Bruno, who was originally eating, reluctantly put down his knife and fork and said through gritted teeth, “Miss Browne, I’m Bruno.”
Renee assessed Bruno with a smile, “So, you’re Bruno. I heard someone say you’re going to perform a live dog imitation. I wonder if you’re any good. Let me see.”
The reason Bruno had been eating quietly was to avoid Leo noticing him, hoping to escape this ordeal.
But unexpectedly, Old Mr. Browne’s granddaughter, Renee, had come here and even specifically asked him to perform.
No need to say, it must be Leo, that scoundrel, who had told Renee about the bet!
In terms of pride, Bruno inherited from the old Mrs. Henley. He knew that once he knelt on the ground and imitated a dog’s bark in such an upscale setting, it would not only become a big joke but also bring him a lifelong shame and stigma.
Bruno smiled awkwardly, “Miss Browne, it must be Leo who told you, right? Leo is the son-in-law of our Bloomer family. I was just joking with him at the family meeting, not serious.”
Renee, showing clear displeasure on her face, said, “Is that so? But Leo told me that you were serious, and people from the Bloomer family also witnessed it. Today is my grandfather’s birthday banquet; you won’t spoil the fun for me, will you?”
Bruno’s face turned a bit bitter, “Miss Browne, this is really just a joke between me and Leo. If you don’t believe me, I can call him over right now and let him explain.”
In Bruno’s view, as long as he called Leo over, under the intimidation of the old Mrs. Henley, Leo should compromise.
Renee said indifferently, “No need to call him. I’ll remember this matter. We will discuss it again between the Browne family and the Bloomer family.”
Renee’s meaning was obvious; if Bruno didn’t fulfill his promise, this matter would escalate into an issue between the Browne family and the Bloomer family.
In other words, in the future, the Browne family would not make it easy for the Bloomer family.
How could the old Mrs. Henley not understand Renee’s implied message? Her originally smiling face turned dark, feeling extremely frustrated.
Offending Renee meant offending the Browne family, and ultimately, the Azure Cloud Group.
If the Browne family, this huge mountain, pressed down on them, dreaming of the Bloomer family becoming a first-class aristocratic family would be nothing but a pipe dream.
The old Mrs. Henley looked at Bruno and ordered coldly, “Bruno, if you bet, you must abide by it. Our Bloomer family values integrity. Perform for Miss Browne!”
Since the old Mrs. Henley had spoken, it meant that today’s ordeal was unavoidable.
Bruno’s expression was like ashes, full of resentment and regret.
Renee turned to look at the people dining and conversing, then spoke loudly, “Everyone, please pay attention here; I have an announcement to make.”
Hearing Renee’s words, everyone stopped their actions and conversations. The entire banquet hall suddenly fell silent.
Renee continued, “Today, the Henley family has decided to perform for my grandfather’s birthday, to liven up the atmosphere and bring joy to everyone.”
People looked at the Bloomer family’s table, unsure of what performance they were about to give.
Feeling the gazes of the crowd, the old Mrs. Henley’s face became both awkward and ugly, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
Suddenly, someone loudly responded, “Miss Browne, how can we give the opportunity for such a performance to a second-rate family? I can also perform a program to liven things up for everyone!”
Seeing someone take the lead, many others also volunteered one after another. Their attention was mainly focused on impressing Old Mr. Browne and August. If they could gain the favor of Old Mr. Browne or August, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.
Renee gestured for everyone to be quiet and said, “The performance that the Bloomer family is going to present is a bit special. Just watch carefully.”
Renee’s words extinguished the enthusiasm of the crowd. Everyone widened their eyes, curious to see what special performance the second-rate Bloomer family would present.
Bruno’s current expression was as if he had just eaten a warm piece of poop.
If it was a regular entertaining performance, it would be acceptable. The critical issue was that this so-called performance involved imitating a dog barking while lying on the ground!
Renee looked at Bruno again and said, “Bruno, everyone in this banquet hall is your audience. Now, please start your performance.”
As a man, he really couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. He involuntarily looked towards the old Mrs. Henley.
After all, Bruno, no matter how you put it, was a member of the Bloomer family. If he lost face, it would be equivalent to the Bloomer family losing face. The old Mrs. Henley shouldn’t stand by and watch him.
But to Bruno’s disappointment, the old Mrs. Henley didn’t even look at him.
The meaning was clear- the old Mrs. Henley couldn’t offend the Browne family, couldn’t offend Renee, and Bruno had to do as Renee said.
Bruno couldn’t hold out for long and eventually compromised with fate. He slowly got down on all fours, then opened his mouth and made a “woof, woof” sound like a dog.
After a brief silence in the entire banquet hall, there was a sudden eruption of strong laughter.
In this laughter, Bruno wished he could crawl under the dining table and hide.
Bruno’s eyes were filled with a sinister glare. All this humiliation was brought by Leo, and in his heart, Bruno silently swore that one day he would recover today’s humiliation from Leo tenfold or a hundredfold!
Bruno, in his cleverness, believed that the reason Leo could get so close to the Browne family must be that the Browne family wanted him to do something unspeakable.
After the Browne family used him up and kicked him away, Leo would eventually have to return to the Bloomer family, begging like a dog. As long as Leo remained the son-in-law of the Bloomer family, Bruno would find a way to make Leo pay a heavy price!
Although every attempt against Leo and Sophia ended in failure, Bruno was convinced that failure is the mother of success. There would be a time when he would succeed.
“To be honest, this guy’s performance is really not bad, lifelike, especially that barking sound, exactly like my dog!”
“I seem to remember his name is Bruno. Second-rate family is indeed a second-rate family. They have quite a lineup.”
The mocking voices of the crowd made the old Mrs. Henley’s face feel a burning sensation.
“Miss Browne, has this Bruno offended you? Rest assured, if we encounter anyone from the Bloomer family in the future, we will definitely not show them a good face.”
“Yes, daring to offend Miss Browne. Really, they don’t want to survive in Langstel. In the future, in business matters, we definitely won’t cooperate with the Henley Group!”
After the mockery, the crowd began to express their solidarity with Renee. Taking the opportunity to step on the Bloomer family to gain favor with Renee and the Browne family seemed like a delightful idea.