If there was one person whom Ivy hated with all her heart, that would be this man right here in front of her. The man who she had to call 'father'.
She could never fathom, why nor how, did her mother fall for such a wimp?
At first she thought that he was perhaps a dashing gentleman and that her mom got hooked by his face. Let's be real, if you ever saw a man with impeccable face, would you not be attracted to him?
Perhaps the feeling of fluttering butterfly in your stomach or the blushing in your cheeks of a fleeting crush.
But after she was shown a picture of her father, Nicholas Young, she couldn't figure out just which part of him that her mother fell for.
Even now, meeting this father for the very first time since she was born, she was not impressed at all. Not even a tiny 'gasp'.
All she saw was a man in his forties with black hair and beard below his nose. His chiseled face wasn't anything handsome or in a sense pleasing to the eyes. It was just average.
If anything, Ivy could applaud his figure. It was still well-maintained. Then again, his presence didn't even carry an air or a temperament befitting as the head of an elite family or a businessman.
And the people said that the head of Young family was a man of cool temperament and cunning trait. Even if this family wasn't as high-ranking as the big four, they were still not to be trifled with as one wrong move, the head of Young family could gobble one's fortune.
But now, looking at him, he was just normal in Ivy's eyes.
She was utterly disappointed. Then, she shifted her gaze to Patriach Young who was standing beside Nicholas.
One look, that was all she needed. Ivy smirked. It was certainly this man whom they spoke of.
The one with all the tricks and dirty hands. The old fox of the Young family, Patriarch Young or known in his glorious past as William Young.
Patriarch Young narrowed his eyes dangerously as he scrutinised the young lady below.
It had been a whole 22 years and a half, presumably, since he saw this illegitimate daughter. He only took a glance at her when she was born because he did not give a damn towards a bastard child.
Though, William still remembered that foreign woman, Estella Ludencis. After all, she was the type that would leave quite an impression. She was poised with a mannerism of an aristocrat. A striking appearance with pale skin, glistening blond hair, and a pair of deep blue eyes. She was a woman of beauty.
Furthermore, there was something about the air around her that seemed to imbue fear within him, or perhaps respect? He wasn't quite sure. As if there was a force around her that made one tempted to bow down before her.
Although William admired Estelle's respectable manner and thought that she was more well-suited to be the daughter-in-law of the Young family rather than Anna, he couldn't help but scorned her for her weak resolute.
Through all the mockery and abuse, Estelle stayed silent as the dead. She accepted everything that came in her way with open hands.
However, because of that, William thought that she was weak, a coward who couldn't fight for her own rights, her own place as a human being.
Estelle was not ambitious enough, not hungry enough to tear down her enemy and with that kind of attitude, she would not survive in this society. It was not deserving for the title of Madam Young. Thus, William let her be bullied.
He saw Estelle as a weak woman who only had face as her defence. But...the person in front of him right now.
Alyssa Young. The daughter of that woman and his son.
She was not only more beautiful than her mother, but more importantly, there was fire raging in that pair of blue eyes. They were ferociously staring at him with a tinge of mockery as if she had seen through him.
She also held the same air and temperament as her mother, but bolder and more overbearing.
William was even sent speechless at the scene in front of him. He knew that his wife and his daughter-in-law had made things hard for the young lady from behind the scene.
The first day when she returned to this country and stepped foot into this house, he didn't make a big deal out of it because he thought she would be the same as her mother. So, he brushed off her presence and didn't even bother to see her.
But today, when he asked Nicholas to invite her again, he didn't expect to be graced by her, this completely annihilated scene of his wife and daughter-in-law. They were even in the verge of breaking down, while Ivy stood there as proud as a peacock.
William glanced at Nicholas beside him. Indeed, even his son was stunned. He always knew his son was captivated by Estelle's beauty. If it wasn't for his interference, he would already break up with Anna and marry Estelle instead.
The old man sighed. This dimwitted son of his. He used his walking cane to poke Nicholas foot.
Immediately, he snapped out of his daydream.He then saw his wife on the ground in an embarrassing state. Nicholas' body shook with rage as he pointed at Ivy. "You...you bastard! What have you done?!"
Ivy chuckled. "Consider it my way of greeting for our first meeting, Mr. Young."
William scoffed, "What an interesting way of greeting, young lady." However, deep down, William was impressed by this granddaughter of his.
Ivy let out a condescending smile.
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? As we are all gathered here already. To what do I owe this invitation for breakfast from the prestigious Young family, after all these years you've abandoned me?"
"Insolence! You little runt, what makes you think you can speak to your grandfather in that kind of tone?!" Nicholas fumed.
It was clear as the day, Ivy had not even an ounce of respect towards the family from the beginning. She spoke bluntly as if she didn't have any relation to this household.
Perhaps, it was because Nicholas was always respected, it had gotten to his head somehow. He didn't even realize that people respect him only because of Patriarch Young.
Nicholas gritted his teeth and was about to lash out again at Ivy when Patriarch Young raised his hand. Nicholas immediately settled down.
Ivy laughed deep in her heart. 'Just a lap dog and you act so arrogant.'
"What's the hurry? Like you said, this is the first time we ever met. Humor your grandpa, will you Alyssa?"
William smiled. But that pair of fox eyes and the hidden dagger behind his smile did not escape Ivy's eyes.
'You wanna play? Let's go. I'm more of a hypocrite than you, old man,' she thought.
With that, Ivy smirked. Her alluring smile was quite an explosion for the workers in the household. They all blushed, both men and women.
"Oh my, of course, it's my honor to be able to entertain the high and mighty William Young," Ivy replied in an extremely sweet tone.
William stiffened. He knitted his eyebrows slightly. This girl...
He cleared his throat. "You should call me grandpa, little girl."
Ivy only grinned playfully at his statement.
"Come. We shall head to the dining table."
"But father-" Nicholas sentence was cut short with a glare from Patriarch Young. He gulped as he looked at his wife.
Anna gritted her teeth. She knew clearly her father-in-law was a cold man. He was a sly fox who didn't care about anyone but himself. He would cast aside anyone that did not benefit him anymore without a second thought. Even Matriarch Young, his own wife, was just a tool for him to strengthen his family's power.
He wouldn't give a damn towards such a trivial thing as women's feud in the family as long as it stayed hidden behind the door.
And now Anna could see, this old fox seemed to have set his eyes on the illegitimate daughter. If he deemed her worthy, with his tricks, he could turn the whole table and made her the mistress and Felicia, the illegitimate daughter while Alyssa Young the legitimate heir.
She couldn't even rely on her husband either because he always followed his father like a lost puppy. He was indeed a worthless husband. In fact, she only married him for his prestige.
Realizing the whole picture, Anna ignored the pain in her wrist and stood up, making her way towards the dining table.
"Mother," Felicia called, she was worried as she looked at Anna's swollen wrist. "You shouldn't-"
"Be quiet and follow me," Anna spoke in a voice which could only be heard by the two of them.
Matriarch Young also knew what was happening. So she zipped her mouth and made her way towards the dining table as well.
Looking at the whole scene, Ivy literally had to hold herself with everything she got so that she wouldn't laugh. With her sharp instinct, Ivy obviously could analyze the whole situation. The famous Young family turned out to be such a comical existence.
As Ivy made her way to the edge of the stairs, she held out her arms towards the Patriarch when he reached the last step. William was taken aback looking at the slender white arm in front of him.
"Let me help you, Grandpa." Ivy smiled sweetly like a filial granddaughter.
William narrowed his eyes, pondering in his head what this little devil up to, though he doubted that Ivy would harm him so openly like this. With suspicion in his eyes, he held on Ivy's arm.
"Good girl," he praised her superficially.
As they walked away, the rest of the family members followed behind them five steps away.
Before Ivy and the Patriarch reached his seat, Ivy spoke in a rather casual tone as if it was just a small talk between a granddaughter and her grandfather. She said softly, "I might be a 'little girl', my dear grandpa. But you should watch your back or you won't even know..."
She held the rest of her sentence back as she turned to face Patriarch Young in the eyes.
"How you close your eyes..."
Ivy smiled sweetly as she caressed the back of William's palm softly.
"Forever."
The second Ivy finished her sentence, William felt a cold wind blowing behind his back. The temperature seemed to drop lower and lower as the air around them became suffocating.
When William was seated in his chair, he was surprised to find his whole body quivering. He couldn't believe it, there was actually fear in his heart. Though it was just a little, it was still apparent.
By the time William lifted his head, he saw the rest of the family had already sat down and the scrumptious meals had been laid out. He peered at the young girl at the end of the row beside Felicia.
He was startled to be greeted by a pair of chilling blue eyes stalking him. One corner of the young girl red lips curled into a devious smile.
William's eyes darkened. His gaze became deep. On the other hand, in a relax manner, Ivy twirled the chopsticks in her hands dexterously as if she was handling a knife while she watched William with a lovely smile.
At this moment, William realized. If he was a fox, this granddaughter of his would be the predator. A snake lurking in the dark, ready to strike its prey with a deathly blow.
His heart drummed with excitement as well as fear at this realization. This granddaughter of him had indeed inherited not only her mother's blood but also his, a fatal combination.