Bruno and the rest of the Henley family’s fury and questioning had even silenced Jessica, who typically loved to have her say. She sat beside Sophia, head bowed, too afraid to speak.
In Teresa’s presence, Jessica always played the role of the obedient and reserved daughter-in-law.
Jessica dared not utter a word, and Martin didn’t dare to support his daughter either.
Leo, from his corner, rose from his chair and declared loudly, “I bought both the Audi A8s and the villa.”
His statement was met with utter silence at first. Then, suddenly, laughter erupted throughout the room.
The Henley family relatives clutched their stomachs, laughing heartily and without restraint.
While laughing, they glanced at Leo in the corner, their expressions filled with disdain and mockery. They might as well have written “joke” on their faces.
“Leo, you truly are the Henley family’s joke,” Bruno said between fits of laughter. “To think you could say something like this. Haha, I can’t take it; let me laugh a bit more.”
Fanny’s face turned red from stifling her laughter. She managed to say, “I used to think Leo was utterly useless, but today, he’s proven to have some value. At least he can bring us some joy. This is hilariously stupid.”
Countless taunts rained down on Leo like a hailstorm.
“A freeloading, useless man claiming he can afford luxury cars and villas? This is the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”
“Sophia, you’re not using Leo, the deadweight, as a shield, are you? A lump of dung can’t protect you. Haha…”
“If Leo can afford a villa better than the Gold Coast in his lifetime, I’ll eat my shit on live TV!”
Sean, Bruno’s father, couldn’t resist joining in. “Leo, you’ve been married into the Henley family for four years now, and I never expected you to be a hidden millionaire, buying luxury cars and villas like you’re buying vegetables. But no matter how I look at you, you still resemble a beggar on the street. If you were missing a hand or a foot, you’d be indistinguishable from a beggar.”
Sean’s words prompted more laughter, harsh and unpleasant, resembling the howls of ghosts and wolves.
Jessica couldn’t take it anymore and stood up from her seat. She scolded Leo, her voice icy, “Leo, this is not the place for you to speak. Keep your mouth shut!”
Regarding the villa purchase, Jessica had always thought Leo was bragging. Now that Leo dared to say it in front of the Henley family, Jessica felt embarrassed. It was as if she had become the subject of ridicule.
No matter how you looked at it, Leo was brought into the Henley family by Jessica.
Sean chuckled and said, “Jessica, Leo may be a worthless son-in-law of the Henley family, but he finally found an opportunity to brag. Don’t scare him off. Let him entertain us; it’s quite amusing.”
Bruno quickly agreed with his father. “Aunt Jessica, Leo has been stifled in the Henley family for four years. If he develops a mental imbalance, it won’t be worth the medical bills you’ll have to pay. Let him act out for a while; it’s cost-effective.”
Leo watched the various expressions on the faces of the Henley family members from his corner, quietly enduring their ridicule, his face calm.
He had witnessed scenes like this countless times over the past four years and had grown accustomed to it.
Sophia, on the other hand, couldn’t bear it. Her anger made her chest rise and fall rapidly. Surprisingly, Leo found her angry expression quite cute and couldn’t help but smile.
Bruno had been watching Leo’s facial expressions and, upon seeing him smile, spoke with extreme contempt, “Leo, even in this situation, you can still smile. As the saying goes, even ghosts are afraid of shame. Don’t you know what embarrassment is?”
Leo looked Bruno in the eyes and calmly stated, “Bruno, in my eyes, you’re not even worth being called a joke.”
Bruno’s gaze hardened, and his expression turned fierce. He lunged toward Leo.
As Bruno approached Leo, ready to throw a punch at Leo’s face, Teresa shouted loudly, “Bruno, sit back down!”
Regardless of Leo’s status in the Henley family, Teresa didn’t want to witness a fight during the family gathering.
Bruno didn’t dare to defy Teresa. He menacingly shook his fist at Leo and then snorted before returning to his seat.
Teresa cleared her throat, gesturing for everyone to be quiet. She then looked at Sophia and said, “Sophia, your company, under your management, is the most profitable among all the Henley family subsidiaries. I’m aware of that. However, you still cannot misuse company funds. Although I’m getting older, my eyes can still see, and my ears can still hear.”
Teresa didn’t take Leo’s earlier statement seriously; she considered it a joke. She redirected everyone’s attention to Sophia.
Sophia looked into Teresa’s eyes, her face devoid of fear. She calmly replied, “Grandma, whether or not I misused company funds can be easily clarified with an audit.”
Teresa hadn’t expected Sophia to insist on the audit. As the Chairman of the Henley Group, Teresa was well aware of the potential consequences of an audit. Many people would be implicated, and it would create chaos within the Henley family.
Many times, Teresa had chosen to turn a blind eye to corruption, as long as it wasn’t too egregious or blatant and didn’t affect the bigger picture.
The reason she wanted to be tough on Sophia was that they had crossed a line. Purchasing a villa of that scale without millions or even billions of dollars in funding was impossible.
Furthermore, by dealing with Sophia’s situation, Teresa could also send a message to other power holders within the Henley family, serving as a warning to them.
After a moment of contemplation, Teresa’s old face revealed an unattractive smile. “Sophia, it seems your grandfather didn’t misjudge you. I underestimated you.”
In Teresa’s view, Sophia’s bold actions were likely driven by the belief that an audit wouldn’t occur, and she felt empowered by that assumption.
Today, Teresa felt that she had finally seen her granddaughter’s true colors.
“Grandma, I know you don’t believe me, and neither do the relatives here. But I’ll say it again: a clear conscience fears no accusation. Every word Leo and I spoke today was the truth.”
From the bottom of her heart, Sophia was still somewhat afraid of Old Mrs. Henley. However, she couldn’t bear to be wronged without reason.
“Heh, the truth? Then tell us, how much did you pay for the villa?” Bruno was fixated on the this issue.
Teresa raised her walking cane. “Bruno, be quiet!”
Bruno gulped, puzzled, and looked at his grandmother.