Both Arthur and Sheila were startled by Stefan’s threat. They knew that Stefan was a haughty man, but they never expected it to
reach the point where he would disregard basic social etiquette of showing respect to the elders—all for a woman of a low
status!
For a family who had always abided by strict rules, such behavior was simply perfidious!
The elders in the room could no longer stand by quietly. One by one, they stood up and voiced their disapproval.
“Stefan, you’re Arthur’s nephew! How could you speak to him like that? Think of how embarrassing it would be if the public finds
out about this!”
“No matter how wrong Arthur and Sheila were, they are still your uncle and aunt! You should settle the matter by discussing it like
civilized people. Is the problem even worth losing your temper over?”
“As your uncles and aunts, we think you two are the ones who should be begging for your aunt and uncle’s forgiveness!”
Because of his arrogance, Stefan now became the target of the family’s verbal attacks.
Seeing this, Sheila was once again emboldened. She snorted coldly and jeered at Alexander and Francine. “I guess the
education you gave Stefan was too liberal for us, Alexander and Francine! That’s why your son has become a radical that dares
to disregard common courtesy! To put it more bluntly... he’s no different from an uneducated brute! If you don’t reel him in now
and let him get away with threatening his uncle and aunt, then you might find him stepping over you and peeing on your heads
tomorrow! It’d be too late for you to regret it then!”
“That’s right!” Arthur echoed vehemently. “He must beg us for forgiveness today, or else I won’t let this matter slide!”
“I’m sorry,” Francine replied nonchalantly as she sat gracefully on the couch, “but this is between you and Stefan. As for who
should be the one to apologize, I’ll leave it to you to sort it out. Besides, my son is well-known for being respectful to the elders,
yet there are some of the elders who behave in a way that makes them undeserving of respect!”
“What are you saying, Francine Milford? Who is undeserving of respect?!”
Sheila was so enraged that she no longer cared about appearances. She stomped towards Francine, determined to fight with
her to the death. After all, the rift between their two families was now so huge that it was irreparable, and there was no point in
trying to maintain a semblance of dignity anymore.
Seeing this, Renee felt embarrassed. She knew that the fight in the family erupted because of her, and she had no desire to
become the ‘eye of the storm,’ the central point where family discord and dispute swirled around, causing cracks and rifts within
the family.
And so, she hastily blocked Sheila’s way and humbly said, “Please calm down, Aunt Sheila! This is all my fault, so I’ll apologize
to you and to Uncle Arthur, I...”
“Get out of my way!” Sheila had no time for Renee, nor did she care to appear dignified anymore, so she disdainfully shrieked,
“You’re nothing but a destitute dog! You are completely unworthy of marrying into the Hunt family, and you don’t even have any
right to speak!”
After speaking, she violently shoved Renee aside.
“What are you doing...?”
Renee was caught off guard. She staggered and almost faceplanted on the floor.
Fortunately, Stefan had quick eyes and quicker hands, so he was able to swiftly support Renee’s body with his long arms. At the
moment, his eyes were like daggers that were savagely aimed at Sheila.
“She... she was blocking my way! It’s not my fault! Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sheila’s puffed-up arrogance suddenly vanished, and she gulped nervously, feeling somewhat guilty.