Because Sophia was well aware that Leo had no friends in Green Spring. Moreover, Lee Hemingway had already achieved great success several years ago; it was impossible for him to be acquainted with Leo. Yet, now they not only seemed to know each other but Lee Hemingway also treated Leo with such courtesy and respect, exceeding Sophia’s understanding.
Jessica, utterly shocked, stared with wide eyes. She even discreetly pinched her thigh, and the pain reassured her that this wasn’t a dream. If Leo had indeed secured Lemon Grass, then it was time for Jessica’s performance.
“Who was it that said they wanted to do business with me just now?” Lee Hemingway spoke while intentionally or unintentionally looking in Donald Vogt’s direction.
Donald Vogt’s face had become extremely awkward, and he apologized with a miserable expression, “Mr. Hemingway, I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me.”
“Heh, just asking for forgiveness after doing something wrong?” Lee Hemingway looked coldly at Donald Vogt. “What’s your name?”
“I-I’m Donald Vogt.” Donald Vogt, well aware of Lee Hemingway’s background and influence, became somewhat nervous.
“Donald Vogt, I’ll remember you. If you don’t want to invite trouble, apologize to Mr. Bloomer,” Lee Hemingway said indifferently.
Donald Vogt knew exactly what Lee Hemingway meant by “trouble.” Trembling, he turned toward Leo and, bowing ninety degrees, sincerely apologized, “No, Leo, I’m sorry!”
Joyce, proud of her boyfriend Donald Vogt, couldn’t believe he was apologizing to a freeloaders son-in-law. Joyce lost control of her emotions, rushed forward, and pulled Donald Vogt, shouting loudly, “Donald, how can you apologize to a useless guy like him!?”
Joyce’s actions immediately angered Donald Vogt. He shoved Joyce away, yelling, “Get away from me. If it weren’t for you, insisting on eating at Lemon Grass, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
Donald Vogt’s reaction shocked Joyce. He seemed like a completely different person; the affection he once showed her had vanished.
“Donald, I’m Joyce. How can you treat me like this? You must be intentionally trying to upset me, right?” Joyce called out persistently.
Donald Vogt, looking at Joyce with disdain, cursed, “Bitch, stay away. I don’t want to see you!” Regarding Lee Hemingway, Donald Vogt was well aware. With Lee Hemingway having connections in both legal and illegal circles and the shadow of the Azure Cloud Group behind him, offending him meant even his own father couldn’t save him. So, at this moment, Donald Vogt wisely chose to distance himself from the Gunter family.
Donald Vogt’s attitude inflicted extreme pain on Joyce. She took two steps back, then slumped to the ground like someone who had lost their soul, murmuring, “Donald, you swore you would love me for the rest of your life. You can’t abandon me…”
Donald Vogt decided to carry out his heartlessness to the end. Looking at the seated Joyce, he sneered contemptuously, “Joyce, can’t you be less naive? You just wanted to have some fun, and there’s no way I would marry someone like you!”
Joyce couldn’t control herself anymore, and tears rolled down her face like beads that had lost their string.
Joyce had placed her entire future on Donald Vogt, and now that he rejected her, she found it unbearable. What was meant by heart-wrenching and devastating sadness, Joyce was experiencing it acutely now.
Witnessing her daughter being rejected in front of so many people, Gordon couldn’t stand by. He glared at Donald Vogt, his face red with anger. “Donald Vogt, what do you mean by this? My daughter, a Gunter family member, is not someone you can have or discard at will. How dare you degrade her?”
Since they had already torn apart the facade, there was no need for Donald Vogt to continue pretending in front of Gordon. He showed a contemptuous expression and retorted, “Old man, stop pretending in front of me. I know all about your tricks! What nonsense about the Gunter family? In front of me, it means nothing!”
Donald Vogt’s words infuriated Gordon, who completely lost his composure. He shouted angrily and lunged at Donald Vogt.
Gordon, being an old man, was no match for Donald Vogt. As Gordon rushed forward, Donald Vogt dodged and retaliated with two slaps on Gordon’s old face.
“You old fool, dare to lay hands on me? Want to die?” Donald Vogt finished the assault with a disrespectful comment.
Gordon, who had never been slapped before, retreated while gasping for breath, almost having a heart attack due to anger.
Seeing Donald Vogt actually dared to hit his father, Joyce couldn’t take it anymore. When Donald Vogt was momentarily distracted, she stood up, rushed to him, and slapped him. “Donald Vogt, you jerk. Knowing you is the biggest mistake of my life.”
Donald Vogt raised his foot and kicked Joyce to the ground, spat on the side, and cursed, “Bitch!”
Relatives of the Gunter family were dumbfounded by the scene before them. They could never have imagined such an incident when they happily came to Lemon Grass for a family banquet. Jessica knew it was her cue to step in. She approached with a concerned expression, looking at Gordon, and asked, “Dad, are you okay?”
Gordon, with an icy gaze fixed on Donald Vogt, shook his head.
“Dad, calm down. We’ve booked Lemon Grass for today,” Jessica said confidently.
Instead of pleasing him, Gordon was almost incensed by Jessica’s words. “Jessica, how can you say that? If it weren’t for that useless freeloader of your family, how could this happen? I think he did it on purpose!”
“Dad, you have to believe in your grandson-in-law…” Jessica began to explain but quickly changed her wording. “Actually, Lemon Grass was booked by Leo at my suggestion. I rarely come back to visit, and this time, besides paying respects to our ancestors, I wanted to treat our Gunter family to a good family feast to strengthen our bond.”
Jessica’s shameless words cleared up the confusion in the minds of the Gunter family relatives. To them, someone like Leo, a freeloader, couldn’t possibly afford to book the entire Lemon Grass. It must have been Jessica secretly putting up the money to achieve this. That explained why the owner of Lemon Grass treated Leo with such respect-Lee Hemingway, a businessman, was obviously profit-driven, and whoever had the money was the boss. Given Leo’s image as a wastrel in their hearts, the Gunter family relatives forcefully rationalized the situation.