Ch. 671..680

Chapter 671: Chapter 671: You Are Really Skilled

However, she wasn’t worried that something could have happened to Morgan.

Adrian Zhekova was quite measured in his actions.

If Morgan was truly in trouble, Adrian Zhekova wouldn’t waste any time.

But since he brought it up now, it must be something quite important.

Apparently, it was important but not urgent.

Therefore, Cindy Clarke only felt surprised, not anxious.

As he took note of Cindy’s reaction, Adrian Zhekova nonchalantly said, “Your parents and Wendy Clarke have gone to the family mansion. Morgan just gave me a call to tell me about it.”

Upon hearing this, Cindy immediately became anxious, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Let’s go over there, quickly!”

“No need to rush, they must be having their talks by now. Besides, with Old Madam and Old Master present, do you think your family trio could achieve anything?” Adrian Zhekova wasn’t in a hurry at all.

“I feel like I should be the one to handle the mess I’ve created, not leaving it to Old Madam and Old Master.” Cindy felt guilty for pushing her problems onto them.

“You’re part of the Zhekova Family now, so your issues are our entire family’s issues.” Adrian Zhekova held her hand.

“Our family is here to help you in these situations. You’re not alone.”, Adrian Zhekova comforted her, “You’ve been holding up alone for all these years, now just relax and enjoy knowing there is someone to solve your problems.”

His words made Cindy feel protected, surrounded by warmth and love, without any fear.

“I was actually hoping to have a full day date with you today. There’s still plenty of time left after watching the movie.” Adrian Zhekova said, “We could have had a wonderful day together.”

Who knew that the Clarke trio decided to go to the family mansion today of all days.

That spoiled their plans.

Adrian Zhekova suggested, “How about we just ignore them and enjoy our day?”

They could just go on with their date as planned.

After all, if Old Madam and Old Master are there, the Clarke trio wouldn’t be able to cause any significant mischief.

Adrian Zhekova heartlessly thought.

Fortunately, Old Madam and Old Master were far away at the family mansion and had no idea about what he was thinking.

Otherwise, Old Madam would surely brandish her long-retired feather duster and whip him for being an ungrateful grandson.

Of course, Cindy Clarke refuted Adrian’s suggestion.

To tell the truth, when Adrian suggested it, he didn’t even think Cindy would agree.

So, with a sense of regret, he accompanied Cindy back to the family mansion.

***

Back at the family mansion, the time has come back to when the Clarke trio had just entered the Main Hall.

Morgan swiftly ordered someone to place a walkie-talkie in the hall.

All the bodyguards in the family mansion were covert guards repositioned here.

They swore their loyalty to their employer, forming quite the lean yet valuable team from Lanarn Training Ground to the family mansion.

Hence, when Morgan requested, one of them enthusiastically recommended, “Walkie-talkies don’t have very clear sound, and they are quite noticeable because of their size.”

“Young Master, take a look at this.” The bodyguard pulled out a tiny CCTV.

“I’m going to place this inside, and you take this.” The bodyguard further pulled out a mobile-phone-sized screen.

“You can watch live feed in any room.” The bodyguard told him, “A clear view with clear sound.”

“You really know your stuff!” Morgan gave him a thumbs-up and then carried the small tablet to his own room in the mansion.

The signal reception was excellent, so it didn’t matter if the range between him and the device was too wide to hear clearly.

Moreover, his room was fairly close to the Main Hall.

When Aunt Evans was instructed by Old Madam and Old Master to prepare a room for Morgan, they made sure to select a room that was bright, sunny, had a great view, and was close to them so they could always keep an eye on him.

Aside from the Old Master and Old Madam’s room, his room had the best location in the entire mansion.

At first, Old Madam and Old Master were planning on giving their own room to the boy.

Of course, Cindy Clarke didn’t agree to it.

And the boy also said that he would find it rather desolate to live in such a big room all by himself.

Moreover, how could they trouble Old Madam and Old Master to go through all the trouble of moving rooms?

Although it was just one room, it came with an independent courtyard.

After all, the family mansion was a large house with five courtyards.

Very often, each room came with its own independent small courtyard.

Morgan’s room was no exception.

They even let Morgan decorate the courtyard according to his liking.

Since Morgan wasn’t mature enough to appreciate ancient elegance and sophistication, he took Old Master to the shopping mall and bought a few life-sized figures of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and others. These figures were placed in his courtyard as if they were statues safeguarding the home.

He also bought a Lego Disney Toy Train, which he arranged in a circle against the wall enclosing the courtyard.

The train tracks were additionally purchased by Morgan who had to convince Old Master to buy a lot more. The toy set in its original form didn’t have enough tracks.

Furthermore, he also purchased roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and more.

He spared no effort in turning his courtyard into a miniature amusement park.

Despite being such an ancient and sophisticated mansion, a drastic change in scenery awaited you as soon as you entered Morgan’s courtyard.

If Cindy hadn’t intervened, Old Master was even considering buying Morgan a life-sized Bumblebee model as per his request.

The moment Cindy heard of this, she imagined someone walking outside the mansion, observing its grandeur and antiquity, then suddenly lifting their head and witnessing a towering Bumblebee emerging from one of its courtyards, its head poking above the mansion’s tallest roof.

The sight of this envisioned image was enough to make Cindy’s mouth twitch.

A life-sized Bumblebee might have been smaller than the likes of Optimus Prime but it would still definitely be taller than the mansion walls.

So Cindy hurriedly interrupted them before it was too late.

Otherwise, the mansion would have turned into a peculiar sight in the neighborhood.

Cindy made Morgan promise to place anything he wanted in the courtyard, but the height should never exceed the wall of the yard.

This was the only way to maintain the mansion’s facade.

Although, Cindy also realized that when it came to Morgan, Old Master’s dictionary didn’t contain the word “no”.

As long as Morgan desired it, Old Master would delightfully buy anything for him.

He didn’t even think twice before making a purchase.

At the moment, Morgan sat on his room’s comfy chair, with a tray laid out beside him.

The tray had fruit juice, mixed nuts, and a fruit platter.

With the small tablet in his hands, he was enjoying his meal while watching the ongoings in the Main Hall, as if watching TV.

In the Main Hall sat the Clarke trio on a sofa.

Though Wendy Clarke looked alright, Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos appeared to be a bit nervous.

They hadn’t expected Old Madam and Old Master to appear so young. Their upkeep was beyond excellent, not showing any signs of aging.

Despite looking their age, they were in fact a generation older.

But, appearing youthful couldn’t hide Old Madam and Old Master’s intimidating aura.

They sat quietly on the opposite side, leaving Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos feeling uneasy and breathless.

Chapter 672: Chapter 672: You Have Some Nerve

“Elder Sir, Old Madam.” Joshua Clarke, as the head of the family, spoke first.

He sat with his hands on his knees, looking serious and concerned.

“I am Cindy’s father, Joshua Clarke. This is her mother, Christy Xenos. And her sister, Wendy Clarke,” Joshua spoke nervously.

His hands unconsciously tightened their grip on his knees.

“We came unannounced, actually because… we just found out that Cindy got married,” Joshua said.

“That child, not telling us after getting married,” Christy Xenos followed, “If not for the day when Wendy ran into her, we would still be kept in the dark.”

“When I see her, I have to talk to her. Who does things like this?” Christy complained. “This is so impolite. Whose family gets married without telling their own parents?”

“Elder Sir, Old Madam, we didn’t teach her like that since she was young,” Christy hastily said.

“So after we found out, we hurried over, afraid that her deception on both sides would cause us to be rude and make you misunderstand that our family doesn’t understand etiquette,” Christy said seemingly well-mannered.

Old Madam displayed a condescending attitude, looking like a noble lady of the olden days.

She didn’t seem as gentle as she usually was.

Old Madam glanced coldly to the side.

It was hard to tell if she was sneering or scoffing disdainfully.

“That was quite presumptuous of you,” Old Madam said coldly. “Shouldn’t families who truly understand etiquette notify the host before their first visit?”

“Ask if the host is at home, if they have time, and mention the time of the visit, asking if it’s convenient for the host,” Old Madam continued coldly.

“But you came unannounced, catching us off guard. From your actions, I really can’t see how your family upholds etiquette,” Old Madam said sarcastically.

Christy hurriedly said, “Old Madam, you misunderstood. We didn’t have your contact information, so we had no choice but to come directly. Otherwise, how could we not notify you in advance?”

Old Madam raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh? You’re capable of finding the address of our family mansion but can’t find our contact information?”

Old Madam asked coldly, “Do you think we’re so old that our brains have become stupid?”

“You don’t have our contact information, but you managed to get our family mansion’s address. What a bold move!” Old Madam said coldly.

Her words scared Christy, who unconsciously fell silent.

Old Madam said, “Nobody has ever dared to investigate our family mansion’s address!”

“Do you think you found our mansion’s address because you’re capable?” Old Madam scoffed. “Our mansion is right here! Countless people pass by every day!”

“Many people want to visit, not because they don’t know the address, but because they don’t have our permission to come! People don’t dare to investigate, not because they can’t!”

“Old Madam, you misunderstood!” Christy hurriedly explained. “It wasn’t… we found out…”

“It was Cindy who told us,” Wendy immediately said.

Christy nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes… it was Cindy who told us!”

“After all… after all, we’re in-laws! Our children are married, but we haven’t met yet, right?” Christy said immediately, “So, Cindy told us the address.”

“We made arrangements to come today, and we told her,” Christy lied since Cindy wasn’t present, passing the buck to her.

As for whether Cindy would be disliked by Old Madam because of this, Christy couldn’t care less.

“I didn’t expect Cindy not to tell you?” Christy slapped her thigh. “How can she do that! That child, why is she always like this!”

“She didn’t tell us she got married, nor did she tell us about our visit. She’s messed up so many important things!” Christy complained. “Old Madam, this is Cindy’s fault.”

“I’ll tell her off later!” Christy pretended to defend Cindy. “She must have many shortcomings since she got married. There must be more incidents like this.”

“But she’s still young, please don’t take it to heart. However, if she does something wrong, please tell her so she can improve.”

Christy sighed, “Cindy has always been like this at home, never telling us anything. Since she was little, she’s been keeping many secrets from us and causing trouble.”

“But what can we do? She’s our daughter. As parents, we can only tolerate her. But who would be as endlessly tolerant as us?”

“She must have caused a lot of trouble for you since joining your family. We’re truly sorry.”

“Just like five years ago, she suddenly left home for Belfard without a word. She didn’t tell us until a few days ago when her sister met her. She just wanted to try her luck and develop in Belfard.”

“You see, if she wanted to develop in Belfard, why couldn’t she have told us properly? Why did she have to run away secretly, causing us to search for her everywhere at the time?”

“We’ve been worrying about her safety these years. Besides, if she wanted to try her luck in Belfard, couldn’t she have waited until she graduated from university?”

“Our family raised her, supported her through university, and paid her tuition fees. But after her first year, she said she wouldn’t study anymore. She took a leave of absence without saying a word and came to Belfard.”

“Her academic performance was average since she was young. It took her a great effort to get into Nork University. Although it’s not a famous school, wouldn’t graduating from college be better than just having a high school diploma?”

“I really don’t understand what she was thinking.”

Old Master didn’t want to argue with Christy since she was the one talking, so he remained quiet but was fuming inside. He secretly nudged Old Madam.

Old Madam thought he was impatient, but she had planned to speak up anyway.

Old Madam didn’t bother with Christy’s other points and merely questioned her about an inconsistency in her story: “Five years ago, when Cindy left without a word, were you so worried that you didn’t report it to the police?”

“Now with the Internet being so advanced, once you reported it, you could have posted Cindy’s photos online, and good Samaritans might have seen her,” said Old Madam.

Chapter 673: Chapter 673: Understanding and Reasonable

“If it doesn’t work, offer a large sum of money. After all, our daughter’s safety is the most important thing.”

“As long as our daughter is safe and her whereabouts are found, any amount of money spent is worth it. Why didn’t you do this at the time?”

Old Madam’s question left Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos at a loss for words.

Christy Xenos stifled her emotions for a long time and began to cry again: “Old Madam, you don’t know how difficult our life was back then. Our family of four lived in a two-bedroom apartment without a living room.”

“Joshua and I lived in one room, while Cindy and her sister shared the other small bedroom. Other than these two bedrooms, there were only the bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a corridor just wide enough for one person to walk through.”

“We had no extra money to look for Cindy back then. Besides, to be honest, Cindy has always been strong-willed and never listened to us. Such incidents happened more than once or twice, so although we were anxious, we knew that she would be careful not to get into trouble.”

Old Madam sneered: “Your words are contradictory. You just said you were worried about Cindy but now say that she has done such things many times and there’s nothing to worry about. So, are you worried or not?”

Christy Xenos hesitated for a moment and pretended not to hear the Old Madam’s sarcasm, continuing: “However, our family’s situation has improved greatly, thanks to her sister’s hard work and capability. She opened an upscale restaurant in Nork City, which improved our lives, and now we are preparing to open a second restaurant in Belfard. So, our whole family came to Belfard, and it was just the time to reunite with Cindy.”

As Christy Xenos spoke, there was a hint of smugness in her voice.

She thought her words were clever, showing the Elders in Zhekova Family that they were not poor relatives coming to sponge off the wealthier family, and they shouldn’t be underestimated.

Old Madam indifferently said: “Since Cindy has married into the Zhekova Family, she belongs to our family now.”

“Our family has a high social status and strict rules,” Old Madam spoke slowly, “every daughter-in-law who marries into the Zhekova Family must abide by our rules. Only things that our family allows can be done. Things that our family doesn’t permit can’t be done.”

“As for her natal family…” Old Madam deliberately revealed a mocking expression.

“It depends on whether or not the natal family is worthy of us. Our family’s younger generation usually marries into prominent families, some from the Big Eight families, and others with high social status.”

“We don’t force our young ones to marry someone they don’t want. Since our family’s son likes Cindy, we, as elders, won’t break them up.”

“However, this is already our bottom line; we can only accept Cindy and no one else from her natal family, you, who are indeed not worth our attention.”

“Let me put it this way, in our eyes, you don’t even compare to other families who have married into our family. So, I’m sorry, but it would be better if our two families didn’t interact in the future.”

“Your visit today was quite impolite in my opinion. Of course, if you blame Cindy for this, I won’t say anything. I appreciate that you still remember our families are related, but please forget about it in the future.”

“If your family can’t bring any benefits or even save face to the Zhekova Family, then the best you can do is not disgrace the Zhekova Family.”

Old Madam smiled coldly: “How can you not disgrace the Zhekova Family? Naturally, it’s by not claiming to be related to our family in public. Otherwise, if you upset us, it’s Cindy who will suffer the consequences in our family.”

Old Madam grinned coldly: “I’ll say something you might not like to hear, but it’s the truth. The fact that Cindy could marry into our family shows that we are being broad-minded and exceptional. You can go out and ask around; even the weaker and wealthy families wouldn’t be willing to marry a woman with no background.”

“Those female celebrities, whether they’re clean or not, at least have fame and a family background, but they still can’t enter a wealthy household. Not to mention an ordinary person like Cindy; it’s already our family’s generousness that she can marry in.”

“She can’t bring any benefits to our family and can’t give face to our family. The only thing she has done is not make our family lose face. But now that we have an additional family involved, it’s not so certain. If you make the Zhekova Family lose face, we can’t call you in-laws. Cindy will have a tough time in our family.”

Old Madam raised an eyebrow: “I see you always mention Cindy and how much you love and cherish her. Then, I guess you don’t want Cindy to have a hard time with her in-laws and be mistreated because of you, do you?”

Christy Xenos was left speechless by Old Madam’s words.

Earlier, Christy Xenos had also thought that Cindy wouldn’t say anything good about their family to the Zhekova Family.

She didn’t know what Cindy had said to the Zhekova Family after marrying into the family.

Christy Xenos didn’t know how many bad things Cindy had said about them, so she had wanted to express her position and show herself as a mother who loved and cherished her daughter. In her words, Cindy became a selfish and careless person who didn’t care about her family at all.

Of course, she didn’t expect the Elders in the Zhekova Family to believe her words completely, but as long as they had doubts and didn’t fully trust Cindy’s words, that would be enough.

After all, both she and Cindy would stick to their word, and Cindy couldn’t produce any evidence to prove the truth, could she?

If the Elders were not gullible, they would naturally know not to be biased and would need evidence to determine the truth.

As for the evidence, it had been lost many years ago; where could she find it?

Christy Xenos didn’t want the Elders to believe her entirely but wanted them not to trust Cindy completely, which would be enough.

But who knew that Old Madam would use this point to shut her up directly?

Christy Xenos repeatedly explained how much she loved and cherished Cindy, but how Cindy was wrong and didn’t do well.

Since Christy Xenos was so sincere toward Cindy, naturally, she wouldn’t want to see Cindy mistreated by the Zhekova Family because of their actions.

Wendy Clarke lowered her eyes as her face grew cold.

As expected, the Elders in the Zhekova Family should not be underestimated even though they were getting old. They managed to shut Christy Xenos up in just a few sentences.

Wendy thought for a moment and secretly poked Christy Xenos.

Receiving the predetermined signal, Christy Xenos immediately changed her expression and said: “Old Madam, since you acknowledge that we are in-laws, whether we interact with each other in the future or not, let’s not discuss it for now.”

Chapter 674: Chapter 674: If There is a Bride Price, There Must Be a Dowry

“But now Cindy is married to Adrian Zhekova, and they are officially husband and wife. She is the lawful wife of Adrian.”

Old Madam raised her eyebrows, didn’t interrupt her, and just wanted to listen to what Christy was trying to say.

Christy continued, “Since Cindy has married into the Zhekova Family in a legitimate manner, there is no secret or bitterness between us. You willingly married her, and the rituals on both sides of the marriage should be observed by the Zhekova Family, right?”

To show confidence and fighting spirit in order to get the money, Christy was being particularly tenacious.

Christy also said, “Just now, Old Madam, you mentioned that your family is quite particular about manners and customs, so naturally you shouldn’t overlook the bride price. Before, it was because we were not in Belfard when Cindy got married, so we didn’t know about it, and there was no other way. But now that we are here, you should give us the bride price.”

Old Madam looked at Christy with amusement.

The Old Master looked toward Joshua, who sat beside Christy, maintaining an honest and naive expression, “Is this your idea too?”

Joshua was taken aback, not expecting the Old Master to ask him.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, “This is the result of our family’s discussion. Ordinarily, both parties would sit down and discuss before getting married. But now there is no dowry, and the children got married first. The order might be reversed, but the necessary procedures must be followed.”

“Exactly,” Christy chimed in.

She thought to herself that at least Joshua wasn’t holding them back.

Christy added, “Besides, the Zhekova Family is such a large family, and Adrian Zhekova is the future heir. If everything goes as planned, Cindy will become the future head of the Zhekova Family. If you don’t even give a dowry to your future mistress, won’t people laugh at you?”

“As for this matter, we haven’t told anyone outside; it’s just to maintain the dignity of the Zhekova Family. Since we are in-laws, it’s natural to share each other’s honor and disgrace, fortune, and misfortune. So regarding the fact that we won a daughter-in-law without spending a penny and not even meeting the in-laws, we haven’t mentioned a word about it outside.”

“Today, we are here to discuss with you how to deal with the dowry issue. We cannot pretend that the matter is over and non-existent just because the two children have already married.”

Old Madam appeared to cooperate with Christy, asking, “How much do you think we should give for the dowry?”

Christy’s face lit up, not expecting Old Madam to be so agreeable.

Today’s matter went much smoother than they had imagined.

Although Old Madam’s words were somewhat sarcastic initially, that didn’t matter as long as the money was in hand.

First, Christy glanced at Wendy before saying the previously negotiated amount: “We won’t ask much, just 5 million.”

As Christy spoke, she stretched out her palm, opened five fingers, and gestured a five.

She and Wendy had discussed that Mr. Lopez had promised to give them 10 million just for their daughter to have a son.

Now that Cindy has married into the Zhekova Family, could it be that the Zhekova family could not even match Mr. Lopez?

Moreover, Mr. Lopez initially only asked for a son for 10 million, but now Cindy has married into the Zhekova family, and she has become their legitimate daughter-in-law.

She is to be their future mistress and bear children for the Zhekova family, specifically to have sons.

Besides, it’s even after-sale guaranteed; if she can’t produce a son, she will keep trying until she succeeds.

With all the efforts Cindy has put in, can the Zhekova family not even spare 5 million?

According to Christy, their demand for 5 million was already low.

Wendy was too kind, asking for only 5 million is too little.

Just based on the Zhekova’s status and wealth, even doubling Mr. Lopez’s 10 million would still be too little to match the Zhekova family’s reputation!

However, Christy still spoke politely: “Considering the strength of the Zhekova family, how much is 5 million worth? Even a wedding won’t be enough. We are marrying off our daughter, not selling her, so we don’t want more to avoid misunderstandings on your part.”

“But we are afraid that if we ask for too little, it will damage the reputation of the Zhekova family. After all, ordinary families have a starting bride price of at least 200,000 dollars. The Zhekova family’s bride price should be at least 100 times that. Our family is asking for 5 million, but we will actually declare a higher amount to outsiders to give face to the Zhekova family.”

Old Madam chuckled, “So, should we thank you for considering the Zhekova family and Cindy’s well-being?”

Christy either didn’t hear Old Madam’s sarcasm, or pretended not to.

Regarding Old Madam’s comment, Christy modestly replied, “Old Madam, don’t be so polite. We are in-laws after all, and we naturally need to take each other into account. And since Cindy is now a daughter-in-law of the Zhekova family, I will definitely think of her well-being in order for her to live a better life in the family.”

“We were afraid that you would misunderstand us before and didn’t know much about us. In reality, our family is not poor, nor do we covet vanity. So today, we wanted to clear up these misunderstandings by sitting down and talking.”

Old Madam said, “Having a bride price for marriage is not unreasonable; it’s quite normal. Asking for 5 million is not beyond the Zhekova family’s reach. However, if there is a bride price, there should also be a dowry.”

Old Madam spoke with a smile, “Let’s not compare ourselves to those big families. After all, your family is just ordinary, with a little bit of money. It’s a bit difficult to use the standards of family alliances for you.”

“For example, my nephew’s family, my nephew’s wife brought her family business shares when she got married, and this was just one part of her dowry. Besides, there were numerous properties all over the country, and she also had her own company, which she brought into the marriage.”

“Among the younger generation in my maternal family who got married, it was the same. Although they can’t compare to the Zhekova family, they are also from prominent families. Just to keep their daughter from looking bad in comparison to their sisters-in-law, they brought quite a lot of dowry. Not to mention company shares, real estate, even the jade, and jewelry prepared for the daughters at home, many of them had to be stored in bank vaults.”

“During the wedding, the bride wore gold necklaces and bracelets on her hands and neck, filling up half her arm. After all, marrying into a family like the Zhekova family, they couldn’t let their own family lose face, right? They had to give face to their family.”

“However, since the Clarke family is just running a small restaurant, it’s a little too poor for us to ask too much of you. Even if we asked Cindy to bring the family restaurant shares into your family, it’s not worth much, is it?”

Chapter 675: Chapter 675: Have You No Shame?

“Oh, by the way, is your family’s restaurant a stock company?” Old Madam suddenly asked.

Christy Xenos: “…”

Joshua Clarke: “…”

“No, it’s not,” Joshua Clarke said awkwardly.

Old Madam then said, “So we can’t expect too much from you. The dowry should be around 5 million. Bring a dowry equivalent to 5 million as well. Your family should prepare some gold and silver jewelry for Cindy, and that should be about enough.”

“In Belfard, a dowry of 5 million really isn’t much. Just a random house costs more than 5 million,” Mrs. laughed, “But you’re right about one thing: you’re really not asking for much.”

Christy Xenos was dumbfounded.

She just came to ask for the money, why is the Zhekova Family asking for money from them?

The Zhekova family is so rich, and yet they’re asking for money from them.

Have they no shame?

Old Madam just said that the Clarke family is poor!

They’re so poor, and yet they’re asking for money from them?

Christy Xenos quickly looked at Wendy Clarke, who was about to speak.

Butler Howard suddenly came over and said, “Old Master, Old Madam, Young Master and Young Madam are back.”

After Butler Howard finished speaking, Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke entered together.

Seeing the three Clarke family members, Cindy seemed so surprised that she forgot to greet her grandparents first.

“Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?” she asked in shock.

Wendy was about to explain, but Cindy turned her head and ignored her. She put away her shocked expression and smiled at the grandparents, “Grandfather, Grandmother.”

Old Madam was indeed a good partner with Old Madam Smith, learning a lot from her in acting.

With a surprised expression, Old Madam asked, “How did you come back so soon? Weren’t you going on a date?”

Adrian Zhekova took over: “We just finished watching a movie, and it’s already noon, so, we came back to grab a meal.”

Old Madam seemed to be amused by his words: “You even have to come back to my place for a meal, why are you so stingy?”

Christy Xenos and Joshua Clarke were now speechless in front of Adrian Zhekova.

This was their first time meeting Adrian Zhekova, and the impression they got from the TV didn’t count. Now they were meeting him in person, and they were overwhelmed by his aura.

Even though Adrian Zhekova was relaxed at home and didn’t put on airs, he still restrained his aura. But for ordinary people, it was too difficult to handle.

Moreover, Adrian usually dealt with people like Zane Hamilton, who had similar auras, so they wouldn’t be intimidated by each other’s presence. Hence, there was no need to deliberately restrain themselves.

However, even in his most relaxed and natural state, ordinary people would still feel intimidated by him, not to mention the Clarke family.

Wendy was better off since she had already met Adrian Zhekova once before. Although she was nervous, she wasn’t too embarrassed.

Also, she was used to dealing with various people in their business, so she had some worldly experience.

On the other hand, Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos didn’t have much worldly experience even though the Clarke family’s situation had improved and they had more money.

Seeing Adrian Zhekova, they felt like mice in front of a tiger, completely frightened and speechless.

Wendy pretended to have a good relationship with Cindy, saying with a smile, “Cindy, why didn’t you tell your grandparents about our visit today?”

“We told you before to inform your grandparents that we planned to visit today. But when we arrived, your grandparents were very surprised and we seemed like we came unannounced, which is very impolite. Did you forget because you were busy?” she asked.

Christy Xenos also chimed in to scold Cindy, “You’re just so unreliable, how could you forget such an important thing even while being busy? You even forgot to tell us about your wedding, and now you forget to tell us about our visit. Isn’t this a misunderstanding among us?”

“Now that we’re in-laws, how could we have such a misunderstanding?”

Cindy thought they were really foolish. Did Christy Xenos think she would cooperate with them?

Christy Xenos and Wendy Clarke tried to put the blame on her, but did they think she couldn’t speak for herself?

Cindy then said in surprise, “You never told me! When did you tell me that you were coming? Before the Pingla Competition award ceremony, I briefly met Wendy, and then we never met again. No one contacted me, so how would I know you were coming today?”

“If I had known you were coming, I would have stayed here to wait for you.”

Christy Xenos’ face lit up as she caught a loophole in Cindy’s words, and she quickly said, “Now that you mention it, I remember that you met your sister that day. Why didn’t you contact us as well? You left without a word, didn’t tell us about your wedding, and when we came all the way to Belfard, you didn’t even show your face.”

Cindy didn’t let Christy finish and said, “You just said that you told me you were going to visit today. How can you change your story and say we never had contact? If there’s no contact, how could you tell me about the visit? Your statements are contradictory, can you give a clear explanation?”

Christy Xenos hesitated, realizing her mistake.

She was too focused on finding loopholes in Cindy’s words that she forgot what she had said before.

Christy Xenos found that Cindy had become increasingly difficult to deal with.

She stammered, finding it difficult to speak.

Upon seeing this, Wendy immediately took over and said, “Cindy, what’s the matter with you? When you left home without saying a word, we searched everywhere for you, but we couldn’t find you. Dad loved you the most, always keeping you by his side and teaching you all his skills. You just left without a word, do you know how heartbroken he was?”

“When you disappeared, Dad’s hair turned white from worry overnight!” Wendy’s eyes turned red and her voice choked as she spoke.

She wanted to portray Cindy as an unfilial person in front of the grandparents at the family mansion.

The Zhekova family could tolerate Cindy having no background or family status, but if she didn’t have character, they couldn’t still accept her, could they?

Chapter 676: Chapter 676: Bank Run

“Of course,” Wendy Clarke said smiling, “These were things that Cindy did when she was young and didn’t understand matters. She definitely wouldn’t do them now, let the past go.”

Wendy put all the blame on Cindy’s head.

“Today, we came to discuss your marriage to Adrian Zhekova. Although you both have your marriage certificates, there hasn’t been a wedding ceremony yet? There are also matters of guests’ gifts and so on, which we need to discuss. By the way, when do you plan to have your wedding?”

Cindy chuckled, “We haven’t started discussing this yet.”

Upon hearing this, Wendy immediately said, “There’s no harm in discussing it now, while we’re all here, let’s talk about it.”

After a moment of thought, Joshua Clarke agreed, “We have quite a few relatives in Nork City, so it’s better to arrange it in advance, to give notice to them. Those who should attend the wedding should be invited.”

Joshua looked at Cindy. “We have a lot of relatives in Nork City. It’s quite expensive for them to come all this way, especially for your wedding. I think, at that time, they shouldn’t have to pay for their flights to Belfard and hotel accommodation.”

As for who should pay, Joshua didn’t say the Clarke family should. Naturally, the Zhekova family would bear the cost.

After all, the Zhekovas were wealthy, so what would the travel and accommodation expenses count for?

They could even save face for the Clarke family if they paid for everything.

Joshua had wanted to have a moment of glory for a long time. Back when they were living in Nork City, their family had the most modest lifestyle. Among their relatives, some were civil servants, some were businessmen, and one family even had a talented son who was a lawyer.

Every time they visited their relatives during the holidays, they had to hear their boasts.

Although Joshua was usually an honest man, he had a trace of vanity and felt inadequate in front of his relatives.

After their family became wealthy, he wanted to boast about it.

But Wendy held him back and wouldn’t allow him to do so.

It wasn’t Wendy’s humility that prompted this behavior, she simply feared that showing too much affluence would lead their relatives to demand money.

So, Joshua’s desire to boast had always been thwarted, much to his frustration.

Thankfully, the Clarke family hadn’t been wealthy for all too long, for Joshua might have developed health issues due to his frustration.

Now, he finally had the chance to raise his head high and act grandly with Cindy marrying into the Zhekova family, he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

As far as Wendy was concerned, wasn’t she only afraid of the relatives demanding money?

Now with the Zhekova family backing her, all the expenses will be their responsibility, and it wouldn’t fall on their heads.

Watching Joshua’s calculating expression made Cindy feel suffocated so much that it was difficult for her to breathe.

Needless to say, there was no hope from Wendy or Christy Xenos, she had never expected anything from them.

But for her father, Joshua, if he had even the slightest consideration for her, he wouldn’t plan to take advantage of the Zhekova family immediately after she had just married into their family.

She heard Joshua say, “There are some relatives of ours who do not live in Nork City. We barely see them since they live so far away. I miss them a lot. This wedding could be a good opportunity to call them all here, so that our family can get together.”

But how deep could Joshua’s affection be for relatives he barely saw once a year?

Joshua just wanted to show off.

Seeing that Joshua had started a new topic and was not stopping, Cindy felt quite irritated.

She felt utterly powerless.

These are her family members.

They never thought about supporting her or considering her position.

They were only pondering how much benefit they could gain from her.

Now, it was the Clarkes’ first visit, it was not a formal occasion for both families to discuss the wedding together. It wasn’t appropriate to mention this topic and even more so with Joshua mentioning over and over about making the Zhekova family pay.

Cindy coldly said, “There’s no need to rush the wedding matters. Adrian and I need to discuss this further.”

“Do you both not plan to discuss this with your elders in the family?” Christy Xenos quickly asked.

Cindy snorted, “Why don’t we first discuss the matter of bride price and dowry? Earlier, when Adrian and I got our marriage certificate, Adrian had mentioned the issue of bride price. But I thought, since we’re following tradition, if there’s to be a bride price, there definitely can’t be any shortage of dowry. The bride price and dowry ought to be of equivalent value.”

“We don’t have any experience with the rules of the upper-class families, but as ordinary people, typically when the man’s family gives a bride price, most of the time, the woman’s family would return it along with the dowry after marriage. Of course, customs differ across regions. However, in Belfard and Nork City, that’s the way it’s done. Furthermore, usually the groom’s family prepares the marital home, and the bride’s family will provide a car and the new house’s decoration, etc.”

“My father is a very fair and upright person, certainly unwilling to take advantage of the Zhekova family. Therefore, I decided myself that, whatever the Zhekova family contributes for the wedding, we will match that as dowry. We do have money now, don’t we? We can’t just take advantage without giving anything.”

“So, to accommodate us, Adrian proposed to not demand too much bride price to avoid pressuring us.”

Nadia Xenos wanted to say that their family didn’t feel pressured at all, but Cindy had already said all the pleasing words.

Without speaking to Christy Xenos, Cindy turned her head and asked Joshua, “Isn’t it, Dad?”

Joshua couldn’t respond, only stammering. Earlier, he was saying that they hadn’t come for the bride price and asked if Cindy would treat them as family members. Now, after Cindy’s words, he was at a loss for an answer.

Before Joshua could think of how to respond, Cindy pressed on with her point, “Dad, you love me the most, you definitely wouldn’t like to see me embarrassed in my in-laws’ house, or to see others look down on me, would you? As it stands, I already have the lowest family background among my sisters-in-law. The old lady said it herself, she doesn’t care about family background, only about a person’s character.”

“But if our family is greedy and only calculates for a bit of bride price, then me… how can I live with that?” Cindy said pitifully.

“We’re not calculating for the bride price.” Joshua quickly explained, “How could I be such a person? We came here to talk about this just to make both our families’ wedding procedures more formal. Since both of you didn’t follow any of the procedures, it would appear as if you married in casually, and let people look down on us.”

Upon hearing this, Cindy immediately acted as though a great burden had been lifted from her, and joyfully said, “Dad, I knew you guys weren’t that kind of people, and would definitely consider my wellbeing.”

Cindy cheerfully said to the Old Madam, “Grandmother, didn’t I tell you? My dad is the best!”

Being praised by Cindy, Joshua felt embarrassed. His face turned red, and he couldn’t lift his head.

While no one was watching, the Old Madam winked at Cindy with a pleased smile.

She didn’t expect Cindy to be quite cunning.

Chapter 677: Chapter 677: A Servant?

Look at how Joshua Clarke has been put down.

It’s Wendy Clarke and Christy Xenos who have thicker skins and don’t feel embarrassed.

Christy Xenos is getting impatient.

She came to get money, not to provide Cindy Clarke with a dowry.

Cindy Clarke doesn’t deserve it!

“This… this… this dowry thing can be discussed later. We’ll go back and discuss it with our family,” Christy Xenos stammered, not willing to settle the dowry issue on the spot.

The family members Christy Xenos referred to probably didn’t include Cindy Clarke.

However, they’d better not consult with Cindy Clarke; otherwise, she’d make them spit blood.

Cindy Clarke grinned and said, “Alright, we’ll discuss the bridewealth according to the dowry you agree upon later.”

Wendy Clarke didn’t want to have an open conflict, especially in front of the Zhekova family, so she couldn’t say too much.

Today, they couldn’t achieve their goal.

Wendy Clarke had never expected that the Zhekova family would stoop so low as to be calculating over such small sums of money.

She had thought that, even to avoid trouble, the Zhekova family would generously offer the money to get rid of them.

However, she didn’t expect the Zhekova family’s thinking to be completely different. But now, as it was lunchtime and Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke were back,

It was indeed mealtime, and they were not leaving. The family mansion had no choice but to invite them for a meal.

Of course, Wendy Clarke wouldn’t take advantage of the family mansion just for a meal.

But as long as they stayed, both parties would be equal once they sat down for a meal, effectively acknowledging their in-law status.

Wendy Clarke’s calculation was well-planned, but the Old Madam didn’t play by the conventional rules. And she never spared any face to those who were shameless.

Before Wendy Clarke could even speak, the Old Madam smiled and said, “Have you finished talking about what brought you here today?”

Both Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos had a slower reaction and nodded subconsciously.

Old Madam laughed and said, “Since we’ve finished talking, we won’t see you off. Please take your time leaving.”

“How come?” The thick-skinned Christy Xenos interjected, “It’s mealtime, aren’t we going to have a meal together?”

Christy Xenos thought to herself how impolite and disrespectful the Zhekova family was.

It was mealtime, and they still wanted to drive their guests out.

At this point, Aunt Evans came out with an apron on, smiling, “I apologize; we didn’t expect any guests today. Your visit was sudden, and we haven’t prepared anything. We only have enough food for our family.”

Without thinking, Christy Xenos retorted, “What about Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke? Don’t they have any food to eat either?”

Christy Xenos said, “They also returned without any notice.”

Aunt Evans kept repeating there was not enough food in the mansion for everyone. So were Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke also lacking food?

Who would have thought that such a large family as the Zhekova’s would not even have enough food for a few extra people? How embarrassing!

So Aunt Evans smiled and said, “How could that be? The Young Master and the Young Madam are our own family. There’s always food for them whenever they come home. When they come home, we don’t consider it a visit, but a return. Who needs to announce beforehand when they return to their own home? Naturally, there’s always enough food for them. It’s only when outsiders visit that there’s not enough.”

Aunt Evans’s words were quite impolite, essentially saying that Clarke family was not welcomed anytime, and even food was not offered to them, even if there was enough.

Christy Xenos never expected a mere servant to be so impolite!

The Old Madam was the oldest member of the Zhekova family, and even if she said something displeasing, Christy Xenos didn’t dare say anything.

But what was Aunt Evans – a servant – to say anything?

She had no right to speak here!

Not keeping her mouth shut and even daring to mock the guests, who gave her the courage!

Christy Xenos shot Aunt Evans a cold look, then put on a fake smile and said to the Old Madam, “Old Madam, I didn’t want to mention it, but your servant here doesn’t know better. Is that how she should speak to guests?”

Christy Xenos went on, “I understand that the Zhekova family looks down on our humble origins. But no matter how you look at it, we are your guests, and you are our elder. We won’t argue with whatever you say to us. But shouldn’t you discipline your servants?”

“When even the servants look down on people, it’s your family’s face that’s lost. I may not have come across many prestigious families like the Zhekova’s, but I imagine well-established and prestigious families should value etiquette all the more. So, how can you tolerate such rude behavior from your servants?”

“Once word gets out, it’ll be said that the Zhekova family cannot manage their servants and can’t control their subordinates!” Christy Xenos added.

Aunt Evans frowned. Although she didn’t like the greedy scheming of the Clarke trio, she knew she had misspoken.

Aunt Evans, though a longtime servant of the Zhekova family, always knew her place and never adopted an arrogant attitude.

Nor did she ever think she had earned special status through her years of service or acted entitled due to her age.

Conversely, the Old Master and Old Madam treated her as a family member, but she and Butler Howard had always acted cautiously, never overstepping their boundaries.

Aunt Evans believed that maintaining a clear sense of propriety was the only way to not disappoint her masters.

Ironically, the Old Master and Old Madam had always felt that Aunt Evans and Butler Howard were overly cautious.

It was just that earlier, Aunt Evans couldn’t help herself, as the trio from the Clarke family were utterly infuriating.

Before meeting them, she already found their actions despicable based on what she had learned from Cindy Clarke.

However, upon meeting them today, their shamelessness shattered Aunt Evans’s worldview.

Particularly, she had previously harbored some hope for Joshua Clarke and thought him a decent person.

But when she heard him talking about inviting relatives to the wedding without planning to bear the cost himself, Aunt Evans was truly enraged.

The Zhekova family may not be short of money, but they didn’t owe the Clarkes either.

The Clarkes expected the Zhekova family to foot the bill to invite their own relatives.

Having money is one thing, but it’s not how things should work.

Joshua Clarke’s remark only served to expose his greed and vanity.

Aunt Evans didn’t expect that even the seemingly kind-hearted Joshua Clarke was such a person.

It was a testament to the hardships Cindy Clarke faced living with the Clarke family.

Thus, Aunt Evans couldn’t help but ridicule the Clarkes a bit earlier.

Although she couldn’t hold back, she inadvertently put the family mansion in an unfavorable light as being impolite with Christy Xenos.

Feeling remorseful, Aunt Evans’s expression changed accordingly.

Old Madam, upon seeing this, smiled and said, “A servant?”

Chapter 678: Chapter 678: Sisterly Love

“Our family’s servants, when they go out, are considered superior to other people’s. Not to mention you guys, who doesn’t act polite and courteous to our Butler Howard and Aunt Evans, even if they scold you, you can’t dare to talk back.”

Christy Xenos didn’t expect Old Madam to be so protective of her subordinates, even including Aunt Evans.

Seeing her skeptical look, Old Madam said, “You are newcomers and don’t understand the Belfard families’ situations or have interacted with them. This time I won’t bother with you all. I think Wendy Clarke is quite capable, since she even managed to find out about our family mansion. She will naturally be able to find out the attitudes of others towards Butler Howard and Aunt Evans.”

Having said that, Old Madam turned around and comforted Aunt Evans, “Don’t bother with them, they just don’t understand.”

When Christy heard this, she was dumbfounded. According to Old Madam, were they the ones who were being impolite?

Did they still have to please a mere servant like Aunt Evans?

Old Madam asked Aunt Evans, “Why did you suddenly come out?”

Aunt Evans hurried to reply, “The food is almost ready.”

With that, Old Madam said to the three members of the Clarke Family, “Since it’s time for dinner, we should eat, and we won’t keep you any longer. You all should find somewhere to eat.”

It was as if the three of them wanted to stay at the family mansion and beg for a meal.

Christy wanted to say something, but Wendy pulled her up.

Wendy said, “In that case, we’ll take our leave first. Today was an unfortunate visit, especially without giving prior notice. Next time, we’ll definitely let you know in advance.”

This way, there would be nothing to criticize about their visit to the family mansion, right?

Wendy was being a bit clever with her words.

She took the initiative to arrange the next meeting herself.

“Cindy Clarke, what’s your family mansion’s phone number? I’ll take a note.” Wendy said with a smile, taking out her mobile phone to record the information.

As the saying goes, one should not hit a person who has a smiling face. Cindy had no reason or excuse to refuse her.

‘The family mansion’s phone number is not available to anyone,’ Cindy responded with a hint of sarcasm. ‘You’re not qualified enough.’

“You say even the in-laws aren’t qualified?” Christy’s voice suddenly rose.

“Not qualified,” Cindy bluntly replied.

“You!” Christy, infuriated, glared at Cindy, her eyes bulging like copper bells.

What use was this girl to her!

She had married into the Zhekova Family, but couldn’t bring any benefits to them.

Instead, she looked down on them along with the Zhekova Family.

Cindy married into such a powerful family but didn’t care about them at all.

This useless thing!

No wonder she didn’t like Cindy.

Such a heartless and ungrateful girl, never thinking about the family and looking down on her maternal family.

How could Christy be nice to Cindy?

“You don’t need to take down the family mansion’s phone number,” Old Madam said coldly. “Anyway, no matter when you contact or visit us, it’s not convenient for us.”

“Don’t blame me for being impolite,” Old Madam continued with an indifferent tone, addressing the three Clarkes with a superior attitude.

“It’s your own shamelessness that has caused my impolite response. I can’t be bothered with manners when it comes to shameless people. If I do, that would simply make me a fool. Do I look like a fool to you?”

Old Madam spoke very rudely to Christy.

How could Christy dare to call Old Madam a fool?

She felt as if Old Madam’s gaze penetrated her like a sieve, and she couldn’t help but tremble.

Never in her wildest dreams did Christy think that Old Madam, at her age, could still have such sharp eyes.

Usually, old ladies her age would have sagging eyelids, covering half of their eyes.

Not like Old Madam, with her bright and spirited gaze, stern as a blade when she was serious.

Old Madam didn’t want to keep talking with these three and shouted, “Butler Howard, see them out!”

Butler Howard approached at a leisurely pace, coldly saying to the three Clarkes, “Please.”

Wendy looked at Cindy and said, “Cindy Clarke, aren’t you going to see me off?”

If Old Madam had her way, it would be time to eat, so why should Cindy see them off? That would delay her meal, wouldn’t it?

See them off for what?

After a slight hesitation, Cindy nodded and said, “Alright.”

Adrian Zhekova hearing this, said, “I’ll go with you.”

Before Cindy could speak, Wendy quickly said, “I have some private sisterly matters to discuss with Cindy alone. Master Adrian, if you’re present, there will be many things I won’t be able to say to her.”

“We haven’t seen each other for many years, and I have a lot to tell Cindy. However, we are both busy, so it might be difficult to find a mutually convenient time to meet especially.”

“Now that this family mansion is big enough, the distance from here to the entrance, though not enough to fully catch up on what happened during these years, should suffice for a bit. For now, it will alleviate the feelings between us sisters who haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

Wendy smiled playfully, saying, “Master Adrian, you and Cindy don’t have to be so inseparable that you can’t be apart for a moment, right?”

Cindy squeezed Adrian’s hand and said sarcastically, “I’ll be right back. I want to hear what sisterly emotions Wendy has for me and see how far we can walk from here to the entrance with this sisterly bond.”

Adrian nodded, not worried about what Wendy might do to Cindy while they were there.

This was the Zhekova family’s territory, and if Cindy got hurt by her family there, then the Zhekova Family really would be useless.

Moreover, there were bodyguards guarding the path, so he wasn’t worried about anything happening to Cindy.

So Cindy led the three Clarkes out.

“What sisterly emotions do you want to talk about?” As soon as they left the Main Hall, Cindy immediately asked.

She didn’t have the mood to perform some deep sisterly bond drama with Wendy.

Wendy was unaware of the presence of bodyguards within the family mansion.

Remaining cautious even after leaving the Main Hall and walking some distance away, Wendy finally spoke, “Cindy Clarke, it seems that we didn’t have time to make things clear when we met last time, so you didn’t understand.”

“You think that because you married into the Zhekova Family, we can’t do anything to you? You think that now that you’re the Young Madam of the Zhekova Family, you can treat us however you want without fear or respect?”

Cindy thought that she never seemed to have put Wendy in her eyes, right?

What gave Wendy the illusion that it was only recently that Cindy stopped regarding her?

“What exactly do you want to say?” Cindy looked at Wendy.

Wendy’s words seemed to imply that she had some kind of hold over Cindy.

Wendy didn’t answer Cindy’s question, but instead looked around for a while before asking her, “Your son isn’t here? It’s not appropriate for you to go on a date with Adrian and then go to the family mansion for dinner without your son, is it?”

With this, Wendy’s suspicions were further confirmed.

Chapter 679: Chapter 679: What are you doing, you smelly girl?

Cindy’s son was hidden away and could not be seen by others.

Cindy didn’t say anything, but Morgan was here, just not making an appearance.

Of course, she wouldn’t voluntarily expose Morgan’s existence.

Seeing Wendy’s understanding smile, she said, “So wasn’t I right before? The family mansion didn’t know about the fact that you had a son with Adrian Zhekova before your marriage. You didn’t dare bring that son into the family mansion, did you?”

“Just hurry up and say what you want to say,” Cindy said impatiently, “The path from the Main Hall to the gate is not long enough for you to waste time.”

Wendy casually said, “I mentioned this earlier, and you showed no fear in front of Adrian. I thought the Zhekova Family knew everything. Now it seems that only Adrian knows, and he doesn’t mind that you’ve had a child for somebody else.”

“I just don’t know if he knows that the child’s father is Mr. Lopez, and that Mr. Lopez is such a respectable man, if he knew that you’d had a child for such a man before, I wonder if he would feel disgusted?”

Cindy laughed, “Adrian knows everything. You don’t need to guess.”

Wendy asked, “Does the Zhekova Family’s elders know? You think that with Adrian protecting you, you are not afraid of anything, right? But what if the family elders know and they refuse to accept you anymore?”

“Would you still be so confident then? Would you still help the Zhekova family, like you did just now in the room, to trample on us?”

“At that time, you wouldn’t be their good daughter-in-law, but a two-faced little person in the eyes of the Zhekova family elders.”

“Cindy, we can still help you hide your son’s existence now, but if you keep treating us like you were in the room, not considering us as family, then don’t blame us for not treating you like family and exposing your son!”

At this point, they reached the gate.

Wendy said, “If you’re willing to help us get some money from the Zhekova Family, I can help you keep this secret.”

Cindy had not expected Wendy to still focus on this issue, “Is it not clear enough? I’m not afraid of you talking about this, it didn’t bother me in the past, and it won’t in the future. The family mansion still hasn’t been left behind, you can go back and tell the family right now.”

“I’m giving you a chance, you can go back and tell them right now.” Instead, Cindy grabbed Wendy’s arm, as if trying to pull her back into the family mansion.

“Cindy, what are you doing?!” Wendy was genuinely puzzled.

How come Cindy wasn’t worried at all, and even pulled her back into the family mansion instead?

Was she really not afraid of Wendy telling?

Or was this Cindy’s act, trying to cover the truth by pretending to be unafraid?

“Go on, tell them now!” Cindy still held onto Wendy’s arm, not letting go.

“What are you doing, you little witch?” Christy Xenos slapped Cindy’s back with one hand.

Christy didn’t have time to analyze Cindy’s thoughts, or know whether she had any fear.

She just saw Cindy pulling Wendy and thought that Wendy was being bullied.

She was annoyed and decided to help Wendy without thinking.

Christy’s slap was exceptionally powerful, but it was good that it was cold and they were wearing thick clothes.

Even so, the slap on Cindy’s back made a “thump” sound.

Cindy ignored Christy completely. At this moment, she was wearing thick clothes; she didn’t feel pain, no matter how hard Christy hit her.

Cindy kept pulling Wendy toward the mansion, “Come on, I’m letting you go back to the family mansion, tell the family about it right now, why don’t you go?”

However, it was Wendy who seemed embarrassed now, struggling in the opposite direction, not going along with Cindy.

“Why don’t you go now? If you have the guts, don’t hide from it!” Cindy pulled Wendy, “You come with me back there, let’s talk face-to-face, so you won’t keep guessing and still think this is my weakness.”

Chapter 680: Chapter 680: How Dare You Bully People Like This

“Wendy Clarke, I’m telling you, this is not my weakness, I’m not afraid at all, if you don’t believe me, go in now and speak!” Cindy Clarke said, pulling Wendy.

Wendy wasn’t sure, she didn’t know what exactly Cindy was relying on, which was why she seemed totally fearless.

Or maybe Cindy was posturing and deliberately showing her fearless side to confuse Wendy.

But no matter what, now Wendy had no time to react.

She was being dragged by Cindy and couldn’t think too much.

Wendy could only react subconsciously, and do the opposite of what Cindy told her to do.

At least, going against Cindy would decrease the chances of making a mistake.

Especially in situations where there’s not enough time to think.

So when Cindy was pulling her into the family mansion, Wendy kept pulling Cindy out.

Cindy spoke loudly: “Why aren’t you going in now? You were always thinking of ways to come to the mansion before, even had someone secretly investigate the address of the mansion,and making every effort to get the contact of the mansion, trying to build a relationship with the Zhekova Family. Now you don’t need to calculate, I invite you in, I have to let you in, why don’t you want to go in?”

“If you have something to say, just tell it now, you don’t need to threaten me!” Cindy said.

“Cindy, what are you doing? Just let go of me!” Wendy was somewhat disheveled being pulled by Cindy.

The Clarke Family’s restaurant might be small, but Joshua Clarke was traditional, always feeling that the family business needs someone to inherit.

With no sons, only daughters Cindy and Wendy, Joshua could only choose one of these two daughters to inherit their small restaurant.

Therefore, he let Wendy and Cindy both try out the kitchen, and eventually found that Cindy was the gifted one.

Cindy herself was talented in cooking, loved the profession, could bear hardships, could bear tiredness, and could handle any heavy work.

In contrast, Wendy, not to mention she didn’t have any talent for cooking, and the proportion of this talent actually wasn’t very high, especially in the field of cooking, the most important thing is still postnatal efforts, while talent is just the icing on the cake.

Setting aside her talent, Wendy herself didn’t like this hard and tiring job.

She didn’t want to stay in the kitchen where there’s so much smoke, she didn’t want to move a pot, and she didn’t want to practice any strength to make her arms hard and muscular.

So, Wendy gave up after a few tries.

But Cindy has always insisted on her dream of cooking since childhood, if she couldn’t run her own business, she would always stay at home to help in the small restaurant, nothing was too much trouble for her.

Not to mention her time in Belfard.

All the way through, even if Cindy was not the type who likes to exercise, she still had quite a bit of strength because of her occupation.

Surely Wendy couldn’t match that, especially when Wendy didn’t have money, she was very delicate, treating herself as a rich young lady.

No money at home? It doesn’t matter.

She treated herself well, and raised herself as a rich lady with a delicate life.

Moreover, ever since she had money, Wendy felt delicate, and she thought she couldn’t do everything herself since she was wealthy.

She couldn’t carry heavy things or lift things up.

Where can she compete with Cindy’s strength?

Cindy has been raising Morgan Zhekova herself, not to mention carrying pots and pans all the time, even holding Morgan since she was a baby has helped her build strength.

So no matter how much Wendy pulled her outward, it didn’t help.

Wendy was already pulled by Cindy to the steps in front of the mansion.

She was about to be pulled into the mansion.

The threshold of the mansion was high, almost up to the knee.

If you’re not careful and lift your leg to step over it, you’ll be tripped by the threshold.

So Wendy had to lift her leg, and once she lifted one foot, she was standing on one foot.

It’s not easy to maintain balance on one foot, let alone fight against Cindy’s strength.

She was pulled by Cindy and ended up stepping one foot into the threshold.

“I don’t want to go!” Wendy shouted, “Cindy, are you crazy?”

Wendy didn’t want to scream like this, she felt it was really ungraceful and unladylike.

But she felt that Cindy, a small and delicate person, surprisingly had impressive strength.

Just like a shrew from the countryside, she couldn’t be stopped.

Wendy felt extremely weak, extremely helpless.

When Christy Xenos saw Cindy bullying Wendy, she was displeased.

She immediately came to them, her hands landing on Cindy’s body, one slap after another.

“Bad girl, let go! Let me go! What are you doing? Now that you feel secure, are you bullying your sister in front of me?” Christy Xenos couldn’t believe it, Cindy was thin and weak when she was a child, always appearing fragile.

She always remembered, little Cindy helping out in the kitchen of the small restaurant, the delicate wrist that looked like it would break if you twisted it, holding a heavy iron pot, her quivering appearance, made Cindy seem extremely weak.

Moreover, Christy Xenos had never treated Cindy well, the family’s income was mediocre, and Christy Xenos had a habit to save money.

Joshua Clarke was the head of the family, the main income source of the family was in Joshua’s hands.

Christy Xenos naturally cared about providing for Joshua, anything good and nutritious would be for Joshua first.

Then it was Wendy’s turn, and she secretly gave Wendy a lot of good things.

As for Cindy, she could fill her stomach with some vegetables and that was already very good.

Added to that, Cindy’s body was such that she would never get fat no matter how much she ate, when she was young, she always looked malnourished.

Even after she grew up, went to university, she was still skinny and weak.

Even now, after having her baby, she still has a very thin look.

Clearly she appeared slimmer than Wendy, yet why does she have such strength?

Under Christy Xenos’s indiscriminate slaps, Cindy had no intention of letting go. She was determined to drag Wendy inside.

She knew that Wendy was scared, but this wasn’t enough, she had to make Wendy remember this fear.

Now Wendy was really a bit at a loss, she didn’t understand why Cindy was not the least bit worried or scared?

The more Cindy was determined like this, the more Wendy couldn’t let her have her way.

Christy Xenos saw that Cindy and Wendy were about to fight, so Christy Xenos got furious

Seeing that slapping Cindy’s body had no effect, she directly slapped Cindy’s head.

“Bad girl, let go! Let go of your sister quickly, what are you doing? In front of me you dare to bully someone! Let go.” Christy Xenos said, as her hand landed on Cindy’s head, slapping it again and again, no mercy, Cindy’s hair became a mess, and she looked really disheveled.

Cindy’s head was not covered with anything like a hat, unlike the clothes on her body that buffered the blows.

Christy Xenos’s slap after slap fell on Cindy’s head, slapped it so hard that Cindy’s head was ringing and aching.