“Mom, Leo can’t be considered an outsider. He’s your son-in-law, my husband!” Sophia immediately retorted.
“Alright, alright, I won’t argue with you,” Jessica’s tone softened. “Sweetie, have you realized something?”
“What is it?” Sophia inquired.
“Men become corrupt when they have money. I think Leo might have secretly stashed a lot of private money; otherwise, why is he getting more and more domineering? This isn’t a good sign. You need to find out how much money he has and get him to share it with you. Also, you must expedite the transferring the villa’s property certificate into your name. Otherwise…”
“Mom!” Sophia was quite exasperated. “Didn’t I tell you not to bring up these matters? Let me reiterate, no matter how much money Leo has, it’s his own. And as for the villa, it’s his. I won’t entertain any ideas about this villa!”
“You stubborn girl, why are you so obstinate?” Jessica looked at her daughter with a frustrated expression.
“Mom, please stop. I’m tired,” Sophia said, trying to open the door.
“Wait, there’s one more thing,” Jessica suddenly remembered what Paige had said earlier.
“What is it?”
“It’s about your cousin Ethan. Your aunt mentioned that she plans to have him work at Langstel. Can you try to get him to work at your company…”
Mentioning the company and the matter of shares immediately troubled Sophia.
“Mom, do you know what kind of person Ethan is? My company isn’t a charity, and I won’t support a lazy freeloader. If Ethan wants to join my company, it’s absolutely impossible!” Sophia’s voice was quite loud.
Jessica was taken aback and quickly said, “Sweetie, lower your voice, it’s okay if it doesn’t work.”
Sophia opened the door, walked back to the living room, and then took Leo’s hand. “Leo, let’s go back to the bedroom.”
Once Leo and Sophia had gone upstairs, Jessica came out of the guest room, looking dejected, and sat on the couch.
Alex had just helped Paige up from the floor, and his face was smacked hard.
“Alex, you useless wimp! Your wife and son were attacked by a good-for-nothing, and you didn’t even dare to make a sound! I married you, and it’s like I’ve had the worst luck for eight generations!” Paige scolded while helping Ethan up.
Paige scolded Alex while helping Ethan up, concern in her voice. “Ethan, how are you? Are you okay?”
Ethan was able to stand because Leo had shown some restraint, but he still had five visible palm prints on his face.
“Mom, what’s going on with that damn freeloader? Why did he suddenly turn into a mad dog attacking everyone?” Although Ethan had just been beaten by Alex, it didn’t mean he was now afraid of Leo. On the contrary, he harbored intense resentment towards Leo.
Despite having been slapped earlier, Paige hadn’t let go of her anger. The thought of Leo kicking her just now made her feel greatly humiliated.
“Jessica, our entire family traveled a long way to respond to your invitation in Langstel. Is this how you treat your guests? Your useless freeloading son-in-law suddenly turned into a rabid dog who bites everyone he sees. Don’t you owe us a proper explanation?”
Paige questioned Jessica with coldness in her voice.
The earlier conversation with Sophia had left Jessica feeling somewhat down, and now Paige’s questioning made her mood even worse.
But after all, Paige was the wife of her brother, so Jessica had to suppress her anger. She explained, “Alex, dear sister-in-law, please don’t be angry. Leo has been acting strangely recently, so it’s best not to provoke him.”
“What? Did we provoke him?” Paige put on her confrontational tone again. “It seems like you’re suggesting we shouldn’t be here, right? If it weren’t for your relentless invitation, who’d want to come!”
Paige’s words angered Jessica. “Paige, if you insist on saying that, maybe you’d be better off not staying here.”
“Whatever. There’s a mad dog here, and I wouldn’t want to stay in this place!” Paige retorted.
Alex, covering his cheek, walked over with a face of grievances. “Can you two stop fighting? We’re family; there’s no need to argue about this. Jessica, about what you mentioned earlier, Ethan’s job, we’re relying on you for that.”
Alex’s words instantly reminded Paige. She had been so impulsive earlier, she hadn’t realized that her son’s job hadn’t been settled yet.
Right, Ethan’s job was the most important issue. She decided to swallow her pride for now. After Sophia arranged a job for Ethan, she could settle things at her own pace.
With these thoughts in mind, Paige’s tone quickly softened. “Jessica, I apologize for my outburst earlier. We came all the way here not only to admire your mansion but also to ensure that Ethan secures a job. You must help your nephew.”
Seeing Paige change her attitude so quickly, Jessica was genuinely frustrated. Regardless of anything, these people were her relatives. She couldn’t just throw them out.
Jessica knew Paige’s temper. If she were to send them away, her family would undoubtedly go around spreading rumors and speaking ill of her.
“Alex, Paige, I’ve already discussed Ethan’s job with Sophia earlier. She didn’t agree because she was still angry. You can stay for a few days, and once Sophia calms down, I’ll talk to her about this matter,” Jessica could only say this.
The family of three looked at each other and decided to leave it at that.
After dinner, Alex and his family unceremoniously took over the villa’s hot springs in the backyard.
They relaxed in the hot springs, conspiring about their next steps.
“What should we do next?” Paige looked at her husband and son.
Ethan’s eyes flashed with a hint of malice. “Mom, I’ve thought it over. I want to stay in Langstel. That good-for-nothing son-in-law dared to hit me, and I’m going to make him pay for it!”
Paige considered and said, “Ethan, revenge against Leo is a matter for the future. Right now, the first thing to do is to get Sophia to arrange a job for you. Once you have a job, you won’t have trouble dealing with that good-for-nothing.”
“Mom, I’m worried that Sophia won’t let me work at her company,” Ethan expressed his concern.
“That’s not for sure. From what I know, Sophia listens to your Aunt Jessica. If she can persuade Sophia, we can stay,” Paige placed her hope on Jessica.
Alex added, “But what if Jessica can’t convince Sophia?”
“If Sophia absolutely refuses, then we’ll have to resort to Plan B,” Paige said with a mysterious expression on her face.
“Plan B?” Both Alex and Ethan looked at Paige simultaneously, bewildered.