So what if Santiago was a b*stard? In the end, he was the only one who was willing to help her. But these family members of hers?
Although they were her family, they were the ones sending her off to h*ll.
Cynthia briefly glanced at Yanora, who was staring at Santiago. She was the one who requested her to agree to the marriage, but why wasn’t she saying anything right then?
“If you can, then kill me,” Johan suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of anger. Santiago looked over and snorted. “Is there a need for me to do that considering your age? Look at your children and grandchildren! If this continues on, then I’m sure that you will die in a fit of rage sooner or later.”
“Mr. Santiago, I think that’s enough. Old Master Johan is already in poor health. Do you think he’ll recover if you keep talking like that?” The butler was good at reading the room. He quickly walked over to Santiago and intervened.
Santiago lambasted them without any shred of propriety. “I don’t care about that. All I’m here for is an explanation from you guys.”
“Explanation? You’re the one who should be explaining to us!” Johan let out a snort as he sat up, trembling. The butler hurried over to prop him up.
Johan settled himself into the seat and said, “You’ve ruined Cynthia’s reputation. Speak for yourself. How are you going to settle this?”
Santiago cast a glance at Cynthia and he then asked Johan, “Tell me, what are we to do?”
“You were the one who came to our manor and destroyed Cynthia’s reputation. Are you willing to admit that mistake?” Johan asked. Santiago thought it over and replied, “Yes.”
“Santiago,” Cynthia murmured as she tugged on Santiago’s arm. Santiago glanced at Cynthia and reassured her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone do you wrong.”
Tears began rolling down Cynthia’s cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. Santiago told her, “Don’t cry.”
Cynthia nodded. She was aggrieved, and it was as though she was a child hiding behind Santiago, waiting for him to stand up for her.
“Good on you for admitting it. So, what are you going to do next?” Johan asked. After thinking about it, Santiago answered, “I’m still young. I’m only 17 years old. My elder brother, Jepherson, is not yet married and my family has never liked me. I cannot get married before Jepherson. Once he gets married, I will marry Cynthia, but only if she consents to it.”
“Since that’s the case, then I’ll agree on Cynthia’s behalf. I approve of your marriage. Go back and tell your parents to come over with a formal proposal,” Johan said from his seat. When he gave the order, everyone in the room was shocked, Yanora most of all.
Flynt turned around to look at Johan, saying, “Great-Grandpa…”
Johan raised his hand to stop Flynt from speaking. Flynt stopped himself short.
“What other requests do you have, Santiago?” Johan asked.
“I hope that you guys won’t trouble Cynthia in the future, and you are not to interfere in her affairs. Otherwise, I will come here and cause another ruckus. Since Cynthia is now my fiancee, you guys have no right to treat her badly. If the Moore family cannot afford to wait for me, then I can take Cynthia away right here and now. I have no riches to my name, but I’m confident that I can support Cynthia.”
The Moore family members were shocked at Santiago’s assertion. They could tell that he was subtly ridiculing them.
Elina stumbled backwards. She was at a total loss for words.
She did not approve of the marriage because she held a grudge towards the Richards family. Jepherson was the reason that Eloisa and Marianna were dead. If her daughter were to marry into the Richards family, then what did that mean?
Stunned, Elina remained in a daze.
“Don’t worry, the Moore family can afford to raise her. I don’t know what happened today but I will investigate. I will do my best for Cynthia. As for you, don’t forget your words here today, or you will be punished,” Johan threatened.
“You don’t have to resort to threats. I did this out of my own free will, so you don’t have to force me to do anything. You won’t have to kill me or anything,” Santiago responded, and he then glanced at Cynthia. “Come on, I’ll take you back to my house.”
Santiago turned around, pulling Cynthia’s hand. Cynthia looked back at her family. She couldn’t very well leave just like that.
“It’s alright, you can go. I’m not dead yet. No one will harm you,” Johan assured her. Cynthia gave Johan a long look before following Santiago’s lead and leaving the manor.
As soon as Cynthia left, Johan picked up a teacup and hurled it to the ground.
Yousif and the rest of the Moore family members were all scared out of their wits. Elina was even kneeling.
Yousif eyed Elina and Flynt. He thought that his moment had finally come and he could finally seize back control of the Moore family. Thus, he hurried over to Johan and lowered his head, about to tell Johan something. However, Johan raised his hand and slapped him squarely in the face. “Useless man.”
Yousif was so frightened that he began trembling all over. He kept his head down and did not dare to make any sound.
Subsequently, the entire Moore family had already convened in Johan’s room. It looked like a family gathering.
Johan said, “In the future, any proposals to wed children of the Moore family, except the illegitimate ones, have to go through me. Don’t you all go around thinking that you can do as you wish here. Those spineless men who rely on women should be ashamed of themselves!”
“Even if you want to find a suitable match for a child of the Moore family, you should find a decent-looking one. I don’t want the baby to come out ugly! That’s all, you all can get lost.”
No one dared to speak again. The butler walked up to Elina and helped her to her feet as he said, “Madam, let’s head back first.”
Elina knew that she had tested Johan’s patience to its limits.
She did not dare to refute anything. She hurried to thank him, and she then scuttled out of the room with Yanora.
“Alright, everyone, you may disperse now,” the butler instructed. Soon, most of the Moore family members had left the room.
After they had left, Johan glanced at Yousif and told him, “Although Elina caused this, that doesn’t mean you’re innocent.”
“If you hadn’t been so profit-driven and tried to take advantage of your daughter to climb the social ladder, then this would have never happened.”
Yousif was angry and aggrieved, but words failed him.
Johan waved a hand around, dismissing him. “You’re not allowed to leave the manor for the next few days. I want you to reflect on yourself.”
Yousif’s expression was evidently stormy. He turned around and strode out. At that moment, Johan looked at Flynt and called out, “Come here.”
Flynt walked over to Johan and stopped by his side, his eyes meeting his gaze. “Yes, Old Master Johan?”
“Do you object to how I handled things today?” Johan asked Flynt. Flynt processed it for a moment, and he then replied, “No, I don’t. It seems like the only option. At first, I intended to force Santiago to submit to us, but I never thought that he would be that cunning. He actually avoided the trap I set for him.”
Johan smiled with satisfaction. “I’m glad you did not disappoint me. You are courageous and astute. Since you managed to think of that solution, it means you know the priorities in this fiasco.”
“Since Cynthia loves Santiago, even though there’s a huge age difference, he doesn’t seem like he would treat her badly from my assessment of him. Santiago said himself that he would not be able to marry her just yet. In other words, we have to wait for a few years. If you can seize control of Capital City by then, this decision we made today becomes insignificant.”
“I know. Thank you for your guidance, Old Master Johan,” Flynt said, with no way of venting his turmoil over the matter. He hated that it had come to that, but he had no choice.