The words were somewhat harsh to the ears.
Aaron had been dealing with the Crawley family for two years, and this was the first time he had heard Brandon's parents so openly disdaining Sophia.
He felt like he was losing face, his complexion fluctuating between pallidness and flushes of embarrassment. But considering he was dealing with the powerful and influential Crawley family, no matter how uncomfortable he felt inside, he kept a flattering smile on his face: "Could there be some kind of misunderstanding here? My sister might be introverted, but she's beyond reproach, and my brother-in-law is not the playboy type. If they weren't deeply in love, how could they have conceived a child."
"Deep in love? Nonsense," retorted Daniel, frail in body but not in spirit, casting aside any pretense of decorum, "Do you think I don't know Brandon? What sort of person he is, who he would like? He's kept himself pure for over twenty years, always had his heart set on the Frost family's younger daughter, never even bothering with girlfriends. If it weren't for your sister finding a loophole, he wouldn't have had to take this responsibility."
"That's not really fair to say." Aaron's smile was starting to strain, "Brandon, over six feet tall, could hardly have been overpowered by my sister, could he? If she did use any shady tricks, would Brandon not have noticed with his intelligence? And if he did see through them, with his character, why would he take this lying down? It just doesn't add up. Besides, if Brandon was so easily manipulated by women, he'd have illegitimate children running all over the place by now, and the company he manages would have been driven into the ground, wouldn't it?" Aaron ended, barely hiding his obsequiousness with a smug smile. "Am I right?" What he really wanted to say was: "Your son was not an idiot. How could a woman overpower him and force him into marriage?"
But deep down, he still wanted to cling to Daniel's coattails and dared not to go too far and risk offending him, so he added that smiley tag question, not realizing that to Daniel it already came across as a blatant provocation. Daniel was so offended he turned pale and was speechless for a moment.
Aaron misinterpreted Daniel's silence as assent and continued with an ingratiating smile, "If I may say, fortune comes in its own time to the children, it's not for us to unduly interfere. Given Brandon's virtuous nature, if he didn't have feelings for my sister, he would never have come close to her, let alone father a child. As for that Frost family's younger daughter, she might just be an excuse he used to fend off your pressure to get married; I've seen this kind of thing a lot. From what I see, Brandon and my sister are doing very well together. The child is born; he's not the type to abandon his family, and your household would never rear a son capable of such. I have confidence in my brother-in-law."
"Abandon, my foot!"
Daniel finally managed to spit out a sentence, "I'll tell you the truth, our family only acknowledges Yolanda as a daughter-in-law. Nobody else matters. Brandon and Yolanda are the real deal-childhood sweethearts, well-matched, truly in love. Don't talk to me about whether he loves your sister or not. What is she worth? That's just for the sake of the child. No matter what, our child can't be left destitute."
Aaron was a bit ticked off too: "Didn't you just say that my sister's child isn't from your family?"
"I'd rather not have her than let her ruin our family's name," Daniel lost all semblance of control, blood rushing to his forehead with anger, pointing to the door with a dismissive gesture, "Get out!"
Seeing Daniel's genuine fury, Aaron was worried about offending him and quickly tried to smooth things over with a sycophantic grin: "Don't be angry, your health comes first. We're just having a rational discussion, there is no need to get worked up. Brandon knows whether he likes my sister better than any of us. As family members, we just need to be supportive, it's not worth getting upset over."
Patricia couldn't bear to listen anymore, her face set with suppressed anger. She cut Aaron off: "You should leave, he needs to rest."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but worryingly glance at Daniel, continuously patting his chest to help him catch his breath.
After more than twenty years of marriage, she knew Daniel well. His current fury was no doubt directed at Sophia.
If it weren't for her, Brandon would never have been so defiant against him, and he wouldn't have ended up in the hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage, unable to move a muscle.
His anger hadn't subsided, and Aaron's adding insult to injury by talking about how they were off having fun and being lovey-dovey while he was on death's door, only further aggravated his already fragile nerves.
Aaron lingered, reluctant to leave, as the original purpose of his visit was unfulfilled.
"There's no rush," he said, glancing again at Daniel's pallid face with concern, asking tentatively, "Are you feeling alright? Should I call a doctor for you?"
"Get out!"
Daniel nearly spat blood in anger, his finger pointing emphatically at the door, shouting with all the strength he could muster toward the outside, "Are you all dead in there? Can't you hear the noise inside?"
But despite seeming to exert all his energy, he was indeed weak.
Patricia, frantic, raised her voice and called out to the door: "Bodyguards!"