Her tone was adamant and it didn’t sound like she was jealous at all.
Thora was always someone who wanted to be the best and was someone who was very business- minded. To her, the love between a man and a woman was no better than the dull love of a family. She was like this six years ago and had not changed.
These remarks were not so much to defend her authority but were rather a kind of motivation.
When Thora found out that our divorce was fake six years ago, she had never bothered us about it. She had the ability to let things go. I believed that she hadn’t changed even after six years had passed.
I walked over and stood before her before saying with a smile, “Let’s talk elsewhere, shall we?”
The woman was wearing a pair of twelve centimeters stilettos and her outfit made her look like she was full of authority in our house. She stared down at me with a disdainful look and said, “Do you think you have the right to do so?”
Upon hearing that, John slammed his bowl on the table as a warning.
However, Thora did not budge and she was still acting all high and mighty.
Instead of being angry, I smiled and asked, “You were a woman who dared to love and hate six years ago, Ms. Ziegler. You blessed someone else’s wedding. Are you going to ruin our marriage now?”
Hearing this, she instantly lowered her gaze at me. Compared to when she entered earlier, the expression in her eyes was even more complicated as she questioned, “You’re still alive?”
Only a handful of people knew the truth about the published news of Thora and Anthony’s breakup. I was sure that she knew very well just who was standing in front of her at that moment.
I smiled but said nothing. Then, I took the lead and walked towards the study on the first floor. She stood rooted to the ground for a moment before finally following me.
I closed the door and got straight to the point, “Ms. Ziegler, I want to know the conditions given to you when you promised the Hall family to act as Anthony’s fiancée.”
Thora leaned against the desk and crossed her arms across her chest. She then scrutinized me with a very arrogant look. Her smile was only skin-deep as she said, “It’s naturally something that I couldn’t refuse. But I don’t really have to tell you, do I?”
Frankly speaking, I could already guess that she wanted money, power, and fame without having her say it.
“You’re quite a tough person. You’ve been through so many twists and turns in life, and you even faced death this time. I’ve got to hand it to you for that.”
“Shouldn’t that be a huge honor then?” Thora was never someone who lost to someone else’s temper. There were only a small number of people who actually managed to impress her. That was why it was actually quite a high praise coming from her.
She shrugged and gave no reply.
The atmosphere was relaxed as expected since people who did not need feelings were always very outspoken.
I cut straight to the point and asked, “How well do you know Tiffany?”
“Are you trying to steal me? Do you really think I’m that disloyal?” she answered with a smile.
“Of course, I know.” I looked up at her with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Aren’t your own interests your strongest principles? You’re a smart person. I don’t have to teach you how to choose between the Hall family and the Stanhope family, do I?”
Her smile faded and the look in her eyes was taken over by greed.
We got out of the study after our conversation and I almost bumped into Gregory.
Luckily I reacted fast enough to prevent crashing into him.
“What are you doing here instead of eating your dinner, Gregory?” I bent down and asked.
However, he said nothing and was staring at Thora warily.
The latter shook her head, feeling disheartened as she said in a self-mocking manner, “Seems like I’ll always be seen as the enemy in this kid’s eyes.”
Only then did I realize what was going on. Under the Hall family’s arrangement, Gregory had to accept that Thora was going to be his future stepmother. He had been resisting it for so long and he was still feeling the same way towards her.
I quickly patted his head and consoled him, “Ms. Ziegler is my friend, Gregory. Don’t be rude, alright?”
His brows furrowed together as he said, “What would happen to you when she becomes my mother, Mommy? I don’t want her, I want you!”
Thora and I exchanged looks with each other, both of us feeling nonplussed.
After a moment, she mimicked me as she bent down and a rare look of adoration appeared on her face. “Hey, Gregory. I promise you that I would never steal your mommy’s place. You have to be more magnanimous. Let’s make peace, okay?”
“You’re not lying?” The little boy remained headstrong.
She held up three fingers in the air and vowed, “I promise.”
“Okay!” Gregory gave her a high five and said, “It’s settled!”
The crisis had finally been settled and John called out from the dining room, “The dishes are cold. Can we eat now?”
“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to. No one’s forcing you,” Anthony said, deliberately going against him.
“Where are your manners? Is this how you’re supposed to talk to your brother-in-law?”
“Right back at you. It’s a first for me to see someone berating their father in front of their niece and nephew.”
“Don’t get on my nerves, Anthony!”
“That’s great. I feel like doing that today.”
John was rendered speechless at that.
Thora raised her brows and said to me, “Is this what they mean by ‘lively’ home?”
It was obvious that the experienced female president who started her career at the age of nineteen didn’t quite understand what it was like to bicker at the dining table.
The corners of my lips curved up awkwardly as I didn’t know how to explain it to her.
She took in a sharp breath and instantly strode towards the doors as though she was running from someone out to get her life. The woman didn’t even turn back to look at us once.
“Hey! Don’t leave in such a hurry! At least stay for dinner with us…”
Before I could even finish my sentence, the thunderous rumbling of a car engine sounded.
Thora would probably never yearn for the so-called warmth of a family anymore.
I turned back into the dining room and saw that John and Anthony were still bickering. They threw snipes and jabs one after another and none of them had any intention of letting the other party win. Where are the reputed business elites? They’re obviously babies who hadn’t even finished kindergarten!
Feeling pissed, I stomped my feet on the ground and shouted, “Enough! Both of you! Can’t we just have dinner peacefully?”
The room fell silent in an instant. Even Gregory and Audrey didn’t dare to move a muscle.
Their gazes were all on me and that made me uncomfortable.
Right then, it was as though Audrey had an epiphany as she pointed at John and Anthony and ordered, “Mommy’s angry. Stop fooling around, John! And Daddy, be good. Don’t make Mommy angry. You’re going to drive me crazy!”
I wondered where she learned to call her uncle by his name. When Audrey saw that there weren’t any reactions from them, she hopped down from her seat and pushed them down onto their own seats.
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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