CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: FACE-SLAPPING! THE PENCE FAMILY TEARS OFF THE MASK (PART 2)

The resounding slap landed on Zion Pence’s face.

Holly Crowe shook her numb hand, looking at the man in front of her holding his face in disbelief, feeling utterly ridiculous.

She scolded coldly, "Zion Pence, you’re not a man! How do you have the face to say such things?"

Zion Pence was stunned by her strike.

The grip on his hand loosened a bit, and Holly seized the opportunity to break free.

She clutched her tingling palm, her voice trembling not from sadness, but from pure anger, "You disgust me!"

Seven years of youth, wasted on this thing.

At this moment, the corridor lights behind the pavilion lit up, and footsteps approached from afar.

Mia Chapelle came over arm in arm with Florence Ford, laughing and chatting, followed by a few lavishly dressed aunts, and their chatter ceased abruptly upon seeing Holly and Zion not far away.

The members of the Pence family who loved watching drama all gathered together, and those aunts looked at Holly with a kind of false sympathy, like a cat crying over a dead mouse.

The first to react was Mia Chapelle. She called out in their direction, "Zion, Grandma was just looking for you."

Upon hearing this, Zion had no choice but to suppress his displeasure.

Holly watched as Florence Ford and the others walked over slowly.

Mia kept one hand on her lower abdomen, the other holding Florence Ford’s arm.

Holly’s gaze moved up, landing on her face, her brow furrowing slightly.

Why did she feel Mia’s face looked somewhat strange?

A strangely familiar feeling.

"Holly!"

Florence Ford’s sharp voice came through.

"Do you have any manners! Not only did you not help during the old lady’s birthday party, but you’re this late! What do you take our Pence family for?"

She still had that bitter and sharp tone.

Five years ago, Zion Pence started Kestrel Technologies from scratch, and initially none of the family relatives were optimistic.

Later, the company received a capital injection, the business gradually improved, and the company grew larger and larger.

Florence Ford and Charles Pence originally made a living by running a small shop in their hometown, but once the company took off, they were brought to Beldon to settle down.

With someone succeeding, others followed suit, and the awe from uncles and aunts inflated their vanity to the peak, starting to imitate those so-called upper-class manners, immersed in their dreams.

Holly looked at Florence’s flamboyant makeup and attire, wondering, with such glamorous looks, how could she still not hide her bitterness and meanness, along with that innate insidiousness!

"Did you hear what I said!" Florence Ford was for the first time disgraced in front of so many people, inadvertently raising her voice several notches.

She sounded like a rooster, and combined with that dark red dress from some unheard brand, it seemed even more ridiculous.

Holly couldn’t hold back and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at!" The person speaking was Cynthia Pence.

The daughter of Charles Pence’s brother, Zion Pence’s cousin.

She loved to praise the high and trample on the low, often bossing her around in the past.

Cynthia walked up to Holly, visibly annoyed, "Holly, do you still want to come into our Pence family? You’d better behave, or else..."

"I don’t want to."

"Good that you know! You..."

Cynthia’s sentence was abruptly cut off as she realized what Holly had just said.

Was Holly rebutting her just now?

What did she just say?

"You...."

"What kind of behavior is this?"

With those words, Old Mrs. Pence slowly appeared behind everyone, supported by a cane.

Her cloudy gaze drifted over the assembled, finally resting on Holly, "Eldest daughter-in-law and Holly come with me, the rest disperse!"

Florence Ford turned pale, her nails involuntarily digging into Mia’s arm.

Mia winced in pain but dared not make a sound, watching Holly’s departing figure with a hint of malice in her eyes.

Holly followed Florence Ford back to the back living room.

Old Mrs. Pence sat in the main seat, supported by her cane, the wrinkles on her face deepening as she smiled: "Holly, the Pence family owes you an apology, you’ve endured a lot these days."

Florence Ford wasn’t pleased to hear this, "Mom, what are you saying!"

"Shut your mouth!" Old Mrs. Pence rapped the cane heavily.

Holly silently watched the mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.

Though Old Mrs. Pence also came from a small town in the countryside, she had lived long enough to understand the world better.

She propped both hands on the cane, adopting a kindly demeanor when she looked at Holly again.

"Holly, Grandma knows about you and Zion. I’ve seen your relationship over the years, and Zion realizes his mistake now. Can you possibly give him another chance for Grandma’s sake?"

"Your wedding preparations are almost complete, and the family has been notified. To suddenly call it off would cause gossip, which wouldn’t be good for you."

Indeed, birds of a feather flock together!

Holly looked at the elder with her white hair, smiled slightly, and lowered her eyes.

It’s just as she had expected.

"The child, then?" Holly asked calmly.

Florence Ford spoke before the old lady could, slamming the table, "The child must be born! That’s Pence blood!"

Old Mrs. Pence appeared awkward but didn’t deny it, continuing from where Florence Ford left off, "Since this is the first child of the Pence family, but don’t worry, in the future, this child will be yours and Zion’s."

"Heh."

Holly sneered.

The same old rhetoric.

Apparently, cold-bloodedness and baseness truly run in the blood.

Her sneer angered Florence Ford, "Holly, what do you mean? Do you expect us to abort the child?"

Florence got up, pounding her chest, lamenting, "Mom, see what kind of heart she has! If she can’t have a child, fine, but she wishes for the Pence line to end! And such a person you still want to let into our Pence family!"

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and leaned back her head dramatically.

Holly remained silent, expressionlessly watching her tantrum.

Such a poor performance.

Old Mrs. Pence’s initial kind demeanor darkened after hearing Florence’s accusations, and her gaze at Holly turned disapproving.

"Holly, we’ve made our biggest concession, but this child must stay with the Pence family!"

With the old lady’s words, Florence immediately opened her eyes, emboldened, raising her voice:

"Holly, to be honest, with your background, you don’t match Zion, but considering you’ve helped him over the years, we made an exception to let you into the family."

"And let’s be honest, is Zion’s infidelity all his fault? If you were more capable, he wouldn’t have looked for someone else and had a child."

Holly was almost amused in anger.

Her chest felt blocked, uncomfortable waves washing over her.

"So you all think Zion’s infidelity is my fault? And I should be grateful for you letting me into the Pence family, and for being the scapegoat?"

She took a deep breath, stood up firmly, and placed a jewelry box on the table, "Find someone else to inherit your family’s ’throne’."

She couldn’t stand being here another moment.

The entire Pence family is all the same!

"Holly, think carefully! Once you walk out, you can’t return to our doors!" Florence couldn’t care less anymore, unable to maintain her carefully crafted façade.

She completely tore down that barrier, "You really think anyone other than Zion would take you? In the eyes of others, you’re nothing but a second-hand disgrace! No one would take you even for free!"

Holly stood in the middle of the living room, her nails almost piercing her palms.

Florence continued spewing her defamation.

Seven years! She had endured for seven years! She couldn’t and wouldn’t endure it any longer!

"Smash!"

Holly stepped forward, grabbed the porcelain cup on the table, and hurled it.

The cup shattered by Florence’s feet, splashing tea onto her skirt and startling a scream out of her.

"Holly! Are you crazy or what!"

Crazy?

Great! Then today, no one better hold her back!