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"Oliver Hughes, have you gone crazy? You called him over to handle this?" Cyan Marshall immediately changed her expression to scold.
Bella Woods was surprised by Cyan Marshall's strong reaction.
Wasn't Third Young Master Marshall her younger brother and Oliver Hughes's uncle?
"You're always biased towards her, and Father is biased towards you. I can only call someone you fear to come over and speak some sense for me." Oliver Hughes said confidently.
"Can't you see I'm trying to win Bella back for you? Missing out on a child as good as Bella, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, Oliver Hughes."
"Ridiculous!" Oliver Hughes mocked, "Mom, get it straight, she can't find anyone better than me. Without me, let's see which fool would want her, a hick from the countryside?"
After speaking, Oliver Hughes arrogantly looked towards Bella Woods.
His eyes were full of disdain.
Bella Woods calmly accepted Oliver Hughes's gaze.
Even though her heart ached to the point of going numb, she couldn't show it.
She had to maintain her composure.
So as not to make things difficult for Cyan Marshall.
Moreover...
Oliver Hughes wasn't wrong; she did come from the countryside to Peace City.
Even her own family didn't want her; wasn't it normal for others to dislike her?
It was just that she used to see Oliver Hughes through rose-tinted glasses, unable to see his contempt and disdain for her.
"Bella..."
"Aunt Cyan."
Bella Woods turned to Cyan Marshall with a sweet smile: "I really like today's pastries. Can I go check them out in the kitchen and pack some to take back?"
She found an excuse to leave.
Even though she didn't know the nature of the sibling relationship between Third Young Master Marshall and Cyan Marshall.
But judging by Cyan Marshall's reaction, Bella Woods sensed that Cyan Marshall probably didn't want her to stay and witness their sibling affairs.
How could Cyan Marshall not understand Bella Woods's transparency and sensitivity?
She lovingly and tenderly touched Bella Woods's face.
What a good child.
"Go ahead, pack an extra portion; your Uncle Hughes also likes them."
"Okay."
Bella Woods responded obediently, then left her seat.
And as she walked towards the kitchen, she heard steady, unhurried footsteps from behind.
Even though it was just the sound of footsteps, Bella Woods inexplicably felt nervous, and an invisible sense of pressure came from behind.
It was the natural aura of someone in power, which made people feel pressured as soon as they appeared.
To Bella Woods, Third Young Master Marshall was like a Divine Residence in the clouds.
A proud son of the heavens like him was unattainable for Bella Woods in this lifetime.
The farther away, the better.
Bella Woods quickly turned the corner and left.
As Ashton Marshall walked over to Oliver Hughes, he caught a glimpse of Bella Woods's silhouette, and his eyebrows raised slightly.
Was it that child?
Coincidence?
"Uncle?" Oliver Hughes respectfully called out.
Ashton Marshall withdrew his gaze, took a step forward, and casually sat in Bella Woods's previous seat.
He loosened his tie while crossing his legs, unbuttoning two or three buttons of his shirt.
Cyan Marshall couldn't help but glance at him again.
The image of her brother was enough to be described as stunning.
The family shared strong features, and Ashton Marshall was the epitome, with superior bone structure and strong features.
His deep-set facial features, especially those eyes, were as dark as the sea of ink, carrying an air of power that was puzzling.
When Ashton Marshall was young, Cyan Marshall couldn't see through him.
Now that he held a high position, the aura around him had only grown stronger, making it even more difficult for Cyan Marshall to understand him.
"My son is quite childish, and it's a small matter that still required troubling you to come over." Cyan Marshall seemed helpless.
Although from the time Oliver Hughes was born, he had spent a lot of time with Ashton Marshall, as their mother raised him.
But after the mother's death, everything changed.
This brother grew increasingly cold and ruthless in his methods.
Cyan Marshall witnessed Ashton Marshall rising to power during the Marshall family struggles, using swift measures to deal with relatives in the collateral lines without hesitation.
Those who followed prospered, those who defied perished.
She feared Oliver Hughes's capriciousness would provoke Ashton Marshall.
For this reason, she didn't want Ashton Marshall to have too much contact with Bella Woods.
She just wanted Ashton Marshall to appear at the engagement banquet to support Bella Woods's status, at most have Bella toast him, without further interaction.
"No problem, let's hear what the kids have to say now." Ashton Marshall spoke, lighting a cigarette, then tossed the lighter onto the table.
Cyan Marshall was surprised by his words and looked at him.
Ashton Marshall took a drag of the cigarette, lightly leaning back in the chair, and as he tilted his head up, the smoky air made his face even more mesmerizing.
"Go ahead, what's going on between you two kids?" Ashton Marshall asked in a faint voice.
Oliver Hughes was waiting for this question from Ashton Marshall: "Uncle, you know that my mom arranged a fiancée for me since I was young."
"She's from the countryside, and the first time I met her, I could smell this strange odor of chicken and duck droppings on her, like the smell of old people. But because she saved my mother, and my mother pitied her, she asked me to take care of her."
"Fine, I'll take care of her! All these years, the schools she attended were arranged by our family, and I paid for her tuition, living expenses, clothes, bags, gifts. This wasn't much, as our family didn't mind, but she became arrogant!"
"Her personality is weird, she's boring, and often gives me the cold shoulder, which I could tolerate. But she even sent me a breakup text, and when I went to her house to ask, she kicked me out."
"Who does she think she is, a girl from the countryside? After a few years of my care, she thinks she can compare herself to those rich young ladies?"
"Oliver Hughes, that's enough." Cyan Marshall couldn't listen any longer.
"Uncle, you see, I'm just telling you what happened between us, yet my mom can't stand it and acts like I did something wrong." Oliver Hughes was fuming.
He's still tied up.
"If I didn't call you to help today, my mom would make me apologize to her." Oliver Hughes said, "A man apologizing isn't a big deal, but she's clearly arrogant, forgetting who she is. If I keep apologizing, she'll just think she's won and become even more outrageous."
The last sentence was almost said through gritted teeth by Oliver Hughes.
"Change the person." Ashton Marshall extinguished the cigarette, his three-word resolution.
After listening to an entire cigarette's worth of complaints.
It was a waste of time.
Initially thought Oliver Hughes and that child were around the same age, might have similar thoughts.
Worlds apart.
Remembering that gentle and soft child, on the verge of tears, Ashton Marshall felt a slight twinge in his chest.
His thumb subtly brushed the corner of his mouth.
The silhouette he caught while entering suddenly came to mind.
"Uncle, do you mean the engagement continues, but the female lead changes?" Oliver Hughes's voice was a bit strained.
His face, initially furious, now paused and stiffened.
Cyan Marshall initially wanted to speak, but seeing Oliver Hughes's expression, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Since you have so many dissatisfactions, listen to your uncle. The engagement goes on, but with someone else."
"I don't want to!"
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