Elara turned and walked outside, certain that Mason wouldn’t dare to do anything to her in front of so many people. But as she passed by Mason’s side, she heard him ask, "Are you here today for Zayne Warner?"
Elara was taken aback for a mont, then seed to rember sothing and instinctively glanced at the nearby standee.
Groom, Zayne Warner.
Bride, Gigi Hathaway.
When she saw Zayne Warner’s photo, she was speechless for a mont and then amused. No wonder she ran into Rosalind and Mason here; she thought the world was small, turns out they’re all acquaintances.
She looked at Mason and said calmly, "No, I’m here to give a gift on behalf of a relative of the bride. Mr. Jacobs, could you please step aside?"
Mason had already taken advantage of her mont of distraction to block her path.
If she were Esther, she would definitely curse at him with sothing like "Good dogs don’t block the way," saying the harshest words possible. But unfortunately, she wasn’t Esther, and she couldn’t say such things; even when angry, she remained dignified.
Hmm... at this mont, she needed an Esther.
Mason smiled, his eyes probing, "In the past, you were always timid, afraid of this and that. When we just got divorced, you didn’t want to offend at all, didn’t want to have any conflict with . Why are you so impervious to persuasion now?"
Elara curled her lips, "Because back then I had nothing. I needed a job, I had to support myself, my father, and the adopted child. I didn’t have the confidence to oppose you; I was afraid you’d kick out of Northgarde. With a wave of your hand, my whole family would be scattered like clouds blown by the wind."
She raised her eyes to Mason, still distant in her gaze, "But those issues are solved now. I don’t need to fear you anymore, nor do I need to endure anymore."
"I see," Mason nodded thoughtfully, suddenly getting closer to her ear and saying word by word, "And your dad? I heard his leg just got better?"
Elara’s face changed, her body involuntarily trembling. She glared at Mason fiercely, "Are you threatening ?"
Mason retreated to a polite distance, smiling faintly, "Whether it’s a threat is subjective. I’m just reminding you, don’t forget your dad’s disappearance incident."
Elara’s breath froze for a mont.
Right after divorcing Mason, her father lost contact once. She asked Zara for help and managed to find him. At first, her father said he just wanted to go for a walk and got lost.
But her father’s body was full of marks, anyone with eyes could see what happened.
Eventually, her father admitted he had been abducted.
But who did it and why, she still had no clue.
She suspected Mason at the ti but had no evidence, so she could only ask Zara to find so people to protect her father near his ho. Other than that, she could do nothing; back then, she couldn’t even afford to move her father.
And now, Mason finally admitted in front of her that the incident was his doing.
Her gaze instantly turned cold, staring at Mason, "What do you want? Do you plan to use my father to threaten ? Mason, I’m no longer the Elara I used to be."
She could now do many more things; if Mason targeted her without counting the cost, she could take her father to another city for safety or hire a security company to protect her father throughout the night. She had money now, and money could solve many problems.
Even though she still couldn’t provoke Mason, she could now hide from him.
Mason looked at her with an amused expression.
In fact, the incident involving David Hales wasn’t his doing; he found out later that his mother got Rosalind to arrange it.
But that didn’t stop him from using it to threaten her, as he was fully capable of doing it.
He simply didn’t expect that this ti Elara would be so tough, daring to talk back to him. Did she think with her current abilities she could escape from his grasp? He just often didn’t want to use extre asures against her, because he genuinely wished for her to return to him.
"You’re not the forr Elara anymore; do you think you’re rich now, or capable?" Mason casually looked at her, noticing a flash of panic crossing her face; his mood improved significantly, like a cat watching a cornered mouse, "If I rember correctly, your money was all taken from my Jacobs Corporation. As for your capabilities... keeping that lousy job selling dical products alive is just a matter of my word."
He raised his hand to touch Elara’s face, gentle and lingering, "Elara, I don’t want to hurt you, because I still love you, but you can’t treat like a fool because of that, right? I’m rely inviting you for a drink, and you’re being so ungracious, making sad. When I’m sad, I might not know what I’ll do."
Elara slapped his hand away, gritting her teeth, "Mason, you’re insane!"
Back then, she even sought Mason’s help for her father’s matter; she was truly blind!
Mason smiled, "You forced my hand; I clearly wanted to be kind to you, but you never appreciated it."
Elara started planning in her mind to leave Northgarde with her father as soon as she left here. Mason wasn’t soone who spoke empty words; he would go to any lengths to achieve his goals.
But how to explain to Zion? They’ve decided to be a regular couple, yet she’s escaping at the last minute... Perhaps she could only tell the truth and return to live with Zion once this storm had passed and she’d settled her father.
Mason leisurely awaited Elara’s compromise, just like countless tis before.
But unexpectedly, at that mont, a surprised voice ca from behind, "Elara?"
Elara raised her head in surprise, "Grandma?"
Grandma Fitzwilliam, elegant in a cream-white cheongsam with black floral prints, her white hair simply combed back, looked at Elara with unconcealed affection and excitent, stepped over and hugged her.
"Elara, why are you here?" Grandma Fitzwilliam asked excitedly after hugging.
Elara replied, "I’m here on behalf of my colleague; she couldn’t co due to so issues."
The elderly gentleman behind Grandma Fitzwilliam quickly approached and cordially greeted, "Since we’re all esteed guests, shall we go inside and chat?"
The elderly gentleman in uniform looked familiar to Elara, and after a response ti, she realized he was most likely Zayne Warner’s grandfather.
Indeed, when Elder Warner celebrated his birthday, Grandma Fitzwilliam attended and appeared to have a close acquaintance with Elder Warner.
With Elder Warner around, Elara naturally didn’t need to fear Mason’s tricks anymore; she nodded to Grandma Fitzwilliam and Elder Warner, saying, "Sure."
Grandma Fitzwilliam enthusiastically held Elara’s hand, and Elder Warner remained incredibly courteous alongside, even intentionally falling half a step behind Elara.
In high society’s etiquette, this ant respect.
Mason stared darkly at the backs of the three people; Elder Warner didn’t even greet him.
Who exactly was that old lady? During Elder Warner’s birthday celebration, he treated a never-before-seen old lady with utmost respect, and afterward, countless elite families investigated her identity. But for so long, no information had been found.
At that mont, soone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.
His whole body tensed up, and he instinctively shifted into a defensive mode. It took him a few seconds to turn his head casually.
It was a stunning face he had never seen before.
The woman wore a tight, burgundy qipao, her figure was alluring, and she moved with grace. She held a lady’s cigarette delicately between her fingers and upon turning, she blew a puff of smoke at him slowly.
Although Mason Jacobs was proficient in smoking and drinking, he despised won who smoked. He believed won should be like Elara Hale, pure, elegant, and suited for family life.
So, at this mont, he was filled with disgust and spoke rather rudely, "Who are you?"
The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise, her red lips slightly parted, "Didn’t your mother tell you? I thought after the last beating I gave her, you might rember. Didn’t I say it before? Elara is my sister, under my protection. Stay away from her, I can be very ruthless."
Mason imdiately recalled the incident where his mother was tied up and beaten by an unknown woman in a private club room, and then left bound in the middle of the road.
His eyes grew cold, "Are you that woman?"
"Jasmine Doyle," the woman corrected, taking a drag from her cigarette and exhaling slowly. She lazily rested the hand holding the cigarette on her other arm, tilting her head to look at him, "You seed quite harsh to my sister just now, what were you planning to do to her?"
Mason maintained a blank expression, "As far as I know, Elara doesn’t have a sister."
"Well, she does now," Jasmine curved her lips, "Her sister will go to great lengths to protect her from being stolen away by a bastard. Do you have any other questions?"
Mason frowned, "Who exactly are you?"
He noticed that the people around Elara Hale were increasingly enigmatic. The old lady from earlier and now this woman both possessed imnse power and influence. Why are they protecting Elara Hale?
Jasmine blinked, her playful tone laced with obliviousness, "Didn’t I just tell you? My na is Jasmine Doyle."
She looked Mason up and down with disdain, "Looking at you like this, you probably couldn’t take two punches from . Never mind, I’ll save so good karma. After all, if you fall apart at the wedding entrance, it’d be bad luck for the newlyweds."
She patted Mason’s arm, still smiling, but with an undercurrent of cold sharpness in her voice, "Take it easy, you can’t outplay . I will be watching you, stay away from Elara. She is beyond your reach, understand?"
Mason suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm and instinctively touched it, only to find a few hard objects. His heart trembled as he gritted his teeth and pulled them out.
There were actually three needles.
And that woman had already leisurely walked away. She got into a luxury car parked by the roadside. Mason squinted; it was a new model this year, priced over thirty million.
Who on earth is this woman?
His arm beca increasingly painful, leaving him no ti to care about anything else. He quickly headed to his car and drove to the hospital.
Heaven knows what that crazy woman did to those needles, he has to get checked out.
Inside the wedding banquet hall.
Elder Warner personally escorted Grandma Fitzwilliam to the most prestigious table at the wedding. In fact, no other guests had been arranged for this table in order to welco Grandma Fitzwilliam.
Grandma Fitzwilliam took Elara’s hand and sat down, asking warmly, "Elara, how’s work been lately? There were too many people that day, it was hard to speak to you. I have sothing particularly precious to give you, co over to my place so day and I’ll give it to you."
Elara quickly responded, "Grandma, I’m doing well; there’s no need for you to give anything."
She hesitated for a mont before continuing, "You’ve also made that house a gratuitous gift; I’m not worthy of such kindness..."
Grandma Fitzwilliam held her hand, shaking her head, "Silly child, everything in this family belongs to you. Don’t mind Zion, that blockhead. He’s good at making money, let him plan life well, but he’s hopeless when it cos to managing the household finances. That will certainly be your responsibility in the future."
Once Elara understood everything, she would no longer want to manage the family, feeling drained.
Elara opened her mouth, Grandma Fitzwilliam’s affection weighed heavily on her, making her feel unworthy of her identity and unsure of how to express it, ultimately swallowing her words back down.
Elder Warner stayed beside them. After Grandma Fitzwilliam and Elara finished their conversation, he said, "Madam, you stay here while I go greet so old comrades over there."
Grandma Fitzwilliam nodded with a smile, and Elder Warner walked away slowly.
Elara felt that strange sense of puzzlent again.
"Grandma, what’s your relationship with Elder Warner? Why does he call you Madam?"
She had wanted to ask this question for a long ti. She didn’t dare speak up when she was less familiar with Grandma Fitzwilliam during Elder Warner’s last birthday.
But now, being part of the family, asking shouldn’t be too forward, right? Mainly... these things are too out of place. If it was just one thing, she could say it was a coincidence, but one after another... how could they still be considered coincidences?
There was a fleeting touch of awkwardness in Grandma Fitzwilliam’s eyes.
The Warner Family used to be servants of the Fitzwilliam Family. Elder Warner was Old Master Fitzwilliam’s driver. Later on, Elder Warner chose a military path, eventually becoming wealthy, and Old Master Fitzwilliam supported him greatly.
This is why Elder Warner still respectfully calls her Madam and holds her in such high regard.
But how could she explain this to Elara?
She decided to keep it simple, explaining, "Back in Zion’s grandfather’s ti, our families had a good relationship. He calls Madam based on my late husband’s status, normally it should be Mrs. Fitzwilliam."
Elara nodded thoughtfully.
Grandma Fitzwilliam’s explanation translated to: The Fitzwilliam’s ancestors were prosperous, at least when Old Master Fitzwilliam was young, he was equal with Elder Warner. But in recent years, they’ve fallen on hard tis?
Thinking about Zion Fitzwilliam’s father running an appraisal studio, while his uncles manage small factories, although respectable in her eyes, they are indeed a notch below the Warner Family.
Elara successful unraveled her inner confusion and obediently poured tea for Grandma Fitzwilliam.
At a table further back in the banquet, Rosalind Jacobs was eagerly trying to gain favor with her future mother-in-law.
Owen Grayson’s mother was refined yet difficult. Although she was warm during the engagent, she was aloof in private. This ti, Rosalind braced herself to agree to her brother’s request, thinking Owen’s mother would give her so face in this public setting. Unexpectedly, as soon as she spoke, Owen’s mother gave her a cold glance.
"You haven’t even married yet, and your Jacobs Family is already eyeing the Grayson Family’s assets? Rosalind, aren’t you reaching too far?"
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