As the Ziegler family sided with Ezra, Zayne and his wife immediately raised their glasses and looked at Anthony while saying humbly, “Mr. Featherstone, both of us were at fault yesterday. I propose that we drink this to put it behind us and become friends from now on. We shall compete fairly in business. How about it?”
Before Anthony could speak, Ezra began to heap praises. “Featherstone Corporation and Ziegler Corporation are both high-performing enterprises in K City. As a government official, I really don’t know how I should express my gratitude to both of you for setting aside your personal grudges and working together to contribute to the economic development of K City.”
Looking touched, Ezra picked up his wine glass and walked up to Zayne, adding respectfully, “Mr. Ziegler, here’s to you. Thank you for your big heart!”
As he was standing, Zayne did not dare to remain seated, so he immediately rose to his feet and clinked glasses with Ezra at a lower angle than the latter. “Mr. Grant, you have flattered me. We’re just giving back to the people. It’s our responsibility.”
The two men complimented each other so much that it was as though only they were present at the dinner and got to call the tune.
Just as they finished their wine to seal the deal, John said mockingly, “The one being injured is a member of the Stanhope family, but you, Mr. Ziegler and Mr. Grant, seek to make peace with the Featherstones instead. Do you think there’s no one left in the Stanhope family?”
Zayne and Ezra could initially take Anthony’s silence as tacit agreement, and the issue would be put behind them. However, John’s words instantly put them in an awkward position. Lowering his half- raised glass, Anthony sat back on his chair with a half-smile and rigidly placed his glass back on the table.
After being embarrassed, Ezra had on a grim expression, but Zayne spoke first probably because he was more hostile toward John following the Facebook incident. While remained standing, he said condescendingly, “Now that you mention it, Mr. Stanhope, both Ziegler family and Stanhope family are of respectable status, and yet you put our private grudges on the Internet and let everyone laugh at us. Although you were only brought back from the countryside when you were a teenager, you should know some manners and rules after so many years!”
After speaking, he tossed the wine glass on the table and sat back on the chair. The wine glass wobbled and was about to topple on the table when Zayne’s wife reached out to catch it in time, preventing the situation from becoming tenser.
She noticed my gaze, and we nodded at each other in greeting.
Unexpectedly, Zayne, who can’t tell right from wrong, has such a mild-mannered wife.
In the upper-class society, having the past of being adopted in the countryside was not something to be proud of. He clearly intended to embarrass John by bringing it up in front of people of this class.
With his head down, John sneered and shot Zayne a vicious look. “You’re right, Mr. Ziegler. I dislike following the rules the most. I don’t plan on following the rules today as well. Mitchell abducted Letty and almost killed her babies. I won’t let him off the hook. It’s either he stays abroad for the rest of his life and never comes back, or I’ll sue him until he goes to jail!”
He was a little agitated, so things started to get out of hand. Having seen a great deal, Ezra no longer wore a displeased look on his face and placated, “Alright. Why make a fuss at a dinner? Do me a favor. Let’s finish this meal happily, shall we?”
As his words were directed at John, the others did not dare to respond. John’s attitude determined whether they could continue having the dinner in peace.
As everyone waited for his answer, his attention was on Anthony. He squinted at the latter with pursed lips and raised eyebrows, he was clearly suppressing his anger.
After all, Anthony was the protagonist of the dinner, but he had never spoken a single word after he sat down and simply let Ezra and Zayne take the lead, looking like he was on the same team as them.
John had only one purpose, which was to seek justice for me and my babies. Seeing Anthony like this, he was displeased and began to mock, “Someone was making some grandiose statements previously, and yet now he doesn’t even have the guts to say anything to the enemy who has harmed his own wife and kids. This is something totally new to me…”
John’s remark made things even more awkward.
However, Anthony casually took the wine glass in front of him and slowly took a sip from it before placing it back down in an elegant manner, as though he had not heard what John had said.
Enraged, John abruptly got up and swept the tableware in front of him to the ground. “I’m talking about you, Anthony Featherstone! You’re not mute, are you? Didn’t you say you want to seek revenge? What now? Did you get intimidated by them and decide to become a coward who doesn’t even want to bring up the wrong your wife and kids have suffered?”
The sound of the tableware falling to the ground was loud and harsh. I looked up at him in shock.
Whereas Anthony remained calm with the same expression. Keeping his head down, he said through his gritted teeth after a long silence, “This is my family affair.”
Anthony had always been arrogant, but he looked even more so at this moment as he called John nosy.
To be honest, the two of them are so annoying when they’re mean.
As though he had heard a joke, John put his hands on his hip and announced coldly, “Are you saying that I’m an outsider? Very well, Anthony Featherstone, I’ve underestimated you. It’s settled, then. From now on, the Stanhope family will cut ties with the Featherstones. You don’t need to see Letty anymore!”
“Letty!” He suddenly shouted my name furiously. I was taken aback, so I replied meekly, “Yeah?”
“Let’s go.” Staring at Anthony, John enunciated each word slowly, “Someone is scared of offending others, but I’m not. After we go back, I’ll get the lawyer to draft a divorce agreement so that the two of you can make a clean break. From now on, you’re only a member of the Stanhope family. As your brother, I won’t stand idly by and do nothing whenever you’ve been bullied!”
After speaking, John helped me up and prepared to leave.
However, Anthony rose to his feet, looked straight ahead calmly, and said arrogantly, “I’m fine with divorce. I don’t mind her leaving as well, but she’s still carrying the descendants of the Featherstones. I won’t let the Stanhope family take them away.”
Why does this sound so weird? Didn’t he want our kids to bear my name last night? Why is he trying to get their custody now?
While Anthony spoke, John, who had been furious, stopped in his tracks with his arm linked with mine. After he was stunned for a few seconds, he suddenly let go of me and turned to walk up to Anthony.
“F*ck!” The unexpected punch made Anthony stagger backward, pushing the chair behind him away.
Zachary hurriedly stopped John. “What are you doing, John? We’re all family!”
“We’re not!” John broke free from him and lashed out at him, “You’re just as horrible! You worked together to cause Letty to lose her first kid! You’re the real family!”
After he was seemingly done venting his anger, he glanced at me and suppressed his rage before leaving with me.
As we left halfway through the meal, we did not know what happened later.
But after coming out of the castle, John had been in a good mood. Sitting on the leather seat with his legs crossed, he clasped his hands and tapped his fingers, looking particularly relaxed.
Seeing this, I understood everything, so I teased him with a smile, “Your acting was too exaggerated just now.”
John was surprised. “You can tell?”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Anthony won’t say something like that. Besides, even if you’re really not happy about him, you’ll still put your prejudice aside and form a united front with him in front of outsiders. Judging from how strange the two of you were behaving, it only proves that you were just putting up an act for Zayne and Ezra.”
I initially thought that Anthony would want me to play along when he asked me to attend the dinner. Unexpectedly, he thoughtfully made John speak up for me to keep me out of the dispute and make the outsiders think that we were only together because of our kids.
What surprised me was that John was actually so good at acting. If Anthony had not hinted at me, I would have taken it seriously.
“Good job. You’re very observant, as expected of my sister.” Feeling smug, John gave me a compliment that sounded like he was praising himself.
But I still could not get my head around one thing. “Didn’t you and Anthony have a falling-out? When did you reconcile?”
John pursed his lips and replied, “This is called the tacit understanding between men. Sometimes, we only need a look in the eyes to know what to do and what not to do.”
It was unexpected to me that the tacit understanding between men could be more profound than that of a ten-year couple.
However, I did not continue the conversation as I turned to glance at the castle in the rearview mirror. Under the illumination of the lights, the castle, which was increasingly farther away, appeared even more mysterious and remote as it gradually devoured the darkness of night.
I hope that Anthony will be safe.
It was still early by the time we reached Stanhope residence. Hearing the noise, Summer ran downstairs in her pajamas and ran to me, so I spent some time playing with her.
After about thirty minutes, John came downstairs with a document in his hand. As he walked over, he said mysteriously, “Guess what this is.”
“Nope.” I held Summer in my arms and brushed her hair using my fingers absentmindedly. At this moment, all I cared about was whether Anthony was safe among the ravening wolves.
“You’re no fun.” Sitting down across from me, John crossed his legs and put one arm on the armrest of the sofa, looking relaxed in his gray pajamas. He added annoyingly, “You don’t even have a sense of humor. Sooner or later, you’ll be loathed by other men.”
Looking up, I rolled my eyes at him. “Didn’t you say you’ll support me for the rest of my life? Are you going back on your word in just less than an hour?”
Shrugging, John placed the document on the table and changed the subject. “Look at this. Your man is so quick to take action that the divorce agreement has been faxed over.”
I froze for a moment, but I did not feel like looking at it.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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