Isabella casually flipped through the household registration book and then tossed it aside. “Really, we finally got it.”
Andrew pursed his lips in silence, lost in thought.
“Andrew, what are you thinking about?” Isabella leaned closer to ask.
“I’m thinking about what kind of outstanding young man would be suitable for your cousin,” he said with a rare hint of jest in his tone.
“Come on, you’re taking my grandmother’s words seriously? Just listen to them casually. Aria hasn’t even gotten a divorce yet. If you introduce someone to her now, it would be bigamy,” she said.
“Your cousin’s divorce is unlikely to happen. Your grandmother won’t stop until she extorts a hefty sum from the Hayes family. But, they are notoriously stingy and would rather string her along than give in,” he replied unhurriedly.
After hearing this, Isabella couldn’t help but sigh. “If it were me, I’d rather walk away with nothing than stay married. I don’t know how Aria can live with that scumbag Idris. If it were me, I’d have castrated him by now.”
Andrew frowned slightly while keeping his eyes on the road. “As a girl, you shouldn’t speak so recklessly.”
Isabella stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
Andrew, with one hand on the steering wheel, affectionately ruffled her hair with the other.
They were about to get married, yet she still behaved like a child, as if she would never grow up.
“Isabella, if you don’t have any other plans for tomorrow, let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get our marriage certificate,” he said.
“Sure,” she nodded.
At the next turn, a car sped towards them. In a moment of distraction, Andrew almost collided with it, but he quickly swerved and slammed on the brakes.
“Andrew, please focus on driving,” Isabella said seriously, holding onto the seatbelt, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Andrew adjusted the steering wheel, bringing the car back onto the road.
“Feeling good today?” he asked.
“Of course. Before the wedding, I finally managed to get rid of Charlotte, the troublemaker, from the Harris family,” Isabella felt that this victory was quite satisfying.
“Two birds with one stone. You’ve become quite shrewd this time,” Andrew said warmly.
Not only had she obstructed David’s career advancement, but she had also made Charlotte suffer a significant loss. The little girl’s tactics were indeed impressive.
Andrew watched her grow step by step, feeling a sense of pride.
“Being close to an exemplary figure like Mr. Andrew, how could I not improve at all?” Isabella leaned over, resting her chin on his arm.
Andrew kept his eyes on the road, glancing at her with a smile, “Isabella, I need to focus on driving.”
She pouted slightly and obediently sat back in her seat. “Charlotte is done for this time. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Victoria will turn things around.”
“Given the current situation, the wisest decision would be to sacrifice a pawn to save the king. Unfortunately, humans are emotional creatures, and emotions often triumph over reason,” Andrew said calmly.
“Even someone like Charlotte has emotions,” Isabella scoffed.
“Don’t forget, she’s a mother,” Andrew added, leaving it at that.
…
The night Charlotte and Emily were kicked out of the Harris family, Victoria rushed back.
She went straight to the hospital. As soon as she entered the room, her face was as cold as ice.
Charlotte lay on the bed, badly bruised and swollen. Emily sat beside the bed, her eyes swollen like peaches.
Seeing Victoria, both of them teared up.
“Crying, crying, what good does it do to cry now!” Victoria threw her luggage down, pulled up a chair, and sat by the bed.
“Sis, what do we do now?” Emily sobbed pitifully, “I’m about to get married, but now Dad won’t let us go home. How can I face my in-laws?”
“Shut up! Stop acting pitiful in front of me. If you want to act, do it in front of your husband,” Victoria snapped, glaring at Emily. She was already too exasperated to deal with this idiot.
“Mom, what are you planning to do?” Victoria asked.
Charlotte’s face twisted with anger. “This time, I was set up by that bitch Isabella. It’s true what they say, a biting dog doesn’t bark. And she sure bit hard this time.”
After saying that, Charlotte tightly grabbed Victoria’s hand. “Victoria, think of a way. We absolutely can’t let that bitch get away with this!”
“She already has,” Victoria said coldly. “Isabella is Mr. Allen’s granddaughter, and she’s certainly not stupid. I spent so much effort and so many years planning to turn her into an idiot. And look at you two, for the sake of a man, you’ve completely disrupted all my plans.
If you had gained anything from it, I might have accepted it. But what happened? You ended up with nothing.”
“Sis, it’s already come to this. What’s the point of blaming us now? I’m stupid, you have brains. Think of what we should do now,” Emily muttered.
Victoria shot her a cold look. “There’s no perfect solution now unless you take the blame for this. Let mom go back to the Harris family.”
“Why should I? It wasn’t me who leaked Dad’s scandal, it was that bitch Isabella,” Emily complained.
“Isabella might be a bitch, but she’s a capable one. You can’t even manage to sleep with the right man. Isabella is with Andrew now, she has a powerful backer. Even if she did release the scandal, Dad wouldn’t dare do anything to her. And look at you, shamelessly getting on Mrs. Ada’s bad side and ending up married to a small-time businessman.”
“But why should I be sacrificed? If I admit to this, Dad will disown me. Without the family’s support, how can I stand my ground with my in-laws?” Emily whined, grabbing Charlotte’s hand.
“Without Mom in the Harris family and with Mrs. Ada in charge, do you think you’ll be able to hold your ground? With or without family’s support, what difference does it make?” Victoria sneered.
“Victoria,” Charlotte interrupted her, grimacing from the pain that pulled at her lip wound. “No, we can’t let Emily take the fall. Elowen miscarried, and your dad and grandmother are furious. If Emily steps up now, she’ll definitely be kicked out of the house by your dad.”
Even in such a situation, they were still emotional. Victoria snorted coldly and continued, “Alright, since you both disagree, we’ll just have to drag this out indefinitely. Once Emily and I have secured our positions with our in-laws, you can confront Dad head-on. After all, you’re his legal wife, you can’t be just thrown out. If you divorce him, make sure to take a chunk out of him.”
Charlotte nodded in agreement. “That might be a way out. As long as you and Emily are well settled, I’ll have no worries. Your dad’s been unfaithful and abusive. I have no feelings for him anymore. Besides, he won’t gain anything from a divorce.”
“Mom, how many trump cards does Dad have left?” Victoria suddenly asked.
The Allen family used to be incredibly wealthy. When Mr. Allen died, most of that wealth fell into David’s hands. Victoria once thought those assets would eventually be hers and her mother’s, but plans hadn’t kept pace with changes. She felt it was time to rethink her strategy.
“No matter how many cards he holds, as long as I have his biggest weakness in my grasp, I can get whatever I want,” Charlotte said. They exchanged a knowing look.
“Mom, sis, what are you talking about?” Emily asked, completely bewildered.