“What is Eduardo’s family up to? Divorce is one thing, but her ex-husband is her cousin’s former spouse!”
“My God, divorced? Scarlet’s cousin’s ex-husband? If this gets out, how will people see us? A laughingstock!”
“Are all the men in the world gone? How could she do something like this? She’s deliberately humiliating us!”
The room erupted in fury-fists pounding the table, voices raised, tempers flaring. The atmosphere turned oppressive with rage.
The Wong family’s initial push for an arranged marriage was, admittedly, a bit forceful but done with Scarlet’s future in mind.
How many girls wouldn’t dream of becoming a daughter-in-law of the Gray family? Rumor even had it that a top-tier actress had shown interest in Rolando!
But Scarlet? What a disgrace.
She refused, fine.
But to end up with a divorced man, and not just any divorced man-her cousin’s ex-husband?
What kind of person would do such a thing?
It had to be Scarlet’s way of retaliating against the Wong family for pressuring her, forcing her to flee to Niarak to avoid the arranged marriage.
She wanted to disgust the Wong family.
She wanted to shame her uncle.
She wanted to humiliate Holger.
The eldest son, Clifford, sighed and shook his head. “Eduardo, I won’t deny that the old man’s plan for Scarlet to marry Rolando would’ve benefited me.”
“But overall, it was for the good of the entire Wong family.”
“If you don’t want Scarlet to marry Rolando, I won’t complain.”
“But Scarlet cannot marry a divorced man, especially one who used to be her cousin’s husband!”
Clifford’s reasoning was flawless, leaving Eduardo looking even more defeated, his head bowed low in discomfort.
He had raised Scarlet for twenty years. How could he not understand her temperament?
Breaking up a relationship like this would be nearly impossible.
Though Eduardo had never met Flynn, he could tell from conversations with his daughter that she genuinely enjoyed his company.
This suggested that Flynn wasn’t a bad man.
And that only made Eduardo feel more conflicted about what to do.
“What now, Eduardo? You’re unwilling?” Jakub sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Your daughter’s marriage isn’t even up to you?”
“Maybe you should just go live with your wife’s family as a house husband. You’re spineless anyway!”
“Come to think of it, it makes sense. Like father, like daughter. That Flynn fellow was a live-in son-in-law before his divorce. If he joins your family, you two will have plenty to talk about!”
“Jakub, you-” Eduardo’s face burned with anger. He raised his head to retort but swallowed his words in frustration.
Since Maria had taken control of the family’s affairs, Jakub had been persistent with his snide remarks, often aimed at sowing discord between Eduardo and his wife.
This time was no exception.
But while others might not understand, Eduardo knew that Maria, despite her strong personality, genuinely cared for him.
She massaged his legs every evening.
Whenever Jakub mocked him, Maria would step in to defend him, restoring his dignity.
Their relationship was harmonious, their affection mutual.
Over the past twenty years, Maria’s efforts had allowed their family to grow independent of the Wong family’s financial support.
They had built a fortune worth over a billion dollars.
Maria deserved all the credit and had never done anything to betray Eduardo, nor had she ever looked down on him for his disability.
Eduardo willingly allowed Maria to take charge of the family.
Still, his childhood experiences of being bullied by Jakub left him with lingering insecurities.
So when Jakub ridiculed him, Eduardo often chose to remain silent.
Maria, however, wasn’t as forgiving. She chuckled coldly. “How laughable. Jakub, Eduardo shows you respect and avoids confrontation, yet you see that as weakness?”
“Even if Eduardo were truly spineless, it’s still better than someone who relied on his father’s connections to build a billion-dollar empire, only to disgrace himself by keeping mistresses!”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Three years ago, Jakub’s affair had been exposed, leading to a scandal that shook the entire city. Everyone remembered it vividly.
It had ended in divorce, leaving the Wong family humiliated.
But it was a taboo topic within the family, and yet, Maria had dared to bring it up!
This woman was utterly reckless!
The family had long grown tired of Maria’s dominance. Now, seeing her push the limits further, they erupted with anger and scolded her in unison.
But Maria didn’t flinch. Before Jakub could lash out, she smiled coldly at him and said,
“Scarlet is our daughter. Her future is ours to decide, not yours.”
“Why don’t you focus on your own daughter instead? I heard she didn’t come home two nights ago. Spent the night partying at a bar, didn’t she?”
“And I hear she’s planning to get a chest tattoo and maybe some piercings-on her lips and elsewhere. Impressive!”
“How dare you!” Jakub’s face turned purple with rage as he slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Maria. “You’re just an outsider married into the Wong family! How dare you point fingers at my family? You’ve got some nerve!”
“Good thing Berrygate Group is only worth a billion. If it were a hundred billion, would you be trampling on all of us Wong family members by now?”
“Enough!” Holger’s roar silenced the room. His patience had worn thin.
“Right now, we’re discussing Scarlet. What are you all arguing about?”
“Isn’t there enough trouble in this family already?”
Turning to Maria, he said coldly, “Jakub is still your brother-in-law. Was it really necessary to air his dirty laundry like that?”
“And as for Scarlet-do you dare claim her current behavior has nothing to do with you?”
“You’ve spoiled her too much!”
Holger’s eyes narrowed, his expression icy and full of reproach. His words were sharp, carrying a heavy sense of blame.
“The old man is right! Like mother, like daughter. Scarlet’s defiance is entirely their fault!”
“Women from poor backgrounds are all the same-short-sighted! Just because Flynn has some influence in Niarak, they think they’ve struck gold. Their perspective is laughably small!”
“Some influence? Ha! I bet Flynn’s worth nothing. Maria is just helping her daughter lie to fool us into approving this disgraceful match!”
Everyone knew how much Maria doted on Scarlet. To them, Flynn was likely worthless-his supposed connections in Niarak nothing more than exaggerated tales.
Listening to the Wong family’s accusations, Maria felt a deep ache in her heart.
She had come from humble beginnings, working tirelessly to earn the Wong family’s approval. Even after founding Berrygate Group and amassing a fortune of over a billion dollars, she still wasn’t accepted.
What a joke. Holger was the ultimate hypocrite. Were they supposed to endure insults without defending themselves?
And Scarlet-was refusing to marry Rolando such an unforgivable crime?
Yet Jakub’s daughter, Diara, could spend her days racing motorcycles and hanging out with a gang of delinquents without a word of criticism from the family.
Even with her strong-willed nature, Maria felt a sting of injustice and humiliation. Tears welled in her eyes.
Eduardo, too, felt helpless, ashamed of his low status in the family. He couldn’t even stand up for his wife and daughter, leaving them at the mercy of the Wong family’s whims.
Just then, Holger’s phone rang.
“Peter Gray! Rolando’s grandfather is calling!”
Holger frowned and answered the call.
“Holger, I heard Scarlet brought a man to Pelens?”
Boom!
Holger’s mind went blank, his face turning ashen.