Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations
The little old lady was now adorned in luxurious clothing, though she still looked a little pale.
Lewis was sitting frostily to her left.
To her right was a man over sixty. It was Lewisâs father.
A middle-aged couple in their forties sat on the nearby sofa, they were Lewisâ elder brother and sister-in-law, and also the parents of Jake.
Although no one had introduced the identity of the petite old lady, anyone able to sit in a prominent position in the Horton family was definitely old Mrs.
Horton.
Poppy stood where she was, dumbfounded. âYou, youâ¦
She stuttered for a while but couldnât complete a sentence.
Isla was about to collapse but was fortunately caught by Jake.
Jake was puzzled. âWhatâs wrong with you?â
Islaâs hands were trembling.
Sheâd been striving for a connection with the Horton family all along and was painstakingly trying to please every elder here, but before she even entered the door, she had already offended old Mrs. Horton!
She suddenly chuckled bitterly. âKeira, why did you trick us, saying old Mrs. Horton is your husbandâs grandmother? Due to that, we were disrespectful to the old ladyâ¦â
Keira instantly felt several suspicious glances directed at her in the room. Poppy, having recovered, scolded her. âYouâre such a liar! You know that Mrs.
Horton is old, so you dare to deceive her! What do you take the Horton family for? Kneel and apologize immediately!â
Keiraâs eyes darkened.
They were trying to shift the blame, throwing all the fault onto her, and absolving Isla in the process.
What a good tactic.
âSmash!â
A teacup was thrown over by old Mrs. Horton, hitting Poppy.
The boiling tea inside splashed onto her, but Poppy didnât dare to scream. â â Shut up!â Mrs. Horton screamed in anger. âSheâs my granddaughter-in-law!â Despite enduring the pain of a burn, Poppy yelled, âMrs. Horton, youâve been deceived by her! Iâm completely sure that her husband is just a little punk!â -No need to argue. Why not just ask the parties involved?â
Jakeâs mother chimed in, âLewis, is she really the wife youâre hiding and not bringing home?â
Keira glanced swiftly towards Lewis, and then she heard that expected response. âNo.â
The man, as always, was icy and emotionless.
What an ungrateful, vindictive, mean person!
A flash of resentment shot through Keiraâs eyes.
Relief washed over Islaâs face, and she sighed.
Poppy sneered. âI knew all along that this was all Keiraâs doing!â
Keira gave a cold snort, and was about to retort, but instead heard the manâs deep voice again.
âItâs my grandmother who mistook her, so I asked Miss Olsen to help take care of my grandmother for a while.â
Keira didnât know what to say
Alright, she admitted she was shouting a little too loud in her head when she cursed him just now.
Everyone was quiet for a moment, no one expected this turn of events. After a while, Isla lowered her head. âSo thatâs how it is. Keira, why didnât you tell us the truth? If you had, this misunderstanding wouldnât have happened.â
âMiss Islaâ¦â
Lewis relaxed on the couch, his posture casual but his words struck with force. âFacing troubles by hiding behind others and shirking your responsibilities, is this how the Olsen family raises its daughters?â
Old Mrs. Horton, enlightened by his words, thundered.
âYou think Iâm stupid since I have dementia. Do you think I canât see through these little tricks?
âYouâve made a mistake, but youâre not repentant. Not only that but youâre trying to shift the blame onto others. You two truly are shameless!â Old Mrs. Horton turned to Jake. âCall off the wedding. I donât want her as my granddaughter â in â law!â
Isla was stunned!
The marriage sheâd worked so hard to secure couldnât just be gone like that!
She looked toward Jake, but the man looked astonished, his gaze fixed on Keira, evidently still shocked by the news of her marriage.
Isla clenched her fingers tight.
Lowering her head, she walked to Jake, tears rolling down her face. âJake, I was wrong⦠Rest assured, even if the marriage is canceled, Iâll still take you to the person I promised to introduce to you.â
Jake came to his senses.
Isla still wanted to introduce Dr. South to himâ¦
Currently in Creraâs new energy projects, Dr. South was the top expert! He quickly spoke to old Mrs. Horton, âGreat-grandmother, Isla really didnât know, so please forgive her. Besides, both families have already exchanged betrothal gifts. Itâs really not appropriate to call off the marriage.
Old Mrs. Horton gave him a meaningful look. âYouâre grown up now. I canât control you. Do as you please.â
Old Mrs. Horton understood a profound truth.
âThe older generation shouldnât act like an old meddler.
The problems of the great-grandson should be solved by his parents, and she didnât want to interfere anymore.
Howeverâ¦
Jakeâs mother laughed. âGrandma, have you forgotten about the welcome gift?â Old Mrs. Horton lowered her eyes. âTH have someone transfer $30,000 to Jake.â Jakeâs mother was stunned. âBut I remember you saying youâd give them 2% shares as a gift to ease their financial stress in their marriageâ¦â If you were to ask who was the wealthiest in the Horton family, it was definitely old Mrs. Horton!
She was from a wealthy family in Clance and received a generous dowry when she married. Moreover, she controlled 20% of the Horton familyâs shares⦠Jakeâs mother had been wanting to take a slice from her through this marriage! Everything had been agreed upon, but old Mrs. Horton changed her mind at the last minute!
Old Mrs. Horton looked at her with a half-laughing, half-serious look and retorted. âIâm dissatisfied with this great granddaughter-in-law, so I wonât give them any shares!â
Islaâs face turned pale. She felt humiliated.
There were many servants in the Horton family, and these words would definitely spread. Soon, the whole Oceanion would know that sheâd been rejected by old Mrs. Horton!
Nothing was more important to the daughter of a rich family than her reputation. Old Mrs. Horton might as well slap her in the face⦠Obviously, old Mrs. Horton didnât care about these things. Having made her statement, she immediately took Keira and Lewis back to her residence. Old Mrs. Horton then excused herself saying she urgently needed to use the bathroom. She left Keira with Lewis alone themselves.
In an instant, there were only the two of them left in the yard.
The night was as dark as ink.
Keira stood shoulder to shoulder with Lewis, only then realizing that the man was a head taller than her. He must be about six feet tall.
Didnât the old lady say he was very thin and small when he was born?
While she was silently cursing him, Lewis suddenly looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed in disgust. âNeed Iron?â
Keira wouldnât be outdone and also stared back at him. âPuppy?â
Lewisâs face turned green.
âShe has coaxed Grandma into telling her even that!
âShe must have a hidden agenda!
âPerhaps Grandmaâs attachment to her was an accident without any calculation involved, but this woman willingly took Grandma in. Maybe it was because Grandma accidentally revealed her identity.â
After Keira snapped at him, she didnât forget the main point. âI remember you said you would do me a favor. Could you go with me to the Civil Affairs Bureau to check on my marital status?â
Lewisâs face grew dark, and he snapped impatiently.
âFine, then letâs go! If itâs not true, I hope you stop using Grandma as an excuse to pester me!â