As soon as Madame Joanne arrogantly walked through the door, she took a quick scan of the interior
of the villa, with a look of disgust and disdain on her face. Her presence was as if a great gift bestowed
upon them.
Claire had bad-mouthed Madame Joanne behind her back many times. Upon seeing her arrival, she
immediately jumped up from the sofa to give her a warm welcome, despite the pain in her feet.
âMom, what brings you here? Here, take a seat!â
She held Madame Joanneâs arm, guiding her to the sofa.
However, Madame Joanne didnât move an inch and forcefully flung her hands away.
Emma stared at them in disgust. âUgh, really? Just look at how dirty your sofa is. Thereâs blood on the
floor too! Where did that blood even come from? Could it be syphilis? How could you let her sit there?
Are you trying to infect Grandma with such filthy diseases?â
Claire froze with her hands still in the mid-air. Her expression immediately turned grim as well.
Both Dorothy and Beatrice were bridled with anger as they thought, âWhat does Emma mean by that?
Is she saying that the three of us are sl*ts that mess around with some random men? How could we
endure such an insult?â
Suddenly, a loud slap could be heard. Emmaâs face turned to the side upon being slapped hard, with
one of her teeth flying out of her mouth.
âAh! My new porcelain teeth!â
âYou jerk! You slapped me again! â Emma shouted as she cupped her face with one hand.
The one who slapped Emma was none other than Alex. After slapping her, Alex sat down on the sofa
and said coldly, âIf you donât have anything nice to say, then shut up. If all you say is bullsh*t, then Iâll
just have to teach you basic human decency.â
Just then, Alexâs action had gained a rare support and praise from Beatrice, even Claire was not as
upset as before.
âGrandma!â Emma turned to Madame Joanne for help.
Madame Joanne slammed her walking stick to the ground, glaring at Alex furiously. âHow dare you!
Who do you think you are, Alex Rockefeller? How dare you slap my granddaughter out of nowhere? Do
you not know how to respect elders?â
Alex replied dismissively, âMy respect is earned depending on the elders themselves. If the elder is
polite and humble, Iâd give her my utmost respect. If the elder is shameless and biased, I will not give a
sh*t about her and Iâll slap the living hell out of her too.â
âYouâ¦â Madame Joanne was so furious, to the point that her whole body started trembling.
After a gentle reminder from Benny, only then did Madame Joanne calm down.
Dorothy asked, âGrandma, Uncle Benny and Uncle Anderson, why did you come by our place today?â
Anderson huffed. âIs this how you treat your guests, by leaving your grandmother standing like this? Is
this sense of propriety you guys are talking about? More like discourtesy and unfilial ness!â
Dorothy felt aggrieved, yet she still took a chair out of the dining room and let Madame Joanne sit.
Madame Joanne spoke up, âIâm here for two things.â
Dorothy nodded. âYes, Grandma, please continue.â
Madame Joanne said, âFirst things first. Dorothy, I need you to find Charles Carter again. Mr. Carter is
a sworn brother with Thomas Hawk from South Cali Structures. The Assexes want to sign a contract
with South Cali Structures, but Stoneworks has connections with South Cali Structures too. However, if
Mr. Carter were to give us a hand, Assex Constructions would surely be able to sign the contract.â
Dorothy was taken aback and shook her head. âGrandma, you overestimated me. I canât just go up to
Mr. Carter and ask him for that. Moreover, Mr. Carter wouldnât go that far just for me!â
Madame Joanneâs expression turned cold. âYou just donât want to. If Mr. Carter could help you to forge
a fake contract just so you could get back the subsidiary company in City South last time, why wouldnât
he help you this time?â