Dazed while chewing the gum, Yelena Herbert was startled when Attorney Larsen's voice raised. Unintentionally, she puffed the gum and popped it before his face.
Attorney Larsen grimaced at how uneducated she was for not bearing refined conduct. The moment he saw her descending the stairs had already given him a bad impression.
The girl obviously has no class at all. The way she dresses could be compared to a gold digger from a slum area in a city—a hooligan, and worst, a dancer in a cabaret.
"Miss Herbert… Yes, that's me, Yelena Herbert. Yes, that's my name..." the girl muttered repeatedly, nodding childishly.
Attorney Larsen almost hit his jaw on the floor. 'Is she mentally impaired?' The girl behaves like a fool, and his heart nearly stops palpating against his chest, realizing this.
"How rude are you, Attorney Larsen? She is Mrs. Ferrero, your employer's wife! You have to address her correctly!" On the side, Lina slammed her hand on the wooden center table, cutting off his train of thought with her demands.
May the Ferreros highly regard Attorney Larsen as their lawyer, but Lina would not allow the man to treat her daughter poorly. He appeared to look down on them even though he was just an employee.
Seeing her change of behavior, Attorney Larsen pursed his lips. He shot Lina a glare, then shifted his gaze to Yelena.
He thought Yelena was shy and fragile, but something was wrong with her.
He would not be surprised if she lacked manners because her mother acted like one, but he could not accept it if her brain did not work properly.
Moreover, he didn't shake hands with Yelena because her appearance disgusted him. Now, she acts like she has mental issues.
Hence, he believes Yelena Herbert can't learn the correct etiquette a noblewoman's wife should bear, especially given her fashion sense. This solidifies her disqualifications from becoming the matriarch of the Ferrero household.
The family is from the lineage of nobility. It would be a great shame for this woman to be introduced not only to the upper class but also to present her to the Nobles.
"What are you trying to make my daughter sign?" Lina Herbert inquired, rudely pushing the folder back to the man. She said firmly, "She would not sign any document until she met her husband."
Attorney Larsen's countenance darkened. He asked, "Are you sure, Madam Herbert? Why don't you read them yourself?"
He sized up the woman and realized the contrasting appearance of the mother and daughter. While Lina Herbert is adorned with expensive jewelry that he assumed was a gift from the patriarch, Yelena has an awful outfit. How did they become mother and daughter in the first place?
Sensing his threatening tone, Lina Herbert glanced at the red folder; however, she only snubbed it. Instead, she makes demands.
"I must speak with Old Master Ferrero first."
Somehow, she had a bad premonition of the contents of that document. Hence, she was being cautious.
Attorney Larsen snorted to see her impatience. He has never met such an opportunistic person in his entire life.
'They must be taking contraband for acting so high that it's because her daughter married to the Ferrero family, then she could demand to meet the Old Man.'
As someone born with a gold spoon in their mouth, only selected people are allowed to get near them.
Hence, countless people attempt to be in his good books and use him as the bridge to reach Old Ferrero. However, he has tight security details. They must get through them first, especially those women who display motives of sleeping with him to ride not only his huge gun but also the glory of his family's name.
Therefore, dating him, or just hanging out with him through his friend circles, especially being photographed by paparazzi on a day of escapades, could make them overnight celebrities as the netizens would quickly stalk those girls to determine their background and whether they were a match for his status. People were so invested in knowing about his life that he was sometimes overwhelmed by how crazy it was.
This family is no different from those who want to climb higher through his family. After the secret marriage without his knowledge, Patriarch Ferrero invested in Herbert's business, but after two years, the company went bankrupt.
Now, this family entirely relies on what the Ferreros have given Yelena. And because the Old Ferrero pampered this girl, Lina Herbert thinks she held the sky in her hand to demand whatever she wanted.
The man, disguising himself as a lawyer, sized up Yelena again.
As she married the Ferrero heir, Yelena received a large sum as her monthly allowance for her daily expenses, including her shopping spree. So, it was strange how her fashion, including her whole appearance, was in such bad taste.
He wondered why it happened when the Ferrero head maiden regularly sent expensive skincare products and even gave Yelena a VIP membership to an expensive spa in the nearest city.
Still, why does Yelena have ugly hair and bad skin?
'Is there any negligence on my end? I know I hate this marriage, but Grandpa instructed our staff, who knows this secret marriage, to deliver everything my nominal wife needed.'
And that includes healthcare.
The man, none other than Aleckin Ferrero himself, pondered over things that did not add up in the reports. He saw the financial statement, and his family gave Yelena quite a sum.
That's right! Aleckin came personally, and there is a reason why these people would not recognize him.
If it weren't for his intention, there's no way he would meet his nominal wife or make a trip to the countryside.
Now that he had met his nominal wife, he wanted to regret it. Seeing her left a disgusting taste in his mouth. The woman across from him contrasts with the woman he had dated.
The red top she paired with a skimpy black skirt above knitted stockings is such a low-quality fabric.
The earrings dangling from her ears were a distraction. They looked like wind chimes that some people put on their front doors and windows. He wondered if she did not feel heavy wearing them. But they looked fake, so maybe they were just made from light materials such as tin cans.
What cheap fashion. That's right. This is a complete effort to dress up, which he believes is garbage in his eyes.
'Grandpa sent pieces of jewelry to my nominal wife. Why does she look like a pauper instead?'
The woman does not appear pleasant but looks like a clown instead.
'Is this the woman Grandpa Aleksandr wants me to introduce to my billionaire circle, bring her to those banquets, and parade her in front of my business partners? No way!'
He would instead go bald.
Aleckin Ferrero disguises himself as a lawyer, wearing a beard around his chin and reading glasses on his eyes. He braced himself together so as not to vomit in disgust.
If it weren't for his grandfather pestering him nonstop to bring home the woman he arranged to be his wife five years ago, he would never have in his wildest dream to cross a thousand miles away to meet the woman he had never encountered.
However, he must end his grandfather's illusion by slapping him across the face so that he sobers up.
Until now, he was still in shock that he was married to someone, and the woman Aleksandr chose as his wife not only lacked class but was mentally impaired.
Aleckin covered the disgust in his eyes; he pushed the rim of his eyeglasses. He pushed the red folder one more time and said, "Please, Miss Herbert, we don't need to make things difficult for both of us."
"You must address her as Madam Ferrero!" Lina interjected.
Alekin shot the older lady a warning glare.
"Well, it doesn't matter how I address your daughter. Sooner or later, she'll restore her maiden name," he said with a tone laced with mockery.