CHAPTER 125: SHED ALL PRETENSE

Master Nafplion leaned back, speaking with arrogance. "That old man Zhi has been busy, but isn’t it time to officiate this engagement? We all have businesses to run, but the children’s matters shouldn’t be delayed any longer. Leave the future generation to them, and let us old folks enjoy grandchildren."

Madam Zhi’s smile faltered. Her face paled, and she struggled to keep her composure.

"My daughter just turned eighteen," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "She hasn’t even graduated from high school. We want her to prioritize her studies. Besides... as her mother, I still want to keep her by my side a while longer."

Leo leaned back in his chair with a smirk that screamed arrogance. "Auntie, with all due respect, why bother letting her waste time at school? She’s just a woman. In the end, she’ll marry and follow her husband. What’s the point of studying when she can live comfortably as my wife?"

The room went silent.

Madam Zhi’s face drained of color, horrified at his blatant disrespect. But before she could retort, Madam Nafplion chimed in smoothly, her smile never faltering.

"Forgive my son. He’s a bit too straightforward. But don’t take it the wrong way, he truly likes Yeri. He often talks about her at home."

Yeri glanced at her mother’s distressed face. It was one thing to tolerate their arrogance, but watching them trample over her mother’s dignity was another.

"I’m aware of the engagement arranged between my grandfather and your family," Yeri said, her tone calm but firm. "But my father promised me he would respect my decision. He said the matter of who I should marry is mine alone to decide."

Leo’s smirk instantly twisted into a snarl. "So you’re saying you don’t want to marry me?"

Before Yeri could respond, Master Nafplion leaned forward, his voice deep and edged with threat. "Young lady, you’re too naive about the matters of adults. Marriage alliances between families are not something you can dismiss so easily. Perhaps your father was only coaxing you, saying those things so you wouldn’t worry."

The atmosphere grew tense.

Madam Nafplion quickly softened it with a warm tone, turning her gaze to Yeri. "Child, you shouldn’t be too willful. Listen to your parents. You’ve lived a comfortable, pampered life, surely you understand it’s time to repay them by being sensible and not causing them worry."

Ah. There it was: the ’filial piety’ tactic.

A classic move. Make the daughter feel selfish for not sacrificing her future, all in the name of repaying her parents.

Yeri almost chuckled. She had to hand it to them: father and son played the bad cop, while the mother played the good cop. Too bad for them, she wasn’t the gullible pushover they imagined. People often mistook her for naive, but in truth, she wasn’t.

Although admittedly, Shin Keir occasionally made her question her IQ. But that was another problem.

Leo wasn’t finished. He leaned forward, his tone dripping with condescension. "You should be grateful. Our family is finally honoring this marriage alliance. Otherwise, how else could the Zhi family rise higher?"

"What do you mean by that?" Madam Zhi was clearly unhappy.

Leo shrugged condescendingly, eyes full of provocation.

Yeri’s lips curled slightly, not in anger, but amusement. So she should act as if this engagement was a blessing bestowed upon her?

Ridiculous!

His words washed over her like background noise, like those people who tried to sell insurance scams on the street, swearing up and down that their pyramid scheme was perfectly legal.

Madam Zhi despite her pale face remained gentle. "It’s a new era. We shouldn’t interfere with the children’s choices. My husband and I have already discussed this, and we will respect our daughter’s decision."

Master Nafplion scoffed. "Zenia, you’re being too idealistic."

What followed quickly spiraled into a debate. Master Nafplion pressed his argument, his tone growing harsher. "Children have responsibilities toward their families. They must be filial. Marriage alliances aren’t a joke, they’re weapons, vital tools to keep a family relevant and functional. To discard that is foolish."

"Exactly," Madam Nafplion added gently, though her words carried sharp intent. "In our circle, the rise and fall of families often hinge on forging the right alliances. Surely you understand, Zenia? Refusing this engagement... is almost the same as leading the family to ruin."

Yeri caught the underlying threat loud and clear. They weren’t just trying to guilt-trip her, they were trying to corner her, to make her believe her refusal would doom her family.

And still, her heart remained calm.

As Master Nafplion ranted and Madam Nafplion cloaked daggers in honeyed words, Leo grew increasingly frustrated. He couldn’t stand it, Yeri hadn’t looked at him once since entering the room.

Leo was unable to scrutinize her clearly back at the hospital since she was wearing those oversized, dull hospital gowns. But looking at her now, his eagerness only grew. His throat felt dry, his palms sweaty, and yet his body strangely warmer.

A beautiful face, an alluring figure, indeed, she would be the perfect trophy wife. His eyes shamelessly roamed, lingering on her chest, wondering if it was real or fake. Her narrow waist and long legs only deepened his hunger.

If Yeri could sense Leo’s disgusting gaze, then Madam Zhi most certainly had. Her hands went cold as she reached out to comfort her daughter, though in truth, it was she who needed comforting.

Yeri patted her mother’s cold hand. That scumbag could stare as much as he wanted, but if he ever dared to cross the line, she would give him a hallucination so terrifying he would never sleep peacefully again for a hundred lifetimes.

"Maybe before we talk about marriage alliances, you should teach your son how to respect my daughter," Madam Zhi finally blurted, unable to endure it any longer.

Rather than showing shame or guilt, Master Nafplion only chuckled lightly, brushing it aside. "He is a man, after all. It is natural for him to admire a woman. Why make such a fuss?"

Leo leaned forward, smirking, his tone mocking. "Auntie, you’re too rigid. You misunderstood me. Why shouldn’t I look at my fiancée? Besides, we’ll be consummating our marriage anyway, so what’s wrong with me admiring her now?"

The audacity made Madam Zhi’s blood boil.

Madam Nafplion sighed then, putting on an apologetic face that didn’t match her words. "My husband and son are simply straightforward. Once you join our family, Yeri, you’ll get used to their temperament."

Yeri, however, remained unmoved. She could see right through them. Their reasonings were meaningless, these three had not come to negotiate, but to force her into an engagement she never wanted. Arguing with shameless people was pointless.

What did pique her interest, though, was Madam Nafplion’s constant support of her husband. It was no secret that Master Nafplion had mistresses scattered about the city. The woman sitting across her, bloated with false pride, was not to be pitied but ridiculed.

She clung to her title as "Madam Nafplion" while perhaps those very mistresses laughed behind her back. Yeri saw only a woman trapped in her own foolish delusion.

"Yeri, listen to me," Leo finally spoke, forcing her attention on him. His tone was commanding, as though she were already his property.

"Since you’ll be my wife, let’s live together from now on. I’ll be generous enough to let you finish high school, but after that, no more. I don’t like strangers in my home, so there will be no maids. You’ll have the honor of being the only lady of the house, but don’t shirk your responsibilities."

"Leo—" Madam Nafplion tried to interrupt, sensing he was about to go too far.

"Shut up, old hag!" Leo snapped, turning on his mother without hesitation. "You’re just a wife. Learn to keep your mouth shut when a man is talking."

The insult silenced the room for a heartbeat. Madam Nafplion flinched but forced a bitter smile, lowering her head.

Leo, puffed with arrogance, continued. "Yeri, you will serve me well. I don’t tolerate laziness. I hate women who act too clever, and from the way you talk, you’ve clearly been influenced by those woke, ill-mannered idiots online. That ends once you’re in my house. Your status as my wife will depend on how well you obey me."

Master Nafplion slammed the armrest of his chair, scolding half-heartedly. "Enough, Leo! That’s too far. She is your fiancée. You must treat her with respect!"

But everyone with discerning eyes could see he had no real intention of stopping his son. He had allowed Leo to rant until now, only speaking up when appearances demanded it.

Madam Zhi had heard enough. Her fury boiled over as she abruptly stood. "That’s it. Leave this house at once!"

Just then, the heavy front doors opened.

Master Zhi walked in, his expression like ice carved into stone. His eyes swept over the intruders before settling on Leo with sharp contempt.

"Insulting and disrespecting my daughter in her own home," his voice cut through the air, cold and merciless, "who gave you the right?"

Leo shifted, his arrogance faltering for the first time, lips parting to respond. But before he could speak, Master Zhi turned his glare onto Master Nafplion.

"Old Nafplion," he said, his voice low but thunderous with restrained rage. "Have you finally thrown away all pretense? You come here uninvited, thinking you can pressure my wife and daughter while I’m away? Do you take me for a man with no spine? I have given you face all these years, but don’t mistake that for fear of you or the people you associate with."

He stepped closer, each word more chilling than the last. "Listen well. My daughter will never be engaged to your good-for-nothing criminal of a son. Never. Even if she herself wanted it, I would rather send her to a convent than let her fall into his grasp."

The room fell silent except for the ticking of the wall clock.

Yeri sat frozen, her heart pounding. It was rare to see her father so enraged. His words turned to church bells blasting her ears with its resonant and timbre sound.

Nothing against nuns but that’s not the path she wanted, thinking about it, she’s no longer hesitant of her engagement to Shin Keir.