Makeup was all over the floor, startling the servants and the makeup artists. It was an important day with many guests waiting, yet the mother-in-law showed no respect for the daughter-in-law and attempted to exert her dominance. Mona was a lot calmer, or rather, cold. She grabbed Jennifer's fingers pointed at her face, and shook them away. Then, she said coldly, "Mrs. Fontaine, just cancel this ceremony if you’re unhappy with me. I don't want to waste my time putting on makeup here either." Jennifer was infuriated by Mona’s attitude. She trembled in disbelief. “You!” She flattered and fell on the couch behind her, breathing heavily. Mona took a deep breath to calm herself down. She glanced at the servants and makeup artists at the window and sighed. No matter how rude Jennifer was, she was her mother-in-law. Family affairs should be settled behind doors, not in front of others. “Can I have the room, please? Come back in half an hour.” The servants and makeup artists
Jennifer narrowed her eyes in disbelief at Mona. Like a deflated balloon, she suddenly forgot what made her so angry. “Since I’m already here, I’ll follow the rules. From now on, you are my mother-in-law, and I am your daughter-in-law. I will adhere to your thoughts and opinions. You find me disgraceful for being in the entertainment industry? Cancel the ceremony, then.” “The ancestral ceremony can not be canceled.” As soon as Mona’s voice subsided, Thaddeus’ voice came from the door. The man had changed into a set of formal attire. He overheard the servants and makeup artists gossiping about an incident. Only then did he know what had just happened. When Thaddeus stepped in, he sized up Mona from top to bottom to look for any obvious signs of injury. He only sighed a breath of relief when he confirmed she was fine. He walked to his mother and frowned. “Mother, I thought I told you not to cause trouble.” Jennifer was furious. “What did you say?” She bolted up instantl
Thaddeus was caught off guard by the question. It was indeed his weak spot. His face had a layer of frost on it. The man glared at his mother and said, “Mother, your marriage with Father was not based on feelings either, but that did not affect you two from staying under one roof and giving birth to me.” Jennifer’s eyes widened. She pointed at Thaddeus grudgingly and bellowed, “What is wrong with you? Are you trying to follow in our footsteps?” She was so loud that it startled the others around them. Thaddeus stood on the spot with a frosty look. It was not the first time the mother and son had a confrontation in front of others, especially the servants. The servants had gotten used to the arguments that happened now and then. To the outsiders, Thaddeus was a cold-hearted monster who did things with an iron fist. Everyone respected him, revered him, and assumed him as a God. However, that was not the case to the servants who had worked for the family for more than a few
“Nonsense,” Thaddeus said with a frown. Master Fontaine looked up at his grandson, who was taller than himself. The boy sounded like he was scolding him for saying something pessimistic, which amused him. He jokingly hit Thaddeus’ leg with the walking stick and said, “If you speak to me like I’m your employee, I’ll whack you.” Thaddeus put his arm around Master Fontaine’s shoulder and smiled. “If you can still whack me, I’d be happy to let you do it. Though, I would save my energy if I were you.” The grandfather and grandson’s interaction was heartwarming. A while later, a screeching noise of a car engine came from the gate, attracting everyone’s attention. The luxury sports car drifted into the porch and stopped right in the center. Everyone exchanged a tacit look as they sensed another confrontation happening. It was Victor, the eldest son of the Cornwells and Master Fontaine’s favorite grandson. Judging from his entrance, he was not here for the ancestral ceremony
The boy was loud, and he repeated his words again and again. Almost everyone present heard the boy. They all leaned forward to listen to what else the boy had to say. The boy was audacious enough to speak the thoughts in everyone’s minds. Just whose child was he? Thaddeus looked down at the boy, grabbed his jacket, and lifted him in the air. “Kid, do you know what a dupe is?” The boy swung his legs in the air and struggled. “I know. I know. You are a dupe. You don’t want the girl who likes you but the one who dislikes you. That’s why you are a dupe. You had it coming!” Thaddeus narrowed his eyes and slapped the boy on the butt. “Who taught you that?” The boy could barely walk properly, yet he was able to spew words that even adults dared not say. Someone must have instigated him to say those words in front of everyone else. He wanted to know whose child it was trying to test his patience. “Let me go! Sob… Let me go! I won’t say it anymore!” The boy, frightened by Th
In a pavilion garden away from the crowd, the boy who wet his pants was talking to a woman. The woman was none other than Jennifer. She paid the boy to call her own son a dupe in front of the guests and make him look like a clown. Since her words no longer worked, she resorted to dirty tricks to pull her son away from the woman’s charms. “How was my performance? Good, right?” the boy said as he wiped his snot away. He stretched his hand out to ask for his reward. “Where are my two hundred bucks?” Jennifer pulled out a piece of one hundred dollar bill and waved it in front of the boy. “Here.” The boy frowned. “We agreed on two hundred! Where’s the other hundred? You lied!” Jennifer clicked her tongue and patted the boy’s head. “You can’t do great things if you are this impatient. That man you made fun of is a thousand times more mature than you. What you did just now didn’t even affect him, which is why you failed your task, and I can only give you one hundred.” “No way! G
Mona’s heart sank, and her eyes started to water. Master Fontaine hid it well. He was terribly ill, yet no one knew about it. He tapped Mona’s hand and gave her a smile. “Today is an important day. All the extended families and affiliates are influential figures, and some of them are the company’s working partners. So try to behave, okay?” Master Fontaine’s smile had a deep meaning to it. His words also reminded Mona to not cause any trouble on this important occasion. Mona snorted and got up. She put her sorrow away and replaced it with a blank look. She empathized with Master Fontaine. If he did not want to say, she would help him keep a secret. Fortunately, judging from the pulse reading, it was bad. However, even though Master Fontaine dragged it out, it was not irreversible. She sighed. She turned around and saw Thaddeus talking to a handsome young man in formal attire. She sized up the man carefully, feeling a sense of familiarity. Although it was her first time seein
Thaddeus, Raymond, and Alex were known as the Worchester Trinity among the four great families. They grew up together and only parted ways when they decided to study abroad after high school. Unlike playboys from most wealthy families, the three shouldered the duty of expanding the family business. While all three of them shared the same ideals, they also viewed each other as rivals. Many years later, all three men managed to gain a certain level of success in their respective fields. They were talented men who respected each other. Thaddeus scoffed. “Raymond has been sulking since he came back from South Georgia. He must have done something bad there.” Alex raised a brow. “South Georgia? How strange. I thought he said he would never set foot there again for the rest of his life.” “You will know when you visit him at his house. Blindly guessing won’t get you answers.” Alex stroked his chin and nodded. “I suppose so. I bet it’s related to women.” While they were chatting,