The Enchanted Night

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Ivy's sarcasm could be felt throughout the room. Jill, in the meantime, continued watching TV, unfazed by the scene unfolding around her.

Cassandra clenched and unclenched her fists, tempering her anger. Her lips curled into a disdainful smile.

"Well, even when you do give birth to the baby, you will still be nothing but a mistress," she hissed.

This wiped the smile right off of Ivy's smug face. Cassandra had to admit that Ivy's audacity did not surprise her. It seemed that the world was littered with such wretches already.

She watched Ivy's face darken as animosity welled up in Ivy's eyes.

Ivy was well aware of the terms that she had agreed to: she would give birth to the baby and immediately hand it over to the Tang family, after which she was to leave the country and never return.

She bet, not only her future but also her baby that she was going to win in the end.

She was confident that Lionel loved her more than he did his wife, and this was her most powerful bargaining chip. She was also banking on Jill's dissatisfaction with her daughter-in-law who tended to be stubborn and overbearing. These gave her hope. Ivy was willing to sacrifice everything for the chance to be part of the Tang family and replace Cassandra.

Her best years had been devoted to Lionel whom she had loved for the longest time. Handing him over to another woman now was the last thing she could ever do.

Walking towards the main lobby at that moment was Lionel who entered afterwards. He caught a glimpse of Cassandra and his eyes immediately lit up.

Her days in the hospital did not seem to make her tired or weary. On the contrary, it was as if she glowed with life.

The white dress she was wearing suited her so well that it almost felt as if it were part of her.

Cassandra smiled when she spotted her husband carrying a pile of baby products.

Never had she imagined to see him like this and the sight amused her.

As Horace came out of his study, he gave Cassandra a warm smile. He was happy to see that she was home.

"Are you feeling better now, Cassandra? I asked the cook to prepare your favorite silverfish soup for dinner. It will be great for your health as well!"

Upon hearing this, Jill sprang up from the couch. She turned to Ivy with a motherly smile fixed on her face.

"Ivy, I ordered the silverfish specially for you. They are fresh and just got delivered here this morning. As an expectant mother, you need more nutrition and they are great for you. I will also remind the cook to use less salt. Eat as much as you want," she said.

Although Jill was speaking to Ivy, Cassandra knew that the words were meant for her. Ivy felt a glow inside her, feeling more confident about her position in the family compared to Cassandra, because she had Jill on her side.

With an equally warm grin, Ivy walked to Jill and twined her arm into the older woman's. She even went as far as to lean her head affectionately on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Aunt Jill, for being so considerate and caring of my health. I am sorry that the rest of you have to compromise for my taste," she said.

Jill looked at Ivy and rubbed her back tenderly.

"You are carrying the eldest grandson of Tang family. Who else but you would deserve such a special treatment?" Jill replied tenderly.

Even Horace, who was usually oblivious to such things, noticed the tension among the three women in the room.

It was the battle of three women—looking at the other two who were clearly in alliance, Cassandra was left alone.

During the course of this conversation, Rufus returned. With keen perception, he took in the situation as soon as he ent

Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex. To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him. "As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses.”She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women...

He shouldn't have meddled with our accounts in his filthy ways," Lionel chimed in.

Rufus, then, spoke with a wise assessment, unlike his brother who was merely echoing his father's concerns.

"With the current situation, we can confirm that these withdrawals are indeed big losses for us. With the newly-formed Union, even a small company holds a huge influence. It is similar to how the world is divided into so many countries. Even the smallest and weakest countries have their own rights, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Now, fewer clients mean less support, which could effect our influence in the market."

Rufus's evaluation of the situation made great sense. With the big picture becoming clearer, the tension of Horace's face gradually faded. Rufus's business sense was always spot-on. Now realizing his younger son's grave incompetence compared to his older brother, Horace began to have displeasure with Lionel's playful and carefree disposition. Heaving a sigh and setting aside his thoughts for now, he decided to carry on with the discussion at hand.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about! Dawn Star Group has come prepared. They planned to start small, thinking that we might not notice. Actually, it is a critical time now for the establishment of the Union, as the election for the Director of the Union will commence soon. If really they win, we will fall into a very disadvantageous situation," Horace said.

Rufus nodded to show his agreement. Calmly, he went over the things that they had to their advantage.

"I have been keeping an eye on all the members of the Union. After counting, we still have more support from the members. It is impractical and impossible for them to steal our partners away in such a short time," Rufus concluded.

Putting his hands behind his back, Horace sighed again. It almost looked as if he turned ages older in such a brief moment.

"Arthur is lucky that I'm no longer young and healthy. If I were, I'd show him what happens when he pulls dirty tricks right under my nose. This generation has fallen. They don't even know how to respect their elders!" the old man exclaimed.

A knowing glint flashed in Rufus's eyes as he concealed a mocking curl on his lips.

'Respect for the elderly?' he thought. Indeed, Horace was so old. How could his out-of-date principles work in the current business world?

Moreover, a man like Horace was not even worth any respect!