Melinda had shown up at some point. “Surprised to see me, North?”North’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t think you were invited to this event.”Melinda was delighted. “It doesn’t matter. Reina is the heiress of the Jordan family. I’m their special guest.”North nodded. “Oh. Hey, special guest, have you checked in with your hosts?”Melinda did not understand what North was getting at.North pointed with her chin. “The people backing you have already run off after being found out for bringing a counterfeit. Why didn’t they tell you that they were leaving? How come they dumped you here alone?”“How dare you!” Melinda despised North for her sharp tongue.She could not stand it. “Don’t you know how rich and influential the Jordan family is? Reina isn’t going to lose to you!”North paused for a moment before suddenly laughing. “Yes, that’s right. You’re both roaches. Anyone would admire you for your resilience.”Melinda’s face reddened. “North, how could you have such a vicious tongue?! A
“It’s natural to want affection from your family members. You did not know that Henry wasn’t related to you, so you’re not stupid.“You’re so cute and pretty. Your biological father would have adored you.”North blinked. Her eyes felt a little damp.“Besides…” Gerald paused before saying meaningfully, “Do you know what a marriage certificate signifies?”North did not understand what Gerald was getting at. “What does it signify?”Gerald’s tone was very calm. “It means two strangers have become the people closest to each other on this earth. Even though they are not related by blood, they are bound by something that cannot be removed. From now on, I will be your family.”North thought about it for a while before she understood. Dazedly, she said, “Oh.”“That’s why you can always trust me and be yourself. You can even whine and be bratty with me. However…” Gerald’s eyes narrowed. “There’s something that’s a little strange.”North had a feeling that Gerald really wanted to tell Nor
Gerald looked at North meaningfully. “I would never risk the crime of polygamy.”An idea came to North, and she pulled Gerald to one side conspiratorially. They hid in a corner where Henry would not see them.Meanwhile, Henry and Linda were still boasting.Someone asked in surprise, “Mr. Gerald and Reina are getting married? Why have I not heard anything about that?”Henry waved a hand. “Gerald has a marriage agreement with the Jordan family. Reina is the heiress of the Jordan family. Doesn’t that make it a done deal?”North scoffed. Henry was already calling Gerald by his first name. He really acted as though he was Gerald’s father-in-law.Linda could not resist being as excited as Henry to boast. “Reina saved Mr. Gerald’s life four years ago. They’re meant to be together. Nothing can keep them apart!”The doubtful gazes of those around them became admiring.“Mr. Henry, you have really raised such an amazing daughter! Even after rejoining the Jordan family, Ms. Reina still tak
The security guard was unbothered.Henry got even more frustrated. He had invited so many business partners and friends here today to show off. Yet, he was being denied entry to the restaurant.Henry got angrier the more he thought about it. A vein pulsed in his temple. He suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the security guard by his collar. “I’ll say it one more time. You’d better get lost, I’m telling you—”“Dad, Mrs. Myers, don’t you find it embarrassing to be throwing tantrums at your age?”North had seen enough. She languidly walked out from behind a pillar.She raised an eyebrow and said pointedly, “Oh… You’ve brought some friends, Dad. It’s a shame that Dew Garden isn’t open to the public today. Gerald’s booked the whole place.”Everyone looked over at North. “Isn’t that North Myers?”“Did North say Mr. Gerald’s here? Didn’t Mr. Henry say that Mr. Gerald will be marrying Reina soon? Why is North having a meal with him?”“North, Mr. Gerald doesn’t love you anymore. Why do
North ducked to one side, and Henry’s slap landed solidly on Linda’s face. It made a loud noise.“Ouch! Hubby!”“North, you horrible wretch! How dare you duck?!”Linda wanted to come over and mock North, but she did not expect that North would drag her and use her as a shield just as she got close by.Before Linda could react, Henry had already slapped her. While North was just fine hiding behind her, she had been slapped for no reason.“North, how could you do that? I’m your stepmother. Why can’t we just talk things through? Did you have to raise a hand against me?”Everyone looked over at them and started criticizing North. “What’s going on? Why is it that North showing up got her father and stepmother so upset?”“Don’t be sad, Mrs. Myers, you’re considered North’s mother, so you should discipline her. She won’t dare go against you again.”Linda’s expression lightened. “North, Henry is just asking you for a small favor. We’re a family. There’s no grudge between us. What’s s
How could Reina not know that Dew Garden was not open to the public today?If she did not know, that meant that she had not made a reservation. In that case, Reina was not being sincere in wanting to treat them all to a meal.If she had known about this, this meant that Reina was intentionally playing them and making them make this trip for nothing!North said softly, “It’s clearly Reina who failed to organize this meal properly, but you’re not blaming Reina for it, Dad. You’re blaming me for it instead. I know that everything I do is wrong in your eyes. I’ve gotten used to it after so many years.”Someone in the group spoke up. “Mr. Henry, if you had explained the fact that Dew Garden wasn’t open to the public, we would have understood. Why did you have to blame all of this on North?”Henry was about to explode. “Y-You… North, you’re being unreasonable! You horrible wretch, I’ll kill—!”“So, this is how you treat my wife in private.” Gerald’s sudden statement interrupted Henry’s
Henry really felt like fainting.He had only wanted to brag about Reina and Gerald’s relationship. He never imagined that he would actually bump into Gerald!“N-North, I’m your father. Of course, that means that I’m also Mr. Gerald’s father-in-law…” He trailed off.“Mr. Henry, you’d better stop talking. Shut your trap!” Suddenly, one of the shareholders went forward and yelled at him.“The way you acted just now made it clear that you don’t treat North as your daughter. Still, you want to use her relationship with Mr. Gerald to show off. Don’t you think it’s humiliating to call yourself Mr. Gerald’s father-in-law now?!”“It was Reina who made a mistake here today. It’s bad enough that you scolded North for it. Now you want to drag Mr. Gerald into this as well? You… We don’t want to have this meal anymore!”Gerald’s gaze had been so chilling that these shareholders all felt like fleeing the scene.Yet, Henry was still shamelessly trying to win the argument. The shareholders were
North said sarcastically, “Connor, you’re expecting too much of them. There’s no way Dad and Mrs. Myers will apologize to me. They would much rather leave than lower their heads to apologize.”Connor was shocked. “What? But Dew Garden is having a half-price promotion today, and we also host a lot of activities. You’re also going to have to come here in the future if you want to hold any parties or gatherings. Are you two sure you don’t want to come in?”They played along with each other very well. “I’ve been their daughter for more than twenty years. I know them very well. Mrs. Myers is Henry’s current wife. She would be humiliated if she had to apologize to me, the daughter of Henry’s first wife.”Connor replied, “Ah, then that’s a real shame. We were going to give each of the guests a ticket to Globalis Corporation’s annual meeting. It seems you don’t need such a thing, Mr. Henry, so we’ll forget about it.” He then instructed the security guard. “Please escort them out.”Henry’s