henley family for four years now. I’ll be turning fifty-five soon, and when are you going to give me a grandchild?” Martin looked at Leo.
Leo felt awkward and didn’t know what to say.
Could he say that in these four years, he hadn’t even held Sophia’s hand, how could they have a child?
Seeing Leo’s silence, Martin’s expression turned even colder. “Leo, I don’t want to delay it any longer. If you can’t give me a grandchild within this year, then you should divorce Sophia.”
“No, he might end up taking a large portion of our family’s wealth.” Jessica quickly interjected.
“Shut up!” Martin glared at her fiercely.
Clearly, Martin held the power in this family.
Jessica pouted in discontent but didn’t dare argue with her husband. Seeing Leo still standing there foolishly, she waved her hand impatiently. “Why are you just standing there? Go do something.”
Martin didn’t say anything more and picked up the newspaper on the table, shaking his head while reading.
“These counterfeits are getting more and more rampant. The porcelain from Fortune Store turned out to be fake,” muttered Martin. He had a particular interest in antiques and jade, but his expertise had room for improvement. He had bought several counterfeits before, to the point where he now detested them.
As Leo made his way upstairs, Jessica suddenly remembered something and called out, “Leo, we won’t be having dinner at home tonight. Martin’s sisters have come here, so we’ll eat out.”
“Understood,” Leo replied nonchalantly.
Around 5 p. m., Sophia, unusually, came back early. Leo then drove with the four members of the Henley family to the prearranged InterContinental Hotel.
In the car, Jessica, sitting in the back seat, reminded him, “Martin’s sister and cousin are coming early for his birthday. It’s a simple family gathering. So, Leo, just play dumb as before, eat more and talk less.”
Leo still remembered two years ago when he had dinner with Martin’s sisters. Due to his status as the mute son-in-law, he had been subjected to numerous taunts. This had become a psychological shadow for Jessica, who valued her reputation.
Leo had met Martin’s elder sister and younger sister, and both families were materialistic, resentful of others who were doing better than them.
Soon after the five of them arrived at the hotel, Martin’s sisters arrived with their families.
Martin’s elder sister came with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, while Martin’s younger sister brought her husband and son.
As soon as Leo saw Martin’s sister’s son-in-law, he knew that tonight’s meal wouldn’t be pleasant.
Martin’s elder sister was named Lillian Henley, and her son-in-law was Max Lucas. He got married two years ago, and he was now working in the government.
Comparison among relatives was commonplace. Now that the two families’ sons-in-law were both here, who knew what sparks would fly.
“Sophia and Tina have become more and more beautiful. Brother, you’re so lucky,” Lillian commented.
“Lilian, it seems like you’ve gained some weight. You should watch your weight, or else hypertension will give you headaches,” Jessica said.
The three families exchanged pleasantries as they entered the private dining room.
As before, Leo was ignored. In the eyes of the Henley family relatives, there was no longer any fun in teasing this mute son-in-law.
Once everyone was seated, Max stood up from his chair and looked at Leo. “You must be Sophia’s husband. I’m Lily’s husband, Max,” he introduced himself.
Leo simply nodded in response.
Since Jessica told him not to speak, he wouldn’t say anything.
Seeing Leo’s nod, Max smiled and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. Oh, by the way, you’re mute, right?”
“Max, what are you saying!” Lillian pretended to scold him in anger.
Jessica’s face immediately turned dark. She glared fiercely at Martin, as if to say, “Can’t you stop your relatives from doing this?”
Martin was embarrassed, too. He didn’t expect his relatives to launch an attack as soon as they sat down.
“Even both as sons-in-law, people are different from each other,” Tina snorted.
“Tina, watch what you say. Don’t speak nonsense. No one thinks of you as a mute,” Jessica scolded her.
Her own daughter didn’t have any sense, always siding with outsiders.
“I’m speaking the truth. Lily’s husband is a government official, while your son-in-law is a househusband!” Tina retorted.
“Shut up!” Martin slammed the table angrily.
This startled Tina, and she dared not say another word.
“Brother, calm down. She was just joking. Getting so angry will harm your health,” Martin’s younger sister, Merry, quickly defused the situation.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward, and it wasn’t until the waiter served the dishes one after another that things eased up.
“Let’s start eating,” Martin called out.
“Cough, cough.” Lillian’s husband cleared his throat a few times.
Max immediately understood and took out a gift box from a bag he had brought along. He handed it to Martin. “Uncle, tomorrow is your birthday. I wish you an early happy birthday. Also, this is a birthday gift from me to you. I hope you like it.”
After Max finished speaking, Merry’s son stood up as well. “Uncle, I also brought you a birthday gift, but it’s a bit heavy. I left it in the car. I’ll bring it to you after we finish dinner.”
At this point, Martin’s expression became more pleasant, and he showed a smile. “We’re family, no need to make it so grand.”
“It’s only natural to be a grand birthday. After all, a birthday is a big deal. Unlike some people, I doubt they can even give their father-in-law a decent gift for his birthday,” Lillian said, glancing in Leo’s direction.
Leo remained silent and focused on eating.