Sonya raised an eyebrow and her lips curled slightly in response to her aunt's error. She did not say anything, but someone else who could not wait to jab her did.
"Aunt, why would she work somewhere else when her father is the CEO and executive director of Pearls?" Matilda asked, disdainfully looking at her aunt.
Jess blushed in embarrassment and glared at the younger lady. Matilda's words were a two-edged sword aimed at both her and Sonya.
Sonya rolled her eyes at Matilda's comment. She sipped her juice and spoke. "Aunt Jess is extremely nervous about taking a bite of the Pearls; understandably, she will continue to make such mistakes. Just take a look; there is even a stain on her dress that she has failed to notice."
At her words, all eyes turned to Jess' dress, and there was a food stain on it. Jess became enraged and glared at Sonya, "What is the meaning of this, Sonya? Why are you being rude to me? Did I do anything wrong by asking about your well-being?"
"There is no need to feel embarrassed, we are all family here, right Aunt Harriet?" Sonya turned her attention to the other woman. Harriet was forced to nod, and her response only fueled Jess' rage.
"Sonya and Brenda, I do not like your attitude towards my mother; you should apologize," Vicky interjected.
"Apologize," Brenda said, laughing. "I believe you should start talking about the inheritance because you see, I am a busy person."
"And not just me, everyone in my family has something important to attend to; we are not jobless to sit here and talk with you about stocks and shares or work." Brenda's words were like a knife through butter. She was always brusque in her speech, sparing no one when she was angry.
"Brenda, your words are... "Job spoke, but he was cut off by Avni's comment. "She is right, we know why you are here, so please cut the crab and get right to the point."
"Money has turned you into a peacock, and you are now looking down on us," Jess said, glowering. She was always the impatient person in the family, and her daughter Vicky inherited that trait.
Job's expression was ugly, and he clenched his fist tightly beneath the table. Even though he was enraged, he tried not to lose control.
"Since you know why we are here, let us get to the point," he said stiffly.
"Finally," Brenda exclaimed, cracking her knuckles as if she were preparing for a fight.
Job silently glared at her before continuing, "It is true that we agreed to let go of the Pearls a few years ago, but that was when the hospital was not doing much. So we decided to leave it for you; it was not worth that much, but now it is doing well, do not you think it is inappropriate to have it all to yourself?"
Sonya and Brenda, who had their hands over their mouth, let out a muffled chortle in response to his words.
Sonya cleared her throat and said, "I apologize." She elbowed her sister, who continued to giggle.
"It is not a joke. You need to stop using these immature tactics; we are talking about our families' futures," Harriet chided.
"Please explain, is it the future of our family in general, or just yours?" Avni asked.
"Everyone at this table," Harriet responded.
"Aunt and uncle enjoy cracking jokes. Brenda snickered. "No wonder they live in such perfect harmony."
"Brenda!" Matilda snapped. She glared at the two sisters as if she could not wait to break them up.
"Do not raise your voice here; this is my house," Brenda warned, her tone sharp.
"You should look after your daughters Henry; they are uncultured and show no respect for their elders," Job fumed. His fingers tightened around the spoon, and he struggled to remain calm.
Avni opened her mouth to respond, but Sonya motioned her to remain silent. She had promised to humiliate them and would not back down from it. "It is not that we are not well-cultured, uncle; the truth is that we are overwhelmed by your kindness. Who would have thought you were so selfless?"
"Selfless, my butt," Brenda said curtly. "Do not sugarcoat your words, Sonya."
Sonya pinched her and whispered: "That was me being sarcastic."
"Ooo," Brenda's mouth formed an o shape, and understanding appeared to fall on her. She nodded and asked her sister to continue.
Avni and Henry held each other's hands under the table while attempting to maintain a neutral expression, which was difficult. Their daughters were doing an excellent job of poking and challenging them.
job gave them a chilly glare, but they ignored him.
"Brother, I told you that meeting these people would be a waste of time; they are too greedy and power-hungry. We should have sided with the other people," Jess hollered, standing up with rage in her eyes.
Her revelation brought a sharp glint in everyone's eyes.
"Which people?" Harriet asked, pretending to be ignorant. She silently cursed Jess. Bringing her along was a huge mistake.
"Hahahah," a booming laugh echoed throughout the dining room. "I was wondering why you came all the way here to talk about it," Sonya remarked. "You want to put pressure on my dad, huh? Uncle Job, you are a very special man, and even your plans are unique."
"Enough with this nonsense; I did not come here to hear your insults," Job slapped the table. "It is either you put us back into the Pearls or we join the group to bring you down."
He threatened, breaking his calm demeanor and revealing his true nature. He was fed up with the sisters' constant insults and ridicule.
"Are you threatening us?" Henry asked for the first time since the inheritance discussion started.
"Yes, I am," Job confirmed with a nod.
"Be careful, uncle, I am a lawyer. "The name 'justice' is not a joke," Brenda cautioned.
Job's tongue was tied by her sharp glare, and his wife gently pinched him.
It was already beneficial to them because Henry had not kicked them out, and Avni had not said anything. If they end up offending Brenda too much, it will not go well for them.
They agreed to settle things peacefully and persuade Henry to let them have shares in the Pearls, but they did not expect to face obstacles in the form of Brenda and Sonya.
"There is no need for my father to say anything in this matter," Sonya stated with crossed arms.
"You cannot be the heir; when you marry, your name will change, unless you intend to remain single... Well, what can you do? Your mother married my brother to achieve her goal of earning our hospital, and now you are taking it a step further by remaining single; greed is a step towards failure," Jess said.
Her words enraged Brenda, but they did not affect Sonya. She simply smirked and said,
"If you are such a righteous person, why are you here trying to eat back what you vomited? This is what a dog does."
"Sonya!" Vicky yelled in rage.
"Do not yell in my house," Sonya growled. Her eyes were fixed on Vicky, like a poisonous snake watching its prey.
Tension rose in the house, and everyone, including Sonya's family, looked at her with surprise in their eyes.
Sonya was soft-spoken and rarely argued, but today she went all out to insult and humiliate Job and Jess. It was understandable if Brenda did it, but Sonya's behavior was out of the ordinary. Could it be because of her mentor?
The house was quiet for a few minutes before Harriet nervously attempted to say a few words to calm the situation.
Her efforts were in vain, however, as Brenda stood up and excused herself. Avni sighed and walked away, leaving Sonya and Henry behind.
Henry stared at his brother for a few more minutes before standing up and leaving.
"Ms Ann," Sonya called, and an elderly maid entered the dining room and stood beside her.
Sonya stared at her relatives as she said to the woman beside her, "Clean the dinning after they are finished, sprinkle salt and holy water, and disinfect the house. Since they have decided to be dogs, we will treat them as such."
She stood up and began walking towards the door, but she came to a halt there. Without turning, she issued a loud and clear warning and threat to the people.
"I hate scheming people; it will be best for you if you do not do anything funny with my family." She walked away after she finished speaking.
As soon as her back was hidden from their view, there was a heated argument in which everyone cursed at them and one another.
Sonya and her family were not driven by greed for money and inheritance. The truth is that when the Pearls faced a crisis, they washed their hands and fled. Sonya and Brenda had to go to school on a scholarship, while Avni and Henry were deeply in debt.
At the time, Sonya's mentor offered to assist in exchange for Sonya becoming his student. And now that everything was better, they wanted to return. Sonya vowed never to let that happen, and she intended to keep her promise.