Chapter 56 - Trump Card
Suddenly, voices from the foyer were heard from the waiting room doors. They heard the clamor of footsteps as servants rushed to the entrance. It was accompanied by the sound of glasses shattering.
Lina quickly opened the door and walked outside to see what was going on. Before that, she took back the contract, so that her Uncle couldn't steal her copy. Not like she needed it, but she wanted to be petty.
"That must be your loverboy," William dryly stated, knowing who'd cause such a large reaction from the employees.
"He's not my lover boy," Lina snapped at him, walking ahead to see who it was.
In normal circumstances, Lina wouldn't have dared to do so. It was disrespectful. However, had her Uncle respected her decision, she wouldn't have behaved as such.
"What did I say?" William muttered in disgust the second his gaze landed on the infuriating Kaden DeHaven. The man dared to smirk when he saw the two of them.
"He's not," Lina insisted, despite the way her heart skipped at the sight of Kaden… and his pile of presents?
What's going on?
"Father-in-law, mother-in-law," Kaden began, his attention finally leaving Lina after making sure there weren't any visible injuries.
"Brother-in-law," Kaden curtly said, noticing the teenager's soft frown.
"I've come with gifts to pay my respects," Kaden concluded.
"Oh boy, here we go," William mused, leaning against the hallway to see their priceless expressions.
Evelyn looked like she saw a ghost, but also won the lottery at the same time. Linden was severely disappointed, yet said nothing. Milo looked like he was ready to shoot himself.
That was certainly one hell of a reaction.
No one said anything. No one even moved. When one of the most powerful men in the city visited them with presents to pay respects, how do you respond? Not to mention, he was soon going to be marrying their youngest and only daughter.
"What are you doing here?" Lina finally asked, stepping forward.
Kaden's attention instantly flew to her.
Lina was disturbed. For some reason, he looked like a proud dog wagging his tail at her, expecting praise for his good behavior. But what good behavior? Visiting without prior notice?
"My wife clearly doesn't have the highest IQ, but her EQ makes it up for it," Kaden mused. "What you lack, I have. What I lack, you have."
Lina didn't know if she should be offended at his words. She approached him and glanced at the mountain of presents. The employees were struggling to place it somewhere.
"I'm aware they're presents," Lina finally said.
"Ah, so you have eyes!" Kaden applauded.
Lina glowered at him, wishing her eyes could kill.
Kaden winked at her, hoping she'd fall for this.
"Sebastian, inform my wife what she wants to know," Kaden said, turning to his secretary.
Sebastian worriedly glanced at his Boss like he was crazy. The atmosphere here was so tense, yet he wanted to list the presents? No one here had the time or patience to listen. Even so, everyone here lacked the power to kick out Kaden DeHaven himself. Who'd dare talk back to this powerful Young Master?
"As you wish, Young Master," Sebastian reluctantly said, his voice shaking in the end when the entire Yang family glared at him like he was scum clinging to their shoes.
"Fruits grown with the highest care and quality imported from an island to the east of us, one-of-a-kind fashion pieces from the most popular designers in the Spring Collection of the year, first edition copies of novels from infamous authors of the ancient era, and a lifetime supply of VIP tickets to all of the gaming competitions," Sebastian proudly stated.
Lina stared at Kaden in disbelief Everything he brought was something every one of her family members liked. The fruits and clothes were for her mother, the books were for her father, and the gaming tickets were for her brother.
With presents like this, who'd dare reject the great Young Master of House DeHaven?
"Oh, my," Evelyn breathed out, her voice shaking at the presence of her future son-in-law.
Just look at the power and prestige he wielded. His elite royal bloodline, his social standing amongst the aristocratic vampires and hidden werewolves, his unlimited wealth secured for centuries…
No man in this entire world could compare to Kaden DeHaven. And everyone knew it.
"Thank you for your generosity," Evelyn said because apparently, no one else in her family knew manners. She nudged at her husband to say something.
Linden was tired of people meddling in his affairs. He let out a loud "Hmph!" and stormed off.
Milo, on the other hand, was quite tempted. He looked like he was ready to lean forward and take a peek at those golden tickets that all of his friends had trouble buying. His eyes were flashing at the opportunity, his mouth drooling like his mother.
Milo was trying his best to not fall for these easy tricks. It was so hard not to. The only thing he wanted in life was being waved in front of him.
"Ah, not to mention, Boss, these tickets can buy out as many seats as the VIP guest would like," Sebastian added on, throwing the final bone to the young man.
Milo's jaw dropped. Instantly, he spun around to Lina, almost as if asking her permission.
Lina relented. She forced a smile and tightly nodded her head.
"Go ahead and take the tickets, Milo, they're your presents," Lina said.
"YES!" Milo screamed, like a kid during Christmas morning. Then, his face flushed red and he cleared his throat.
"I-I mean oh no, I can't possibly take this," Milo said whilst his hands were reaching for the presents.
Sebastian stifled a laugh and handed it over to the eager teenager. It was certainly easy winning over an eighteen-year-old… and a woman in her late forties?
Evelyn looked like she was ready to drop to her knees and kiss the ground Kaden walked on.
Sebastian could see the thirst in her eyes to get her hands on the rare pieces of clothing that none of her friends could acquire until the next year. They were the opening and closing pieces of the fashion show that often took forever to craft.
"Now, now, Milo, you should thank your brother-in-law for the presents," Evelyn scolded, coming forward to accept hers as well, like a patient kid during Christmas.
William knew it was utterly useless for Everett to fight for his position. Not to mention, the man didn't have a chance in the first place. But then, an idea came to mind, one that would turn the table. Everett wasn't all that useless when he finally used that large head of his.
The question is… when will Everett pull his trump card?
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦