Most onlookers simply shrugged and exchanged knowing smiles, but Derek’s reaction was one of utter astonishment, his mouth open. He stared at Marissa and Connor, completely baffled. Back when he was just a village boy, Connor was the figure Derek idolized. Now, as Connor’s nephew, he felt honored to be in his presence, almost wishing he could worship at Connor’s feet daily
It baffled Derek to see Marissa, whom he had looked down upon, clinging to Connor’s arm and addressing him so affectionately. What was happening here? How could it be so unreal? As Marissa clung to Connor’s arm, calling him “honey,” Connor felt a tingling in his arm and his ears almost melted. If one observed closely, they would notice Connor’s ears turning red, though he typically maintained a cool and commanding demeanor
Domenic, Marc, and Terry were standing behind Connor. They were all elites working for Connor, yet at that moment, they looked like fools. The last time they saw her, Marissa was an arrogant village girl-a stark contrast to the sweet girl they saw today. Hadn’t she gone back to her hometown to get married? Why was she now working as a waitress at the hotel?
Domenic snapped out of his daze and discreetly dispatched some people to Adagend to find out what had happened. Just then, Arabella emerged from the room. “Why did I hear my granddaughter-in-law’s voice? Is she back?”
Hearing this, Marissa approached Arabella and sweetly called out, “Grandma!”
Arabella’s face lit up with joy as soon as she saw Marissa. “It is indeed my sweetie. Come here. Let me have a look at you!”
Marissa stood in front of Arabella with a smile, allowing Arabella to take her hand and examine her closely
“Sweetie, didn’t Connor say you had gone to study medical skills? Why are you working as a waitress in this hotel now?”
“Grandma, I came especially to see you. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Really? Oh, I’m so happy!”
Connor turned slightly and eyed Marissa, who had just lied to delight Arabella. He murmured, “You little liar.”
At that point, Derek appeared even more bewildered than Domenic, Marc, and Terry. When Marissa had affectionately called Connor “honey,” Derek was taken aback. Now, seeing her so close with Arabella, he felt like he had been struck by lightning. He started to question himself. Was this the same woman he had dumped?
Full of doubt, he leaned over to Lorna and asked, “Mom, who is she?”
Lorna whispered back, “That’s Connor’s wife, Tiffany Nash. She’s from the Nash family in Blebert. They’ve just gotten married. Don’t be afraid of her. She’s just a fool, not good at much except making your great-grandmother smile. Connor doesn’t really care for her. Once your great-grandmother is gone, he plans to divorce her quickly!”
Hearing Lorna’s explanation, Derek narrowed his eyes in thought. Marissa Nash? Tiffany Nash? Marissa was just a village girl from Adagend. How had she become a member of the Nash family in Blebert?
After a moment, Derek concluded that Marissa must be impersonating Tiffany! In the past, Derek had believed all of Marissa’s money came from sleeping with guys in clubs. Now, it seemed she was also profiting from pretending to be Tiffany. What a resourceful woman she was! She managed to marry Connor by pretending to be Tiffany while almost getting married to him as Marissa. He was determined to expose her
But before he could speak up, he heard Marissa say to Arabella, “Grandma, I accidentally hurt your new great-grandson. Will you hold it against me?”
“Hmph!” Arabella responded sternly, “I heard everything. That boy has been living away for years and has picked up some bad habits. He needs to be straightened out. You are his aunt-in-law and it’s your responsibility to teach him a lesson.” Then Arabella gestured to Derek and said, “Come here, you brat. Kneel down and apologize to your aunt-in-law!”
Derek was stunned. “Great-grandmother, you’re being deceived by her. She’s a fake!”
Hearing Derek’s words, Connor was momentarily stunned before realizing something. Before Derek could continue, Connor scolded him, saying, “Derek, Marissa has no reason to lie and slander you. Don’t even think about making excuses.”
“Uncle Connor, that’s not what I meant. This woman-“
“Shut up!” Connor cut him off sharply, causing Derek to tremble with fear. He didn’t dare to finish his sentence. After a brief pause, Connor scolded Derek once more. “Derek, she may be young, but she’s your aunt-in-law and married to the head of the Daniels family. Your disrespect is surprising. How could you call her ‘this woman’? You pretended to be drunk and harassed a woman you didn’t know. After she defended herself, you attempted to leverage our family’s influence against her. That’s disgraceful. You’ve brought shame to the Daniels family. As the leader of the family, I have to discipline you! Given that you were raised away from us and lacked a proper upbringing, I won’t punish you harshly today. Instead, I’ll arrange for you to attend a week-long etiquette course. Use this time to learn and reflect on your actions.” As soon as he finished, Connor gave Cade a wink
Cade approached Derek and said, “Mr. Derek Daniels, please come with me.”
Derek, unfamiliar with the rules of wealthy families and intimidated by Connor, wanted to expose Marissa’s true identity but held back, feeling downhearted. After hesitating, he looked towards his parents
Lorna, sympathetic to her son, pleaded with Connor, “Connor, Derek has only been with us for three days. We’re trying to bond with him properly. Isn’t it too harsh to separate him from us for a whole week?”
Neil chimed in, “Connor, perhaps we could take our son home and handle his discipline ourselves. He doesn’t need those etiquette classes, does he?”
With his parents helping him, Derek looked expectantly at Connor. Yet Connor, who held authority in the family, was unyielding. “There’s no room for negotiation!” Connor said in a firm tone
“Don’t accuse me of being heartless, Neil and Lorna. Spoiling him isn’t helping. Just yesterday, he got drunk and harassed a maid, frightening her so much that she nearly jumped from a building. If we don’t correct his behavior now, he could cause serious problems in the future.”
Whether Derek molested Marissa today or not needed more than Marissa’s words to determine. However, everyone knew about Derek’s misconduct yesterday when he molested the maid while drunk. It had a significant negative impact. When Connor brought up the incident, Neil and Lorna were ashamed and fell silent
At the right moment, Cade said, “Mr. Derek Daniels, please come with me.”
Seeing his parents not daring to challenge Connor’s decision, Derek came to terms with the situation. Swallowing his words, he followed Cade out, feeling wronged. As he walked past Foley Daniels, his brother, he attempted to speak. But Foley only gave him a blank stare, as if looking at a fool. It dawned on Derek that Foley wasn’t the good brother he had appeared to be in front of the cameras
The previous day, Foley had been drinking with Derek and seemed genuinely friendly. While Derek was tipsy, Foley bragged about having sex with all the female servants. Derek was drunk and didn’t know much about rich families, so he believed it. That was why such an embarrassing thing happened later. Derek remembered his inability to control himself, suspecting now that Foley had drugged his drink. Suddenly, Derek was gripped by fear
Over the past three days, he had been living arrogantly, imagining a life of indulgence ahead. He could eat whatever he wanted and do whatever he liked forever. At that moment, he realized that being a wealthy heir was not without its challenges
The drama finally ended when Cade escorted Derek away. Marissa let out a sigh of relief. Understanding that Connor had just helped her, she gave him a look filled with gratitude. This family dinner was meant to welcome their long-lost member back home. Now that Derek had been taken away for discipline, there was no need to continue with the dinner. Arabella, cheerful as ever, took Marissa home and engaged her in joyful conversation. Domenic handed a document to Connor and said, “Mr. Daniels, we’ve found out that Marissa’s fiance was Derek.”
Neil and Lorna, upset by the scandal, left with their elder son, Foley. The rest of the family members also made their exits
When Connor heard Domenic’s report, his expression grew somber. He felt a throbbing pain in his heart, unsure whether it was from jealousy, anger, or embarrassment. He had been feeling off lately, particularly distressed upon discovering that Marissa had a fiance and was eager to marry him. Now, learning that her so-called fiance was his own nephew, he nearly lost his mind. He recalled an infamous historical figure who had taken his son’s wife, and even after thousands of years, that emperor was still condemned. If Connor married his nephew’s fiancee without cause and it became public, he would face severe criticism
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He crumpled the document in his hand, his fingers whitening from the pressure. Domenic sensed Connor’s turmoil and quickly added, “Mr. Daniels, Marissa has ended things with Derek.”
Connor paused abruptly and asked, “What happened?”
Did Derek lose trust in Marissa because he had forced her into marriage? If so, Connor would feel guilty. He admitted he had taken a liking to Marissa, seeing her as different from others. But if she was involved with his nephew, how could he justify taking her for himself? Domenic pointed at the crumpled document and said, “Here’s the detailed investigation report. You should read it.”
After a moment, Connor smoothed out the document and read it intently. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed as he absorbed the contents. Connor’s intelligence team, a top-notch international group, had thoroughly investigated the situation in Adagend
The document included detailed information about Marissa and Derek. The Tucker family was too poor. Derek’s grandmother, realizing he might struggle to find a partner, persuaded a six-year-old Marissa to promise to marry Derek when she grew up. Most girls might forget such a promise after a few days, but Marissa was true to her word. Ever since then, Marissa had treated Derek kindly. She defended him in fights during their childhood, financed his education, and still intended to marry him as an adult. However, Derek proved unworthy. Once he was recognized as a member of the Daniels family, he callously discarded Marissa, despite her years of kindness. Derek even spread harmful rumors online to tarnish Marissa’s reputation. Connor finally understood why Marissa had beaten Derek up so fiercely at the hotel today. The tension between them had escalated significantly
At that moment, Domenic chimed in, “Mr. Daniels, the investigation shows that there’s never been real affection between them. Their relationship was purely based on that childhood promise. Marissa has lived independently for years, rarely seeing Derek. I believe it’s fortunate for Marissa that Derek called off the engagement. After all, a marriage built on a promise alone is unlikely to be fulfilling. Marissa isn’t bound by that promise anymore, and Derek is living his life as a wealthy heir, which is a perfect situation for both of them. However, Derek went too far in his efforts to destroy Marissa.”
Connor didn’t seem upset anymore; he even managed a smile. Domenic then asked, “Mr. Daniels, would you like to address the negative online rumors? Although it’s Marissa’s sister who’s the subject of gossip now, Marissa herself will soon be dragged into this. By that time, she won’t be able to lead a normal life.”
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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